LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm happy to welcome back Keziah Frost to the blog. She raises a great question about genres--why should authors be pinned to writing one kind of book?
KEZIAH FROST: “Write the book you’d like to find on the shelf!”
That’s the advice that writers hear all the time, and good advice it is. However, it may conflict with the encouragement writers also hear to “brand” themselves, to keep offering more of the same to their readers, only each time, a little better.
When I think about the book I’d like to find on the shelf, I ask, “Wait. Just one book?” If you’re like me, your shelves are overflowing with books you want to read. And if you imagine the book you’d like to find, your thoughts go in several directions at once.
Sometimes I want to find a light-hearted and wise, uplifting book. At other times though, I’m in the mood for a gothic suspense story. And there are times I look for fairy tale collections, or time travel stories, or silver sleuth mysteries, or… well, you get the idea. Are you the same?
The book I want to find on the shelf can be almost any genre, but it has to immerse me in another world, and it must tell a good story, and I have to enjoy the writing style as well. Genre doesn’t matter to me, really. And this makes me wonder why authors these days are usually boxed into a single category.
Think of Shirley Jackson. She’s known for the terrifying short story, “The Lottery,” as well as creepy novels such as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. But she also wrote very funny books about raising her four children: Life among the Savages and Raising Demons.
Think also of Shakespeare. He wrote comedy, tragedy and history, with the only aim being to entertain his public. But there is tragedy in his history, and comedy in his tragedy. It’s always crossing over, because stories, like life, are multi-dimensional. It makes me wonder sometimes why we have these categories at all.
I guess they do help us to find our favorite “vibes.”
Each reader has a couple of favorite genres, I think. For me, it’s humor and suspense. I think what they have in common is that little twist of surprise. It’s the little jolt that keeps the reader alert and engaged. But these elements can be worked into any genre.
What brings me to reflect on this topic is that I have a new book coming out, quite different from the first two. In this new novel, I move from “up-lit” (an uplifting story) to gothic psychological suspense. And did I have fun writing it!
The Hawthorne School will be published by Crooked Lane Books in December of 2021. In it, a single mother enrolls her 4-year-old son in a progressive, artistic school, which turns out to have hidden darkness behind its idealistic appearance.
As this is a change in genre, I was asked to choose a different pseudonym so that readers of my books written under the name Keziah Frost would not be expecting to laugh when my intention is to give them chills. So I came up with yet another identity, complete with Facebook account, Instagram account and website. It was all rather fun and gave me the sensation of engaging in some nefarious activity.
How about you? What are your favorite genres, and why? What are the elements in “the book you want to find on the shelf?”
Sylvie Perry is the pseudonym of a Chicagoland-based psychotherapist. One of her professional focuses is in counseling survivors of narcissistic manipulation. She has a masters in English. The Hawthorne School is her first psychological suspense novel. Her website is:
Her optimistic twin (a.k.a. alternate pseudonym) is Keziah Frost, author of The Reluctant Fortune-Teller and Getting Rid of Mabel.
Oh, Sylvie, I’m looking forward to reading “The Hawthorne School” . . . it sounds quite exciting!
ReplyDeleteI like almost any book as long as the story makes sense and the characters are believable. I like stories that are intriguing and I enjoy trying to figure out who did what before I get to the last page.
Fictionwise, I read a lot of mystery and suspense, thrillers, and some romantic suspense. I love a good mystery . . . .
So you like a who-done-it, Joan. And do you also like a why-done-it? That is, you know the culprit from the start, but what you don't know is why they did it?
DeleteIndeed I do . . .
DeleteSo do I! Trying to figure people out is a never-ending challenge, isn't it?
DeleteI love cozies, and I definitely enjoy humor in them. And food. But I also enjoy middle grade, which is where I branch out to more fantasy. I would have enjoyed reading sci fi and fantasy, I'm sure, but I've fallen into mystery and I can't get out.
ReplyDeleteI think authors are "branded" because then a reader knows what to expect when they pick up that particular author. But I get that it can be limiting.
Mark, I love that line! "I've fallen into mystery and I can't get out!"
DeleteYou could grab for tiny handfuls of sci-fi or fantasy, Mark. Short reads that give you a sip of something different, but don't take too much time away from the books that pay the bills. Just a thought.
DeleteHi, Gigi. What are your favorite genres?
DeleteOh, hi! I've gone into detail below, but I focus on mystery, romance/women's fiction, and fantasy/magical realism these days.
