“What is your genre?” is the second-most asked question of authors. The first is, “How do you get your ideas?” which I’ve already told you about.
Many authors know their genre, and the answer is easy: “Oh, I write romance.” Or science fiction, or whatever. Some authors invent their own genre – Tom Clancy invented the techno-thriller genre when he wrote “Hunt for Red October,” and he never looked back.
They say you should write about what you know. With the Internet, you can bend that rule by simply asking the right questions and you become a bit of an expert about anything – for example, the traditional Afghan knife that pierces Crusaders’ armor, as seen in my “Stranger on the Island,” – simple.
Anyway, I do write pretty much what I know, whether it’s about submarines, Spanish customs, St. Thomas USVI, or an immersion French school in the Loire Valley of France. I do the research as well. But the point is, for me at least, there is another reason for me to have picked my genre: I love adventure and I love a bit of romance. For example, when I’m perusing books by Louis L’Amour or Ralph Compton for a good cowboy adventure, I always look for a woman in the story. I’m a sucker for romance.
I have figured out that my genre is “Romantic Adventure.” I read romance and I read adventure and I love the tension and emotion of both, brought to the page in a fun way. So there you go. Romantic Adventure, for novels based partly on what I know, and partly what I’m passionate about reading.
Take care {$name},
Jonathan