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HelenKay Dimon is the author of Viva Las Bad Boys, Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy, Right Here, Right Now and the upcoming Hard As Nails. Her writing has been called, “witty, romantic, sexy and just plain fun”. And it is. Visit HelenKay at www.helenkaydimon.com
Thank you all for having me here today. It's a special thrill because I stop by frequently both out of a love for the name of the blog and out of a love of reading mysteries, suspense and everything similar. In fact, I had a recent brush with ignorance thanks to the mystery genre. I wish I could say this brush with ignorance was a rare occurrence. Yeah, not so much. Occurs almost daily. This time it happened about 3,000 miles from home. At least it happened in a fun city...
See, I was in New York City for a wedding. In looking for a way to deduct the entire trip without ticking off the IRS, I combined the event with a visit with my editor at Kensington Publishing. This was a time for general sucking up, mixed with a concentrated effort not to do anything stupid. The next day I welcomed the opportunity to sit down and discuss my career (and my desire not to inadvertently destroy it) with my agent. Specifically, we talked about a proposal I'm writing for a romantic mystery series. Some of my books include suspense elements, but they have all been more romance than mystery. I've been looking at trying something new. Honestly, I want to break into a genre that is known for being a bit hard to crack - romantic suspense.
During this conversation, my agent asked a question that stumped me. It wasn't that I was unsure of my answer. If only. No, it really was a matter of not even understanding the question. I hate that. I was even more disgruntled at how, after selling eight novellas and seven single titles, I still am a hopeless novice in this business. I'll whine about that into my laptop and spare you. Back to the discussion with my agent...
His question: What kind of mystery is it?
My answer: Uh, what?
Impressive show on the knowledge of my profession, isn't it? What's worse is that the very first thing that popped into my head - the part I did not say out loud by some miracle - was something of the what the heck is he talking about variety. The uh, what? part was my fall back and slightly more intelligent position. After a few seconds of mindless nothing, a string of mental babble about cozy mysteries, cat mysteries and...well, that was about it...hit me. I somehow managed not to say any of it. Instead, I stayed quiet and nodded. I find the blank face nodding tends to get people explaining. And that's what happened here. My agent talked about women-in-peril stories and serial killer mysteries and a whole bunch of story types I had never even considered Or, to be more precise, had not really thought of as separate types.
So, I'm back to studying again. My respect for the mystery genre demands that I not try to leap in without knowing what I'm doing or what's out there.
Back to my proposal...
Want to see how HelenKay manages to mix suspense into her romance writing? Ask a question, share what type of mystery you're writing--or just say "Hello" in comments. We'll toss all the names in a hat and one person will win a copy of Right Here, Right Now, HelenKay's latest release. Check back here Sunday night to find out the winner. **And don't forget, you still have time left to bid on the Poe's Deadly Daughter's mystery lover's tote bag in Brenda Novak's Diabetes auction. www.brendanovak.com
24 comments:
Hi, HelenKay. I'm also confused with putting a name to what I'm writing. But it seems like they are coming up with new sub-genres on an hourly basis. Maybe the question should be, which one is selling? Then say OK, that's what I'm writing. :-)
Hi HelenKay, how will your mystery series be different from what you're writing now? More mystery, less romance?
Hi, HelenKay. I loved Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy. I can't wait to read Right Here, Right Now. Will you keep writing romance as well as romantic suspense?
Heck, I've always thought that love is a mystery. Pity the poor heroine who has to solve a murder AND figure out what to do with the hunky guy who's hanging around helping her. Of course, you as writer have to plant all the clues for both along the way. More work, isn't it?
Would Romantic Mystery be more Janet Evanovich or Sharon Wagner? More Chick Lit-ish or Harlequin Gothic? Is it just a mystery with the added element of romance? Or are the mystery and romance more intertwined? (AKA the mysterious stranger with the hidden past that's now threatening the female protagonist?). Or are there as many versions of it as there are types of romances? I can see why you'd need some explanation!
