Caution: Genre Crossing

Every book has only a limited amount of real estate. --Mary Jo Putney, best-selling author of historical and fantasy romance novels on cross-genre writing

As an exercise, I wrote down all the genres that make up The Alien Within, starting from that with the strongest presence to the weakest:

Urban/contemporary fantasy

Romance

Erotica

Science fiction

Action/Adventure

You'd think that's a lot of genres to fit into one piece of real estate. Well, I guess it would be if that's what I did. But I didn't. If you asked me The Alien Within's genre, I'd say urban fantasy. Only certain elements of the other genres are represented. I've been selling TAW as a cross-genre urban fantasy/science fiction novel, but look where sf is on the list. From what I understand, TAW is sf because it's got an alien in it. Melera, the book's one alien who spends 2/3 of it hanging out with Parker, her werewolf lover, and the rest of Seattle's preternatural gang. The other third is spent either holed up in her island fortress in the South Pacific or her temporary base in Seattle's Underground. Science fiction? Whatever you say, boss...

The romance is pretty obvious, I'd think. When Parker and Melera first meet, she promptly kicks his ass. When they meet again, they fall in love. Then Melera leaves for her own galaxy without Parker, but returns for him. The whole "boy meets girl" thing. Not entirely romance for other reasons, but enough so it comes in at No. 2 in the queue.

And then there's the erotica. I suppose that's because the sex descriptions are graphic--as in parental discretion advised. But except for the big scene between Parker and Melera, the sex is not meant to arouse erotic feelings in my readers. The descriptions of Garrett's role in a sex-magick rite with Seattle's mayor in the first third of the book are pretty clinical. In that scene, sex is merely the vehicle. The scene's focus is on the magick being wrought, not to mention Garrett and the Mayor's near death experience when something goes wrong. You could say this scene, as well as those leading up to it, is pretty much a how-to guide for casting the Saperet spell.

Action/adventure? Got a little of that too. Not true a/a because there's more than one hero (though one of them is a likeable male) and no clear cut villain trying to thwart the hero's quest. Instead, we have villainous characters operating independently, whose nefarious doings eventually force the heroes' collective hand. The heroes are placed in extreme physical danger. And the stakes are pretty high--if the heroes don't act, Seattle burns to the ground.

So. The point of all this is to say that I don't think TAW is cross-genre. Not in the sense in which it's usually meant. A shipboard romance that takes place in deep space, for example. TAW is an urban fantasy with several elements of other genres, to greater or lesser degrees. But IMO, that doesn't make it cross-genre.

What do you think? Is TAW cross-genre or not?

One more thing. Assuming for the moment that TAW is cross-genre, the reason I wrote it this way is because we don't live in a single-genre world. Everyone's life has elements of comedy, tragedy, romance, horror--you name it. In my view, if a fictional world is populated by werewolves, vampires, witches, etc., it is more realistic to show them interacting with one another, just as we interact with all kinds of people in our own lives. Check Laurell K. Hamilton's books, or Lilith Saintcrow. Anyway, I wasn't particularly conscious of mingling the different threads. To me, TAW simply a reflection of the real world I inhabit. But IMHO, my world is far more interesting.

What If?

What if we couldn't ask "what if?" What would our world be like?

The answer, IMHO, is:







(grins)

Unity of Opposites

I imagine about half the world has seen that Britain's Got Talent youtube video of Susan Boyle's debut performance. If you haven't, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I love it. A shining illustration of the principle of duality, the defining characteristic of all that is.

The idea of duality, that nothing is as it seems, has fascinated me since I was a kid. Geodes started it. I remember my astonishment at seeing this homely, lumpy gray rock hiding an ethereal, crystal wonderland. The other night I was astonished by a woman with a singing voice so rich and powerful, I can't think how I ever could have thought her unattractive.

The Alien Within is about duality, in as many of its aspects as I could cram in there. Motive--Garrett manipulates Parker ruthlessly for sake of the noblest of causes. Visual--Parker's eight-foot wolf cradling Melera against its pelt like a sick child. Behavior--by the book's end, maybe that sonofabitch Kurt isn't so bad after all.

For me, the oddest thing about duality is that I know intuitively that it exists, that it is all around me and even a part of me, yet I'm always gobsmacked (love that one) when I see it in action. You'd think I'd know better, right? I'd think so, too. Then again, if I always knew better life probably wouldn't be so interesting.

Sometime in the next few posts I want to ask you a question about the title The Alien Within.

Now...Where Was I?

Black holes are a bitch. I should know. There I was, content in my cozy little writer's world, agonizing over query letter rewrites, plotting with my editor, wondering if my credit card can handle the next con, and then...

ZOOP!

The Mundane Black Hole sucks me into its maw. My little writer's world shatters. I struggle to escape. But the Mundane--every dreamer's nightmare--is merciless. My soul will be crushed flat like an armadillo on a Texas two-lane highway. The Hole will not get me without a fight, though. I scheme, snatching sick days here and there to "go see my shrink," Dr. H.P. Compaq. But it's not enough. I feel myself drawn closer and closer to oblivion.

