Work in Progress: I have a confession to make…
My confession is that I’m not good at following rules. I chafe at restrictions, especially if they are arbitrary.
I am working on 3 different series featuring a curvy woman of color.
1) amateur sleuth mystery series set in Texas
2) interracial Gothic romance/family saga set in Scotland
3) women’s fiction set in a small Texas town.
This is in addition to an idea I have for a sequel to The Summer of Consent.
“Why the different genres, Jayne? You’re inconsistent and all over the place!”
Some authors and publishers consider this a no-no because I would be “diluting my brand.”
It’s been said that good storytelling transcends genre, and good storytelling is a goal for my brand. I hope that my storytelling is engrossing enough and my characters compelling enough to attract readers who like my work.
The way I see it, my brand, like everything else, is a work in progress. But I will say that I do want to build a brand featuring women of color in places and situations where you don’t normally see us–even though we are already there.
I (currently) don’t have a large body of work, and what I have published is split between New Adult fiction (which is something I did not plan. It just happened!) and contemporary adult fiction.
I’ve had these ideas for a long, long time, and if I don’t write these particular stories, who will? I read all sorts of books. I can’t just stick to one area for the rest of my life.
Here’s another confession: I’m not going to fool myself and think everyone will like everything I write, but I do want to find out who likes what! Someone may prefer my new adult stuff over anything else and another person will only like my mystery series or Gothic series, or women’s fiction. Some will stay away from me and everything I write.
And the rare unicorns out there will love ’em all!
“But authors aren’t supposed to write whatever they want! They should only write what the market wants! That is what sells!”
If that works for you, run with it. But I think it can go either way. If an author has an idea for a story screaming to be written, they should go ahead and write it. Then, with work and marketing, they will find the right audience for their story.
Instead of running around and trying to write a book like Author X or like Title Y, I’m gonna write the stories in my head and see who likes ’em.
Bad, Jayne! Bad, bad, bad, Jayne!
“You’re a snarky bitch, aren’t you?”
Final confession. My husband tells me this.
All. The. Time…
But we’re happy! 🙂
So I hope at least some of y’all will stick with me. Hey, I’ll be needing beta readers soon enough! It could be you!
Considering the projects listed above, tell me which one(s) grab your attention…if any!
