I’m certain
my eclectic life and my lack of specific concentration have caused many a
reader to SAY WHAT? They pick up a novel
of mine by accident. They enjoy the read
so they choose another from my inventory. BZZZZ. SAY WHAT??? They look at the
title, check my name and discover an entirely different genre; a theme that
wouldn’t normally interest them.
This
erratic and scrambled collection of novels I have written is a parallel to my
life. I’m an adventurer; always seeking the
other side of the horizon. My novels
reflect my experiences and observations because I’m too lazy to do research.
The
contrast between my novels, BOOMER, and my most recent, SHOOTER, are
one-hundred-eighty degrees apart.
Although the covers could be interchanged, the
stories are from different periods.
BOOMER is a period western that is for general audiences. SHOOTER is a story about the family of
assassins that killed President Kennedy and several other notables. There are a few teenage kisses in BOOMER, but
several graphic sex scenes in SHOOTER. I can go on and on with the differences
but you get the drift.
A
consistency of theme runs through my contemporary westerns, UNTAMED, PARTNERS,
and CRYSTAL COWBOY. Another theme is portrayed in ExPat and TRES PIEDRAS. The MURDER IN PANAMA (Jimmy Hart trilogy) is
just that – an action adventure 3 book series with Panama as the backdrop.
The two BIG
novels in my inventory, THE LAST FRUIT STAND ON GUAM and ALASKA BE DAMNED, both
well over one-hundred-thousand words, are again as opposite as night and
day. I have had readers that loved the
bawdy romantic comedy, LFS and wasn’t overly thrilled with the action-drama,
ABD -- And vice versa.
I guess the
point I’m trying to make is this. Before
you purchase one of my novels, use the free sample and read the first couple of
chapters. I don’t want you disappointed
or surprised by the content.
A lot of my
favorite authors don’t have this problem.
One of my favorites is Zoe Saadia.
She writes pre-contact historical fiction. I love it.
I can buy any of her novels and not be disappointed or surprised because
she has a consistent genre. Oh, the Indian
tribes will be different, and the circumstances will change but overall, her
work is consistently good; the same with Bob Dunbar, Terry C. Johnston, Michael
Blake, G.E.Nolly, and Chloe Thurlow. All
excellent writers that stay within their genre. They found their niche and I’m
proud to read them.
Writers
like Larry McMurtry, John Nichols, and the classic authors of years past like Edward
Abbey, Hemmingway, Stienbeck, and London are all over the map.
Perhaps I am
emulating my old time mentors. Who knows?
I understand one hard fact about my work.
If I don’t enjoy the story, I won’t write it. Hell, I won’t even consider writing something
just to be a commercial success. Genre challenged? Perhaps!
