JENN McKINLAY: I'm in the In-Between that restless spot between Out of Contract and I Have a New Idea. I think it's much like the Upside-Down from Stranger Things, which is described as an alternate dimension that's inhospitable to humans and should be avoided at all costs. Yes, very much like the In-Between for authors, at least for this author.
For me, proposal writing is the same as outlining. In fact, my proposals are usually what I use for my outline when the project gets the green light and it's a go.
I recently turned in a proposal for a new genre (cozy fantasy with a mystery and a light romance tucked in) that I'm very excited about but because it's a brand new genre for me, the outline was twenty-five pages and the sample was forty-five. I wanted to be certain I was getting it right. If and when it sells, it should be easy peasy to write.
[pause for laughter because it's never easy]
Aside from the cozy fantasy, I am working up proposals for two more romcoms, two more library lovers mysteries, and trying to decide if there is room in the schedule for more cupcake bakery mysteries. Given that most retailers are no longer carrying mass market paperbacks, which is the format for the cupcake bakery mysteries, I have a feeling that series is dusted and done but I will wait to hear before I declare it so.
I had written up proposals for two more hat shop mysteries and my publisher said I could write them and they would publish them but where would they be sold if retailers no longer carry mass market? It's a conundrum.
I do feel as if the publishing world is undergoing some dramatic changes. It used to be that they wanted books that were clearly definable by genre. If you wrote a romantic magical mystery, they were never clear on where to put it. Romance or fantasy or mystery? They couldn't decide so the book was rejected as unmarketable, which given the success of Gabaldon's Outlander seems short-sighted, but whatever.
Now, it appears they no longer care and mashups are all the rage. Do you have a time traveling, sword wielding Amazon who likes to knit with vampires and runs a chocolate shop with her wily grandma while they amateur sleuth the village murders? Let her rip! Yes, I'm exaggerating...but just a little.
So, how about it Reds and Readers? What are some genre mashups that you've read and enjoyed?
I'm still trying to get my brain around cozy fantasy mystery! There are quite a few paranormal cozies, though, including the Full Moon series by Cate Conte (Liz Mugavero), which has a witch or two, so it's not that much of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, commenters should know that Jenn is a dancing maniac! With Lucy and Debs, we closed down the party last night at Crime Bake. SO much fun. Pic on my facebook page.
DeleteI can't believe I missed the dance party. Dang cold!
DeleteLooks like you guys had a blast.
You guys are having so much fun. Crime Bake didn't have a banquet or dancing when I last attended in 2005!
DeleteSo much fun! The band was awesome.
DeleteI just did a panel with Liz - she’s brilliant!
Commenter Judy also was a dancing queen!
DeleteShake it up!
DeleteThere have been cozy fantasies, like magical realism, around for a long time. I'd say Lillian Jackson Braun's Cat Who series fell into that category. Is that really new?
ReplyDeleteI must have been given my first Outlander book, which I took with me when I accompanied Steve to Salt Lake City for a photo and film assignment. I knew I'd have a lot of downtime to read, but I couldn't put it down, and zipped through it before the trip was half over.
We stopped at a Barnes and Noble so I could see if they had the next one, and I couldn't find it. Not in the adventure, mystery, or any of other category I could think of, so I finally asked for it. Oh, it was in the romance section. Hunh? Where did your library shelve it, Jenn?
We missed you, Karen!
DeleteOutlander was initially shelved in romance but as the series continued it got moved to fantasy.
Karen in Ohio, I remember when they moved the cozy mysteries to the other side of the mystery bookcase. The Cozy Mysteries had its own section on the left side of the romance section!
DeleteDiana
Jenn, I knew I was sick when I couldn't muster the energy for a dance party!
DeleteSo hope no one else was exposed.
I am glad we met in person, Karen. Whatever happens, I had a blast this weekend and am glad we got to spend some time together.
DeleteHope your trip home was easy.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Jenn . . . your idea for a cozy fantasy/mystery/romance sounds perfect to me . . . .
