by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
I keep expecting at any moment someone to steal a creative march on me and throw this whole five novel series up in the air. I really think that’s a possibility. But when I’m not worrying about abstract fear, I comfort myself by thinking what I do have going for me.
It’s an Easy Read
In the Stieg Larsson to Gillian Flynn spectrum, I fall very much closer to Larsson. I’m not trying to challenge readers. I want to a popular writer, not a good writer. Though, the copy I’m reading from myself right now is very easy-breezy. Things move at a fast clip. Hopefully, if I get you hooked, I’ll reach my goal of you reading the whole thing so fast that you’ll check your watch at 4 a.m. on a Thursday night and realize you want to finish the last little bit, even if it means being very sleepy at work.
It Falls Well Within the Expectations Of The Genre
One reason why I’m so worried about someone stealing a creative march on me and forcing me to rework everything is these novels are pretty standard action-adventure-thrillers with a dash or two of Mare of Easttown thrown in for good measure. Especially the first two books are very, very influenced by Mare of Easttown. So, given how middle-of-the-road these novels are, my only defense is that I’m telling an old story in a new way, I guess. I have a very singular vision and the stories I’m telling are both very personal and very unique. But I still worry everything is going to fall apart in a rather unexpected manner.
Of course, what I need is to stick the landing. To knock it out of the park and write a novel series that is as huge as the Millennium series. I know I got it in me. And, yet, what’s more likely is that I should just be proud to sell the novel. Just to get a literary agent would be quite the accomplishment for me.
