Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss

Karen White | Blending Women’s Fiction with the Paranormal—Is there such a thing?

November 5, 2008

I’m known for writing ‘grit lit’—Southern women’s fiction. My books are recognized not only by their Southern setting and characters, but also by their emotional intensity. So when I proposed the idea for THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET to my agent, she was a little leery at first—especially after I told her that I planned to make this into a long-running series.

In this book I’ve blended my favorite elements of ‘grit-lit’ but threw in my passion for old houses, the City of Charleston, an historical mystery, and ghosts. The main characters are multi-layered with a lot of emotional baggage (ala Karen White books), but their dialogue is lighter, and snarkier, than my readers are probably used to. And, yes, my protagonist, Melanie Middleton, sees dead people.

So, how did I sell this idea as a marketable proposal to not only myself but to my agent and editor? After all, isn’t the publishing industry married to the ‘tried and true’ despite their insistence that they want something ‘fresh and new’? I made a deal with the devil (figuratively, of course). I promised my editor that I could still do a ‘grit lit’ novel every year—if I could just be allowed to sneak in these cool women’s fiction/paranormal mystery books in between. Seeing as how my books are usually around 120,000+ words, it was no mean feat promising two in a single calendar year. But I believed in this project and I signed the deal.

I am blessed with a really wonderful editor who likes what I write and trusts me a great deal. I think all of us (me, my agent and my editor) were holding our collective breaths as I worked on the book, hoping it would live up to its promise of being a book that my current readers would enjoy as well as one that would attract new readers. After all, I’ve always had a dash of the paranormal as well as a mystery in all of my books—this one just had a little more.

I’ll admit that I had a lot of fun writing THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET. It’s a little lighter in tone than my previous books, and the dialogue between the two protagonists, Melanie and Jack, was the most fun I’ve had between the pages of a book in a long time. With ‘bated breath, I turned in the book and waited.

Luckily for me, my agent and editor loved the book as much as I did and they reinforced the decision to keep my name for this series because it was definitely a ‘Karen White’ book—recognizable by not only the southern setting but by likeable but flawed characters who have to work through internal and external conflicts—including a ghostly presence who’s not all that nice.

So, did I pull it off? Did I manage to merge women’s fiction with a paranormal romance? I think so, and early reviews are good. Nobody really knows what to call it—and that’s okay because I don’t know either. Maybe this series will be the beginning of a whole new genre! But I’d like to believe that I achieved that goal that I set for myself every time I sit down to write: to create characters readers will care about, and put them in a story that will make my readers feel every emotion, want to turn the pages, and give them a sigh of satisfaction when they get to the end. And that’s really what it’s all about in the end, isn’t it?

Karen White

The Memory of Water— NAL/Accent–March 2008
The House on Tradd Street— NAL Trade–November 2008L
Earning to Breathe — NAL/Accent–March 2007″Critic’s Choice” Atlanta Magazine, July 2007
www.karen-white.com/

One Comment

  • jenn1165 October 2, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    The House on Tradd Street has become one of my favorites! I am so looking forward to the next book! It was so hard to put down and I was kind of sad when it ended, will be waiting on the next one! Thank you Karen! I am a woman from Savannah and will be a devoted fan from now on… The only problem now is finding books that hold me like that one did, I am looking for all of your work in the hopes of GOOD READS!!! Thanks again.