DeleteThanks, Gigi, and I've answered below, too. Appreciate your comments!
DeleteI should add to my "I've fall into mystery and I can't get out" that I'm not trying that hard. I really do enjoy the genre.
DeleteLOL Mark, we're glad you're not trying too hard!
DeleteMark, so it's more like "falling in love," and not like the old tv ad, "I've fallen and I can't get up." (Does anyone else remember that?)
DeleteSylvie/Keziah, I would definitely like to find The Hawthorne School on my shelf. I love suspense, and your new book sounds like it has plenty of that.
ReplyDeleteI read mostly mystery, crime, suspense, and thrillers. Some are quite serious and some are quite humorous. It's like you said, Sylvie, I'm in the mood for different books at different times. I do greatly appreciate wit in anything I read. Witty dialogue is so engaging. Sometimes I love a mystery set in a charming English village, and sometimes I enjoy a mystery/thriller set in a remote place, far from help. And, although I love reading the mystery genre, I do enjoy some general fiction books from time to time, by such authors as Jamie Ford, Lori Lansens, Ann Patchett, Stef Penney, and others. What I wish I had time to fit more of into my reading is non-fiction.
Hi Kathy, thank you for saying you'd like to find The Hawthorne School on your shelf!! I'm with you, I LOVE a charming English village. Considering your tastes, I wonder if you know the Mrs. Pargeter series? The first one is called A Nice Class of Corpse.
DeleteAs for non-fiction, at the moment I'm reading a biography of the Brontes and also a book about the Salem Witch Trials. The latter is a fascinating non-fiction topic for mystery fans, I think.
For sure, Shakespeare wrote comedies and tragedies very well.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading mostly mystery fiction since my teen years. Even now, 90% of the books I read are mystery fiction but my reading preferences within that genre have changed. In my teens and 20s, I read a lot of thriller and spy/espionage, as well as British classics and police procedural. These days, I would say I read 60% cozy mysteries, and the other 40% of my reading choices go across the mystery genre: thrillers, police procedurals, PI, domestic suspense. And I read a lot less British/European crime fiction than I used to. Now about 80% of the authors I read are from North America.
I also do read some science fiction and fantasy books, as well as autobiographies/memoirs and cookbooks.
Hi Grace, I'd love to read more autobiographies. The most recent one I read, I think, was about Daphne Du Maurier, and before that, one about Shirley Jackson. Do you have one to recommend?
DeleteKeziah,
DeleteI do love cooking and eating so "EAT A PEACH" by David Chang was a fascinating memoir to read. If you don't recognize the name, David Chang is the chef behind the Momofuku restaurant chain and has had several online TV shows. His journey of becoming a modern chef and how he continues to struggles with anxiety and depression despite his fame and success was enlightening.
NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE by Michael J. Fox. I loved watching him on Family Ties and remembered that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his late 20s. Fox reflects on how Parkinson's has affected his aging, his family and acting career and living with a disability in his signature humorous tone.
GRACE: I heard David Chang interviewed on CBC's Q radio show and then read his memoir. Fascinating, indeed. It never ceases to amaze me how much work (and money) go into opening and running a restaurant. David's frankness about his mental health challenges was instructive.
DeleteAMANDA: Darn, I missed that interview on Q...I will have to look it up in the archives!
DeleteGrace and Amanda, it's so helpful that people are open now about mental health and physical health issues, instead of hiding them as they did in the past. I think we have more understanding of ourselves and compassion for others as a result. I will take a look at these books! Thanks!
DeleteKeziah, I must put the David Chang book on my list--maybe as a gift to my daughter, too, as she is a huge fan of David Chang. I read dozens of chef biographies and memoirs when I was writing A Bitter Feast, and found them all fascinating.
DeleteMe too on the David Chang memoir...sounds fascinating. It's the hardest job even though we imagine it to be so glamorous!
DeleteDeborah and Lucy, don't you think that all our "pleasure reading" as writers winds up being research for some future book?
DeleteCongratulations, Keziah/Sylvie! I write historical mysteries and short fiction, and also have a "twin" who writes cozies. It's a lot to manage those double names and pages, but I make no secret that we're the same person and have signed many an email Edith/Maddie. Best of luck with the new book!
