Author Marie Landry on Genre Jumping and the Beauty of Self-Publishing + GIVEAWAY!

Today I am pleased to have as my guest poster the lovely Marie Landry. She is the author of the great YA novel, Blue Sky Days (see my review here). She has just released her first adult contemporary novel, The Game Changer (see my review from yesterday here), which I was privileged to get the opportunity to beta read. I am so glad to be such good friends with her because she was more than happy to write up a great guest post for you guys!

Without further adieu, join me in welcoming Marie to Thoughts At One In The Morning!

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Genre Jumping and the Beauty of Self-Publishing

by Marie Landry

I’ve always had very eclectic reading tastes, and my writing’s not much different. I like variety, I like the freedom to jump from world to world and to read and write about diverse characters.

When I originally wrote Blue Sky Days eight or so years ago, it was an adult novel. At the time, I figured I would eventually be an adult romance novelist - it was my favourite genre to read, and all my story adults fit within that genre. Skip ahead six or seven years to when I became a book blogger and discovered the world of young adult books. I was instantly hooked, and I wanted to write stories that appealed to that audience. I pulled Blue Sky Days out from hiding and rewrote it as a young adult novel. I was happy with my decision - it felt right - plus by doing so, I opened myself up to a wider audience since many adults read YA books.

I went from thinking I’d be an adult romance novelist to thinking I’d be a young adult contemporary novelist. But then just days after publishing Blue Sky Days, I got the idea for The Game Changer, which wasn’t young adult, but wasn’t technically romance either - it was chick lit.

So I decided I wouldn’t limit myself. If I wanted to write young adult contemporary, adult romance, chick lit, mystery, horror, fantasy, science fiction, or whatever, that was my prerogative as an indie author. A little over a year ago when I made the decision to self-publish, I heard several people say to pick a genre and stick with it or you’d lose readers. I thought No thanks. Why would I want to limit myself? Isn’t that part of the reason to self-publish in the first place - I’m the boss, I call the shots, I decide what I write? Plus how could I lose readers when I’d be opening myself up to different types of readers?

Now a lot of authors, both self-published and traditionally published, are jumping genres. Many well-known authors of adult fiction have crossed over into writing YA, and vice versa. It used to be that if an author wanted to write in a different genre or start a new series, they had to write under a pseudonym. Even though some authors still choose to do that, it’s becoming more common for them to just write what they want and publish books under one name, regardless of the genre.

Writing and publishing are changing and evolving. Self-publishing has its drawbacks, but I also think it’s revolutionizing the way books are written and published, and to me, that’s pretty thrilling. When you call the shots, the sky is the limit. I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be a writer.

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Find & Follow Marie on:

~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~

~ Book Blog ~ Author Blog ~ Personal/Photography Blog ~

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The Game Changer
by Marie Landry
Add it to your Goodreads shelf!
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Smashwords

Melody Cartwright has never had a problem with change, but for the first time in her life the changes are beyond her control—she suddenly has a niece she never knew, but has to prove herself to; her best friend is making huge life changes of her own; and she has to deal with her ex and his crazy new girlfriend who has stalker tendencies.

When Melody meets confident, sexy Julian, she’s not interested in a relationship. He tells her it’s possible for a man and a woman to just be friends, and despite his ultra-charming ways there’s something about him that makes Melody believe he could be right.

During a time of change and turmoil, it doesn’t take long for Julian to become everything Melody never knew she needed in her life. But is it possible for them to remain ‘just friends’ or will Melody be a game changer for Julian the playboy?

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Giveaway

You have the chance to win ONE of TWO awesome prize packs. What is included in these prize packs? You not only get an e-book copy of The Game Changer, but you will also receive a little gift from me:

Each winner will get ONE "Dream" hemp bracelet and some cute pink scrapbook punches of hearts, butterflies, and cupcakes! I make similar things like these and sell them in my Etsy shop, Impulsivities. The exact bracelet you get will be random.

Rules:
1. You must be a follower.
2. You must be over 15 years old.
3. This is open internationally.
4. You can earn extra entries by adding The Game Changer to your Goodreads shelf.
4. This contest runs from November 14th to 28th.
6. Winner will be selected on November 29th and notified via blog post announcement and email..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for following and entering the giveaway!