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Category Hell: The Flames Are Licking At My Feet

As a writer promoting my first novel, this category business was a step into the fiery abyss. It’s fiction. The plot involves stem cell research and genetic engineering. There are ex-NSA agents, scientists, Slovenian crime lords and an art historian. It’s suspenseful because, well you can download it for free today and tomorrow to find out why. See The Esau Emergence Is Available As An Ebook Now. This publishing process was twice as difficult as writing the bloody book!

I finished the book in less than a year and it’s taken two and a half years to get it out there. The next two books will be cake and pie, but…..that damn category business is truly a headache. Is my novel Sci Fi? My definition of Sci Fi involves a lot of technology and usually involves space. Think Dan Simmons or Neil Stephenson. There’s Sci Fi Fantasy a la Frank Herbert or China Mielville. I have a trilogy in the works that squarely fits into this category. I would rank The Esau Emergence along with James Rollins and Michael Crichton. That’s not particularly helpful. Michael Crichton is Mystery, Thriller and Suspense AND Sci Fi AND Technothriller AND Contemporary Literature and Fiction. Seriously? Terry Wright discusses the critical factors involved in choosing a category, but I’m still at a loss as to what category to choose. Writer Tips – Categories and Subgenres: Choose Wisely ARGHHHH….the pressure!