Thursday Thoughts: Why that Genre?

 

Growing up, I was always reading something. Basically, whatever I could get my hands on. I used to love the Sweet Valley High series, and I read almost all of them. Then I moved on to V.C. Andrews -- Flowers in the Attic and whatever else she'd written. I was hooked by the twisted, often horrific stories she told. From there, I graduated to Dean Koontz and Stephen King. As a teen, I would watch The X-Files with my dad every week. I realized early on that I had a penchant for the dark and scary stuff, which has carried on through adulthood. Now, I find myself gravitating toward teen and adult thrillers, spooky / haunted non-fiction, horror movies, etc. The spookier and creepier the better. 

Yet, I write romance. 

I've had people ask me why. Why write romance when you seem to love all the scary, spooky, haunted, twisty thriller type stuff so much? And my answer is: I don't know. Honestly. I really don't. Maybe because I do read and watch so much of it that I worry I won't be able to come up with anything new or unique. Or maybe I'm just suffering from severe imposter syndrome and worry I won't be able to pull off a good thriller or horror novel. Though, I have started to shift toward more spookier stories, with my paranormal series. And I have started (and stopped) working on a few thrillers. 

But I'm coming to another realization: The more scary stuff I read, the more post-apocalyptic books I read, the more horror movies and shows I watch, the stronger my urge to write within this genre. And so I've decided I'm going to really put some effort into finishing a new book in one of these genres. 

Will I completely abandon writing romance? Absolutely not! Even within these other genres, there will be romantic subplots -- I can't not write romance into my books. I'm looking forward to this challenge!

Anyone else read or consume media that's outside of the genre they write? If so, what's your reasoning? Is there a genre you've always wanted to try writing? Got any tips for anyone just branching out? Share in the comments!

Kara's Book Cravings: The Haunted

 A few years ago, I'd read Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. I think I'd found that at a local used bookshop, and I was intrigued enough to buy it. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about that book other than the ending was extremely confusing in a very creepy sort of way. But I didn't have any issues with the author's writing style, so when I found this gem at a local garage sale, I couldn't pass it up. 

The Haunted by Danielle Vega is a mix between a horror and a thriller, which is so my thing! And this book didn't disappoint. It was a quick read that was easy to follow. Parts of this were definitely high on the creepy meter, but I didn't find it particularly scary. Though, if this were made into a movie or TV show, I can easily see a lot of great jump scares. 

The only real complaint I have about this book is the romance subplot. It felt both forced and rushed. I thought for sure the main character was going to end up with one guy, and then BAM! She's in love with someone else. Didn't make much sense to me, but I also realize romance isn't the focus of this story, so... *shrug*

Overall, this was a quick, immersive read. The ending was unexpected, so that's always a bonus. I see there's a sequel, but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to buy and read it (especially with how this first book ended). 

Anyone else read this book? Or anything else by this author? 

What're your thoughts? 

Spill the Tea Tuesday: The Scary Part of Being a Writer

Today, author Audrey Grace is here to spill the tea...

What’s scarier than publishing your first book? 

Delving into a completely new genre, one you haven’t spent much time writing in decades. 

That’s me, taking the plunge into the horror and thriller genre. Let me call it horror light because there’s more thriller in it than horror, but it still doesn’t count as straight up thriller. The ghosts involved and some of my deepest darkest fears come alive on paper would agree it’s a horror book. 

Like anything else in my life, I jumped in without thinking too much. It all started with a challenge--to write a romance with horror. Somehow, I pulled it off and loved it. It reminded me of the old days when I could stretch my writing fingers and have no limits to my creative flow. This book isn’t romance at all. As a matter of fact, I gave myself a higher challenge of making it a YA book, where teens and adults alike could enjoy it. And I jumped right in and forgot to plug my nose. 

Maybe jumping is too harsh - It was more like tiptoeing for a year while finishing other projects and then getting the green light to go, go, go. And go I did. This passion project started with a cover, one that sparked a Google search and a legend I couldn’t pass up. I threw in a few cups of  my passion of lesser known history, and sprinkled in a dash of ‘what am I doing?’ before baking up a wonderful finished novel that my early readers say they would love as a movie. 

Did I stop in the middle and wonder what was I thinking? Yes, yes I did. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. Spinning interesting stories with twists and turns is my passion, one I’ll keep doing for as long as I’m able. 

Paper Flight might be the first book for Audrey Grace, but it won’t be the last. With my love of urban legends and huge cover collection, I won’t run out of ideas anytime soon.

Audrey Grace lives in the Midwest and grew up with the influences of some of the greatest horror and thriller writers of all time. Her own writing journey began with short spooky stories to tell around the campfire and eventually, she started writing them down. As she did so, they grew into full books. With the nudge of her friend, she decided to throw caution to the wind and become an author. Her favorite stories to write are terrifying spins on urban legends from around the world. 

While Audrey likes to write on the dark side, she loves romance, Victorian era cosplay, musicals, and history shows. You can find her visiting haunted locations whenever she gets a chance. You can also find her on Facebook.

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Spill the Tea Tuesday: Writing with Your Love

 Today, author Ashby Frost is spilling the tea...

Writing short stories and novels with your significant other can be challenging but extremely rewarding. I love collaborating storylines and ideas off Crespin; bouncing that level of imagination at work off each other is incredible, and I'm blessed to have a husband who supports my writing and understands each book's creation and publishing process. 

Do we clash on some ideas? Of course, we take a step away from that WIP and work on another or start a new one, then return to the last one with fresh eyes and a clear mind to tackle the storyline again. I love writing with Crespin, and although we write together and co-write short stories and novels, we also write our own projects. 

I highly recommend writing with the one you love but be sure you have enough coffee, wine, and chocolate.

Ashby Frost is a thriller author who recently delved into the horror genre while writing with her husband, Crespin Frost, a horror author. Ashby & Crespin went to high school in North Central Texas, where they developed a bond of love and friendship and married as teenagers. Residing in a small lake town in Texas with their dog Odie Beau they embark on many adventures and enjoy writing together and running their business Twisted Wolf Graphix. 

Ashby has been writing almost all her life; she has found that her love of writing thrillers and murder suspense is her favorite. She loves not knowing where a story or character will take her at the beginning; she just lets the words and imagination flow onto the screen and is usually very pleased with the new short story or novel she has created. Ashby is fascinated with female serial killers and loves to use them in her stories; she also writes stories of strong women; even if they get knocked down, they get back up and do whatever they must to save their own life!

You can learn more about Ashby on Amazon and Facebook.

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!