Genres

Follow the conversation...

"I've written a story and it is one great story."
"Really.  What genre?"
"Well, it is about a guy who is a detective and needs to get an item back for a museum."
"So it is a detective story?"
"Well, not really. It takes place in Mexico and is about the Mayan calendar."
"Ah, a historical tale."
"Um, not really. It links 600 A.D. with today with ghosts."
"Ok, that makes it a paranormal story."
"And involves Mayan gods and legends."
"Could be considered fantasy.
"It also has details about the moon, stars, constellations and time."
"So it is science fiction."
"Should I mention there are sparks between the female news reporter and the detective?"
"Are you saying it is romance?"
"To be honest, I don't know. There is also adventure, mystery and food."
"You blended too many genres."

And there you have it.  A great story with so many aspects to it that it can't be pigeon-holed easily into one genre or sub-genre.

This is a fact of many authors today.  In the "good ol' days" authors wrote detective, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, western and the list goes on.  They wrote in a genre and were known for the style of book they wrote.  Today we have cowboys in space... is that science fiction or is it western?  And if we toss in love interest with the aliens... suddenly we've tossed in the romance genre.

I wrote "2012: Timeline Apocalypse" and while writing I wove facts with fiction to create what I hoped to be a great tale.  I originally considered it fantasy but the story evolved.  It involves a real item; the Mayan calendar and the fact the calendar ends on Dec 21, 2012 ... it is a truth, not fantasy.  Notice I said the CALENDAR ends.  Our calendar ends on December 31st -- every year, but I digress.

I wanted to call it an adventure thriller but another author informed me if I had ghosts in the story, therefore it should be considered paranormal.  Another person claimed it was a detective tale or at least it was a mystery.

Why all the frustration?

You, the reader, love action thrillers but although this book has action and thrills, it isn't your typical action thriller.  Just as the tale involves a detective but this is not a story about a detective and a case... at least, not completely.  Nor is it a paranormal story even though there are ghosts or pseudo-ghosts.  Just as there are lot of historical aspects, this is not a historical tale.

Any reader expecting this to be a certain genre will be disappointed since it won't match the expectation of the genre.  Go into the book store and where would you expect to find it?

Is this book doomed to failure?

There is GENERAL FICTION which the book could fall under... but [sigh] what reader is going to be excited by general fiction?  I love fantasy and this book could meet my expectation.  I like action, thriller, etc etc and could meet my expectations since I enjoy many genres.  But there are those who live for the adrenalin rush of the genre.  There are horror aspects but this is not a horror story.  There is some love interest but this is not a romance story.  There is action, thrill, mystery but it is blended so each is balanced to keep the reader flipping pages.

Actually, I'd say this novel is a great read, a fun read; a story covering many aspects and genres to make it enjoyable to all.  There's just enough mystery, thrill, adventure, romance, fantasy, history and whatever else you want to make this book a family favorite.  Ok, maybe not a book to rival with Swiss Family Robinson, but you see what I mean.  Young, old, male, female; it should appeal to almost any reading taste.  Yes, I would call my book's genre FUN.

So where would you place my tale?  What genre should "2012: Timeline Apocalypse" fall into?  Tell you what... read the book then you tell me.

Here's a link to a tease read of 2012: Timeline Apocalypse
or just a quick overview at my book website.

Until next I blog my ramblings...