Is this really a change of genre for me?

I’ve always struggled with which genre to place my books in. My own fault of course. I started writing what I wanted to write without ever considering where they’d sit on the bookshelves of any store. Probably because I couldn’t imagine ever publishing them. Yet here we are… five books in. I ended up putting them in romantic suspense but then wasn’t entirely convinced the covers were the right fit, or that they had enough romance in them, or enough suspense… and so the questions about them went on, and on.

This time it will be different.

With my new series I am moving further from the romance and turning towards the suspense element. Hence the series title – A Shade Darker. This, I’m hoping, will indicate to anyone who has been kind enough to read my existing books that the new series will be a bit different, its content darker.

Although will it, really?

If you have read any of my books you will know that they have contained plenty of suspense alongside the romance. There have been attacks with guns, theft, breaking and entering, invading gangs, big city gangs, rape, attempted kidnaps and on one memorable occasion potential mutilation with a pair of bolt cutters…

So, I don’t think this move to psychological thriller, or domestic suspense, will be too big a jump for my readers. At least I hope not.

Psychological thriller books often incorporate elements of mystery and include themes of crime, morality, mental disease, drug abuse, multiple realities or a dissolving sense of reality, and unreliable narrators.

A domestic thriller is a style of psychological thriller that

– takes place primarily in a confined setting, e.g., house and home (thus domestic), suburban neighbourhood, remote cabin, small town, or alike

– focuses on interpersonal relationships of a few, close characters, e.g., husband and wife, parent and children, other family members, old friends, neighbours

– and brings terror, disruption, or tension into the seemingly “normal” or “perfect” life or relationship (e.g., dark family secrets, lies, infidelity, jealousy, accident, death, trauma)

These are the genre categories I will be focusing my books towards with the A Shade Darker series. The covers, the titles, the blurbs have all been designed with this in mind.

I’m not going to say I know what I’m doing this time, but I do have a better sense of the right direction I should be pointing my books in. And as always, I will do my best for them.

The A Killer Strikes eBook is now available to pre-order. The publication date is 1 January 2023.

Book Description

The perfect family… The perfect murders…

A family massacred. A village in mourning. Can anyone sleep safely while a killer is on the loose?

Laura Percival, owner of The Stables, notices something wrong at her friend’s house when out on her morning ride. Further investigation reveals scenes she’ll never forget.

While the police are quick to accuse, Laura is less so, defending those around her as she struggles to make sense of the deaths. And all the time she wonders if she really knew her friends at all.

A chance encounter opens up a line of investigation that uncovers a secret life. One that Laura is much closer to than she ever realised.

A Killer Strikes is a gripping domestic thriller. If you like character-driven action, suspenseful storytelling and dark revelations then you’ll love this exciting novel.

If this looks like something you might like to read, you can find the eBook at your favourite bookshop HERE. Or click on the book cover.

There will be a paperback and hardback available too, but I can’t put those on pre-order, so they are set up and ready to go, I just need to hit the publish button nearer to 1January 2023.