17 January 2015

They Call Me a Literary Slut


"The Princess Bride with Sex” or Why I Write Wacky Time Travel (in addition to respectable crime)

I am best known as a writer of comic crime capers, and in particular The Goddaughter series (Orca Books).  However, I also have a second life as an author of racy fantasy…the sort of thing that has been called “OUTLANDER meets Sex and the City.”

This has gotten me the rep of being labeled a 'literary slut,' in that I 'write around' in a lot of genres.

Why?  Why would a moderately respectable crime author swap genres and write a wacky time travel series, set in Arizona and Alternate-world Great Britain?

1.  I like Arizona.  Especially in winter.  You can fly nonstop there from Toronto.
(Whoops – delete, delete.  Of course, the real reason for using Arizona is I believe in accuracy of setting and doing research, which I take great pains to do once each year in February.) 


2.  I like Great Britain.  And I like to be accurate.  But you can’t travel to medieval Great Britain right
now, at least not on WestJet. (WHY doesn’t someone invent a cheap time travel airline?)  So I can’t be accurate, which bugs me a lot.  But I can be silly, which is almost as good.  Hence, Alt-world.


3.  My cousin Tony’s family, the Clegg-Hills, used to own a Norman castle in Shropshire.  Unfortunately it burned down in 1556.  Damned careless of them.  I had to make up what it would look like from family stories, which are probably dubious at best, and vaguely criminal, on reflection.  Also, I hate being sued. Hence, Alt-world.


4.  Fessing up, here.  I actually didn’t mean to write funny time travel.  I meant to write a serious whodunit that would get the respect of the Can-Lit crowd, and the more erudite members of Crime Writers of Canada.  This ‘veering from plan’ is becoming a nuisance.  Next book, for sure, will be a serious whodunit.  Okay, maybe a whodunit.  Okay, maybe a book.


5.  Okay, I lied.  The serious whodunit turned into a wacky mob comedy series that has won a Derringer and an Arthur.  Still no respect from the Can-Lit crowd.  So I might as well go back to writing wacky time travel.

Why?  ‘Cause it’s a hell of a lot of fun being a literary slut.

Are you a literary slut?  Confession time!  If you write in more than one genre, let us know in the comments.

Flash Update: The Land's End Trilogy featured in this blog started charting on Amazon this week, and on Thursday made the overall Amazon Top 100 Bestseller list, at no. #47!  Author is faint~ 

Land's End Trilogy ("OUTLANDER meets SEX AND THE CITY" Vine review) is on sale for a ridiculous 99cents this weekend!  If you were ever curious about her 'other life'...'nuf said. 

16 comments:

  1. Melodie, I think you should sue your cousin's family! What kind of castle burns down? Aren't they supposed to be made of stone and not 3-little-pigs straw and sticks? Stormers of the castle probably laughed their bollies off. Hmmph. I think you were cheated!

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  2. By the way, I'm all for the cheap time-travel airline as long as (a) they don't have mediƦval legroom and (b) it's not Ryan Air.

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  3. Melodie, I guess I qualify as a sister literary slut since I write in several genres. Would you agree with me on the following quote from an old country song?
    Quote: It ain't easy being easy. Same quote with my ending added: It ain't easy being easy, but it's a helluva lot of fun.

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  4. Congratulations on your newest novels. It sounds as if the trilogy is off to a good start!

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  5. Leigh, we would need to do something about the ventilation too (on Med Air). Compulsory showers before boarding?

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  6. Fran, I love it! I suggest we hit the circuit with that duet. (there's surely more money in country music than in crime fic!)

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  7. Melodie, I've wandered into the horror and supernatural genres on occasion. I even once wrote a family saga that, astoundingly, has never found a publisher. Other than those, I've remained a one-trick pony.

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  8. Melodie, please tell David that in today's society, "slut" is a word used for both genders. I think his horror/supernatural qualifies him for membership with you and me.

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  9. I suppose I qualify as well. I've written and sold (in the short form) mystery, sci-fi, westerns, horror, romance, fantasy, and most subgenres. But mystery/suspense is by far my favorite.

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  10. David, you qualify! (and I won't even draw attention to the 'one trick')

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  11. John, we are definitely founding members of the Literary Slut Club. (Did I just say that out loud?)

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  12. As much as I'd love to call myself a literary slut, I'm not sure I can. Since one of the other markets I write for tends to be Boy's Life. LOL

    Drop me a line if you come to the Valley in February.

    --Dixon

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  13. Oh, I'm a literary slut, all right - I write mysteries, sci-fi, fantasy, the occasional western, and some stuff that damned if I know what genre it is. Sometimes it sells. Sometimes it doesn't. But ain't it fun?

    BTW, how do you manage a month in February? Do you rent something or stay at an Arizona castle?

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  14. Ha ha. That makes me a slut reader in more ways than one.

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  15. Thelma, you have me laughing out loud!

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  16. I've been whoring around in literary genres in my (small) published career as well as in the unpublished stuff!

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