So, I'm outlining my next book, which for me, is filling a notebook full of notes about the book and scenes and characters, and I realized that it's really reminiscent of Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. It's going to be very Southern Gothic with a paranormal twist.
Would teenagers even be interested in a Southern gothic novel with a paranormal twist? This really isn't pertinent, but do teenagers know who Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt are? I loved them when I was a teenager. Do they know what the gothic genre is or should I try to label it as something else?
I'm going to write it no matter what because it's in my head, and it's exactly what I love to read. But, I'm just wondering whether to make my character a teenager (which is what I really want to do) or make her older. If I make her older, I'll be cutting out two characters that won't be needed.
Would teenagers even be interested in a Southern gothic novel with a paranormal twist? This really isn't pertinent, but do teenagers know who Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt are? I loved them when I was a teenager. Do they know what the gothic genre is or should I try to label it as something else?
I'm going to write it no matter what because it's in my head, and it's exactly what I love to read. But, I'm just wondering whether to make my character a teenager (which is what I really want to do) or make her older. If I make her older, I'll be cutting out two characters that won't be needed.
And with the gothic stuff and the "supernatural twist," I bet you could attract a lot of fans of Stephenie Meyer, Holly Black, Libba Bray, etc. I went to a Stephenie Meyer Q & A / signing last month here in Atlanta, and -- while being crushed by the masses of fans and trying to coax myself away from a total claustrophobia attack -- I observed that there was no shortage of readers for "dark" fiction that would attract teenage girls.
