Genres or Authors

Do you read genres, or authors? I've always followed authors. If I find a story I like, I'll check out whatever else they've written, regardless of genre.

Admittedly, I read few new authors. I'm speaking of folks such as G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, William Heyliger, L. M. Montgomery, and George MacDonald. In their case, I consider the author to be the genre, in which no one else can write. My attitude is, "Surprise me!" Sometimes reading their lesser-known works can be disappointing, but often it's not.

Finding that kind of author is a pleasure, and I'm hoping to be that kind of author.

Romance

I've recently come to a conclusion regarding romance in my novels. I want to describe the friendship, camaraderie, and unity that exists in a true romance, not at the physical layer, but at the personal.

Sex sells, of course, but it's also been done. I can think of far fewer examples of romantic camaraderie. One such example is the Thin Man movie series, starring Myrna Loy and William Powell. They had a romance that was already "happily ever after". It wasn't the problem to be solved. And the banter and just plain fun between the two was a highlight of the series.

At the time, Hollywood was under strict guidelines about including sex in movies, and that restriction resulted in the classic screwball comedies. Writers had to rely on something other than sex, and romantic comedies became a thing of exceedingly enjoyable repartee between the actors (such as in His Girl Friday).

The dialogue made those movies, and I'm hoping to do the same. Of course, I won't have Cary Grant delivering my lines...