Cross-genre.Ā Youāll hear the term a lot in writing circles.Ā But what is it?Ā Itās book that melds the elements of more than one genre together.Ā Books are coded by something known as a BISAC code that allows libraries to appropriately shelve a book and search engines to find it.Ā The list is extensive and usually books can have two BISAC codes.Ā (You can check out the list for fiction here: bisg.org/page/Fiction But be warnedāitās extensive!)
My forthcoming book Sharkās
Hunt, book #3 of the Shark Santoyo Crime Series, can appropriately be filed
under FIC031010 FICTION / Thrillers / Crime, but itās possible that it
could be filed under FIC027260 FICTION / Romance / Action & Adventure
or FIC022000 FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General. Or I could just go for a broad category and
label it: FIC044000 FICTION / Women.
Am I the only one who finds it odd that women are a category of
fiction? There isnāt a category for
Men. Or is all fiction assumed to be
menās fiction and we need to let people know that this book over here is just
for women? Seems odd, but weāll just leave that one alone for now.
But beyond the BISAC codes, which while useful, are not the
end all definition of a book, there is marketing and thatās where things get
persnickety. An author and a marketer
need to be able to tell and sell someone on a book in 30 seconds or less.
The Shark Santoyo
Crime Series is a witty, romantic saga about a violent suburban underworld.
Shark Santoyo and Peregrine Hays are the Romeo and Juliet of the criminal set
and they are determined to find justice, revenge, and true love. Thereās just
an entire mob and a few dirty FBI agents in the way.
So from my āelevator pitchā you should know that thereās
going to be violence, romance, crime, and a touch of humor. But all of those things are hard to encompass
in a single book description and a cover.
Which is why youāll see cross-genre books āpushedā toward one genre. Thereās a girl in the book ā make it sexy on
the cover! Donāt mention the humor ā
humor doesnāt sell! On the other hand,
when a book succeeds youāll hear people knowingly say, āWell, itās really
cross-genre.ā Of course, itās
cross-genre! No book is ever one thing entirely. Itās as though an author just canāt win.
Last year two other authors and banded together to invent GalacticDreamsāa shared sci-fi universe for novellas based on fairy tales. As I mentioned in a blog at the time I was shocked to go through the fairy tales and realize how full horrible things they really were. The shock only deepened when I learned that these were the sanitized versions. Apparently, the Grimm brothers put out a first edition and found out that they were a little too gory and horrible for even their 1800ās audiences. So they switched some of the baddies to step-parents (instead of full parents) and pulled out some of the most egregious elements and put out a new edition that is more similar to the stories weāre familiar with today. However, as the shock of cannibalism, incest, and limb removal wore off, I began to notice another strange thing about the stories: they donāt make sense.
The story Iām using this year for my sci-fi novel The Seventh Swan is based on the story of the Six Swans. The story involves at least 2 witches, 2 kings, and 3 queens and not one of them has a name. But you wonāt need to worry about which is which because they never interact. The witch at the start of the story disappears after sheās set events in motion. Ditto to the evil queen witch step-mother. The doting father of the swan brother and heroine puts them in a tower to protect them from the evil queen witch step-mother, but when his daughter says āDad your wife turned my brothers into swans.ā Heās all āNah, she wouldnāt do that.ā And the story is called the Six Swans, so clearly it must be about the brothers, right? No. They show up once and disappear again until the end. And then the heroine, now sworn to silence to save her brothers (and how did they know that was what had to happen to save them?) gets married has not one, but three children, and her mother-in-law steals them and accuses her of eating them. Becauseā¦ that was so common that people would buy that story? Eventually, (after the third baby) the husbandās like āI guess sheās a cannibalā and he decides to burn her at the stake. But fortunately the six years of silence is up and she saves the brothers and avoids the stake.
