A Crisis of Genre

Off to the Editor

Greetings, all! I skipped posting last week — sorry about that! I was getting The Mark of Thieves ready to send to my editor, and I decided to prioritize that instead of pausing to write a post.

Oh yeah . . . I SENT MY MANUSCRIPT OFF TO MY EDITOR!

It felt . . . really great, actually. Like, scary, but not overwhelmingly so. I even sent it off a day early!

Spoiler alert: I probably should've waited because I have since found some ridiculously stupid typos, but hey. Whatever. 😅

What have I been doing since then?

Writing Update

I've been . . .

• working on the prequel novella, tentatively Snow and Shadow

• writing the new first chapter of The Patron Saint of Scoundrels (Book 2)

• veeeery gently working on fully outlining and even drafting the opening of Book 3

•  . . . treating myself to a PAPERBACK PROOF of The Mark of Thieves!

Was that last thing necessary? Not in the slightest. Am I absolutely thrilled that I did it? Absolutely!

ID: a gif of Kate flipping through her proof copy of The Mark of Thieves

Why am I so excited to have spent money on a not-at-all final version of TMOT?

• it was fun and made me feel like a real author

• it allowed me to see IRL what the size of it will be (roughly) when it's complete

• I was able to see what the cover colours looked like printed (quite different from on screen)

Anyway, I'm IN LOVE. In fact, I was so inspired that I got up early today to start properly designing the spine and back cover! I was nervous about getting the dimensions correct, but it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Huzzah!

Have a sneak peek . . .

ID: a low-res screenshot of the in-progress back cover of The Mark of Thieves.

ID: a low-res screenshot of the in-progress spine of The Mark of Thieves.

Anyway, in terms of WC:

• Snow and Shadow: 17,723

• TPSOS new chapter 1: 1730

• Book 3 notes app outline: 1813

• Book 3 chapter 1 draft: 2136

Exciting stuff!!

What Genre Is This Book?!

So. I'm having a(nother) crisis. This time, it's a crisis of genre.

This is sort of embarrassing, but I didn't know that *romantic suspense was a real genre until, like, a few days ago. Now, I have never, never intended on marketing TMOT as romantic, because I genuinely don't think I could get away with it — I'd get flayed, because . . . lbr. It was never intended as a romance, and seeing as it's only the first book in the series, there's no HEA.

*yes, I know I've actually read some books that fall into this genre. I just didn't know the genre had a name.

But I won't deny it: when I saw the term "romantic suspense," I started to wonder.

So . . . what makes a book fit into the genre of romantic suspense?

• from Reddit user fresholivebread: some sort of mystery or action-oriented conflict alongside an established or developing romance

• from Reddit user DientesDelPerro: a suspense novel with a strong romantic subplot

• from author Nora Roberts: a relationship AND a danger

  • one full, complex story with intermingling elements

  • prose/description that evokes both romance and suspense

  • two kinds:

    • mystery/suspense with a hint of romance

    • romance with a hint of mystery/suspense

  • naturally/organically developing mystery, just as the romance develops naturally

  • "We know a love story isn’t satisfying if lose ends are left dangling . . . if the hero and heroine haven’t come to terms with each other and whatever was keeping them apart. All of us would be furious if we turned the last page of a mystery and were left ignorant of the villain’s name. Just as annoying is to discover at the end of the book that the writer held back vital clues, both to the relationship and to the mystery."

  • "You must give the reader these two levels of entertainment so they are satisfied with the romance and its outcome, satisfied with the mystery and its outcome. And there should probably be a connection between the two."

  • "There’s a natural connection between romance and mystery. A man and a woman fall in love — they have to learn about each other, clues are dropped, false steps are taken. There is risk. There has to be motivation. There is usually suspicion before there is trust."

😕

I think . . . TMOT comes close to romantic suspense. Close. (*mysterious, teasing voice to those who've read the original TPOT* Closer than you think!)

BUT.

How do the rules change if you're writing a series? And this is only the first book? With a cliffhanger? Where neither the overarching conflict nor the romance is resolved?

Man, I don't know.

So . . . that's my conclusion. After some research, I still don't know. Ultimately, I think it'll be much safer NOT to market this book as a romance of any kind, lest I risk infuriating the romance readers who may feel misled.

Sources

https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/sf4bgs/what_exactly_defines_romantic_suspense/

https://writingcorner.com/crafting-romantic-suspense/

Snippet

Holy cow! Someone read all the way to this point?! You get a treat.

From TPSOS, chapter 1 (VERY IN PROGRESS):

“I couldn’t hazard a guess at what depravity resides in that hollow head of yours,” he says softly, “or what your end goal is with this foolish refusal to speak. But let me make one thing clear.” He leans closer. “Sign that confession, or don’t. Be a martyr, or sacrifice her. You’re doomed either way, and so is she.”

From Snow and Shadow:

“I’m just saying.” A particularly icy patch meets the bottom of my shoe, and I have to catch my balance in mere seconds, sending a twinge of pain through my back. “You can’t die. Not like this, anyway. Gutted like a common criminal.” “Thought that’s what I was?” “I still forbid it.”

Have a great week, everyone!