The book not the genre

I have a short window to read after I release Legally Wed on 24th. My iPad is crammed with books I want to read, but I still like to “stock up” periodically. So, I went to Amazon yesterday, and even though I’m sure all of the books on the best seller lists in romance are terrific, nothing really jumped out at me. Then, as I was wandering around aimlessly, I came across a book that excited me a lot. In fact, so much that I downloaded it and all of the books in the series – a HUGE leap of faith for me because I’m a picky reader. The thing is, this book wasn’t listed in the romance section, but in the mystery and humor sections. It was described as a “humorous romantic mystery” and an ode to one of my favorite authors – Agatha Christie.

Then it dawned on me – maybe that’s the direction in which I’m moving. After the Lawyers in Love series is complete, I plan to do a spin-off series with Gab & Braden, Jess & Cam, Adam & Lily and Mark & Beth working together at The Justice Project. Since they are romantic and sexy couples, I figured there would be romance and sexiness, (I know – I amaze myself with my brilliance too), but since they’re already together, I pictured the main plot-line revolving around the cases they handled. It never really sunk in before that I was picturing a shift from a humorous romance novel with a dash of mystery to a humorous mystery novel with a dash of romance.

So, why is this important to anyone but me?  Well, because when authors write books we market them in certain ways to reach certain audiences. If I’m putting out mystery novels they won’t necessarily pop up in a search for romance. Thus, I’m asking you right now, even if you don’t consider yourself a mystery fan, be open-minded. A book doesn’t have to be a romance novel per se to be romantic and sexy. Don’t get caught up with labels and genres and don’t just shop in one place. There are some books listed in Women’s Fiction that have scenes more erotic than books listed in erotica. There are books listed in erotica that have more interesting plots than books listed in suspense. You have to put it somewhere, but these days there’s not always one easy answer to the question “What kind of book is it?”