I hope you’re having a wonderful spring thus far. I don’t know about you, but it’s leaping between freezing and beautiful here in North Carolina. There’s been several cold snaps hitting the US at over the past few weeks, and we’re no different over here. High’s of seventies, lows in the teens. I know that’s not as freezing or as snowy as some places are getting, but that’s downright frigid for these parts.
When we moved down here eight years ago from Chicago, we donated most of our winter coats and cold weather gear. I still kept my huge winter coat, but except for me, I’m the only person in the family who kept theirs. Everyone else in our house wears multiple layers of jackets when we go outside. Don’t worry, Cheddar still gets her walks, we just aim for those daily high temperatures, not the lows. we don’t need any popsicle puppies 🐶
My writing update 📘
Last time I wrote, I was sharing some of my new book covers and a chapter from the new thriller I’m writing. One of those new novellas sits between Drowning Earth and the new Dead in the Water book coming out later this year.
For those of you who are already subscribed to my newsletter, you got some gifts from that recent Martin Tide novella release. The rest of you will have to buy one of the Portalverse books to receive it for free. That’s one of the perks of being an active subscriber, access to more freebies, even those with limitations.
What about the thriller?
That’s a great question. I’ve been doing a ton of research over the past few months. Preparing for my new series, and my breakout into a new genre. I wasn’t sure where I was going to start at first. All I knew was that I wanted to write in the thriller genre. I just wasn’t sure which sub-genre.
Did I want to do psychological, detective, techno-thriller, or maybe more of a mystery thriller? There are so many things I could do, and I have a ton of interests that could really fit into to any of them.
So, what’s an author to do? Why read, of course. 😃 Here are a few books I purchased for research that I’m making my way through.
- Stone of Fire (Arkane Thriller Book 1) by J.F. Penn
- Killing Floor (Jack Reacher Book 1) by Lee Child
- Die Trying (Jack Reacher Book 2) by Lee Child
- If She Knew (A Kate Wise Mystery Book 1) by Blake Pierce
- Recursion by Blake Crouch
- Upgrade by Blake Crouch
- Pines (Wayward Pines Book 1) by Blake Crouch
- Wayward (Wayward Pines Book 2) by Blake Crouch
- The Last Town (Wayward Pines Book 3) by Blake Crouch
- Deep Freeze by Michael C. Grumley
- The Sixth Extinction (Sigma Force Book 10) by James Rollins
I’m more than halfway through those, but making great progress. Some I listen to on the way to/from work or on walks, and others I’m reading. I’m loving the pacing and more modern-day settings of these books. Something I was losing in the future based books I’ve written. Not that the future isn’t a tantalizing treat to write about, but modern-day can be just as intriguing.
So, now the hard question…
In my research, one thing became abundantly clear. Science fiction readers are not the same audience as thriller readers. Sure, there are crossovers, but it’s not a common practice by any stretch.
Which leads me to my thought… I’ve been debating on publishing this new series under a pen name. I know, you’re probably saying to yourself:
“But Sean, you already have a perfectly fine established name. Why start again?”
That’s a great question. I’d answer that two ways. First, I’m a glutton for punishment. Who doesn’t want to manage two email lists, two websites, two stores, etc. I mean, that sounds like fun, right? Yes, that’s sarcasm.
Second, as with my science fiction, I want these books to succeed. The last thing I want is for them to languish on the vine because I had trouble reaching my audience. Whether it’s amazon confusing them with also boughts, me scaring them away with my sci-fi backlist, or they read some of my older work and didn’t like what they found. This would be a fresh start, after over one million words and eight other published books.
Wait? So you’re leaving us?
NO!
There, I said it. I’m not planning on leaving sci-fi behind. Not in the least. Heck, I have four books planned for the Portalverse Elemental Origins, and book one just released a few months ago. That would be silly. I’ve got plenty of things planned for that series and many many more.
All I’m saying, is that I’m thinking of writing in multiple genres that aren’t the same audience. Like each of our children, they’re unique, and we want them to succeed on their own. Not live at home forever 😉
My question(s) for you…
Do you find pen names jarring as a reader? Do you even notice?
Same goes for if an author you read has thrillers, science fiction, and maybe non-fiction, do you still read them or do you find it too confusing to find the books you’re looking for?
Some people say that pen names are from a bygone era, but at the same time you don’t see many authors who write wide across lots of genres. There are certainly exceptions, but it’s far from the norm.
Drop me an email to let me know your thoughts or comment below. I’d love to know your thoughts on this.
As a teenager, my friend and I made up different names for ourselves. My father was perplexed and said we already perfectly good names to be proud of. (I am so glad that we can end sentences with prepositions now. I never saw the trouble in doing so.) I thought a bit about what my father said and have stuck with my original names. Since I read a lot of genres I would have no trouble reading an author that wrote in one or more areas. Asimov wrote Science and Fiction. I have just recently discovered G.K. Chesterton who has written Apologetics and Fiction under the same name. I would encourage you to keep just one name, perhaps becoming famous for it. Besides, the AI will take care of routing your various genres to the right people.