A detour or three on the path to success.
One of the things we’re frequently told as authors is to develop a brand. What that really means is to have an instantly identifiable writing style and content. People hear an author’s name and know immediately what the work will involve. George R.R. Martin has a brand. You know if you pick up one of his books, you will be reading fantasy on an epic scale. You probably also know at least one of your faves will die. People who know they like that sort of read flock to it. If you needed proof that having a brand works, George R.R. Martin is it.
But writing isn’t always about being the biggest name. A couple of years ago I attended a talk given by one of my all-time favourite authors, Anne Stuart. One of the first things she mentioned was her publisher telling her she was holding herself back because she hadn’t developed a recognisable brand or niche. She writes suspense, paranormal, history and contemporary—anything that piques her interest. Which is in part, why I love her. I understand that need to write different things. Just as I don’t read in only one genre, I don’t write in only one either.
I tried. I made it through three books in one genre, paranormal romance, before I was driven to write a different story, in an entirely different context. I love Regency Romance. I’ve been a Georgette Heyer fan since my mother gave me a copy of Bath Tangle to read when I was twelve. It was almost natural to fall into writing historicals.
Then I wrote a suspense, then a cowboy story, then an older woman younger man romance. I’ve been going on that way ever since. I write the story that moves me at the time. Will it hold my career back? Maybe. But it’s the only way I can be.
So if you take a look at my work, you’ll see the genres are all over the place. The upside of that, I suppose, is that at sometime, I’ve probably written something in a genre you like to read.
What an interesting perspective about writing and author branding. I do know what Alysha means about branding though. Don't publishers do that with a lot of their lines of books. Take the Entangled books for example. Each imprint has an instantly recognizable cover as part of the brand.
And onto other booky goodness, Alysha has a new book out soon. Here's a little bit about it ... cover to come soon, but in the meantime, how about a hunky cowboy?
The Cowboy Takeover
(from the Totally Bound Western Anthology)
By: Alysha Ellis
Releasing April 2016
Totally Bound
Buy Links: TBC (available for pre-order April 12, 2016)
(from the Totally Bound Western Anthology)
By: Alysha Ellis
Releasing April 2016
Totally Bound
Buy Links: TBC (available for pre-order April 12, 2016)
Synopsis
Maddie is on her way to Harwood
Downs Cattle Station to evict cowboy Kyson Brown from the land he
loves. The property’s absentee owner has leased it to an open-cut
mining company.
Kyson refuses to give in without a fight, and he enlists surveyor Connor Benton to help save Harwood Downs from environmental destruction.
When Maddie is stranded for a few days, Kyson and Connor show her a world of new experiences, both in bed and on the lush soil of Harwood Downs.
Maddie’s duty to her employer is clear, but how can she give up the best sexual experience of her life?
Kyson refuses to give in without a fight, and he enlists surveyor Connor Benton to help save Harwood Downs from environmental destruction.
When Maddie is stranded for a few days, Kyson and Connor show her a world of new experiences, both in bed and on the lush soil of Harwood Downs.
Maddie’s duty to her employer is clear, but how can she give up the best sexual experience of her life?
Excerpt
When the generic female voice intoned, “In five hundred metres you have reached your destination,” Maddie almost kissed the console. She put on her indicator, in spite of not having seen another car for the last sixty minutes, and made the turn.
Something in the engine clanged ominously when she bounced across the cattle grid, but Maddie pretended she didn’t hear it. She kept her foot down and headed towards the buildings at the end of the driveway.
In spite of the heat the place looked green and well maintained. Cattle, clustered together in the shade cast by overhanging pepper trees, turned their heads to look at her curiously. Even to a complete city girl, it was obvious they were in good condition. Kyson Brown might be a negligent correspondent, but he obviously knew his job.
Not that his competence would make any difference to the outcome. The decision had been made. All she had to do was make sure he was aware of it.
She turned off the engine, grabbed the yellow envelope from the seat beside her and stepped out into a wall of fiery air. Her sweat-dampened silk shirt dried instantly.
“Who the hell are you?” The deep voice came from behind her. She gasped, choked on a mouthful of dust and succumbed to an uncontrollable fit of coughing.
When she finally caught her breath, her head swam and tears blurred her vision. She turned around to see a long, blue shape that resolved itself into a man. Maddie gasped again. This was not just any man. This was an escapee from her most private dreams.
From the top of his cowboy hat clad head, to his chiselled, handsome face, wide shoulders, narrow hips and powerful legs, he was the epitome of male perfection.
His bad-tempered rasp fractured the illusion. “I asked you who you are and why in the hell you’re on my property.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. Bugger off back to whatever city you came from.”
“My name is Madeline Nelmes,” Maddie said, taken aback by his aggressive tone. If he was this annoyed before he knew who she was or why she was there, it was going to get very unpleasant once she told him. “My firm, O’Kane Legal Services, is acting on behalf of the owners. Lyall Holdings…”
“I know who owns the bloody property,” he interrupted. “And I know why you’re here.”
Maddie’s fists clenched involuntarily. “Then asking me was a waste of time, wasn’t it?” She knew she sounded snarky. Tough. She was hot and tired and it was his fault.
If her attitude offended him, he didn’t show it. One broad shoulder lifted. “Less of a waste than your trip out here. There’ll be no open-cut mine on Harwood Downs.”
Maddie blew out an exasperated breath and stepped around the back of the car towards him. All she was supposed to do was hand over the documentation, person to person. She wasn’t here to argue about the inevitable.
“Regardless of what you might believe, this mine is going ahead. I’ve driven five hundred kilometres in this rotten, awful stinking heat because you couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge receipt of the notifications we’ve sent you. The surveyor arrives tomorrow. Please see he has whatever access and accommodation he needs.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “The surveyor can turn around and go straight back. This land will be mined over my dead body.”
Maddie looked him up and down. It was a damn fine body, but the stubborn mind that controlled it was reflected in the hard line of his lips, and the blue eyes that even in these absurd temperatures were icy enough to send a chill up her spine.
”You don’t own the property,” she said, trying for a conciliatory tone. She looked around at the neat buildings, the tight, upright fences and the well-fed animals. “Lyall Holdings has already signed an agreement with BRX Mining. That won’t change, but maybe I can negotiate some compensation for…”
“I don’t want compensation. I want…”
Maddie didn’t hear the rest of the sentence. She knew he was speaking, because his lips moved, but a wavy, clear wall suddenly appeared in front of him, distorting everything. She dragged her hand across her eyes, trying to clear them, but the blurriness increased. The heat, like a heavy weight bore down on her. Her stomach churned and she tried to call out, but the sound, like her vision, was lost in the encroaching darkness.
Check out some of these titles by Alysha too (and ps, aren't these postcards by Emmy Ellis from Totally Bound gorgeous?)
About the author
Alysha Ellis used to be a sweet, conservative girl (Yeah right, like anyone would ever believe that!) Then her Inner Tart escaped its shackles and demanded to be heard. Other writers have a muse, Alysha has a wild woman whispering dirty stories in her ear.
When she isn't listening gob-smacked to the extraordinary tales her tart feeds her and writing them down for others to read, Alysha can most usually be found snow skiing, drinking champagne or eating large amounts of chocolate. An attempt to do all three at once wasn't particularly successful, but she did manage to get some interesting signatures on the cast.
Having yielded to the influence of her evil inner self, Alysha has made a discovery she'd like to share with you all...Bad girls have all the fun.
Author links: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads
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I love diverse authors - I will have to give some of these a try.
ReplyDeleteI do too, I think it keeps things very interesting for the reader.
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