Why read an Em Brooks book? Part 1

In a short pause between writing, I was going through the Christmas movies the other day on TV, preparing a list for December. Ugh. There are so many Christmas movies out these days so you read the blurb or description and watch the trailer to the new ones. Many of them have the same plot -- Romance. Single people looking for love and a Christmas Miracle that makes them fall in love. So, basically, they are cookie-cutter holiday romances. 

I understand why they are binge watched by women just as much as I understand why men would rather get up and do long avoided chores in order to not watch them. We have a certain pre-conceived notion as to what a Christmas movie these days entail. While the kids think Christmas movies are more like Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer, A Christmas Story, the Grinch, and Elf, my husband's idea of  a Christmas movie is basically Die Hard and Christmas Vacation and he only tolerates the rest so he isn't called Mr. Grinch. For me, I would add The Hogfather and The Spirit of Christmas as well as The Thin Man for my lineup.

So while we have preconceived notions of Christmas movies and the romance therein, I have become very aware that there are preconceived notions about book genres. What are the stereotypes?

Well, in a nut shell -- 

• Thrillers always involve senseless murder and mind games.
• Horror involves senseless murder and creepy things.  
• Sci-Fi adds aliens and/or robots.
• Fantasy adds fairies, elves, and various worlds of make believe.
• Romance is about love, drama, and sex.
• Westerns always involve horses, ranches, and cowboys.
• Action and Adventure are usually just what they sound like.
• Futuristic always contain a dystopian, fall of society, and battles against everything.
• Paranormal/Ghosts always contain unexplained creepy things and a backstory.
• Mysteries always contain a murder that cannot be solved and a genius who solves it.

And from there, fiction is further divided into subcategories.

Now, my books. Where do my books fall? They are fiction. They are categorized as contemporary romance. They are subcategorized as action and adventure romance, military romance, and small town romance. But to the older generation, when you say romance, they automatically think Danielle Steele and they also think Fabio on the cover. Romances these days are basically smut and, like the TV shows and movies on TV, they give you gratuitous sex scenes. (I must admit, at least Christmas romances on Hallmark don't give you those scenes, so thank you Christmas movies.) 

And that is where my version of romance books differs from the notions. As far as romance goes, my books could be on Hallmark. But that's as far as romance goes. Along the Way and Wherever it Goes is a close to Hallmark as my writing gets. The other nine books of mine could be made into movies on Amazon and Netflix and be binge watched by men all over the place for the action and women all over the place for the intertwined love story. Both would enjoy the plot and twists contained within. Although one of these days, you may just see my books turned to movies, for now everyone can enjoy them as books. 

So over the coming week, I will show you why you should read and enjoy an Em Brooks book and why you will want to give them as gifts to the readers in your life. It's not just a cute tag line when I say that "There is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book!"

Here's what we will cover:

            The Cedar Grove duology of Along the Way and Wherever It Goes

            The Portrait of an Unlikely Affair series of Portrait of an Unlikely Affair, The Legend of CuSithGrim, The Ghost of Oscar, Embers to Ashes, Project Broken Glass, and The Disruption of Forever.

            My collection of short stories in Could've Been Something

            And my spin off series from my Portrait series - -The Allegheny Chronicles: Eden & the Alchemist and my soon to be released The Allegheny Chronicles: Veil Falls. 

Before we get there though, what are your preconceived notions and ideas about genres? What comes to your mind when you see a Romance novel? What do you expect from it? How about the other genres? I'm very interested to know. 

Until next time, keep reading to stay sane during this upcoming holiday season!!! And remember, if you enjoyed my books, your reading friends will too! Books make excellent gifts!

You can find all of my books online at www.amazon.com/author/embrooks, at barnesandnoble.com, and on Apple Books! They are available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover! You can find The Allegheny Chronicles: Eden & the Alchemist and Could've Been Something in paperback at the Made in Amador store in Sutter Creek, CA on Main Street! Please tell your favorite Barnes and Noble brick and mortar locations to carry all of my books in paperback so you can find them there too!

Be sure to visit my website at https://sites.google.com/view/theauthorembrooks/home and keep up to date with my writing here on blogspot or subscribe at embrooks.substack.com.  Follow me on Facebook at Facebook.com/theauthorembrooks and on Instagram at instagram.com/theauthorembrooks.