Rules

I’ve been classifying my novel as a cozy mystery for a while now. (See Cozy is the Word, July 25, 2014.) But sometimes I wonder just what it is I’ve got going on here.

Part of the story has a coming-of-age angle for the protagonist.

She’s only twenty-two and not a fully-formed grown-up, so that makes it a New Adult novel.

Setting the scenes in Bishop Hill creates a small town atmosphere and a reflection on some of the changes they face.

Historical? Sort of … through flash backs to 1915. But they only show up for a few key moments.

Romance? Again—kinda, sorta. I like a certain level of flirty give-and-take between couples or, rather, potential couples, but not much more than that.

Do I have one direction—the kind of direction for a strong cozy mystery genre piece?

I’m not sure … but I’m worrying that it’s maybe not.

I want all those things in my novel—to make it complex and interesting. Does that mean it’s more a work of general fiction with dashes of all those other things? Don’t know yet. It might be something that comes out in the reviews.

So, for now, the trick is making it all those bits and pieces come together as an interesting whole, to create the thing I’ve wanted most from the beginning: a good read.