GENRE: 1770, from Fr. genre “kind, sort, style,” from O.Fr. (see gender).
I’m genre-neutral. Maybe even a little bit genre-queer. Genre-variant. Possibly genre-deviant. I hope so.
Not gender. Genre.
It’s not always easy selling as a genre-switching author. Agents and publishers, understandably, prefer to select authors who will have a specific and consistent brand. The problem is, neither Dianne Fox nor I have ever been very good at sticking to one genre.
What I want to offer, personally, is something consistent that goes beyond genre. I hope to offer a sense of genuine love, respect, and good will between my heroes. I strive to, with every story, leave readers with the conviction that love is real and wonderful, that struggles result in progress, and that good wins out in the end. I want to give readers room to explore their comfort zones and to provide paths that go beyond those comfort zones.
In everything, I choose to write about love, not only romance but all forms of true affection: the love of friends, of parents and siblings, the kindness of strangers, even the love given to and by companion animals. I attempt to convey love of life as well, love of the Earth, love of the mysteries that the Universe holds, the joy of good food, the richness of nature. I aspire to characters who ultimately illustrate that life is full of hope and wonder and beauty, even in dark places.
Love and romance transcend time and language and culture, as The Bridal Couple of Tanumshede, Sweden (above) still demonstrate after 3000 years. While I don’t pretend to that kind of great permanence, it’s my intention that readers will always be satisfied with the love in my writing, even when the genre is foreign to them. I have been blessed with brave readers who have embraced my genre-neutrality and challenged themselves with new settings and eras in hopes of finding the love stories they so appreciate. I thank them and hope I can continue to reward them with new adventures that fulfill their deepest dreams.
