If you've read much of my blogging, you've probably realized that I'm willing (perhaps a little TOO willing) to lay bare my neurotic tendencies, my worries, and my fears as WL moves to publication.

Now, I suppose it's possible that I'm wound tighter than your average writer. I'll grant you that. But I don't think I'm a lot worse than most; my secret suspicion is that the majority of writers--pre-pubbed or post-pubbed--are probably more angst-ridden than they even want to admit to themselves.

That, I think, is part of the reason why so many writers (novelists, especially) are terrified of marketing their own work. Inside, as much as we want others to like our work, we harbor this secret fear that it's just not any good.

There are, of course, folks at the other end of the spectrum--self-sure individuals who will unabashedly tell you their book is the new Catcher in the Rye, and do so with a straight face--but the majority of writers, I think, are the angst-ey kind; angst, after all, is what fuels many a writer's pages.

I recognize both tendencies in myself. I have an inner P.T. Barnum, and I'm not afraid to trumpet my cause when I get a chance; most of the rest of this site, in fact, is built around self-promotion. But here on this blog, I've always promised I'd be brutally honest.

So, let's discuss a secret fear, something I've worried about since I signed my publishing contract a year ago. In a nutshell it's this: I've been worried my first book will fall into a giant crack between the established CBA/inspirational and ABA/suspense genres. Oh, sure, you can bet I told my publisher the book would attract readers of both genres, but inside, I've secretly wondered if it had just enough elements of each to turn off both sides.

The inspirational readers, I think, will be drawn to the spiritual threads in the story, and the strong redemptive elements. But at the same time, there's a serial kidnapper who stalks kids.

Suspense readers should be drawn to the plot, filled with a lot of unexpected (I hope) twists and turns. But at the same time, it's a book filled with some spiritual elements. Prayer is in there, as well as characters who talk about God.

So, do I have a book that's creepy enough to turn off inspirational fiction readers, AND preachy enough to turn off secular suspense readers?

Well, let me tell you one thing: if you secretly fear something about your book, reviewers will find those fears and expose them for all the world to see. (Note: You can see all these reviews, and others, on my review page.) Consider my PW review, which was the first major review published. The first line says, "In this promising, if sometimes grisly, work of inspirational suspense..." See? Wasn't that the reaction I was terrified I'd get? Yes, indeed it was. Sure the PW review was quite positive overall, but the reviewer led with "grisly."

Or, consider this review from a traditional mystery web site, which says, in part, "Eclectic beliefs, such as total adherence so strongly presented for any particular religion, have a decided odor of proselytizing and have no place in overall entertainment for the general public..." Ack! The mystery reviewer thinks I'm proselytizing! (I certainly don't agree with the reviewer's basic premise, which is, I think, that faith elements have no place in entertainment. But that's a different discussion. And, I must give credit to the reviewer: even though he obviously had problems with the faith elements, he was very complimentary of the book in general, so he was able to separate his analysis of the book from his feelings--something most people decidedly cannot do.)

And yet.

And yet, there are other reviews that have noted no problems with such a mix. Horror World: "It is firmly placed in the Christian fiction realm, which may scare off readers who don't normally seek out the spiritual. And that's a shame, because WAKING LAZARUS reads more like a mainstream thriller than the usual Christian fare." About.com: "Not many books have me hooked with the first sentence, but this one did...spiritually challenging, complex, creative, intelligent." Armchair Interviews: "Stunning...WAKING LAZARUS will be in my top ten 2006 picks." And even Library Journal, in a starred review: "Highly recommended for CF and suspense collections."

Hey, look at that: highly recommended for BOTH Christian Fiction AND suspense collections.

Maybe it's not so bad to be grisly.

Maybe it's not so bad to have a character who prays.

Maybe the book will attract readers from both genres after all.