ReplyDeleteI like to have cozy, traditional, and historical mysteries on my shelf, domestic suspense, anthologies of short fiction, some "women's" fiction (looking at you, Jenn!). I can handle some thrillers but not if they are too dark and definitely not if they are too scary. And I primarily read fiction written by women. I love a well-told non-fiction history of several eras, but those are usually research for my own writing. Plus non-fiction about food by people like Michael Pollan.
So, Edith, you can tell me about "twin life." My daughter has twin boys and tells me about twin life, but this is another sort. I actually like the idea of being more than one person, don't you? Everyone is, really. (Ha! I guess that's what twisty domestic thrillers are about.)
DeleteI wonder if Edith could commit a crime and pin it on Maddie? Or vice versa?
I also read primarily women. Women definitely write differently, in my opinion. The focus is different, the choice of where to put attention is more where I like to put my attention.
I also read primarily books written by women.
DeleteI wonder if women read primarily women, and men read primarily men?? We do know, though, that women buy the vast majority of novels.
DeleteThis is such an interesting question. I've read male and female authors indiscriminately my entire life, and I don't consciously choose a book based on the author's gender. Imagine my shock when I found that my ex-husband was quite proud of the fact that he'd never read a book written by a woman!
DeleteDEBS: I am the same. The gender of an author certainly never affected my reading choice during my life.
DeleteThat being said, because I am reading more cozy mysteries, there are definitely more female authors in my immediate TBR pile.
Deborah and Grace, Agreed! I don't choose books based on the authors' sex. However, when I look at the books sitting on my shelf, I do see patterns: mostly female authors, mostly British!
DeleteFavorite genres NOW - Mysteries and thrillers, with TV tie-in science fiction novels for Firefly and Star Trek thrown in. And I typically read anything featuring Conan the Barbarian.
ReplyDeleteFavorite genres THEN - I liked mysteries and thrillers back in the day but not to the extent it has grown into. I was more into fantasy epics from David Eddings, Terry Brooks and Robert Jordan. I also liked all kinds of science fiction including the Honor Harrington series from David Weber. And tons of comics ranging from swords and sorcery to superheroes and everything in between.
The most important way to capture my attention is to tell me a good story. If you capture my attention, it wouldn't matter nearly as much to me which genre the story fell into.
Hello Jay, I agree 100%. I never read horror, but I have read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and cannot recommend it enough! It is twisty and very funny at times and psychological and a sure page-turner. An example of a genre I don't read, but because it was, as you say, "a good story." .... Conan the Barbarian? I'll have to look him up. The name is familiar, but I can't quite...ah, there, I found him. Lots of action then! And sounds like you've been immersed in your favorite genres from a young age. How cool is it to be able to go into another world at will?
DeleteI know you're not much for travel, Jay, but If you ever do get out and about, you might want to put Crossplains, Texas, on your itinerary. The Robert E. Howard House and Museum is there, and it's fascinating to see the place where Howard lived and wrote. I got the chance to visit some years ago. It really is in the middle of nowhere, which is part of the point, I think. Wonderful stuff. They used to do an annual spec fiction literary festival although who knows how they handle that now?
DeleteKeziah, having parents who valued the notion of reading a LOT, becoming a reader was pretty much a given. But the extent to which I read stuff is probably more than was originally intended. The only time I really didn't like reading is when I was forced to read stuff in school that was considered "classic literature" that I found to be boring and/or garbage.
DeleteAnd the original Conan stuff by Robert E. Howard is great. The further stories by L. Sprague deCamp has fans and detractors alike. I read some of the Conan stories written by Robert Jordan (best known for his Wheel of Time fantasy saga) and loved those. Plus all the comics I could/can lay my hands on.
Gigi, it is a great idea and if I was able to travel I would definitely consider it. But first on my list of literary travels would be to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. I have other specific places that I would travel to for books or movies. They used to have a tour package to visit the places in New Zealand where they filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now that would be a scenic must see kind of trip.
Congratulations on your newest book, Sylvie Keziah! I love a psychological novel and look forward to THE HAWTHORNE SCHOOL.
ReplyDeleteAs for genres, well, I'm here, am I not? I love mysteries, thrillers, a bit of very well written fantasy, and what is called a literary novel although I would hope everything I read comes under that label. I'm not such a fan of the short story, which too often ends before I do! Right now I am reading THE 7 1/2 DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE, so highly recommended here a few days ago. I need a play card to keep track of the characters and the plot, but I'm up to it. However, I prefer something less complicated for reading at bedtime.
