Tom Bruno asked Michael Shotter:

Each of your books I would consider to be different sub genre of Fantasy & Sci-Fi even though they are connected to the same universe. What sub genre is next!?

Michael Shotter Without getting too specific, I think it's fair to say that several of the stories in the short-fiction anthology I'll be releasing next year have some fairly strong dark-fiction and horror overtones. Some of that is definitely on display in my recently-released novelette, "Academic Displacement," which will also be included in that aforementioned collection.

That said, I'm always reluctant to label my works with a particular genre because one of the main things I strive for as an author is to defy typical genre norms and boundaries.

When reading, one of my greatest joys comes from being genuinely and pleasantly surprised by where a story goes. As much as genres can be useful for organizing stories into categories, I think they often do a disservice to those stories and their readers by setting expectations, rather than allowing the narrative to be experienced without bias or preconception. As a writer, I'm always hoping to surprise and delight the reader with something unexpected, regardless of whatever genre the core of the story may evoke.

Thanks for the question!

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