Keeping the romance going through a series is a tough trick, as any long married woman knows. Maybe the occasional murder would help keep any married lady's spirits up. Good luck, I look forward to reading your new project.
Susan
Good morning everyone (it's still morning in California...)!
Annette - I like the way you think. Which is selling - good question. One of my agent's points was about how hard it can be for romance authors to make the jump to something more mystery-oriented. Many have done exceptionally well - Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown, Tess Gerritsen, etc - but many flounder because they either keep the writing "too" romance and really don't expand their readership or write without romance and alienate their current readers. Sounds like it's a matter of finding balance.
Judy - My books now, even when they have a suspense or mystery component, are pure romance. The focus is on the couple and their relationship. The suspense/mystery part is almost secondary. In the proposal I'm working on, there is more of a balance between the elements. The idea is for someone who is not-so-hot on romance novels to be able to pick it up and still want to read the books for the other aspects. Not that I've figured out how to do that yet...
Anonymous - Thank you! I loved writing YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY...and not just because it allowed me to write off a vacation in Hawaii, though that did help. My goal is to keep writing both. I love writing for my current publisher and have books scheduled through 2010. This is really more about branching out and trying something a little different in a genre I love to read.
Sheila - Exactly! A mystery plus a romance - how can that be a bad thing? It is more work, but there are so many authors who do it so well. I just want to be one of them.
Wordsmith - Where were you at my coffee session with my agent? My mind went blank, but you're thinking like he was. There are so many variations. I defined what I was writing in the proposal as romantic suspense. Now I get that the description really doesn't mean much. Since then I've thought about the mysteries I've read, both those defined as romantic suspense and those though of as pure mysteries. There is a lot of crossover, but there are a lot of differences too. Part of what I'm trying to figure out now is where this series idea fits.
Susan - Thank you. Actually, I am in awe of authors who write a series with one couple as the focus and somehow manage to keep the romance angle interesting. No idea how they do it. My series would focus on a group of guys with each book centering on the romance of a different character. That's hard enough for me to tackle.
Hi HelenKay. I knew that Romance was getting sub-genred to death but I hadn't realised that mysteries were too!! Whatever happened to plain old Mystery - Romance - Horror - Science Fiction - Fantasy as genre types?
Hi HelenKay,
I love reading romantic suspense and it can be traced back to my love of Agatha Christie books. A good mystery always keeps me entertained. The classic whodunit never gets old for me.
Jane, I started reading mysteries because of Christie as well. And Phyllis Whitney.
Hey HelenKay, tell us a bit more about the group of guys in your series. Are they in law enforcement in some way?
hi helen, glad u are here. the book sounds hot. i like romantic suspense books.
kim h
Hi, HelenKay!
I call my WIP a "romantic mystery," because it is, first and foremost, a romance, but it has a mystery plot. It features both the heroine and hero's POVs. Maybe I should call it a "mystery romance." Hmmm...
I've realized it's not romantic suspense because the heroine isn't in danger from page one. There's no dead body in the first three chapters, either. In fact, no one dies during the novel (although an attempt is made), so I'm not really sure it qualifies as romantic mystery or mystery romance or whatever. Gah, it's enough to drive a writer around the bend.
I should add, the book features the H/h POVs, but also the POVs of two secondary characters and the POV of the villain. Another POV might show up as I get deeper into the novel, too. That's 5 POVs. I sometimes wonder if it's too much, but, so far, I need all those POVs. The hero's mother has her own issues/conflict to resolve, almost like a subplot, and I didn't feel I could fully relate the story (because of how the plot develops) without including her POV.
Hi HelenKay,
I like them togther, suspense and romance make it more enjoyable.
Do you like to read different genre books and have you thought of writing a different style?
I once read an entire book about the difference between suspense and mystery. An entire book! And I still don't think I can articulate the characteristics of either in an intelligent way.
But having read several of your books, HelenKay, I think you already have a strong grasp on suspense. You don't have to know how to EXPLAIN it, you just need to know how to DO it.