I suppose my favorite genre depends on my mood. During this last year it's been harder to focus, and during this last week, almost impossible. I find myself reading three pages and suddenly knowing I have no notion of what I just read, having to go back and start over.
Like Jay said, "The most important way to capture my attention is to tell me a good story. If you capture my attention, it wouldn't matter nearly as much to me which genre the story fell into."
I'll go with that, too.
Thank you, Ann! You know, I've been meaning to read Evelyn Hardcastle for the longest time. I understand what you're saying about it being harder to focus over the past year. If it's true for many readers, it's also true for many writers, myself included. These events have changed mindsets and priorities. It's been, and continues to be, a deeply affecting experience. And over the past week, yes, I know. These moments can cause me to question what is really important enough to focus on. But then I come back to the healing nature of fiction, and all art. Humans have always had stories to get us through. We need them.
DeleteKeziah/Sylvie congratulations on your new book and welcome to JRW. Your question is so timely. I was just thinking about my taste in books and how it has changed dramatically in so many ways over the years.
ReplyDeleteThe first adult book I ever read was Exodus by Leon Uris. I was 11. Transported to another time by characters and plots, I dove into that genre and read Uris, Michener, Herman Wouk and other writers who wrote about time and purpose. At the same time I read volumnes of poetry, memorizing dozens of poems, which I never do any more.
As a literature major in college, I studied books and poetry from around the world. My favorites still leaned towards tomes with serious topics and romantic elements, War and Peace, Middlemarch. I hadn't really considered mystery or romance as genres I would seek out.
Then, in the mid 1970's, I lived in Israel and read the English language books lent to me by friends or that I would find in corners of bookstores. I bought The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and all of the Poldark saga. The interesting thing that I realize now, my choices always were to read things where the story keeps going.
More recently, I discovered series. Of course, I read the Harry Potter books as they came out, having a son who was reading them at the time. Then I discovered James Benn's Billy Boyle WWII mystery series, among my favorites. From there I found myself loving stories about hard boiled detectives like Harry Bosch and spies like Gabriel Allon and rogues like Jack Reacher. I never dreamed that I would like cozies and certainly not romances. Then by chance, I found Deborah Crombie's Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid mystery series which led me here and voila, I am reading cozy series and stand alones written by all of the Reds and their friends and I am a very happy reader.
Wow! What a reading journey, and one that "keeps going!" I love the evolution of your reading focus as you have evolved. How lucky we are that there is so much to read! That's one for today's gratitude journal.
DeleteThe memorization of poetry: a great topic. Before our time, kids had to memorize a lot of poetry for school. Like you, I chose to commit some poems to memory--but not as many as you did. I feel sure that this practice gives one a special feeling for language, and there's no doubt that it opens neuropathways in the brain--always a good thing! As a pre-teen, I memorized The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe (already showing my attraction to the dark side) and Jaberwocky, by Lewis Carroll (revealing another side). But you memorized dozens. Do you remember snippets of them today?
Judy, I remember sitting in my childhood home back yard reading Exodus in the summer. Probably at about the same age.
DeleteEdith, that is so interesting. I bet we read a lot of the same books. I wish I'd had more friends to talk about books with as I was growing up although there were some.
DeleteYes, Keziah, I remember lots of snippets and many entire poems, as well. Although what has happened is that my brain has kept the general language and meter but in some cases changed a word or two. Then, when I see or hear the poem, I am saying, "Oh yeah, it went like that."
Interesting! That shows, I think, that the music of the language stays with you longer than the words themselves.
DeleteCongratulations on the new book! Also, I felt like I have to mention that I really loved The Reluctant Storyteller.
ReplyDeleteAs you noted, I read from several genres, depending upon my mood. I have always been drawn to mysteries most of all, but as all JRW readers know, that covers a wide range of different types of books. Within the mystery genre, I enjoy police procedurals, cozies, historical fiction, and that nebulous but wide ranging group that is mainly character driven, like Louise Penny and Ann Cleeves. Most thrillers and anything that puts me deep inside the mind of a killer are not so attractive to me.
Outside of mysteries, I'm drawn to what you called up-lit (not a term I knew before today!) and a lot of other that seems to get called women's lit these days, and magical realism. I also enjoy memoirs and travel books, and I have absolutely loved some science fantasy, but just don't seem to have the mental/emotional bandwidth to figure out how to identify more of those that I would love.
