by Mindy McGinnis
I've had many writers and readers comment on my upcoming novel, not only because it interests them, but because it's such a huge departure from my previously released works.
A MADNESS SO DISCREET releases next Tuesday. It's a Gothic historical thriller set in an insane asylum, and yes, it's vastly different from NOT A DROP TO DRINK and IN A HANDFUL OF DUST, which are post-apocalyptic survival stories. And if that makes you double-take, process this: my next release from Harper Collins in Fall 2016 is a contemporary, which will be followed up by the beginning of a fantasy series from Penguin/Putnam in the Spring of 2017.
As my students often say: Wait.... what?
I've fielded a lot of questions about writing across genres, most of them revolving around the fact that I'm publishing under the same name in all of these instances. While these books are different from each other in many ways, they retain what my audience comes to me for - my voice, and the feel of an author brand.
A brand can cross genres with you, easily. These novels may take place in different worlds and time periods, be populated by characters that bear no resemblance to the ones that came before, but there's a feel to them that marks them as mine. A reader who enjoys the darkness of my post-apoc writing will find the same element in my Gothic historical, and in my upcoming works as well.
As my critique partner and fellow FTWA blogger RC Lewis likes to say, "It's not a genre. It's a McGinnis."
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Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film by Stephenie Meyer's Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.
7 comments:
So true about voice, I am flexible with the genres I read.
If people really like your writing and storytelling, they'll be willing to follow you across genres and give it a try, even if it's not something they'd normally read. Congrats to you and best of luck with all those upcoming releases!
Do you have an agent? Do many agents represent an author who writes multiple genres? I read everything so it's only natural that I get ideas for various genres. Though I'm not close to querying for an agent yet, I do wonder how many out there are comfortable with representing an author who writes in many genres.
I love it that you use the same name! I never really liked pseudonyms, though I understand why authors choose to have one, especially when genre crossing.
Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
Yes I most definitely have an agent - Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary. One of the things we talked about on our initial phone call was that I had multiple genre novels cooking in my brain, and she was cool with that. It was a good thing to clarify up front.
Yes I most definitely have an agent - Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary. One of the things we talked about on our initial phone call was that I had multiple genre novels cooking in my brain, and she was cool with that. It was a good thing to clarify up front.
Love it. I can't wait!
I continue to be an avid reader of all things McGinnis.
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