You know how sometimes you hit a low point in your life, be it personal or professional but just at that moment someone says the right word and it all becomes clear?
Around August last year my writing life hit its nadir. I have long since accepted that I wrote stories that were too historical for historical romance and too romantic for historical fiction. Add in a few ghosts, time travel and more recently, a murder or two and things were getting complex. I had just written a blog about trying to fit what I wrote into a neat little package with an appropriate label. (THE BLACK MOMENT OF A WRITER'S SOUL). I had no clear idea of how to dig myself out of the hole into which I had fallen. By sheer chance (as I don't always read it), I opened the August edition of the Romance Writers' Report and it fell open at an article titled “A Dash of This, A Pinch of That: Serving up a slice of History, Mystery and Romance” by Anna Lee Huber. In the article Anna Lee wrote about the concept of being a "cross genre" author... and in a sense gave me (and I hope others) "permission" to say 'I an author of cross genre novels" (I tried saying "I am a cross genre author" but I thought that made me sound like a cross dresser).
I tore the article from the magazine and contacted Anna Lee to thank her for her inspiring words and in August I posted a long blog about being the writer you want to be. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WRITE? It is now my great pleasure to welcome RITA winner, Anna Lee Huber to my tea table.
Hi Anna, George will be bringing in the tea
tray shortly…. What is your preference in tea or are you a coffee drinker?
I’m
definitely more of a tea-drinker, with cream or milk and sugar or Truvia (AS... had to look that one up! It's a sweetener for my non US readers), it
depends how decadent we want to be. J My favorites are English Breakfast and Chai. (AS: Decadence is our middle name, isn't it George? Bring the cream...although I do have to say cream is not my first choice for tea...it's one of those strange American practices that no matter how many times I visit the US, I have not adapted to!)
Your article in the August edition of the
Romance Writers Report leaped off the page at me. At
last someone who clearly articulated the sort of stories that I write – cross
genre! What prompted you to write the
article?
I’ve
often felt somewhat afloat in the genre/label-driven world of the publishing
industry. My novels don’t quite fit in any one genre. They’re mysteries set in
historical times with a liberal sprinkling of romance, and most of the novels I
like to read are very similar, spanning a wide variety of genres. I wrote the
article because it’s something that I would have liked to have read when I was
just starting out - a confirmation that I’m not the only one out there writing
cross-genre, along with some tips on how to navigate such a tricky publishing
world. I wanted other cross-genre
writers to know they’re not alone, and to see their diverse subject matter as a
strength rather than the weakness that many have tried to make us believe.
In a world that requires nice neat labels,
what advice do you have about marketing cross genre stories?
Market
to all of the genres your novel hits, within reason. If you have a publisher,
they will try to pigeonhole you in one genre, and that’s fine. They do need to
shelve you somewhere. But don’t let that limit your reach. Many readers read
across genres (AS: Me for example! I am a reader too and I write the books I like to read!). This is a good thing. But accept that not everyone will be
thrilled with your broader storyline. You’ll receive contradictory comments –
one reader will say your story has too much romance, while another will say it
has too little. You can’t please everyone, so just please yourself.
If
you’re pitching to agents or publishers, my best advice is to be honest and up
front about your novel’s cross-genre nature, but don’t make too fine a point of
it. Tell them it’s, for example, a historical mystery with strong romantic
elements, and leave it at that. A hint of those romantic elements should be in
your synopsis so they can see where it weaves in, but don’t make another
mention of it. Let them become excited about the story, not immediately leap to
the conundrum they might face in marketing it. A good story is a good story, and
they’ll see that.
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| Carnasserie Castle - part of the inspiration for Banbogle Castle in MORTAL ARTS |
What or who ignited your passion for
history?
I’ve
always loved history. It was my favorite subject in school. In a way, I think
it’s in my blood. Many of my ancestors were history buffs. I’m not sure what
exactly first inspired me to write historical-set novels, except that it was
what I often chose to read, and many of my daydreams took place in history.
I’ve just always seen the amazing narrative potential in our past.
You are writing a series of romantic
mysteries set in early Victorian England, “The Lady Darby” series. What was the
inspiration behind these books?
Some
of my favorite authors write in this cross-genre, and following the advice that
you should write what you love, I decided to give it a try. Everything about it
was completely intentional, even the character of Lady Darby. I created her and
crafted her backstory specifically to give her skills that would be useful in a
murder investigation and to provide her with obstacles to overcome. However,
from the moment I put pen to paper and began to write, it was magical. It was
as if she’d always lived in my head and was just waiting for me to let her
speak. So perhaps the raw inspiration was there along and the analytical side
of my mind just needed to believe it was done with intention. (AS: I am writing a mystery series set in Singapore in 1910 and for a pantser I have spent a long time working on the character of my protagonist, Harriet Gordon - I know everything about her but she can still surprise!)
Tell me a little bit about your
protagonists Lady Kiera Darby and the enigmatic Gage?
Kiera
is the widow of a famous anatomist and a gifted portrait artist. Her miserly
late husband forced her to use her talents to sketch his dissections for an anatomist
textbook he was writing. When he passed away, her involvement in his work was
made public, and she instantly become a social pariah. She’s intelligent and
passionate about her art, and intensely loyal to those she loves. After her
disastrous marriage, she has no intention of ever marrying again. That is,
until she meets Sebastian Gage, who unwillingly stirs something inside her.
Gage
is a gentleman inquiry agent working alongside is more famous father. They have
a somewhat contentious relationship, and he’s eager to prove himself. He also
has a somewhat mysterious past, and does not easily share his true self with
others, though Kiera is slowly chipping away at his resolve.
I have Book 1, THE ANATOMISTS WIFE, on my Kindle and I'm so looking forward to reading it. As for Book 2...
Mortal Arts, Lady Darby Book 2
Scotland, 1830. Lady Kiera Darby is no stranger to intrigue-in fact, it seems to follow wherever she goes. After her foray into murder investigation, Kiera must journey to Edinburgh with her family so that her pregnant sister can be close to proper medical care. But the city is full of many things Kiera isn't quite ready to face: the society ladies keen on judging her, her fellow investigator-and romantic entanglement-Sebastian Gage, and ultimately, another deadly mystery.
Kiera's old friend Michael Dalmay is about to be married, but the arrival of his older brother-and Kiera's childhood art tutor-William, has thrown everything into chaos. For ten years Will has been missing, committed to an insane asylum by his own father. Kiera is sympathetic to her mentor's plight, especially when rumors swirl about a local girl gone missing. Now Kiera must once again employ her knowledge of the macabre and join forces with Gage in order to prove the innocence of a beloved family friend-and save the marriage of another...
And some more about my guest...
Anna Lee Huber is the RITA and Daphne Award nominated author
of Mortal Arts and The Anatomist's Wife. A summa cum laude
graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, Anna majored in music
and minored in psychology. She currently resides in Indiana with her family and
is hard at work on the next Lady Darby Mystery. Book 3, A Grave Matter, will release on July 1, 2014. Visit her at www.annaleehuber.com.
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| Dryburgh Abbey – the setting for Book 3, A GRAVE MATTER, releasing July 1st. |