Susan, thank you so much for your loving The Reluctant Fortune-Teller! That means the world to me.
DeleteOoh! Magical realism. I love that, too. Now, if I write a book with magical realism, I wonder if I will need a third pseudonym? Oh, so complicated!
I just re-red this and see how I butchered the title of the book I was praising! So sorry!!! I swear, sometimes the fingers on the keyboard have a mind of their own.
DeleteNo worries, Susan! It's the compliment that I take to heart! Yes, and up-lit is not a commonly used phrase still, but it's useful for encompassing books that make us feel good.
DeleteAnd Susan, do you have any up-lit titles to recommend?
DeleteUp-lit is a perfect description of the books I've been searching for this last year...
DeleteKeziah, a few titles that I loved that seem to fit that genre include Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde, The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs, The Mill River Redemption by Darcie Chan, and Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern. I would add two books I've read by Sarah Addison Allen (The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen) though honestly they may fall better into magical realism. Thanks for asking!
DeleteAnd I cannot believe I left out the book I've been raving about ever since I read it: When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald. It is a little different from most others I think of as up-lit because it is set in current times in an urban setting, so there's a lot of bad language, and scenes depicting typical urban violence (though none graphically described.) But it is absolutely the most uplifting book I've read in a long, long time. The protagonist is a 21-year-old born with fetal alcohol syndrome who is fascinated with Vikings. She is the most likeable, admirable character and by the end I was convinced that she is going to do just fine in life.
DeleteFor up-lit I recommend any book by Jenn McKinlay. When I feel down at all, I choose one of her books to read next.
DeleteDeborah, "uplifting" is the vibe to go for these days, right!
DeleteSusan, that sounds so heart-wrenching, I am relieved by your last sentence and will go check it out.
Judy, duly noted! Jenn McKinlay to bring the sunshine!
I have enough trouble keeping up with one set of social media accounts, which are under my own name rather than my married name. Congratulations on your upcoming release and dual social media identities. I read mysteries and thrillers and memoirs (Winspear's is up next). I write cozy and historical stories and traditional mysteries. It all works.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Margaret! What is your favorite book of all you have written? And do you write under the name Margaret S. Hamilton?
DeleteThe Hawthorne School sounds great.
ReplyDeleteMe, I like stories where I can fall in, be surrounded by a world (real or otherwise) and characters I want to spend time with (even if I don't like them all the time). And that's the kind of book I try to write.
I'm pretty open to genre. But no horror, please.
Hi Liz,
DeleteNo horror, you say? I'm the same. Too sensitive for that. Yes, a world you can immerse yourself in and interesting characters. That's the ticket!
Congratulations on The Hawthorne School. It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post as I am considering a return to my romantic roots and have been toying of using a second pen name (or maybe my "real" name) as author.
I like books that tell compelling stories. Not to married to genre, although most of what I read tends to be mystery.
Hello Kait, so you might return to romance. I wonder if toggling between genres helps a writer to keep fresh?
DeleteCongratulations, Keziah! Most important to me is a good story with characters I can relate to. I like a bit of humor or even snark. The genre isn't that important to me, although I probably wouldn't pick up something branded political intrigue or sci-fi. I don't like graphic descriptions of violence either. One author has written several popular books but the first one had such terrible violence in it I was turned off. But a few years later I tried again with the second book and it was the same so no more for me. Other than that, almost anything goes.
ReplyDeleteI must own several hundred books - they are on shelves all over the house. Not too long ago a new neighbor mentioned she liked to read so I told her she could help herself to one of mine. I had asked her what kind of books she liked and she said 'anything and everything.' She looked around at all of my books and then before leaving empty-handed she said 'so you only read murder books?' I really didn't know what to make of that comment. A lot of my books do not have either murder or death in their title!
Thanks, Judi! Ha! That's a funny story about the neighbor. And you were so generous, to offer her one of your books. I never share mine! I've shocked more than one person who has asked to borrow a book by answering, "No." I only lend them if I never expect to see them again. I feel as you do, I want to relate to the characters. That is essential, isn't it?
DeleteI see you have a very long wait until your next book's release.
ReplyDeleteMy first love was historical novels until I discovered mysteries . I read many kinds of books depending on my moods but it has to catch my interest and I like to learn something new while reading. I'm not attracted by gruesome or too dark stories.
Hi Danielle, yes, you're right. December seems far off. And yet, to me at least, time seems to go faster and faster. Maybe that's because there's so much I want to write and only limited time.
