Both social networking and blogging benefit writers in a myriad of ways, creating connections and community. Since signing up and logging on, I’ve met authors and writers who live near or far, some who publish from one end of the spectrum to the other in terms of genre. My guest today, Stephen Penner, is a perfect example of such — the versatile author.
I met Stephen when we both worked on stories for the anthology, The Dead Shoe Society. Stephen coordinated deadlines and acted as the group cheerleader, kick-starting our own NaNoShoeMo in the month of October, with the goal of finishing that 10K short story in 31 days…or else (the “or else” being my threat to myself. Stephen is a very nice fellow). He also wrote a titillating line to his own great story:
Assistant District Attorney David Brunelle looked down and admired his shoes: three-inch, red leather stilettos.
I’m thrilled to host Stephen here to share on his road to publication — one that began with children’s literature and has since branched out into so much more.
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My Writing Journey
First of all, I’d like to thank Christi for giving me an opportunity to share a bit about my writing journey. She and I recently collaborated, each contributing a short story to THE DEAD SHOE SOCIETY anthology, seven very different and very excellent short stories dealing with the unexpected theme of death and shoes. As it turns out, THE DEAD SHOE SOCIETY and my story, “Lady Justice Wears Heels,” are perfectly illustrative of my writing journey and the one thing above all else that’s made it possible: the support and passion of other writers.
Several years ago I wrote a pair of paranormal mystery novels (SCOTTISH RITE and BLOOD RITE). I started the traditional agent querying process, and had a few requests to see the manuscript. But it never got past that stage and my life got busy in other areas. I set those manuscripts aside and figured I might get back to writing in a couple years.
Well, it turned out to be more like six or seven, and rather than an adult mystery, I had written and illustrated a children’s book. Times were starting to change in the publishing industry. Rather than seek an agent, I secured a publisher directly: Nimble Books, a small press in Michigan. They have now published four of my PROFESSOR BARRISTER’S DINOSAUR MYSTERIES books, and number five will be available soon.
This gave me some new motivation in my writing career. I joined Twitter and Facebook and began networking, mostly with other writers. One such writer, Michelle Anderson-Picarella, invited me to contribute to a short story anthology about the Seven Deadly Sins. I was happy to do it and wrote a decidedly un-kid friendly story about Wrath. What was great about that was the feedback I got from the other writers. Not only pointers on how to make it better, but a general acknowledgement that I could write a pretty good story.
Next came THE DEAD SHOE SOCIETY. Again, somehow I got invited to contribute. Again, it was an adult story. And again, I got encouragement and feedback from some very talented writers. Writers like Christi and Jonas Saul; Kate Cornwell and Mark Souza; Lori Gordon and E. Victoria Flynn. Very good writers. And we were going in together on a good book. Jonas and Kate knew a lot about the publishing industry and they were kind enough to share their insights.
In the meantime, I’d been watching the industry continue to change and thinking about those novels I’d written a few years back. In fact, I’d written two more novels between the children’s books (MARS STATION ALPHA and THE GODLING CLUB). So I had four finished novels just sitting on my hard drive. I wanted people to read my books. And I finally believed I was a good enough writer to put them out there and see if anyone wanted to read them.
Well, turns out they did. I’m no John Grisham or Stephen King, but people are buying and reading my books. As an author there’s no better feeling. I’ll be writing more now; my journey is just beginning.
For information on all my books, please visit http://stephenpenner.com
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Thanks, Stephen! Now to you, reader. Are you a writer who’s dedicated to one genre but thinking of another? Maybe you write young adult fiction but have an itch to publish a memoir? Or, you’ve penned a romance novel but are secretly drawn to the challenges of science-fiction. Could it be, you just toss up the story cards and wait to see where they land? Spill it.
I thought I was all about women’s fiction. But I keep reading more and more YA…and I think my next book may be YA instead. I also never thought I’d write crime, yet the second novel I’m going to publish is crime. So…that’s part of what I love about self-publishing. I can publish any genre I want. I’m not stuck to only one. The more I read, the more I’m interested in writing a wider variety. Great post, and now some more exciting books to read!
April,
I’m glad you stopped by. I think, as writers, we should be able to stretch our wings — what better way to keep the work exciting. Surely, our readers will appreciate some spice (as Florence said below) in our stories, too!
I don’t think I could stick with one solid genre. I’ve had ideas floating around my mind for years- since I was a child. When I started writing my first novel (YA) I felt a knot in my stomach as if I were expected to be a YA author- the end. I started twisting ideas and forcing them into a YA plot. That doesn’t work for me. If I bend the story in my mind in order to make it something it wasn’t intended to be, I resent it and myself. Thanks to my connection with Stephen Penner (I can’t express how lucky I was to stumble across that fella.) I have gained so much knowledge and inspiration. Every genre he has crossed, he has mastered it. I can’t wait to tackle every genre that floats through my thoughts.
Michelle,
You hit on two great points. One, that forcing a story into a rigid style kills the energy. I totally agree. And two, the way our simple connections with other writers almost always takes us to a new place in our own journeys.
Thanks for stopping by!
Christi, thanks for hosting Stephen Penner. I think he describes a journey that many others have taken and of course, I also believe that many cross over in genre. Not only MG or YA writers doing adult books, but also romance writers doing mystery, a bit a paranormal suspense with a romantic comedy tossed into the salad for spice. I love cross-genre and it isn’t so much that I toss something in the air, it is that I intend to write in multiple genres because I love the exploration of voice and style. Thanks again for a great post 🙂
So well said, Florence. Thanks for your comment 🙂
I toss up the story cards and see where they land (which is why I ended up with ghosts in a psychological suspense series). There is almost always some kind of crime, but often it’s of the more ambiguous variety.
Still crossing my fingers and hoping my convoluted attempts to explain that Suburban Noir is where suspense meets psychological horror, with a touch of the classic noir (plus the ghosts) and that it all makes sense somewhere outside of my head!