Genre Confusion: Guest Post with Julie Flanders, author of POLAR NIGHT

Today we have a special treat! Julie Flanders, debut author of Polar Night, is here to talk about genre confusion. Take it away, Julie!

Genre Confusion

Even though my book Polar Night has been published and is now available thanks to the amazing people at Ink Smith Publishing, I confess that I still have no idea what genre it belongs in. 

The main character is a cop, but it’s not a police procedural and I don’t really think it would qualify as a mystery. A large part of the story takes place in a city and it has a significant paranormal factor, but I don’t think it would be considered urban fantasy. I definitely don’t think it fits into the fantasy category. I consider it a suspense story or a thriller, but I’m not sure if the paranormal factor precludes it from being categorized as suspense. Is paranormal suspense a genre? If so, I’m not aware of it. 

When I first started reading publishing advice in earnest, one of the main things I read about was that writers should imagine what shelves their book would be on in the bookstore. I browsed Barnes & Noble and found myself nearly having a panic attack because my book didn’t seem to fit anywhere. I almost didn't query it because I had no clue what to put as its genre. 

I sometimes wonder if we focus too much on genre. And, I can’t help but think that many books could fall into two or more categories. There are some books that fit neatly into categories such as mystery or science fiction, but I would guess that there are just as many that don’t. 

Have you read books that straddle the line between different genres? For the writers reading this, have you ever struggled to pick a genre for one of your books?  

Thank you, Cherie for having me as your guest today!

You're welcome, Julie! And I, for one, have had cases of genre confusion or a story that mixes genres, so I feel your pain. I have no problem with you calling your book a paranormal thriller or suspense. :)

Also, Julie is hosting a giveaway on her blog, so be sure to stop by to enter.

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

To Purchase: Amazon US / UK

Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Her debut novel Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is now available from Ink Smith Publishing. Find Julie online at her blog, and on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

 

Fantasy Chat: Three Cover Reveals

 

For today's Fantasy Chat, I have three book cover reveals, including J.A. Belfield's Cage, an urban fantasy novel and book three in the Holloway Pack series, Christine Rains' 1303 - The Dragonslayer, the third book in the 13th Floor series, and Julie Flanders' Polar Night, a thriller with a supernatural twist. They're such fantastic covers!

Caged

A Holloway Pack Story (#3)

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: August 5, 2013

If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak. 

For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.

Not this time.

Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.

What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one. 

If he survives.

Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.

Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.

Other Novels in this series include:
Darkness & Light (#1)
Blue Moon (#2)

In-between release novellas include:
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#.5)
Resonance (#2.5)

1303 –The Dragonslayer 
The 13th Floor series, #3

Christine Rains

Release date: February 13, 2013

On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

Other Novellas in the Series:
1301 - The Marquis
1302 - The Alpha
 

Author Bio:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has four novellas and eighteen short stories published.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Polar Night

Julie Flanders

Release Date: February 7, 2013

 

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Bio: Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. It will be published by Ink Smith Publishing on February 7, 2013. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.