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joan!
DeleteLook forward to reading this new mashup, Jenn! I agree with Joan.
DeleteDiana
Recently, I read a thriller/time travel book that was a great mash-up of genres.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I read several of Diane Vallere's cozy mystery series, she has a new series that is a sci-fi/mystery mashup that I have not tried. The Outer Space Mysteries feature uniform lieutenant/amateur sleuth Sylvia Stryker on the Moon Unit Cruise Ship in outer space. Sylvia is joined by Pika, a pink alien girl, Cat, her robot cat, and a cast of quirky characters who drop in and out along the way.
That's awesome! She's clearly ahead of the curve.
DeleteDiane also has a Mermaid Mystery series. Both are fun.
DeleteOh, NO. The dreaded In-Between! I was just there with one book and am heading into with another, so I sympathize and send you many good wishes. I may have to try my hand at a mash-up genre!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got through it, Annette!
DeleteWhat no answers to the quiz from yesterday?
ReplyDeleteJenn: You mentioned the library lovers series - yeah I look forward to that!
Oh, you're right! We need to post those! And thank you!!!
DeleteI always appreciate some romance with my mysteries and my fantasies, even some early scifi. But, the odd thing is, I can't read straight-forward romance novels. And best of luck to you, Jenn, that you'll be rocket-propelled out of the great In-Between soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Flora!
DeleteFlora, I’m the same way. When I was younger, I was all about the romance novels. Now I prefer that as a background to cozy, police procedural, suspense, fantasy, et al genres. — Pat S
DeleteJENN: So the proposal is like an outline. I learned something new today.
ReplyDeleteRegarding mash-ups, I read Historical mysteries. Some of the historical mysteries are also in the cozy humorous genre. Some of them are more like suspense or traditional mysteries.
On another note, I would like to see Julia's answers to the Quiz from yesterday.
Diana
Yes! I need to get those answers!
DeleteJENN: Wonder if I will preorder mass market paperbacks online since Retailers do not want to sell them anymore?
ReplyDeletep.s. I am surprised that retailers are not selling mass market paperbacks. These books are easier for me to read at bedtime. These darn hardcovers hit my face when I fall asleep. If a mass market paperback hits my face, it is more like a leaf or a feather.
Diana
I think ebooks have crushed mass market because no one wants to pay 8.99 when they can get it for 3.99. But I'm not an expert!
DeleteJenn, I would agree with you except most traditionally published mass markets sell for the same price as an ebook. Unless/until they go on sale after the book has been out for a while. The only time that an ebook from a trad. publisher is cheaper is when it comes out in hardcover or trade paperback.
DeleteAt least that's why my unscientific observations have been.
Sounds like the Crime Bake was a hoot! Good luck Jenn--your proposal sounds fun!
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of mashups, Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis come to mind. They are definitely fantasy/time travel, but also very well-researched historical fiction.
That sounds a lot like my fave - Jodi Taylor. History Sci-Fic mashup. Love it.
DeleteI recently read what I thought was going to be a mystery. It turned out to be a mashup of mystery/thriller and sci-fi. And I loved it! I wish I could tell you the name of the book and the author, but I frequently forget book titles and authors names these days! It was featured on First Chapter Fun, and it was definitely fun to read!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Oh, I'll have to look for that through their archives.
DeleteI like autobiographies (as well as bios), mysteries (more along the lines of detection with clues and suspects), but the most important are the story characters and place.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteNo more mass market? Yikes. I prefer them to trades - mm fits in a purse - so do M&Ms - can that be a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteAs for mashups - yes! Bring them on. They've been around for a while - historical mysteries, historical cozy mysteries with a side of paranormal - western cozies - western traditionals - you get the picture. In the hands of a talented writer (you Jenn) the interweaving genres are seamless and bring joy to the reader. You'll rock this.
Thank you, Kait! and I think you're onto something with the M&M and MMP :)
DeleteJenn, I really hope that you can do more Cupcake Shop mysteries. If I'd been able to go to Crime Bake this weekend, I would've brought the ones I had (along with the Library series books) to get signed. Who doesn't like a food based mystery?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the notion of stores not stocking mass market paperbacks anymore, I can say that this totally pisses me off. I know that I am buying less books when the only non-hardcover (between 27 and 30 bucks now) edition is the damn "trade paperback" (16-20 bucks). But when the MMPBs are 8 or 9 bucks, I can get two for the price of the higher costing TPBs. Yes, the same amount of money is being spent but TWO books are walking out the door! Stores and publishers are cutting their noses off when they make me have to choose one author over another when I could've supported BOTH with a single purchase.
This has made me use my library a whole hell of a lot more let me tell you. So now the publishers (and by extension the authors) aren't getting any sales or cash out of me when I do that.
They opened a Barnes and Noble in my town which conveniently enough for me is located across the highway from my job (allowing for traffic lights, it's about a 90 second ride from my job). I was stoked when they announced it was going in. (Even happier when I found out the hot woman from the B&N store that I usually went to was transferring to the new store. HA!). But on the first day, I go in and almost NO MMPBs and the cozy section that stores normally have? Non-existent! They had a FEW mixed in with the regular mystery section but not a lot. I can't imagine any author wanting to do either a stock signing or a event signing at a store that doesn't freaking carry their books regularly. Roughly half of the people who make up the Mystery Book Club I co-run at the local library pretty much only read cozies. And if they want to buy a new one on day of release, they have to order it. Not just walk to the shelf to pick it up. More nose-cutting if you ask me.
As for mashup series, if I'm being honest, I generally avoid the ones I know about. Magic ones in particular. I'm sure I've read some in the past but nothing springs to mind except the Movie Palace mystery series by Margaret Dumas. That has a ghost as a character but I'd say that's more of an exception than the rule for me because paranormal stuff usually just makes me rolls my eyes. If only there were more than the threea books in that series.
I know when Jon Land took over the Murder, She Wrote series for 6 books, they became a "cozy thriller" type of read. And the majority of the fan base seemed opposed to the way he took the series. On the other hand, I thought they were brilliant. Yes, I'm a fan of the writer so a built-in hope for loving the books came in handy but I really thought he did a great job with the stories. I mean, Jessica wasn't walking out in a chain mail bikini with a broadsword on her waist and an Uzi in her hand while smoking a cigar or anything. So adding in a bit more thriller while keeping the cozy seemed great to me. And yet, after just six books, someone else is writing the series now.
Jay, I also think this is short-sighted thinking on the part of B&N. Not having the book or at least offering to order it simply sends their customers home to order from Amazon.
DeleteI agree in so many ways - but the librarina in me is stoked to have readers going back to the library! And I am DYING over your description of Jessica Fletcher in a chain mail bikini - D.Y.I.N.G!
DeleteJay Roberts, good analysis. Another option (maybe) is used bookstores. We have several in town that specialize in mysteries. All the the used bookstores are quite large and have huge supplies of books. Then of course there is always Powell's. I've had good luck getting out of print and mass market books through them - and the prices are fair. But of course there is shipping.
DeleteIf I recall correctly (it's been a long time) I think Jessica Fletcher went to London or Scotland and didn't she meet some guy and they got married? Or did I imagine it. It was poorly written imho so I was kinda skipping pages to get to the end.
DeleteAnonymous, that did NOT happen in Jon Land's six books.
DeleteA huge reason I ended up self-publishing, and hand-selling, my first book was because it didn't "fit" into traditional categories. It was a collection of case histories of sewing businesses, basically a business book , but crafts editors kept trying to imagine it in the sewing and crafts how-to section, and so it was rejected. Later, there were many other business books in that area, including my second book.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, karen. Sometimes, you just have to go rogue. Hope you're feeling better!
