Whenever i come across someone new who finds out I'm an author, and they decide they want to read one of my novels, I ask them which one. They inevitably respond with, "Well, which one is your favorite?"
This is a question that has no answer. My books are sort of like children--except for the fact that they don't get in trouble or embarrass me in Wal-Mart--but they are special and loved in their own way. I created them, I went through a process of "raising" them; struggle, joy, challenge, frustration, laughter....So if you ask me which is my favorite, I can't choose. I love them all equally for different reasons.
This situation also might have something to do with the fact that I don't write formula fiction, or one genre of fiction (Unless you count that there is always some mystery or unanswered question afoot in the story--but most stories have that or they wouldn't hold our interest). Genre specific writers like Koontz and King might not have this issue, because they generally stay within the parameters of one type of story (i.e., Horror, thriller, suspense). But i write in 14 genres. (Not that I have 14 different novels in 14 different genres, but this is to say that I write in many forms when I write). So I would have no idea what a person might like unless I know them well. And even then, it's a crap shoot. A potential reader, asking me this question would have to tell me what other authors they read, or what other genres or themes they enjoy most. Then, I can suggest one of mine.
They want mainstream, contemporary fiction with medical and/or legal content, with perhaps a killer on the loose? I would suggest Achilles Forjan.
Mainstream contemporary fiction about families and relationships and secrets and struggle? Baggage.
A lesbian love story mixed in with a mystery and a female sleuth? Armchair Detective.
A quirky, humorous Southern Gothic kind of story with lesbians? Plethora.
A lesbian romance with a suspenseful edge? As You Were.
A highly erotic lesbian story of discovery and trust, that also has a plot and characters you can care about? Random Act of Blindness.
Yes, I have more stories about lesbians than I do about anything else, because, as they say, you write about what you know (though I often break that rule, because I want to learn something and so I learn it in order to write about it). But I also know that people are people and even straight people will find themselves or someone they know in those stories. If they don't, maybe they should get out more. And I do have a few other mainstream books on the way. So before long, there should be something for everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment