WHY THE PARANORMAL GENRE
When I started the DYING THOUGHTS series, I didn't even consider what genre they would fit into. All I wanted was for them to be aimed at young adults and have a crime and mystery theme. It wasn't until they started to get published that I had to seriously think about what genre they fitted into. That's when I realised that Tara's gift ensured they fell squarely into the paranormal and supernatural genre. I know it sounds silly, but I just hadn't realised it before then. Now, I embrace it and have written another book or two that would also be considered as part of that genre.
You see, with the other genres I've written about, I've had a certain fondness for them myself. Either growing up or in my adult reading life, I'd come across authors who did them well and I found myself enjoying them. However, I wasn't too fond of what would be considered paranormal. I'm not a huge fan of vampires or werewolves, yet I loved watching Buffy and I adored the Harry Potter books, but when I would look for books to read and see the paranormal or supernatural label, I would find myself shying away from them. I still do it today.
Don't get me wrong, I'll read the blurb on the back and I'll see if it's something that I'd like to try, and when mixed with a crime and mystery plot line, I'll probably read it and enjoy it. Yet, I still wouldn't call myself someone who enjoys paranormal fiction. There's nothing wrong with it, I just like to have some of the fiction I read based in some kind of reality. So, I hear you ask, why would I then write the books I've written that have used aspects of things that aren't considered reality? To be honest, my answer would be that I never planned or realised that they were. Sounds silly, doesn't it? Well, have you ever looked for something and given up because you can't find it and then have it pointed out to you? You're like "Oh, yeah!" and then you feel a little bit stupid because you couldn't see what was right in front of you?
That's what I'm talking about. It wasn't that I went out of my way to give Tara the gift she has, or to write the books with that particular genre in mind, it just seemed to have ended up like that. Even now, nearly thirteen years after I put pen to paper and brought her to life, I still wonder how I got into the genre in the first place. I mean, everyone has either read or at least heard of J. K. Rowling and her sucess with the Harry Potter books. Moving on to a more recent TV reference, Supernatural is also a big show - and one I've recently started to watch and enjoy - but somehow, I managed to end up in this genre and not really know how I got there in the first place.
I love writing Tara and even got to the point when after finishing the fifth book, I decided to extend the serious to at least seven and I can see myself carry it on a few more books after that. So, I do enjoy writing in the paranormal genre, I just don't really know how I ended up in it. Maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere!
Follow Joey here on her blog, on Facebook, or Tumblr to be sure to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.
No comments:
Post a Comment