None of that makes sense. However, the story still makes sense. A girl must save her brothers from an evil curse by suffering in silence and setting herself to a menial task. The flow of the story works, but the actual events and characters are insane. And in fairy tale after fairy tale the same holds true. Characters pop up and then disappear. Characters contradict their own statements. Random events occur. But they all move the story toward the mandated happy ending. Fairy tales are not a lesson in how to write beautiful descriptions or develop fully fleshed out characters, but they have been an amazing lesson in how stories function and how much a reader will forgive to get to the happy ending.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WSTF-cover-400x640.jpg640400Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2019-01-23 07:00:252019-01-22 19:22:15The Shape of Tales
Author Bethany Maines, crime, event, morgan freeman, noir at the bar, reading, Seattle, swearing This week I’m engaging in a local Seattle event calledĀ Noir at the Bar.Ā There are several of these around the countryāthey’re a collection of live readings from crime writers with a few open mic slots at the end.Ā I don’t do crime exactly.Ā I’m more action-adventure / mystery. If you’re wondering about the distinction, I would say that the crime genre usually involves a higher body count and more depression and alcoholism.
A public reading is a difficult
beast to master. The story or piece has to fit the time allotted and it has to
be satisfying to the audience. Just reading a chunk of my latest work in
progress wouldn’t be helpful for the audience. There wouldn’t be enough set up
and no conclusion. It’s OK to leave the audience wanting more and
pondering the deeper meaning. Leaving them just plain confused and
wondering what the point was is not acceptable. Also, the piece has to be
somewhat performed. Simply reading is more than a little bit boring, unless you
have a Morgan Freeman voice. In which case, congratulations, read
whatever you want. But I don’t sound remotely like Morgan Freeman, so I
have to work a little harder.
For this event I’ve written a
more crime oriented piece involving plastic couch covers, cupcakes and a
husband who wishes he hadn’t popped home for a nooner. It’s got some
rather naughty words and I’m hoping I don’t stumble over them. It’s my
feeling that if you’re going to swear in public you should do it with
authority. Although, I have to admit that while dropping an F-bomb
doesn’t scare me, but somehow the line about tampons has me intimidated.
Wish me luck!
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.png00Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2019-01-09 06:55:322019-01-08 18:59:01Noir at the Bar
I had a friend who was extremely disappointed to learn that the day after Christmas had NOTHING to do with boxing. I don’t know if she was hoping for some sort of tale of a historical rumble at Five Points or Canadians engaging in fisticuffs, but she was quite put out to learn that it was about literal boxes and tipping.Ā I cannot help the history, but the tradition in our family is to loll about the house and stuff our faces while watching an entire days worth action movies selected by my brother.Ā And action movies frequently involve some sort of hand to hand pummelling, so, there… Boxing Day accomplished.
Watching movies at my brothers house has gotten more complicated due to babies and competing in-laws, but this year’s movie theme is Time Travel.Ā So in no particular order we are all invited to watch the following:
Back to the Future – Michael J. Fox
Frequency – Jim Caviezel
Time Cop – Jean Claucde Van Damme
Looper – Joseph Gorden Levitt
12 Monkeys – Bruce Willis
The Terminator – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – Keanu Reeves
The Final Countdown – Martin Sheen
Merry Christmas, happy Boxing Day, and a wonderful New Years to all!
Drunken TV news cameraman Jake GarnerĀ thoughtĀ he was tackling an intruder. But no, Jake just took out the fantastically attractive dog sitter. Mortified, Jake does what any man would who has just been dumped right before Christmas would doāgive the offended party all his ex’s things. Meanwhile, Blue Jones is determined to do whatever it takes to get her grandmother the best cancer treatment possible, even if that means some high-rise burglary from one of her worst dog-sitting clients, the failure to walk, feed or book a pet-sitter for a three day weekend, Grace Lorra. But Blue didn’t count on Grace’s ex, Jake, showing up and drunkenly handing over all ofĀ Grace’s belongingsā including her adorable French Bulldog, Jacques. It takes no time at all for Blue to fall in love with Jacques, but Blue also finds herself wondering if it would beĀ soĀ bad to return to the scene of the crime to reconnect with Jake. But as Christmas draws closer, Grace pressures Jake to return the dog and Blue is targeted by mysterious assailants. Can Jake find Blue and Jacques before her stalkers do? And can Jake and Blue stop these mystery men without also getting Blue arrested for theft? For Blue, Christmas has never been quite so dangerous. For Jake, Christmas has never been quite so Blue.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/BlueChristmas-cover_400x640.jpg640400Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2018-12-23 19:16:452018-12-30 23:48:24Boxing Day
Cross Genre
/in General Writing, Marketing, Shark SantoyoCross-genre.Ā Youāll hear the term a lot in writing circles.Ā But what is it?Ā Itās book that melds the elements of more than one genre together.Ā Books are coded by something known as a BISAC code that allows libraries to appropriately shelve a book and search engines to find it.Ā The list is extensive and usually books can have two BISAC codes.Ā (You can check out the list for fiction here: bisg.org/page/Fiction But be warnedāitās extensive!)