Said by a person who is going to look this up right now...
I hate labels! I think marketing people invented them because they secretly enjoy tormenting writers. What's wrong with simply calling it a mystery? It bothers me a lot that this perfectly respectable "label" no longer seems to be enough. It's ridiculous how many "sub-genres" exist these days!
My love of romantic suspense began with Phyllis Whitney's writing as well. Hoping to try one of Helen Kay's books soon as I've heard such good things about them.
Cheryl S.
Hi HellenKay, I have to say, I've been a similar boat. What I write most often gets pegged as Romantic Suspense, but in effect it's not the hardcore blood and guts that some of the other Romantic Susense authors are heading toward. Mine tends more toward Romantic Mystery then suspense. I don't do a lot of blood and guts on the page, but I do have a lot of who dunnit and sleuthing involved. It's not that it's not there. I think I killed 7 people off in the last book, but it's not right in your face. Since my book is being rereleased I'm going to be doing a lot more promotion toward mystery readers this time. I find that they are loyal, intelligent and true to what they read. And yes, I'll doing a lot of research also when it comes to where I fit into it all.
Hi,
I enjoy mystery and romance, if they are in the same booki so much the better. Looking forward to reading whatever you decide to write.
I just wrote comments and then lost them all with an error message...[sigh]
Let's try again.
Ilona - It is confusing, isn't it? It's great for readers and authors that the genres are expanding, but it does make it tough to define the category for which you're writing.
Jane - Absolutely. I am the same way.
Darlene - Is it bad if I admit I've never read Whitney...? Maybe I should keep that fact to myself.
The series centers on a group of guys who used to be in law enforcement (DEA, FBI, police, etc.) who now work for a private company handling kidnapping cases, cold cases and the like. There is a group in Virginia like this. In my fictionalized version, the men left their government careers for varying reasons, some of which are not too pleasant. Now, if I can pull this off or not is the question. I'm working on it.
Kim - Hi there! We seem to visit the same websites. I think that proves we both have good taste :)
Cindy - Will your romantic mystery include the same fabulous humor from your previous books? I know humor isn't always easy in the mystery context, but I love it.
It's interesting you should mention the heroine in danger issue. My agent seemed lukewarm to women-in-peril stories. I'm wondering if those are harder to sell.
Dina - I read across genres. In fact, I just finished BLACK & WHITE by Dani Shapiro. It's considered literary. I loved the angst-filled mother/daughter relationship in it. Next up is LOVER ENSHRINED by JR Ward (yeah, I got an early copy). I'm not a huge paranormal fan, but I adore Ward. As for my writing, I am looking to try something new. My editor likes my dialog, romance and use of humor. Now I want to see if I can do something a little different using those existing skills. We'll see.
Jill - Look it up...and then explain it to me. And, your first romantic suspense comes out soon. Congratulations! I'm so excited to read it.
Sandra - I'm thinking it is a marketing issue. I know that's the case in romance. All the labels do seem like a bit much. I guess there are people out there who only read certain subgenres, but I tend to find that readers buy more broadly than that. Who knows if the marketing even works.
Cheryl - Thank you! I hope if you try my books, you enjoy them.
Teagan - Good luck with your book and the promo. I wish the promo part was easier, but focusing on your core audience and then trying to branch out to obvious other groups who might be interested is the way to go. Makes the most sense to me.
Deanna - Me too! I'm always looking for new authors whether they be romance, mystery, romantic suspense or whatever.
Thanks again to Poe's Deadly Daughters for having me here. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
How cool!!! Thank you. :)
Darlene, I just saw your email and replied, but it came back twice not deliverable.
What should I do now?
Thanks,
Dina
Hi HelenKay,
Yes my rom/mystery will have humour, thanks for asking. :) In fact I used to call it a romantic comedy/mystery, but that was getting to be too much of a mouthful. Some of the subject matter is a little off-beat...
wtg dina
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