Finding My Genre

When I began writing decades ago, I wrote anything I wanted based on ideas I had. Then, because I worked in the classified world, often with intelligence gathering, I applied my background to stories involving danger and intrigue. The initial books were the Moth series. I found writing those books, which included Pomegranate and Cuckoo Bird easy to write. I figured I had found my genre. Yet, it wasn’t those books I read before I went to bed at night. I liked historical fiction for my personal satisfaction.

                Over the years, I'd built up a small, but wonderful network of family and friends that openly stated they enjoyed the espionage thriller series. The Cuckoo Bird books numbered five, and some of my network said, please write more. Yet, I needed to try writing true historical fiction, just to see if it was something I’d like to do. I mean, I haven’t found a literary agent, so I could write anything I wanted. Little did I know, I’d enjoy writing those types of books the best.

                My first historical novel was The Sacrifice. In all my books, I’ve conducted research. For instance, the Golden Goose, a Nazi hunter book, required a great deal of knowledge about the Nazi party, Hitler, Bormann, others. Dreaming of Field Mice required me to learn about the Irish Republican Army’s war against the English. In completing research concerning the Order of the Assassins and the Crusaders was so much more involved. Now, as The Woman of a Thousand Veils nears completion, the research of the Mamluks was many times more intense than anything I’ve done to date.

                In watching the Game of Thrones, I recalled being amazed by the Undaunted. They were a slave-warrior army, like the Mamluks. I knew I needed to create a story where the reader would learn about actual slave-warriors. Also, I once watched a classmate of my wife do the Dance of Veils. She did the dance so beautifully. Not because it’s seductive, but for its graceful twirling movements and use of brightly colored veils. It was enchanting. I thought about it and considered merging the two fledgling ideas into one and out came The Woman of a Thousand Veils. The dance isn’t in the novel, as it began well after the 13th century. Yet, a woman hiding behind countless veils, I find that intriguing. I explored that as an idea.

                I should say that creativity comes from curiosity and often results from a simple question. What if? As an author who still waits for representation, there's only one way to fail and that's to quit. I love writing. Especially when I get comments like, “I wish it hadn’t ended.” It makes it all worthwhile. In the end, it’s not about me, but the reader and my goal to give every person who takes the time to read my books a journey into another world. That is why I write.