DeleteBring on the mashup! Star Trek was described as Wagon Train to the stars. Some recent favorites have been: Mary Robinette Kowal’s THE SPARE MAN, described as The Thin Man in space and Travis Baldree’s LEGENDS & LATTES about a battle-weary orc who opens a coffee shop.
ReplyDeleteLOVED Legends & Lattes!!!
DeleteI enjoy a good mashup, if I know that's what I'm getting going in. I recently read one that was unexpected, and it really threw me. Eventually, I got on board, although the book did have some narrative issues that I still didn't enjoy (think the author tried to do too much).
ReplyDeleteI don't get the decline of mmp, personally. I like the variety of formats available. However, I believe that mmp's aren't as profitable for everyone involved, so maybe it's a sign of the economic times? The rise in prices due to inflation sure is. Sadly.
That's part of it - profitability, for sure. But I think these things are cyclical and MMP will make a comeback - it always does.
DeleteJenn, sounds like a blast. You're so creative. I'm sure it will work, and since you write both romance and mystery, your audience should follow. I'm dying to know what the fantasy aspect is. You know I write about fairies. That falls into fantasy. But they're in a mystery. Plus there's a bit of romance. Nothing more than heat meter 1. Ha! It's fun. However, it is a challenge to get readers to accept the "fantasy" world. But then who knew amateur sleuths would find so many darned bodies and solve crimes faster than the police! Talk about fantasy. ~ Daryl
ReplyDeleteLOL - exactly, Daryl! How many bodies can a cupcake baker find before they need to retire?
DeleteWho says books have to be limited to an established genre? I love a good, imaginative mashup. Charlaine Harris writes the Gunnie Rose series that has an alternate history, magic, suspense, a wee bit of romance and is definitely not a cozy.
ReplyDeleteHer Sookie Stackhouse was a groundbreaker, too.
DeleteJenn, your ideas are always successful, so I'm sure your new mashup proposal will be, too. And, I'm surprised about the mass market format becoming absent in retail stores. With so many cozy mystery readers, I would think they sell a lot of them. But, as they say in "Cabaret," money, money, money, money.
ReplyDeleteMy mashup author that comes to mind is award-winning science fiction author Connie Willis. Gillian mentioned above Willis' books Blackout and All Clear. I loved these books, but I was already a fan of the author's Oxford time traveling historians series, as I had read the first three in this series--Fire Watch, Doomsday Book, and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Willis takes the science fiction of time travel, the very well researched (as Gillian pointed out) of history, and mystery to create five of my favorite books.
And, yes, please post the answers to the "Guess Which Red" game.
Thank you, Kathy! I appreciate the support! And I', adding your titles to my TBR!
DeleteJenn, Doomsday Book is a long one. To Say Nothing of the Dog is fairly short and so witty. I laughed at it more than once.
DeleteThe rest of the Reds will have to chime in as there are some answers I still don't know. Have at it, gals!
ReplyDelete1. Which Red is mentioned affectionately and enthusiastically in James Patterson's new bio?
Hank
2. Which Red grew up loving German food and oom-pah-pah music?
3. Which Red wore Mary Quant dresses and had a Vidal Sasson hair cut?
4. Which Red attracted over 100 comments discussing the topic of dried legumes?
Lucy
5. Which Red is a recovering librarian ?
Jenn
6. Name the Red who had a book made into a Lifetime movie?
Hallie
7. Which Red was disappointed to get a battery as a Christmas present – until she discovered a much-wanted transistor radio in her stocking?
Rhys
8. Which Red defended Jack Reacher against charges of premeditated assault and battery?
9. Which Red was propositioned by Warren Beatty?
Hank
10. Which Red was inspired to write a book thanks to finding a box of creepy doll parts under a bed?
Hallie
11. Which Red loves DIY and power tools?
Jenn
12. Which Red considered dying her hair pink during the pandemic? (And another Red wrote a poem about it!)
Lucy
13. Which Red sang in a gospel choir and recorded an album for an off Broadway show?
Jenn
14. Which Red is ‘crazy’ for Patsy Cline and will happily sing “Stand By Your Man” while “Walking after Midnight?”
Lucy
15. Which Red’s middle name is Elizabeth? Yes, we revealed all our middle names on the blog!
16. Which Red was an Actor’s Equity apprentice and acted professionally?
Julia ?
