Sunday, November 1, 2020

Genre Experimentation

I’ve been dipping my toe into different genres lately.

Detective McGregor’s first and second stories (The Disappearance of Millicent Hart – 2018 and Murder Goes on Vacation – Dec 2020) are police detective mysteries. The third story (Forever After – expected 2021) is a thriller. The fourth story (Publish or Perish – ??) is a cozy with McGregor’s girlfriend taking the lead in solving the case because McGregor has a conflict of interest. The rest of the McGregor series arc is plotted as detective mysteries.

A children’s picture book (Emma’s Best Friend is a Robot) was published last fall. A second children’s book is with the artist.

Last month, I sketched out a premise for a science fiction story about a computer virus. Definitely an example of current life influencing art.

I’ve even tried a bit of fantasy. A short fantasy piece about a slug rodeo and riding competition was published in an anthology last year. Earlier this year, I attempted a fantasy novel. But by the time I created the cover image and title, there wasn’t anything left to say. Because, after all, it was just a fantasy.