A warm welcome to author Erica Cameron joining us today to talk about her new release “Assassins: Nemesis”.
Erica talks to us about changing genre’s and their is a giveaway you can participate in!
Welcome Erica 🙂
Jumping Genres
It may be apparent by now that I cannot pick a genre. Yes, my books are all young adult, but that’s about their only similarity as far as shelving goes. The Dream War Saga, my debut series, is paranormal. Dreams and parallel universes and kids with special gifts. Next, I co-authored the Laguna Tides novels with Lani Woodland, all of them connected contemporary standalones. Those books are somehow adorable even as they deal with some pretty serious issues. The Assassins duology is a thriller, a story full of bombs, kidnappings, lies, and espionage. In February, the series launching with Island of Exiles is a full-on fantasy—an alternate world with new languages, magic, laws, and battles to fight. The series coming after that will be a massively complicated space opera.
So, yeah. I’m a little all over the place.
Why, though? A lot of authors find a niche and stay there, writing a string of amazing books within one genre, whatever that genre may be. Often, people come to expect a certain kind of book from an author. Sarah Dessen, Cassandra Clare, and Tamora Pierce, for example, all have incredibly strong brands, and it’s helped their careers flourish.
For me, this trend of jumping started early. With the first two books I ever finished. I might even be able to go back a decade or two earlier than that and blame my writing habits on my reading ones—I never could pick one genre to read. The books I grew up reading almost certainly had an impact, but I first jumped in writing because of fear. Specifically, I was afraid of copying myself. When I jump from one project to another within the same genre, and this was especially true in the early years of my development as an author, I feel as though I’m writing a different version of the same story. When I switch to a different genre, it automatically demands different things of a narrative and of me.
It’s more than that, though. Each genre offers a different challenge. The worlds demand different kinds of foundations. The characters must have different kinds of backgrounds. The dynamics of the relationships are going to be impacted by different social expectations. Accounting for these changes and learning the new systems will always be fascinating, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t think I will ever settle in one genre for long.
But I never say never, right? I guess only time will tell.
About Assassins: Nemesis
Being orphaned and almost kidnapped in the space of a week sent Blake Marks into hiding. For months, Blake tries to help the Calvers—a family of vigilante bodyguards—investigate the people behind the hit on Blake’s father, Isaac, but then the safe house is compromised. Just as hired thugs storm the house to grab Blake, Daelan Calver dives into the fight, getting them both out alive.
Hiding isn’t an option anymore, but hit squads, under-the-table deals, and international espionage? Blake has no idea how to handle any of it, not even with Daelan’s family there to play teachers. The one thing Blake knows for sure is that there are only two options: keep up with the Calvers or get out of their way.
But even with the Calvers’ help and the glimmer of a possible future with Daelan giving Blake hope, chances of survival keep shrinking. The man who ordered the hit on Isaac may be dead, but his partner is viciously cold-blooded, and her plans could change the course of history. Blake wants to finish what Isaac started, but it’s looking like someone is going to die before this is over. And that someone might be Blake.
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About Erica Cameron
After a lifelong obsession with books, Erica Cameron spent her college years getting credit for reading and learning how to make stories of her own. Erica graduated with a double major in psychology and creative writing from Florida State University and began pursuing a career as an author.
Erica is many things but most notably the following: writer, reader, editor, dance fan, choreographer, singer, lover of musical theater, movie obsessed, sucker for romance, ex-Florida resident, and quasi-recluse. She loves the beach but hates the heat, has equal passion for the art of Salvador Dali and Venetian Carnival masks, has a penchant for unique jewelry and sun/moon décor pieces, and a desire to travel the entire world on a cruise ship. Or a private yacht. You know, whatever works.
Connect with Erica:
- Website http://byericacameron.com
- Twitter http://twitter.com/byericacameron
- Tumblr http://byericacameron.tumblr.com
- Facebook http://facebook.com/byericacameron
- Instagram http://instagram.com/byericacameron
- Email erica@byericacameron.com
To celebrate the release of Assassins: Nemesis, one lucky winner will receive $30 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 14, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
Happy release day, Erica. I’m new to your work, tbh. And as a reader I don’t find it strange for author jumping between genres. I guess you go wherever the story took you, huh. 😉
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
Each new series is definitely a different beast! Hope you enjoy if you get the chance to read it!
Congrats on your new release, Erica. You are a new author to me. I don’t think it strange that you write different genres. I like to read different kind of books. If the writers don’t write them how can the reader read them.
tankie44 at gmail dot com
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the books!
Oh.My.God! Why I didn’t know that the second installment of this series is an MM is beyond me! I’m not actually a fan of FF novels which is the first one on this series that’s why I haven’t read this YET. I’m a huge YA lover so that problem would be rectified very soon. 😉
Focusing on this blog post, I’m amazed on how you can jump from one genre to another. That’s very hard to do. That requires a lot of skills, determination & optimism that you can make your mark with the next genre just like how you did it on the previous ones. I have high praise for those authors who can do that. Simply amazing.
From what I can see, you love the challenges & if that didn’t make me regards you highly, I don’t know what will.
mushyvince(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi, James!
Just to clarify, NEMESIS isn’t actually M/M. Blake, the narrator of the book, is intersectional and genderfluid. While they do use male pronouns periodically, they use female ones just as often. Technically, Blake really is neither.
As for the rest, thank you! It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s a very fun one. 🙂
Congrats on the new release! I’m new to your books but I added them to my TBR list.
serena91291@gmail(dot)com
Thank you! Nemesis is my sixth release, so there’s plenty to dig through! 🙂
This is a new author for me and i love the blurb. Definately another one I’ll be adding to my TBR!
Congratulations on the release!
Good luck with the series!
vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Congrats and good luck with the new release. i enjoy reading thoughts behind the books that authors write and why. this one sounds great and I have added it to my TBR list.
heath0043 at gmail dot com
Congrats on the new release. Another new book to add to be TBR list
jjessup445(at)gmail(dot)com
Congrats on the book. It sounds very exciting and am adding to my list.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Congratulations on the release. I really like how this book sounds.
susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com
I don’t see a problem with an author writing different genres. After all, I’m an equal opportunity reader, reading all different genres, why should an author limit themselves to writing only one thing?
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
Happy release day, Erica. I think it’s interesting if authors can excel in different genres. Besides challenge is good right, you don’t know how you can do it if you don’t try 🙂
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com
congrats on the new release it sounds intriguing 🙂
leetee2007(at)hotmail(dot)com
Hi, James!
Just to clarify, NEMESIS isn’t actually M/M. Blake, the narrator of the story, is intersex and genderfluid. They do periodically use he/him pronouns, but they also use she/her just as often.
For the rest, thank you! It’s definitely a challenge, but an incredibly fun one. 🙂
I liked the premise, mevalem258 AT gmail DOT com
I’m an eclectic reader. Yes, I read a lot of romance (both in adult and young adult), but I’m happy to flitter around even when there’s a central romance to paranormal, historical, thriller, mystery, whatever. I like authors who like to do the same with their writing as I do with their reading because when I find an author I love, I really don’t want them to fall into the trap of writing the same stories over and over again. I think I tend to drop them after awhile when that happens. Thanks for sharing with us!
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com
Congrats and thanks for the post. You may be jumping all over the place with genres, but you’ve landed a winner for me with a gay YA thriller. Can’t wait to read it. – Purple Reader
TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
Congratulations on the new release! I can’t wait to read this.
ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com