Just when it seems the Hole has won, that I've been lobotomized into one more Mundanian zombie drone...

BLOORP!

The Hole hocks me out like a loogie.

Dazed, I blink stupidly, watching as the shards of my writer's world piece themselves back together. Then it's complete, and the fog blanketing my brain lifts. I look around. Everything's as I left it, but I know nothing's the same. Slowly and painfully, I rise from my office chair and then stagger towards my Muse's corner. I collapse into Her seat, then reach down and turn on Dr. Compaq. After its grunting and groaning has faded into mere gurgles, I begin opening file after file, not surprised that my cozy little world has moved on in my absence. Clicking the mouse, I feel as if I were someone from a half a year ago suddenly propelled into today. I open yet another email and read the short message. It's another rejection note for The Alien Within.

I smile for the first time in months. It's good to be back.

Readercon: Had A Great Time!

Okay, so it's been a while since I did my reading and yeah, I'm just now getting around to telling you about it. I've got an excuse, though--my day job sucked me into a black hole and only recently spit me out. No shit, either. I did more traveling in July than I've done in a lo-o-ong time. In a way, I don't mind all that much. I mean, being locked up in a hotel conference room all day with a bunch of tax nerds isn't exactly my idea of a good time, but the frequent flyer miles are a bonus. If this keeps up, I'll have enough miles by the end of the year to take a trip somewhere in the Lower 48. W00t, w00t!

Back to Readercon. I read Chapter 2 and it was great. People laughed at my jokes--cool! Nice to be around folks who get my sometimes decidedly odd sense of humor. There was one moment, though, that was a bit embarrassing. After the session was over, four people came up to me and wanted to know where they could buy my book. "Uh, well...uh, gee...it isn't published yet..." Nothing like having to put off potential buyers because you haven't anything to sell. It's enough to make you say screw New York and go POD.

Anyway, I was cleaning up my hard drive last night and came across a poem I'd written years ago. Mind you, I don't claim to be a poet. It was just something I did, and it was heartfelt when I did it.

Do you believe in love?

I’m not talking about love at first sight, love in hindsight, new love, or old love. I’m not talking about mad love, romantic love, abandoned love or puppy love.

I’m talking about love that spans millennia and lifetimes, patient love and abiding love. I’m talking about love that waits like a lone candle in the window of a lonely house on a dark road, on an even darker night. I’m talking about a love that has no name, a love that surpasses all understanding, a love that lasts for eternity...and beyond.

Do you believe in love?

I don’t either.

Going To Readercon This Weekend?

I'm giving a reading from The Alien Within, sponsored by Broad Universe, an online writer's organization to which I happen to belong. It's listed on the program as "Rapid Fire Reading," which showcases the works of as many authors who want to participate--subject to con time limits, of course. So at Readercon, I get five minutes, just enough to read Chapter 2 (where I introduce y'all to Melera, my alien warrior queen), not counting the introductory remarks.

Nervous about standing up before a serious bunch of strangers? Hell, yeah. But then, I've done it before--this is not much different than any other public speaking gig I've taken, except they don't feed me lunch. So I'm very much looking forward to it--never know who's in the audience, right?

Stuff like this always sends makes me want to take acting classes. I mean, if I can do a talk on the fly and it sounds intelligent and holds people's interest...well, if you're anything like me, it ain't much different from acting in a movie or on the stage. Doesn't mean that the butterflies aren't there, though. So, if you're coming to Readercon, the RFR is scheduled for 11 AM on Saturday, July 19th. Don't know exactly the line-up, unless they go in alphabetical order, which means I'll be one the first ones up.

Maybe I'll see one of you there...whoever you are.

Vampire Rule?

I did a reading back in January. A dismal night as I remember. Afterwards, I started chatting with one of the audience. Without having read the book, she told me she felt that in the zot hierarchy, vampires are at the top.

Yeah—they wish. Vampires don't rule in most U.S. cities. But Seattle’s a special case. Kurt is one of the city’s founders, which allowed him to do two things: persuade his human timber baron partners to turn a more or less blind eye to zot labor, and take complete control over the flow of zot immigration to the new city. That Seattle is one of the few places where zots can live in relative peace (with emphasis on the word relative) is Kurt’s doing. It’s the debt all zots in the city owe him. And Kurt is not shy about collecting his due.

So that’s why vampires are on top in Seattle. How Kurt managed to do what he did is a book in itself. But the result was give him an iron grip over Seattle’s zot population. You wanna live here? Gotta talk to Kurt first. Of course, getting Kurt's permission is not quite as literal as it used to be, what with the public university and all. After all, it's in Kurt's best interest that the school attract in and out-of-state zots to Seattle because they spend money. And Kurt's got lots of business interests in the city besides his Last Chance nightclub and Boeing. Restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, you name it. But it's understood by all the university's zot students that they will leave after graduation. No exceptions. You want to stay in Seattle after graduating? Gotta talk to Kurt first...

Oh--you're wondering why a 600-odd year old vampire would have a major stake in an aircraft manufacturer? Well, Kurt is a Renaissance man...