Do You Color Outside the Lines?

By Kelly Bridgewater

Did the title catch your attention? I hope so. How many times as a young child have you colored a picture, allowing the wide movements to extend past the black line, which creates the coveted picture that you wanted to color? I remember doing this. I, however, also remember my mother telling me to slow down and stay inside the lines because my picture would be prettier.

Boy, was my mother wrong. As an adult, I may not color pictures as much as I used to, but when I write I like to test the waters. Being an avid reader of suspense and thrillers, recently, I have become obsessed with the World War II historical genre and the 1930’s. Some of my new favorite writers are Sarah Sundin, Julie Lessman, Cara Putnam, Liz Tolsma, Kate Breslin.

A favorite saying is to write in the genre that you enjoy reading because if you are bored with the plot line, then your readers will be bored with the story. I agree.

But . . . even though I’m constantly working on the third book in my Lockwood Mills Files, I have pulled out a new college ruled notebook (I pick up about ten of them at Wal-Mart at the beginning of each new school year when their ten cents apiece) and started planning a thriller that might have occurred during the World War II or in the 1930’s. I have already gotten the pictures of hero and the heroine pasted in there with some of the quirks that make the character who they are.

I don’t know if the story will be any good, but I thought it would be neat to write a part historical book that still includes my love of mystery and suspense. Julianna Deering wrote a series called A Drew Farthering Mystery, which takes place in 1930’s England. I would love to have others compare my new idea, if it ever gets published, to hers.

I think by combining the two genres together I could come up with a story that might fascinate my readers and keep their attention to the last page.

Do you ever try your hand at mixing two styles of genres into one? What did you come up with?  Name some authors beside Julianna Deering who have combined thrillers or suspense with another genre. Let’s start a discussion.