17. Which Red aced the test to be a contestant on Jeopardy!
Hank
18. Which Red uses the infamous “Banana Phone” song to remind her to schedule her mammogram?
19. Which Red gives the following advice for aspiring writers: Just hold your nose and write?
Hallie
20. Which Red has performed in the Nutcracker in a professional position?
21. Which Red was elected as treasurer of her class in high school, using the slogan, “Red’s name Kisses Babies!” and had to recreate a year’s worth of account entries because she lost the ledger book in her locker?
Lucy
22. Which TWO Reds were unfairly and unjustifiably cheated out of their Edgar Awards by T. Jefferson Parker (who brought his elderly dad to the awards for the sympathy vote!)
Julia and Rhys
23. Which Red played a nun in the Sound of Music where she learned to belt out Ave Maria in Latin?
Jenn
24. Which Red took flying lessons and learned to fly a single engine plane?
25. Which Red has taken glider pilot lessons and even (accidentally) managed a wingover air manuever, much to her instructor's dismay? (Yes, these are two different people!)
Jenn
26. Which Red went to Princeton and Yale but considers being the keynote speaker of the graduating class of the Sheriff’s Police Academy her highest honor?
Lucy
27. Name 2 Reds who have well-organized bucket lists as opposed to grabbing whatever opportunities present.
28. Which Red took lessons in ballroom dancing and loves to swing dance?
29. Which Red has vowed everlasting enmity to Japanese knotweed?
Thanks JENN!
ReplyDelete#24 Which Red took flying lessons and learned to fly a single engine plane? Didn't I read somewhere that you took flying lessons from your dad?
I believe the answer is Julia.
DeleteIt's me! :-)
DeleteI like mashup books. Not happy to hear about the bookstores not carrying paperbacks anymore. I hardly go to Barnes & Noble because they don't have even the series romances I get every month. Plus I pre-order a lot. I do order mostly from Barnes & Noble online. In the old days, I would go to the store and browse and find new authors as well as my regular favorites. If they think I am paying $15 or more for a new author, they are nuts! I'll look in the library or maybe win some in contests.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to new books in all of your series.
Jenn, we sure had a lot of fun at Crime Bake! What a thrill to meet so many of you in person. That was some dance party last night. Between Lucy, Debs, Jenn and Edith, they kept me up WAY past my bedtime!
ReplyDeleteYes, to the mashup story! Isn't there a plan for one or two more Hat Shop mysteries? You know whose voice I hear when I read about Harrison Wentworth, right? I am not happy about publishers getting rid of those nice little paperbacks that fit into your purse (along with the M&M's.)
I am so tired I am punchy.
Feel better, Karen.
And this is me, too:
ReplyDelete20. Which Red has performed in the Nutcracker in a professional position?
Hank, you daredevil!!
DeleteLynn Cahoon's Kitchen Witch Mystery series is great fun. I don't always like mashups, but when done well they can be really good reading.
ReplyDeleteNooo We need more cupcakes and more hat shops please! I used see see a wall of mass market paperbacks at a bookstore in my city but the bookstore moved recently. I picked up two Cupcake Bakery mysteries in their moving sale. What would I read without cozies? I stopped reading Regency Romances when they became NYT bestselling bodice ripping historically inaccurate Hollywood history. I stopped reading women's fiction. I couldn't stand the drama and the way too graphic love scenes. There are exceptions of course but Cupcake Bakery is my ultimate favorite series and I love baking the recipes too. So many good series have been cancelled or ended, I'm down to only a handful. My real life friend is not so discriminatory and she has a TBR mountain!
ReplyDeleteQNPoohBear