Ever since I was a little girl I have been making up stories in my mind. I don’t know where my inspiration comes from, it’s just there - a well of longing and love that pours itself out in its multitude of variations.

But we live in a world where we like things to be neat and tidy. Most authors write in a genre. Romance. Fantasy. Non-fiction. And then they stay with it because it’s what they know and love. Their fans get used them, can rely on them, and everyone is happy. And then there’s me.

My poor readers. Just when they get used to my name being linked to a deeply researched historical fiction from the Bronze Age I turn around and write a non-fiction followed up by a sci-fi. Or, there’s a hugely popular unpublished book of mine that has almost a half million reads on Wattpad - a high fantasy based on the lore of World of Warcraft. It’s won a ton of awards and been featured by Wattpad HQ as an editor pick. I still get messages to this day about how its readers still think about it, years later.

For a long time I felt ashamed of my inability to ‘fit ‘ into a single genre, that somehow I had failed as an author to fall into a genre and stay there.

And then while out hiking under the endless skies of a wild UK countryside it hit me. I don’t write in a genre. I write in a theme.

And I wonder is this a failing on my part, or a kind of creative evolution? Perhaps writers should be permitted to write in a theme. Why must we have different author names for each genre? Who decides this? Ah, yes, publishing houses. It turns out I have inadvertently waved the flag of freedom as I have pushed myself past industry boundaries without the conscious intention to do so.

But, as always, if we wait long enough, observe long enough, the through line appears.

So, my dear readers, fans, and those who just don’t know what to make of me, may I offer you this : I write in a theme, and my theme is:

Conflict. Both inner and outer. Multiple threads tying into one major thread. Solid character arcs with believable characters. Strong beats so the pace keeps escalating into a satisfying climax. And love. Passionate love thwarted, denied, fought for against all the odds through war, time, and worlds. Love that persists. No matter what.

Perhaps I am genre-less. Several of my books even contain several genres at once, but it works. Which means you can count on me to give you stories made of love, over and over again, in hundreds of variations and genres.

Because that’s how I was made, and I intend to stay that way. Without shame.

I hope you will remain with me as I am and enjoy explorations into worlds unknown and loves untold in all their delicious variations…

For as long as I can give them to you.

E A