This week LUV is spotlighting multi-genre author @Kemberlee Shortland LUV: Since you first published in 2005 you’ve released 14 books in a variety of genres including romantic suspense, erotic romance, cozy mystery, and thrillers. That’s quite an eclectic variety! Kemberlee: I enjoy giving myself writing challenges, as I think it keeps my writing fresh, so I’ve tested out various genres as well as my writing style. For example, my preferred writing style is third person past tense, but I taught myself first person present tense with ONE NIGHT IN DUBLIN. And I wanted to see if I could write a cozy mystery and wrote MURDER IN MORNINGTON, which is actually inspired by a true event. Then there came a point where I wanted to take a break from romance and wanted to see if I could write something meatier, and the Jack Slaughter Thrillers series was created, which I write as K.A. Lugo. Absolutely no romance here, but Jack is a seriously tortured sort of anti-hero. LUV: How do you decide what genre to write next? Kemberlee: At the moment, I’ve given romance a break in favor of the Jack Slaughter Thrillers series. I do think about going back to romance, but I’m really enjoying thrillers. LUV: How do you market to these different audiences? Kemberlee: Romance and Thrillers/Mysteries have an almost equal share as top sellers in commercial fiction. Because they’re their own unique genre, it’s not difficult marketing to each audience. I keep my romances under my Kemberlee Shortland moniker and thrillers as K.A. Lugo. Shortland’s romances are mostly set in Ireland while Lugo’s thrillers are based in San Francisco, California. LUV: Do you have a lot of crossover readers? Kemberlee: Some authors are fortunate to have a readership who will read anything that author writes, regardless of genre or topic. Typically though, readers stick to one genre or another. Not because they think their favorite author can’t write in more than one genre, but because the reader prefers a specific genre. Given that I’ve written romantic suspense for so long, it’s my hope that readers will have at least tried my thrillers. Same great stories but no romantic interludes.

Posted by LUV Team at 2024-06-03 19:00:48 UTC