ReplyDeleteI also like to learn something new while reading. What has been one of your favorite reads recently?
Congratulations on your new book -- and new identity, Sylvie/Keziah. What fun (and hard work) it must be to maintain two different people within yourself! I'd love love to know how landed on your new pen name.
ReplyDeleteI read across genres, though mysteries are at the core. I also particularly love foodie/food writing and memoirs. I have also read a lot about WWII and the French Resistance. Fascinating, especially when the book is well researched and well written.
Thanks, Amanda!
DeleteThe new pen name? I wanted to use Perry because I like its sound and meaning (a pear tree orchard) and because it is a family name. And Sylvie just presented itself as the "right" name to go with it. But I have a story about KEZIAH FROST. I picked Keziah as a name I knew from hanging around an old cemetery when I was a middle-schooler. I loved to read the tombstones and think about the people there, what their lives were like, and was especially drawn to one who was a child, like me, and her name was Keziah. Flash forward to decades later, that name surfaced from my subconscious to use as my first pen name. THEN: the other day I was doing some genealogical digging and found that one of my ancestors in the 1600s had a baby girl called KEZIAH. And (insert spooky music here) she had the same birthday as me: July 23. Dun dun dun DUN.
Fascinating about your reading tastes. Are you noticing here that so many people who love mystery also love history? Here in the Chicago area we have a bookstore that specializes in those two genres. It's called Centuries & Sleuths.
Keziah/Sylvie: That is fascinating and SPOOKY about Keziah being a name in your family line. The shared birthday would be unbelievable in a book -- but it's in real life, so doesn't that just show us how things unfold in life. Never say never.
DeleteI hadn't realized that both your pen names are that -- pen names. This must mean that you have a third name/identity. Wow. It brings to mind the Ruth Reichl memoir of her time as restaurant critic for The New York Times. She created characters for herself to inhabit when she would go out for meals, so that the restaurants didn't recognize her. She went to endless lengths with clothes and wigs and jewelry, etc., and, she discovered, that she genuinely became those characters she was dressed as. It's really interesting: Garlic and Sapphires is the title.
Centuries & Sleuths is a bookshop I would love to visit. Chicago is a city I've not yet been to, but it's on the list. Post-COVID there shall be travels!
Hi Amanda, That memoir sounds great!
DeleteI do have a real name. It's...you won't tell anyone, will you?... It's Joy Davy. Under that name I wrote a book as the psychotherapist that I am in real life, on the topic of pet grief. The title is Healing Circles.
KEZIAH: I have visited Chicago several times and always try to go to local bookstores. How could I have missed Centuries & Sleuths?
DeleteI last visited Chicago on December 2019 for a long weekend getaway but have also been there in the summer to attend the Printers Row Lit Fest.
GRACE: A visit to Chicago, for me, will include a tour of the city as VI Warshawski would give it. I believe Sara Paretsky's sleuth has real-life people who give such tours! The Printers Row Lit Fest sounds like it would be fun. And I'd also want to visit art galleries and museums. See the city from the river...so much to do!
DeleteKeziah/Sylvie/Joy: I am going to look up that book. Grief when a pet dies can be really serious business for those of us without human kids...
DeleteAmanda, you are so right. As a therapist, I also facilitate a pet grief support group and see individuals for pet grief. They say, the deeper the bond, the deeper the grief. Not everyone gets pet grief, but those who do, do. And tend to be very loving people.
DeleteGrace, well, Chicago is a multi-faceted little town! I hope ALL of our bookstores are still standing at the end of the pandemic.
DeleteThanks for sharing that with us, Keziah. Pet grief can be devastating and it's a comfort to know that there is support for those dealing with it.
DeleteKeziah, I love the story about the baby with your name! That was meant to be. I would hate having a third name, people are already confused with the two. And do you think you lose readers when you change names?
DeleteKEZIAH: Here in Ottawa, the independent bookstores are thriving despite the pandemic. I hope your independent bookstores will endure.
DeleteAMANDA: Yes, there are so many wonderful places to visit in Chicago. The river boat tour would be a must and viewing the downtown architecture from that viewpoint is great. Chicago is similar to Toronto (my hometown) with lots of distinct neighbourhoods. Urban sprawl like Toronto, too, unfortunately, so you can't see it all. And the FOOD is diverse and very good.
