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Mysteries. To be honest, when I was younger, I never liked mysteries per se. I compared them to the game of clue, I guess. I think that true mysteries are an acquired taste because they are often subtle in their unfolding of the story.
As I have gotten older, I find it was the mystery that would intrigue me in many of the romances I read. Yes, I was there for the love story, but the mystery that brought them together had me turning the page as much as the romance.
Today, I am willing to read any subgenre of mysteries, but I still do prefer there to be at least an aspect of romance about it.
As a writer, I interweave my own historical romances with a bit of intrigue or mystery and I find it adds to the story, giving it another layer for the reader to follow. As I plan out my story, I can make sure that every chapter hit either an element of the romance arch, or the mystery, so it allows me to create page turning story, because if the chapter doesn’t move the romance forward, it will move the mystery forward.
The one sub-genre that I struggle with in the mystery family is the cozy mystery. I know how wickedly popular this genre is, but I struggle with it. I like more danger in my stories, I think is
the problem. I have found at least one cozy mystery author who I am enjoying, and that is Mary Ellen Taylor. I am currently reading her Union Street Bakery series. She includes just enough romance to keep that part of me satisfied.
I try awfully hard to read widely, to improve my own writing, and find that mysteries are incredibly good for help me understand plot structure, and they also lend themselves to many what if questions for me to generate new story ideas. So, I will continue to push myself to try new genre’s and I am sure I will find other authors that I like as I do so.
Are you a mystery reader? What authors do you like?
Before I go, I wanted to make sure you knew that Brenda Margriet has a new release!
heck it out! Richly Deserved, a Timeless Seasoned Romance.
Next up we have Leslie Hachtel
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