Hopping genres and sub-genres!

I obviously like the writing challenges of genre hopping and different writing styles- though my love of history keeps sneaking into most of what I write. 

My first book - Kintore School 1875-2005 - involved a lot of research and the collection of many photographs and memories from ex-pupils. After a little help at the collection of information stage, I set to and wrote the book. A work of non- fiction it was my first real publication.
 
Today, I'm glad to have sent off - hopefully final- edits for my latest mystery, Topaz Eyes, having spent pretty well all day yesterday on them. Topaz Eyes, my fifth novel written so far, was a fantastic book to plan for and put together. It's my second history mystery, though totally unrelated to the first.

In my debut contemporary romance - Monogamy Twist - I included an inheritance mystery for Rhia Ashton to solve. Conveniently Rhia is an historian; her current job being family history research. The plot for Monogamy Twist entailed me working in clues for solving Luke Salieri's problem-that of not knowing who his benefactress is.

Working out the details of why Amelia Greywood left Luke a slightly dilapidated English estate in her will, coupled with conditions fit for a Dickensian farce, was so enjoyable I decided to attempt a more complicated mystery. Topaz Eyes is the result.

Before writing a single word of Topaz Eyes I did much more planning than ever before for any of my novel writing. One of the first tasks was to create a complicated family tree that traced down the generations to distant third cousins. Very different from how I conceived Monogamy Twist where, in true pantser style, the plot developed as I wrote.  As well as the family tree building for Topaz Eyes I also structured the plot in advance of the writing and 'tweaked' it as I wrote. As well as penning a more complicated ancestral mystery, I wanted the reader to experience more sinister elements in it as well- yet didn't want it to be full of blood and gore.

I'm really pleased with the result. It will be published in mid-December by Crooked{Cat}Publishing.


Right now I'm donning another writing hat and nipping back to my current writing in progress- the sequel to The Beltane Choice. 

My second historical, as yet unamed, means picking up that different vocabulary and writing style that fits A.D. 71 Celtic/ Roman Britain.

Slainthe!