Swapping Genres - by #Kathy Ivan

First posted at Not Your Usual Suspects blog.

First off, let me say that while I'm a bit waterlogged, everything here in North Texas (at least in my neck of the woods) is fine and we're drying out.  Though I'll admit, I haven't seen this much rain since I lived in Florida—during hurricane season. 

I've been thinking about my suspense writing a lot recently.  Why?  Because I haven't done any—not for a couple of months.  Oh, I'm still writing, and I have a series of books coming out that are contemporary romance—without any smidgeon of suspense or mystery in sight. 

#Reading #NancyDrew @kathyivan #MFRWorg

MY EVOLUTION OF READING – by Kathy Ivan

I've always been a reader, from a very early age.  I was one of those kids in school who when they got the reading list for the year had it finished in just a few weeks.  Books were my escape from life, from school, from everything.  They took me away to places I'd never get to see outside of their pages.  I got to meet people and make special friends, all between the covers of a book.

One of my fondest memories was when I was about seven or eight.  My mom loved to visit second-hand shops and used book stores and I'd often go with her.  On this one particular afternoon, she was browsing, and I wandered around the store, never too far from her sight but enough that I felt free to look at my leisure.  In my explorations, I found a tattered old cardboard box.  When I started digging, I found these lovely old volumes of books I'd never seen or heard of.  They all starred this girl called Nancy Drew.

Opening the first book, I remember falling under the spell of the story.  A girl and her friends were having adventures.  Solving mysteries.  They were having FUN!  Oh, I wanted those books so much, but I didn't have enough to get one of them, much less all that were in that box.  I was heartbroken, because I knew they'd be gone the next time we came in.  After all, these were special books, so everybody would want to read them. 

@KathyIvan - Suspense. Mystery. Romance. What a fun package! #PlottingPrincesses #MFRWorg #romanticsuspense

Suspense.  Mystery.  Romance. 

There's something about those words that stir the imagination.  Being able to craft a story filled with the right elements, a blending of all three, reminds me of baking.  All the ingredients have to be added in exactly the right amounts in order for your delicious confection to come out perfect (and in my case hopefully edible). 

I love layering in all the nuances to my stories, adding a dash of mystery to keep the reader turning the pages.  Did I write enough intrigue and danger within the world I've created that the reader absolutely, positively, unequivocally cannot stop reading when they reach the end of the chapter, and must turn the page to find out what happens next.  Don't you love that feeling?