Mixing Genres = Unpredictable Explosion
Authors mixing genres always upsets agents and editors - but sometimes it's simply essential in order to accomplish a larger literary goal. I have never aspired to become a genre fiction writer per se. I love action/adventure, mystery/suspense, and mature love-story romance. I am also at the same time deeply committed to exposing serious non-fiction situations such as looming psych-tech dangers, centralization of wealth and power at corporate levels, and the underlying challenge of both manifesting and controlling tech-accelerated human evolution.
I've written GOOGLE BETA 3 as a literary venture that taps directly into all of the above themes and intentions at once - because I find drama, myth, and imaginary/universal characters the best vehicle for seriously stirring up discussion and action related to these important themes.
Most of my non-fiction books have been written in less than six weeks - they reach a point where they're bursting to be written, and I just sit down and do it. GOOGLE BETA 3 has been entirely different, because I've surrendered to a quite different writing challenge - that of bringing characters alive, based on real people but mythic in scope, who push into an emerging future that I can sense coming. This writing challenge has taken years, not weeks or months, to accomplish.
Especially because I'm including the name and presence and fiction representation of an actual corporation, Google, in this book, the challenge has been almost more than I could handle - and the time has stretched from weeks to months to years to reach completion. I can't express the relief I feel this week as I finally give myself permission to feel satisfied with the manuscript, and let it flow out - first to a group of readers whose feedback I highly value, then into responsive literaray channels.
Is this a business book, a critique of science and government, or a quick-read high-romance/action novel designed for a rush? I've done my best to merge all three. Now I can relax and see what readers think ...