Deborah, Pet grief, as you say, is incredibly hard. I have heard so many people say that it is the worst grief they have ever experienced.
DeleteLucy, you pose the question: do you lose readers when you change names? I suppose that is the risk. What do you think about it?
DeleteI prefer cozies. I'll read other genres, but cozies are my go-to for books. I like humor in my books and I love the relationships between the character whether it is their best friend or they significant other.
ReplyDeleteLong live the cozy! Do you remember when you first discovered the genre? What was the first cozy you read?
DeleteEncyclopedia Brown
DeleteKeziah/Sylvie, loved The Reluctant Fortune-Teller. I have no problem with authors shifting genres, even if they keep the same name. I just want a good story--fiction, nonfiction, whatever. The only genre I skip is horror--and I'll pass on anything with a serial killer--those stories should rightly be classified as horror in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteFlora, Thank you so much. I just love your name, by the way. It makes a picture in my mind: a church with flowers all around it. I don't like disturbing material either. Do you have a favorite book that you read in 2020?
ReplyDeleteKeziah, thanks for the compliment! I barely remember most of 2020, truth be told. A book that has stuck with me is the fantasy The Lefthanded Booksellers of London by Garth Nix. He has created a wonderful melding of modern-day London with a quirky fantasy world. There's humor, a bit of romance, interesting characters with (I hope) many more stories to share.
DeleteThat sounds absolutely amazing. I'm off to look it up! Thanks for the recommendation, Flora.
DeleteYes, I recommend the Garth Nix, too! I enjoyed it immensely.
DeleteCongratulations on the new book and the new genre, Keziah/Sylvie! I really enjoyed "The Reluctant Fortune-Teller," and I'll be sure to watch for "The Hawthorne School." Hawthorns have interesting folkloric overtones, I think. Adds to the spookiness.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I read? Depending on my mood, I like detectives and cozies and some suspense, plus romance and women's fiction; I like up-lit better than chick-lit as a genre designation. I grew up reading fantasy, starting in the children's section with Lloyd Alexander and Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and progressing to Tolkien and others. There was always some sciene fiction along the way. Today I read, and write, a little bit of all of it, although only the G. S. Norwood "Deep Ellum" urban fantasies are available at the moment.
Lately I've been reading memoirs by women I find interesting, including Sonia Sotomayor and Anna Kendrick. My current non-fiction read is David McCullough's "The Pioneers," with "If These Stones Could Talk" up next, and Susan' Rice's memoir on deck.
Mostly, "You Gotta Have Heart!" (cue the dancing baseball players.) I have to like the people who drag me along on their adventures, and I need to care about whether they survive or not. If I'd just as soon see the monster eat the heroine, I'll put the book down. Humor doesn't hurt, either, but I've gotten tired of endless bloodbath (with no consequences) action novels. Since the lockdown I've found myself more and more drawn to cozies because the authors tend to create interesting communities that I want to revisit again and again. I just finished reading Paige Shelton's "Thin Ice," and I wanted to get back to Benedict, Alaska, so much that the second book in the series should arrive on my doorstep today.
Best of luck with your diversification efforts. And, lest we forget, Shakespeare was a pretty fair poet, as well as a playwright. We can write many things, if our publishers will let us.
Thank you, Gigi. Just added Deep Ellum to my list. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Reluctant Fortune Teller. Waiting for a book to arrive on your doorstep today: recipe for happiness.
DeleteI agree, Keziah - in our business your authorial name is your brand. Pick up a book by Nora Roberts and one by J. D. Robb and you know you're in for different reads, even though the same person wrote them. I love suspense. Traditional mysteries. Anything that's unique and doesn't fit in a category.
ReplyDeleteHi Hallie, yes, and I can't pretend that I don't like assuming different identities. It's all part of the fun, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHi Keziah! I find I like to read in a variety of genres: cozies, romance, mystery, fiction, suspense, paranormal. My reading really leans toward the historical time periods. There is nothing like getting good solid information while being entertained. At the same time current suspense novels are great at exposing present day scams and situations. Regardless of the time period I enjoy a good escape and books provide it.
ReplyDeletePat, they sure do. You can't put a price on the freedom to float away to a different time and place, and to be inside the head of a character. It's magic!
