At the awards gala with my friend Shellie (left) and my agent Wendy (right). Smart, literary ladies!
I’ve just returned from the ACFW Conference (American Christian Fiction Writers). It’s always fun to hang out with other writers not to mention my agent and editor. But there’s a certain question folks ask each other over and over again . . .
“So what do you write?”
For years, I’ve struggled with the answer to that question. I usually said Appalachian Romance, but I knew that wasn’t quite right. My stories are set in Appalachia and there’s often an element of romance, but . . . it doesn’t quite fit. So–do I write women’s fiction? Kind of. Or is it historical? Maybe–but often readers think of historical as being set longer ago than my stories in the 40s and 50s.
Well, my agent Wendy Lawton and I finally pinned it down. Are you ready? Do you want to know what I write?
Mid-century, Appalachian, historical.
Is that a genre? Maybe not a typical genre. There aren’t many contests out there with a category for mid-century, Appalachian, historical fiction. You’ll not find a shelf with that label at your local bookstore.
But it’s MY genre. And it’s a relief to finally know what to say when a new friend leans across the table and says, “So, what do you write?”
If I had known you would both be there, I would have try’d to connect you and Leanne W Smith (Lincoln”s mother-in-law.)
I heard your name called for a ribbon, but failed to wade through the sea of writers to find you! Wasn’t that hotel something else?!?
And I love it! I read several chapters of Tapestry of Secrets on the airplane home. It’s a little more contemporary, right? But it’s funny because I still feel like I’m sitting with the Waltons. My mind keeps staying in Casewell’s time period–Mid-Century Appalachian. <3 And thank you for such a great weekend. You're so fun!
A specific genre answer might stymy folk or open the door for the next question: “Can you tell me about your books?” Go for it!
What do you write?!? Good books. That’s what you write.
As, I believe, do you!
😉