Hi, folks! I hope you all had a great
weekend. First off, I’d like to thank Liz for inviting me to visit with you all
today. It’s my second time to visit, so thanks, Liz!
So, what brings me by, you may be asking? Well,
I’d like to take a tiny bit of your time to talk about being an author in
transition. You see, after spending my entire writing career spinning
contemporary romance tales, earlier this year I came to a fork in the road, and
following the advice of
legendary baseball player and philosopher Yogi Berra, I
decided to take it.
I truly loved writing contemporary romance
stories, but like so many authors, I never succeeded in building a following.
Despite the challenges I was facing in developing that following, I was
prepared to continue writing romance and had support from my publisher to keep
at it. But then an opportunity arrived, practically right out of the blue.
I won’t bore you with the details, but
earlier this year, I made an offhand comment to some fellow writers at my
literary agency about something being a great idea for a mystery. My agent
responded by challenging me to write the story. So there I was, facing that
fork in the road. And the career decision that came with it.
Should I stick to the well-lit, paved
romance road or should I step onto the scary, unknown road of writing a new
genre?
After some soul searching, I took the
unknown road. And seven months after opening my big mouth, I’m pleased to tell
you I have a three-book contract to write the Rushing Creek Mysteries for
Kensington Publishing’s Lyrical Press imprint. The first book is currently in
my editor’s hands and will be published next year.
While I’m thrilled to share this news with
you, the reason I’m here is to talk about the lessons I’ve learned as I’ve
“started over” by writing in a new genre.
You see, for authors, writing in a new
genre isn’t as straightforward as taking the path on the left instead of the
path on the right. We spend years building a brand, a persona. And with that
brand, there are expectations readers develop. In my case, I’ve written seven
books under my real name, Jim Cangany. When a reader picks up a Jim Cangany
book, he or she expects a love story with sports added into the mix. It’s the
same thing when a reader visits my website, author page on Facebook, or my
Twitter profile. Jim Cangany is a contemporary romance author.
So, one of the things I’ve done as I walk
down the path of a mystery writer is create a completely new identity for my
mystery novels. Choosing a pen name, J.C. Kenney, was the easy part. The more
involved parts included building a new website, www.jckenney.com,
along with creating new profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I realize
this next item may sound over the top, but I also grew a goatee and had a new
author photo taken to help drive home the new persona.
Man, where did all that gray come from?
For now, I’m living a split personality,
author wise. I continue to promote Jim’s romances while I build a following for
J.C.’s mysteries. Going back and forth on Twitter and Instagram can be a
challenge, let me tell you!
Another thing I’ve had to do is adjust to
writing from a different point of view. For the most part, romances are written
in third person, alternating between the points of hero and heroine, so we know
that they’re thinking. For my cozy mysteries, I chose to write in the first
person, from my protagonist’s point of view, so the only thing we know is what
she knows. It was an adjustment at first, but I’ve gotten into a groove with it
now.
Enough with the mechanics, though. Now,
it’s time for the big question.
Will starting over by writing a new genre
be worth it?
To be honest, I don’t know. What I do know
is I truly love writing stories. I believe I’ve been given a golden ticket to
keep writing and reach a new audience for my stories. Which, of course, leads
to more questions. Will this new audience be bigger? Will I make any money
writing mysteries? I don’t know.
All I can tell you is that at the end of
the day, I’m going to keep doing what Liz, and Nan, and Ava, and all of the
Word Wranglers do.
I’m going to keep writing. Because it’s a
passion. And that’s something worth holding on to with both hands.
So, tell me, what’s your passion? I want
to hear about them? Until next time, thanks for reading, and be sure to get
Liz’s new book, The Happiness Pact,
when it comes out. It’s an amazing story, which is something else I know.
Without a doubt.
*
Jim Cangany lives in Indianapolis with his wife, two sons, and a sleepy kitty cat. A lover of all things fast, he spends his time following motorsports when he’s not writing romances. Find Jim Cangany at JimCangany.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/JimCanganyAuthor/ , and on Twitter @JimCangany.
Hey, Jim--and J.C.--thanks for visiting us today. Good luck with the new name and the new project--it sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz. and Thanks for having me! This writing gig is an adventure, isn't it. :-)
DeleteJim/JC - What an exciting opportunity... congrats and best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ava! I just hope I don't break an ankle traversing this new path!
DeleteGreat news. J.C. Good luck in your new endeavors!
ReplyDeleteThanks a million, T.C.!
DeleteI'm so excited for you and can't wait to read your new book!
ReplyDeleteYou're the best, Jennifer. Thanks!
DeleteI look forward to reading your new series!
ReplyDeleteHope to see all of you at Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Jill. That's the plan!
DeleteGood luck on this new adventure!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Una. Been reading a lot of Agatha Christie in recent months. I think Mom would like that. :-)
DeleteThanks for sharing your cool story. Good luck in this exciting, new adventure!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margie. Fingers crossed!
DeleteI think your move makes perfect sense. Sometimes we need to diversify. Best of luck with this new venture.
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind, Jana. Thanks so much!
Delete