My forthcoming book Sharkās Hunt, book #3 of the Shark Santoyo Crime Series, can appropriately be filed under FIC031010 FICTION / Thrillers / Crime, but itās possible that it could be filed under FIC027260 FICTION / Romance / Action & Adventure or FIC022000 FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General. Or I could just go for a broad category and label it: FIC044000 FICTION / Women. Am I the only one who finds it odd that women are a category of fiction? There isnāt a category for Men. Or is all fiction assumed to be menās fiction and we need to let people know that this book over here is just for women? Seems odd, but weāll just leave that one alone for now.
But beyond the BISAC codes, which while useful, are not the end all definition of a book, there is marketing and thatās where things get persnickety. An author and a marketer need to be able to tell and sell someone on a book in 30 seconds or less.
The Shark Santoyo Crime Series is a witty, romantic saga about a violent suburban underworld. Shark Santoyo and Peregrine Hays are the Romeo and Juliet of the criminal set and they are determined to find justice, revenge, and true love. Thereās just an entire mob and a few dirty FBI agents in the way.
So from my āelevator pitchā you should know that thereās going to be violence, romance, crime, and a touch of humor. But all of those things are hard to encompass in a single book description and a cover. Which is why youāll see cross-genre books āpushedā toward one genre. Thereās a girl in the book ā make it sexy on the cover! Donāt mention the humor ā humor doesnāt sell! On the other hand, when a book succeeds youāll hear people knowingly say, āWell, itās really cross-genre.ā Of course, itās cross-genre! No book is ever one thing entirely. Itās as though an author just canāt win.
On the other hand, if you think cross-genre witty, romantic saga about a violent suburban underworld sounds fun, then check out Sharkās Instinct and Sharkās Bite and pre-order Sharkās Hunt today.
The Perfect Ending
/in Galactic Dreams, General Writing, The Stiletto GangThe Shape of Tales
/in Galactic Dreams, General Writing, The Stiletto GangLast year two other authors and banded together to invent GalacticDreamsāa shared sci-fi universe for novellas based on fairy tales. As I mentioned in a blog at the time I was shocked to go through the fairy tales and realize how full horrible things they really were. The shock only deepened when I learned that these were the sanitized versions. Apparently, the Grimm brothers put out a first edition and found out that they were a little too gory and horrible for even their 1800ās audiences. So they switched some of the baddies to step-parents (instead of full parents) and pulled out some of the most egregious elements and put out a new edition that is more similar to the stories weāre familiar with today. However, as the shock of cannibalism, incest, and limb removal wore off, I began to notice another strange thing about the stories: they donāt make sense.
The story Iām using this year for my sci-fi novel The Seventh Swan is based on the story of the Six Swans. The story involves at least 2 witches, 2 kings, and 3 queens and not one of them has a name. But you wonāt need to worry about which is which because they never interact. The witch at the start of the story disappears after sheās set events in motion. Ditto to the evil queen witch step-mother. The doting father of the swan brother and heroine puts them in a tower to protect them from the evil queen witch step-mother, but when his daughter says āDad your wife turned my brothers into swans.ā Heās all āNah, she wouldnāt do that.ā And the story is called the Six Swans, so clearly it must be about the brothers, right? No. They show up once and disappear again until the end. And then the heroine, now sworn to silence to save her brothers (and how did they know that was what had to happen to save them?) gets married has not one, but three children, and her mother-in-law steals them and accuses her of eating them. Becauseā¦ that was so common that people would buy that story? Eventually, (after the third baby) the husbandās like āI guess sheās a cannibalā and he decides to burn her at the stake. But fortunately the six years of silence is up and she saves the brothers and avoids the stake.
