Saturday, May 5, 2018

Seven Genres I’ve Never Written - #SaturdaySeven #LASR #giveaway

Saturday Seven banner

I was going to title this post “Seven Genres I’ll Never Write”, but I decided that was unnecessarily rash. For one thing, I’ve been known to tackle a particular genre that feels alien just for the challenge of it. Also, I really don’t know how my tastes, or the market, will change. I don’t normally tend to be much influenced by the current trends or the latest hot selling themes, but it’s always possible that I’ll have a killer idea I just can’t resist.

So here’s a list of the genres I haven’t tried yet. I won’t try to predict the future.

Sports romance

As I noted in an earlier Saturday Seven post, I’m almost completely uninterested in any sort of team or organized sports. The closest I’ve come to a “sports” story was Crossed Hearts, a MM tale set at a competitive Scrabble tournament.

Western romance

For some readers, and authors, cowboys have an enduring appeal, but they generally leave me cold. I’m a born-and-bred Easterner, for one thing. I’ve traveled through the American West, but I don’t know it well and actually don’t feel that comfortable in those dusty, arid, wide open spaces.

Then there’s the smell. Whenever I try to imagine a sexy cowboy, I start thinking about what he’d smell like after riding a horse all day, or rounding up the cattle, or mucking out the barns... The question of olfactory stimuli becomes particularly off-putting when I think about historical Western tales. Back in the days of the Wild West, baths were at best a monthly activity!

Zombie romance

Vampires, yes. Shifters, sure. Ghosts, tentacled monsters, even Big Foot might make their way into one of my stories. But zombies? As characters? I’ve written a bit of erotic horror, but I can’t imagine how I could make zombies appealing. Again, decomposing bodies are going to reek, and bad smells put me in a very bad mood.

I guess I could imagine writing a scifi romance set in the context of a zombie apocalypse, though that’s been done so often I think I’d be bored. I will say that I’d be deeply impressed by an author who managed to create a sympathetic, non-disgusting zombie protagonist.

Secret baby romance

I’ve never written a pregnant heroine, let alone a classic (dare I use that term?) secret baby romance. This is partly due to the fact that I personally don’t have children (other than my fur babies) and have never been pregnant. I came of age after the advent of the Pill, so I’ve always had control of my fertility. I think the whole topic is less central for me than for many women.

I certainly can imagine writing a story where the conflict involved pregnancy, but I haven’t done so yet.

In fact, as far as I can recall, only two of my many heroines have children, Ruby Jones in Wild About That Thing, and Beatrice, the Victorian woman with the secret life in my novel Miranda’s Masks.

Regency romance

I love historical fiction. I love to read it, and I’d love to write more of it than I dothough to be honest I’m sometimes too lazy to do the research this would require. Still, I’ve written a few historical tales, set in the Middle Ages, in Elizabethan times, in the Victorian period and in the Gilded Age at the turn of the twentieth century. Somehow, though, I’ve never had the slightest inclination to write a Regency story, despite their popularity.

One factor is my unfamiliarity with the period. However, I have to say that in general, I have not found the Regencies I’ve read to be all that interesting. I guess I prefer ordinary, everyday people to the dukes and earls that seem to populate this sub-genre.

Military romance

This is another really popular sub-genre that doesn’t ring my bell at all. I grew up during the Vietnam war, and I’m certain that colored my view of the armed forces. Everyone I knew would do anything they could to avoid military service.

Futanari romance

In case you’re not familiar with the term, futanari refers to individuals who have the sexual characteristics of both genders. There’s a popular niche genre for erotica and erotic romance featuring such characters. Sally Bend’s Bending the Bookshelf blog reviews many of them.

I’ve never read any of this genre, let alone written any. However, I’ll be frank; I’m tempted, if only because I really like mixing things up in my stories.

Solet me ask you, my readers: are there any of these genres that you’d like to see me try? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. I’ll randomly draw the name of one reader who’ll receive his or her choice of Crossed Hearts or Wild About That Thing.





By the way, be sure to visit the other authors who have Saturday Seven posts today. You’ll find the full list of links at Long andShort Reviews.

14 comments:

Lori R said...

My thoughts on those genres are quite similar to yours. I think the Zombie romance could possibly be turned around into an undead romance. Not so much a rotting flesh type of zombie but more like pale skin and no heartbeat. I know the challenge would be to make the characters not seem like vampires. I think you could pull it off.
lringel at comcast dot net

Larry Archer said...

I'd vote for Futa. From a guy's perspective, that would be erotic to watch!

Lydia said...

Yeah, a zombie romance would be difficult to get right. I feel like the horror elements of that plot could easily overwhelm the romance, although I'm sure there are authors out there who figured out how to balance the two.

I agree with Larry. A Futanari romance would be interesting for sure.

My Saturday Seven post: http://lydiaschoch.com/saturday-seven-what-to-read-next-if-you-loved-the-handmaids-tale/

Anne said...

I'm with you on the zombie issue and am not fond of the secret baby. I haven't read Funtanari, it would be interesting to see if you could write a strory in the genre that I found romantic or hot.

Colleen said...

There are genres I like among the listed, but if it is not your thing, stick with what works for you.

Debby said...

I think a Regency or military one would be intriguing. You cold give those genres some unique flavor.

Marianne Arkins said...

I read a zombie series of books (one of the characters--the evil doctor who developed the virus, lol--is named after me) I loved everything about it... right up until the ending when the heroine has to kill her love interest because the shots that kept him from actually becoming a zombie stopped working. I have kept the books, but I'll never read them again. They weren't marketed as a romance, but I absolutely expected the author to find a way to give them a HEA. I imagine it's a tough row to hoe.

I hate secret baby romances with every fiber of my being...though I actually wrote one. Sort of. The heroine does everything she can to find and get in touch with the hero to tell him, but isn't able to. I can't ever think of a reason, short of psychosis, to keep a father from knowing his child.

Thanks for visiting me earlier. I'm here if any one else would like to: http://www.mariannearkins.com/saturday-seven-my-tbr-list/

Sharon E said...

Hi, I love Regency Romance. Maybe this time you could have the hero coming back from war with a challenge. Needs to marry quickly because of the will but also needs to get his act together and learn to be able to do things again.

ELF said...

I salute you for knowing your strengths and concentrating on them. One of the reasons I don't offer to edit historicals is because I am afraid I would miss glaring anachronisms, lol. I'm definitely NOT fond of zombies...in romances or other genres, and dystopic romances tend to depress me. I think you probably know enough about exotic locales to pen a fascinating romantic suspense!

My Saturday Seven is here: https://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.com/2018/05/saturday-seven-favorite-young-adult.html

bn100 said...

any kind

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Because I could never choose, how about a futanari sports romance? I don't know if it's been done...

--Trix, vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com

LuvToyz said...

I agree, I do not like to imagine zombies in romantic scenes. But cowboys can still work, maybe after their bath time or during bath time, lol.

Marle said...

I'm not an author just a reader so the choices in writing across the spectrum or reading what's available amounts to comfortability. Choices in genre as I weave in and out of SF vsromancevsChristian fiction etc makes the joys of reading for me. Its my choice based on my dollars and my diving into new authors different genres etc. So I imagine writers feel the same of genre comfortability and to take the faith leap into unknown territory must be scary and hope it sells.Because it's a living for u the author and pure enjoyment for us The reader.

Lisabet Sarai said...

Congratulations to Anne, who's the winner of the drawing. You didn't leave an email address, so please get in touch with me (lisabet at lisabetsarai dot com) and let me know which book you prefer.

Thanks to everyone who left their comments and suggestions. I have lots to think about!

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