If you’re this far into my blog and/or have spent a fair amount of time going through my website, it’s probably clear by now that I’m a huge fan of the mystery genre. Ten books into two series featuring distinctly different detectives, I’m pretty happy with the small niche I’ve carved out for my work and pleasantly surprised by the generally positive response to it.
Still, there are days when I ponder if I’ve chosen the right genre, or if it would be wise to branch out into another just to spread out the wealth (so to speak). I started this long journey as a writer many, many years ago writing an epic science fiction story in my dorm room at the University of Maine; while I don’t seem to have that original manuscript around anymore, I’ve toyed with several versions of that base story a few times in the decades since, but have never really gone anywhere with it. (Technically, I still have the file for that novel on a 3.5″ floppy disk that no current computer I own can read, written using a software package I no longer own. I suppose that is the very definition of lost to the sands of time…)
One problem with my science fiction efforts is that, invariably, it always winds up looking and feeling like the Star Trek tome I’ve desperately wanted to write since picking up Gene Roddenberry’s novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture some forty years ago. I’ve re-read that paperback so many times, I had to buy it again on Kindle just to keep the font readable; the nuance in that book truly makes the movie itself more interesting, but also provides such valuable insight into the universe the Great Bird of the Galaxy crafted. Someday, maybe, I’ll finally be discovered (or an agent will take my submission) and my name will at long last appear on a cover featuring Mister Spock and Captain Kirk; until then, I’ll continue to dream.
My writing friend who I often bounce ideas off writes in the Fantasy genre; other than some fan fiction for a certain animated superhero show I love, I’ve not really dabbled in that space much myself. I find it attractive in many ways, though, for while it also allows for the sort of world building I do in my mysteries, the added ability to bring in elements from mythology or magical themes is pretty compelling. I love what I’ve seen from my friend so far, and do think about possible throwing my hat into that ring at some point, too. I don’t know if I should admit to this, but there was one early version of Sean Colbeth where he was a witch, using all of the magical tools at his disposal to investigate the disappearance of another. I may or may not have come up with that angle around the time that the Twilight series was insanely popular; I didn’t get too far into the manuscript, though, for I quickly realized that story just wasn’t working for me.
I do think I could write something in the straight-up fiction department, though, for while my books currently tend to focus on the mystery du jour, that is only a part of what goes on within them. I find character growth quite appealing, but have always enjoyed juxtaposing it with a situation that might bring out the unexpected in someone. I’ll probably stick to what I’m doing for now, but hey, you never know. Maybe this time next year, I’ll have something new to offer…