Combining Genres
My debut novel, Midnight Splash, can be described simply as a mystery/thriller with a somewhat typical plot line – man dies, police detective investigates. That’s true, but there’s more than that. The dual POV follows 17-year-old Turner Moore as well as Detective Ignatius Ellison through solving the case.
What’s the difference, you ask? Turner’s age alone can also classify this book as YA (young adult), a category which largely serves older teens to people in their early 20s or so. Without getting into statistical data, readers beyond their early to mid 20s enjoy YA content. Reading YA allows those older adults to look back and remember being that age, or compare the characters to their children or grandchildren. When I began writing Midnight Splash as a novel, my son was close to Turner’s age, and he and his friends were often the inspiration for some of the things Turner does and his personality and reactions that scream ‘typical teenager.’
When I started writing, I didn’t start with the intention of writing for a YA audience or an adult audience. Turner and Ellison were the two characters that insisted I write their stories. They just happened to be a teenager and an adult.
Many writers combine genres, but for the sake of libraries, bookstores, and websites, we begrudgingly mark them in a single category. Midnight Splash is marked as YA. The POV skews a little more toward Turner, earning it the YA distinction. Purchase it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble and you’ll see it ranked in “Teen & Young Adult Mysteries & Detective Stories” and “Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction” and note that the reading age is 16-18 years. The page on my website doesn’t indicate any of that, because I believe it’s a book for anyone and everyone who enjoys a good detective mystery.
There’s another halfway point that is newer to the market, and unfortunately unavailable in listings, that Midnight Splash covers. New Adult. It covers much of what YA covers (typically 13-22) and moves that bracket more toward the 15/16 year olds to 22/23 year olds.
An adult can pick up this book (many have) and become as immersed as that 16-year-old. My book isn’t the only one you’ll read that is combines genres. Romantic fantasy stories, dubbed ‘romantasy’ by the industry and the authors who write them, is a combination of romance and fantasy, going both ways – adding a romance element to a largely fantasy story or a bit of fantasy to a largely romance formula story. Still other genres have been combined into something new, including paranormal romance, magical realism, gothic mystery, and many more.
So if you’re wondering if Midnight Splash is for you, the short answer is: yes.
What are some books you’ve read recently that include elements of multiple genres? Where did you find it on the library or bookstore shelf? Let’s talk on Facebook!