I guess I’m that writer-a Crime Drama junkie

All writers have to find their niche, what makes them unique and tick. I feel lost in the sea of books and genres that spin such intriguing tales. Dystopian, steam-punk, horror, fantasy, psychological thriller, romance and true crime, all of them have such a unique and powerful place in the world of fiction.

We can see that most well-known authors have a well documented niche that defines their work and genre. Obviously, Stephen King is the king of horror. In the Vocal realm, we have Dharsheena, the horror queen. George R. R. Martin is an epic fantasy storyteller, all his worlds colliding in a medieval backdrop of dragons, mad kings and demons.

Personally, I feel that you’ve found your true genre once you’ve seen a pattern in your short stories, but really it’s once you have your first five novels and/or novellas finished. I’ve seen a 4/5 ratio pattern that I’ve used primarily the whole of the crime drama genre in my themes, plots and characters.

Here’s a blanket description of what makes a crime drama, well, a crime drama:

My first thought on this is why. Why do I gravitate towards this particular sort of stuff? I believe it’s because it’s the most natural way I write my characters, my stories and plots. I find that these subjects are sometimes very heavy, traumatic, tragic and difficult to process. To me, writing through a series of painful and grief riddled experiences, helps me understand and process my own emotions and past experiences.

Take Barbara, in my crime drama, The Half Paper Moon. She is the main protagonist, yet she is dead from the first page. That’s not a spoiler, even though it seems like it at first. The real mystery of course, was the crime itself, you might want to say. It’s not so easy. Sometimes, the very brutal reality of the crimes can lead to much more dangerous and painful truths about the victim than the perpetrator.

I find that the layers that make up a human being can cause one to either reject societal expectations, shed their identity, become something new after their metaphorical death, or become the person they thought they were… only for it to flip and they become something unrecognizable to what they believed to be. Death in my books sometimes aren’t also physical ones.

I’ve always been a crime drama junkie in the sense that I’ve always loved the thrill of justice being served after a terrible crime. Take Beatrice Kiddo in Kill Bill, going after Bill’s Deadly Viper Assassination Squad one by one to avenge the death of her new, boring life in turn for her old, bloody one—-and for the loss of her unborn daughter.

I realized that almost all of my plots revolved around something big that has happened to someone. Something that one person certainly couldn’t be expected to handle on their own, yet they have to brave it anyway.

That’s the anomaly for my fantasy series, I am Bexley. I don’t know how that one came out but my zombie series is something I love and feel is a great addition to my sea of crime drama stories. Bexley is constantly saddled with monsters, both real and unreal, as she tries to keep herself from falling apart, (both literally and figuratively), and taking care of her adopted family of outsiders.

I feel that when we stick to a genre, we start to develop our voice in a meaningful and engaging manner. The maturity of that voice can only grow and sometimes lead to more layered stories, worlds and characters. Branching out into different parts of the fictional universe is a challenge that I definitely wasn’t sure I could handle. I still feel that my voice is mainly in crime drama and heavy romance. Sometimes I’ll dabble in horror, science fiction and obviously fantasy!

I have several books out now that embrace the genre of crime, of which I’ll share with you:

Atonement: published by JMS Books, the direct sequel to The Half Paper Moon. Description:

After a risky After a risky prison escape, Edward Bianchi and John Becker struggle to find safety and a new home together. Their love is the bond that keeps their shaky new life from falling apart.

Join them on a journey of forging peace and trust amidst a dark past riddled with trauma, pain, childhood abuse, and past crimes as they cope with the most important part: forgiveness.

But is forgiveness even possible in the face of the horrible crime John committed?

The Job: published by JMS Books. Description:

Mike Salinas and Joe Delmonico are friends ... and criminals. Or so Joe thinks. Mike, however, has a secret that threatens to blow everything out of the water. Joe isn't sure what to think of Mike's revelation, and neither is sure how to handle the job they were supposed to do.

Now they're on the run, but disaster isn't far behind. When it catches up with them, both men face not only their own mortality, but the possibility of losing the love they've slowly nurtured. Knowing Mike sacrificed everything, Joe vows to turn his own life around and give his lover the happy-ever-after they both want.

The Space Between Us: published by JMS Books.

Jack leaves his unhappy home in the countryside for New York and the local art scene. One day he lingers in a jazz café and is entranced by a theremin performance. Soon he meets the artist, a raven-haired man named Tegan.

Their friendship soon deepens into something more, but in the process Jack’s repressed memories begin to surface. His family is a ghost that continues to haunt him. He has to go back home to face his past, but how will these painful events affect his relationship with Tegan?

I am currently working on finding new homes for The Half Paper Moon and I am Bexley. I will keep you all posted when they are ready to be seen by the public eye once again! My newest update on my crime drama (oh the drama!) book Carnivorous, which is a working title that may change, will be published next year by Eukalypto.

What’s your thoughts on genre? What genre defines you? Let me know in the comments!