From SRP Author Tracy Cooper-Posey:
If you’ve been around my books long enough (and if you haven’t—welcome!), you might have noticed something odd. Unlike many authors who settle into one or maybe two genres and build their empire there, I hop between romance sub-genres like a caffeinated rabbit.
Historical romance? Done it.
Paranormal romance? Stumbled into it by accident.
Science fiction romance? Terrified me at first, but here we are.
Romantic suspense? Yep.
Spy thrillers? Love them.
Fantasy romance? Couldn’t resist King Arthur.
Straight-up fantasy and sci-fi? Well, let’s just say Amazon had a meltdown over that one.
So why do I genre-hop like this? Why don’t I just plant my flag in one place and call it home?
My Writing Life Mirrors My Reading Life
The simplest answer: my writing reflects my reading.
If you read Kiss Across Memories, you’ll see a clear thread running through the books I devoured as a kid and young adult. I inhaled Mills & Boon romances, which is where my love for romance started. But I also adored historicals—The Once and Future King, The Dark is Rising, The Pillars of the Earth, The Eagle of the Ninth (and pretty much anything by Rosemary Sutcliffe), and Robert Harris’ Pompeii. Oh, and Neville Shute’s books, which gave me glimpses into long-gone worlds.
So naturally, when I started writing, I dabbled in historical romance.
How One Thing Led to Another (and Another…)
Writing historicals went well. The very second book I ever sold to a publisher was a historical. Then, Julie Templeton and I co-wrote Forbidden and Dangerous Beauty, and suddenly, we had readers. So, I kept writing historical romances.
But I also loved thrillers. Desmond Bagley, Alastair MacLean—I devoured them. So, I wrote romantic suspense.
Then came the wild detour into paranormal romance, which wasn’t even planned. Ellora’s Cave contracted me for an anthology, and the other two authors said, “Let’s do paranormal!” By that point, I’d already signed the contract, so Solstice Surrender was born. And surprise, surprise—I loved writing it.
Once I had a toe in paranormal romance (and by then, I had four series on the go), science fiction romance wasn’t far behind. This one, though, was a deliberate (and terrifying) choice. I’d been reading sci-fi my entire life, but writing it? Different beast. My very first sci-fi romance book won a SFR Galaxy Award, and suddenly, I had a series to finish (Interspace Origins) and a second (The Endurance) already rolling.
Fantasy romance came next, fueled by my obsession with King Arthur. What started as a deep love for the mythology became a twelve-book series (Once and Future Hearts), which, funnily enough, turned out to be historical fantasy romance.
And then came spy thrillers. I’d always loved them (Running Blind by Desmond Bagley is a favorite — and it has a cool romance in it, with a heroine who kicks butt at the end), so I wrote Hunting the Kobra, because why not?
When a Genre Calls, You Answer
At some point, I got tired of writing twenty-something heroines, which led me to paranormal women’s fiction—older women dealing with contemporary problems, but with a paranormal twist. Enter Crossroads Magic. Another series to finish.
Then, because I’m a glutton for punishment, I tried my hand at “straight” science fiction and fantasy—stories without romance as the central storyline. Turns out, that confused Amazon.
When I first published SF under my own name, Amazon’s algorithms had a breakdown. They pushed my SF books to romance readers, who didn’t buy them. Then, they tried pushing my romances to SF readers, who ran screaming. Eventually, Amazon gave up and stopped showing any of my books to anyone.
Danger, Will Robinson!
The solution? New pen names. Cameron Cooper (my brother’s name. Cam passed many years ago.) writes my space opera. Taylen Carver writes my fantasy. Both have finaled in major awards, which means—guess what?—more series to finish.
And That’s Why I Jump Genres
It all boils down to this: I write what I love to read. And since my reading tastes are wildly varied, so is my writing.
Could I have stuck to one genre and made my life easier? Maybe. Would I have been as happy? Absolutely not.
So, if you ever wonder why my books are all over the place genre-wise, just know—it’s because my brain is, too. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tracy Cooper-Posey
SRP Author
