Living a Cross-Genre Life

Last week was the second anniversary for this Substack. (Happy b’day!)

My first piece was Genres as Crushers of Creativity. I had just published The Die and was beginning to grapple with how to talk about a book that defies genres. It threw me when people thought it was science fiction but then complained when it didn’t live up to their criteria for science fiction.

One reviewer of crime thrillers was not impressed. That was understandable, though I found her comment that it “tries a little too hard with the moral philosophy and not quite enough with the tech” a bit disingenuous. I mean, what if she wrote a crime thriller and I criticized it for not having enough romance?

Over time, I did learn ways to navigate the cross-genre waters. It didn’t hurt to be the International Book Awards winner for cross-genre fiction. One can actually be rewarded for writing cross-genre books—imagine that!

Since then, I’ve published two more books. While neither spans genres the same way The Die does, I now have a diversity of genre across all three books. When someone asks what I write, I say, “Well, historical fiction, speculative fiction, metaphysical fiction, political fiction, short stories, tech thrillers…” I could keep going, but by then they’ve gotten the point.

I’ve created some ways to play with this. For example, when I do a meet-and-greet at a bookstore and someone approaches the table, I ask, “Are you a past person, a future person, or a present person?” Depending on what they say, I direct them toward my historical fiction (The Vow), near-future speculative fiction (The Die), or political fiction short stories (Shot). In fact, I’ve gotten so I can guess someone’s preference when they’re within ten feet of the table.

My next book, The Lie, comes out this summer. Since it’s a sequel to The Die, I’m preparing myself to negotiate that cross-genre terrain again.

Recently I got a little help from Kirkus Reviews, which used the phrase “quietly suspenseful.” Now, you might take that as a criticism, as insufficiently suspenseful. But I love it! Its paradox captures the essence of what cross-genre means; it tells you everything you need to know about a book that is both metaphysical fiction (quiet) and a tech thriller (suspenseful).

One more thing.

I haven’t gotten to the reason I wanted to write this post—my cross-genre life as expressed through Substack. It is generally considered smart to focus a Substack on one topic so you can grow your audience around it. Clearly I’m not doing that. I write about books and publishing, about being a writer, about artificial intelligence, about metaphysics, about politics, about my family’s history, about art and creativity. I’ve also posted videos. Basically whatever’s on my mind.

That’s probably a liability. For example, someone sees a post on historical fiction and signs up; then they see a post about current politics and quickly unsubscribe. But the truth is, I’m not about to narrow my focus, though there are plenty of topics you won’t see me write about, such as fine wines or racing cars or cats. Still, if you’re expecting one thing from me, I am unlikely to deliver.

I’m curious, though: Do you prefer Substacks with or without a narrow topic? How do you relate to cross-genre books in general? Is there any way in which you are living a cross-genre life?