Mystery on Monday: Guest Kathryn Jones on Writing Across Genres

My guest today is author Kathryn Jones, who tells us why she doesn't like to write inside the genre box.  ~ Sheila

 

 

It's a Mystery: Why I write Both Christian Fiction and Cozy

By Kathryn Jones

It's been said that to really make it in this world an author must choose a genre and stick with it because readers will know what they write (whether it be fantasy, historical or chick-lit) and will follow them to the ends of the earth to get it. And while I'm a firm believer in taking readers on an easy to follow direction, whether it be by land, by sea or somewhere in-between, I'm a firm believer in stepping outside of the box.

You know the kind of box I mean.

Your parents wanted you to be a doctor. It's the family business. But you wanted to be an artist. When you married, your spouse thought you'd put together their lunch like their mother had always done. And when you told them they were old enough to do it themselves, they looked at you sort of funny. When you had children, they expected you to know where they'd put their shoes, their toothbrush, their favorite pair of jeans.

And so it shouldn't be a mystery why I write both Christian fiction and cozy mystery.

I hate that old box.  

When I was 12 years old I found Nancy Drew. My mother purchased the first book, "The Bungalow Mystery," and I read it in just a few days. After that, I loved collecting the yellow books with the mysterious covers. I loved how Nancy and her friends could uncover any mystery. And I wanted to be like that.

Now that I'm grown up, it's C.S. Lewis and Max Lucado. I love them, though neither stick to a specific genre either; both write children's fiction and adult non-fiction. I love them because they get to the heart of the matter--the mystery if you will.

So I guess you could say it's always been about mysteries for me, whether the mystery is in an old clock or huddles within the confines of my stubborn heart. 

And the box?

Who knows where that is.

Kathryn Jones has been a published writer since 1987.  She has published various newspaper stories, magazine articles, essays and short stories for teens and adults.  She is the author of A River of Stones, a young adult novel dealing with divorce published in 2002, and Conquering your Goliaths—A Parable of the Five Stones, a Christian novel published in January of 2012. One of her newest creations, a Conquering your Goliaths—Guidebook, was published in February of 2012. Scrambled, published in September 2012, is her first cozy mystery.

Kathryn graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Mass Communication and a minor in Creative Writing. Her studies included work in creative writing, public relations and journalism. Recently, she has opened the doors to Idea Creations Press, a publishing services company that caters to writers and their writing, publishing and marketing needs.