None of that makes sense. However, the story still makes sense. A girl must save her brothers from an evil curse by suffering in silence and setting herself to a menial task. The flow of the story works, but the actual events and characters are insane. And in fairy tale after fairy tale the same holds true. Characters pop up and then disappear. Characters contradict their own statements. Random events occur. But they all move the story toward the mandated happy ending. Fairy tales are not a lesson in how to write beautiful descriptions or develop fully fleshed out characters, but they have been an amazing lesson in how stories function and how much a reader will forgive to get to the happy ending.
Noir at the Bar
/in General Writing, The Stiletto GangAuthor Bethany Maines, crime, event, morgan freeman, noir at the bar, reading, Seattle, swearing This week I’m engaging in a local Seattle event calledĀ Noir at the Bar.Ā There are several of these around the countryāthey’re a collection of live readings from crime writers with a few open mic slots at the end.Ā I don’t do crime exactly.Ā I’m more action-adventure / mystery. If you’re wondering about the distinction, I would say that the crime genre usually involves a higher body count and more depression and alcoholism.
A public reading is a difficult beast to master. The story or piece has to fit the time allotted and it has to be satisfying to the audience. Just reading a chunk of my latest work in progress wouldn’t be helpful for the audience. There wouldn’t be enough set up and no conclusion. It’s OK to leave the audience wanting more and pondering the deeper meaning. Leaving them just plain confused and wondering what the point was is not acceptable. Also, the piece has to be somewhat performed. Simply reading is more than a little bit boring, unless you have a Morgan Freeman voice. In which case, congratulations, read whatever you want. But I don’t sound remotely like Morgan Freeman, so I have to work a little harder.
For this event I’ve written a more crime oriented piece involving plastic couch covers, cupcakes and a husband who wishes he hadn’t popped home for a nooner. It’s got some rather naughty words and I’m hoping I don’t stumble over them. It’s my feeling that if you’re going to swear in public you should do it with authority. Although, I have to admit that while dropping an F-bomb doesn’t scare me, but somehow the line about tampons has me intimidated. Wish me luck!
Boxing Day
/in Action Movies, General Writing, The Stiletto GangI had a friend who was extremely disappointed to learn that the day after Christmas had NOTHING to do with boxing. I don’t know if she was hoping for some sort of tale of a historical rumble at Five Points or Canadians engaging in fisticuffs, but she was quite put out to learn that it was about literal boxes and tipping.Ā I cannot help the history, but the tradition in our family is to loll about the house and stuff our faces while watching an entire days worth action movies selected by my brother.Ā And action movies frequently involve some sort of hand to hand pummelling, so, there… Boxing Day accomplished.
Watching movies at my brothers house has gotten more complicated due to babies and competing in-laws, but this year’s movie theme is Time Travel.Ā So in no particular order we are all invited to watch the following:
Merry Christmas, happy Boxing Day, and a wonderful New Years to all!
**
Drunken TV news cameraman Jake GarnerĀ thoughtĀ he was tackling an intruder. But no, Jake just took out the fantastically attractive dog sitter. Mortified, Jake does what any man would who has just been dumped right before Christmas would doāgive the offended party all his ex’s things. Meanwhile, Blue Jones is determined to do whatever it takes to get her grandmother the best cancer treatment possible, even if that means some high-rise burglary from one of her worst dog-sitting clients, the failure to walk, feed or book a pet-sitter for a three day weekend, Grace Lorra. But Blue didn’t count on Grace’s ex, Jake, showing up and drunkenly handing over all ofĀ Grace’s belongingsā including her adorable French Bulldog, Jacques. It takes no time at all for Blue to fall in love with Jacques, but Blue also finds herself wondering if it would beĀ soĀ bad to return to the scene of the crime to reconnect with Jake. But as Christmas draws closer, Grace pressures Jake to return the dog and Blue is targeted by mysterious assailants. Can Jake find Blue and Jacques before her stalkers do? And can Jake and Blue stop these mystery men without also getting Blue arrested for theft? For Blue, Christmas has never been quite so dangerous. For Jake, Christmas has never been quite so Blue.