DeleteHi Keziah, and congrats on the upcoming book and the new pseudonym! I read across lots of genres, but I think what I am really drawn to these days is something that Gigi mentioned in her comment above, which is books that create a sense of community. I love good world-building, too, whether it's in an historical novel, an urban fantasy, a police procedural, a cozy mystery, or a "women's fiction" novel. (Ugh, I really dislike that categorization.) And I want to read about characters I like, no serial killers or anti-heroes. I love all things British, and I love reading about food.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deborah. I'll have to give that some thought: books that create a sense of community. And you love British fiction, too? So do I. I find the humor right up my alley. Or should I say, just my cup of tea.
DeleteHi Keziah!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to Jungle Reds! Is Sylvie your pseudonymn ? My favorite genres are humor and mystery. I love cozy mysteries and classical mysteries. Once in a while I go outside my usual genre if the author is really good. I have been reading more non fiction and memoirs recently. I have been reading more books from NetGalley, which means that I get to read advanced copies before publication.
Diana
Hello Bibliophile, thanks! Yes, I actually have 2 pseudonyms. Both Keziah Frost and Sylvie Perry are pen names. Nice that you get to have a sneak peek with NetGalley!
DeleteMy name is: Harriet Ann Sablosky Landman Phillippi Ryan Shapiro. Long story, but my UK publishers didn't want "Hank" on my books, so in the UK I am Ann Ryan. I was thisclose to being Harriet Ryan. And it all proves how much names telegraph who we are trying to be!And why some names "work" and others don't. LOVE your name saga!
ReplyDeleteHank, what is the secret of a name that "works?"
DeleteOh, that is such a good question. We know it when we hear it, though, I think. Maybe that's another blog-you really have me thinking now! A name that sounds like a smart person, a name that's not complicated to say. A name that sounds..reassuring? A name that's different enough to stand out with out sounding made up?
DeleteA million years ago I was offered a TV job in Louisville. They said Hank Phillippi was not an "acceptable" name. And that I would have to make up another one. I did, and as I thought about it, I realized it was an incredibly educational process. I realized how much people would assume about me based on the name. In the end, I did not take the job.
I used to read only fiction, and no mysteries. I am so glad I finally pursued mysteries and nonfiction as well! Discovered nonfiction after a trip to England, finding I could ‘armchair travel’ and virtually extend my trip! And friends kept bringing up mysteries - and my favorites became Deborah Crombie, and Ann Granger, as we had been to the Cotswolds, and Rhys Bowen’s Evan Evans series, as I had been on Snowden on our trip.
ReplyDeleteSo you find your reading tastes change over time? Do you ever cycle back to what you used to like before?
DeleteKeziah/Sylvie/Joy, I also really loved The Reluctant Fortune-Teller, which I bought after you were here on JRW the last time. Great characters and story.
ReplyDeleteI'm looks at shelves and shelves of books from where I sit, two entire walls of books in two rooms, and see a lot of variety among genres. Mysteries of many stripes, biographies, autobiographies, "women's" fiction, magical realism, classics, and some "up-lit" (great name!), along with a ton of nonfiction on a variety of topics. I used to say I was an omnivorous reader, although I'm less of that these days, what with knowing so many mystery writers.
No one else has recommended this book, but I think it could be considered up-lit: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. It's one of the most inventive books I've read in a long time, except for the one I'm reading now, which is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. He took a collection of old photos he'd collected and created a most unusual story from them, and included them in the book.
Karen in Ohio, I graduated from Hays High School in Delaware, Ohio.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words on The Reluctant Fortune-Teller. You know there's a sequel, right? Getting Rid of Mabel.
Intriguing recommendations, Karen. I will check them out.
I grew up reading historical fiction with my parents. I still read it but it is historical mysteries and historical romances. I alternate between mysteries(mostly cozy)and romances with some autobiographies and science fiction and fantasy. Alex Trebek's book was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI wish everyone would choose their pen names like Julie Hennrikkus and keep the same initials because it makes it easier for me to keep track of their books. Stay safe and well.
Hi Sally from PA, you know I didn't even know of that concept of keeping the same initials across all pen names. That is smart!
DeleteI love all genres! I think it's fabulous that you got to create an entirely new identity for your suspense book - how fun! I write cozy mystery, romance, and women's fiction but I haven't changed my author name. Maybe if I go forth into a fantasy book, I can pick up a new identity. Looking forward to reading your new venture!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenn. Well, there is an advantage-- isn't there?-- to keeping the same name? Your readers can follow you much more easily. Thank you so much for the encouragement, Jenn. It's lovely of you.
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