Transcending Genre - Guest Post From Author Christine Dougherty

Transcending Genre

While there are elements of horror in everything I write, the books themselves fit more comfortably into paranormal, psychological thriller, sci-fi, and even contemporary fiction, depending on the content. I don’t want to be pigeonholed, although it can be lucrative to be designated as one thing–horror writer, vampire writer, zombie writer, sci-fi writer, crime writer–there is certainly a draw to a dependable author.

I am not dependable.

My zombie book, The Boat, might not have enough zombies for a zombie connoisseur. The Devil Stood Up might come across as too harsh if you read it after Born Lucky. The Blood Run Trilogy is in a genre (paranormal, vampires) that is getting a lot of backlash right now. The problem is: I can’t help what I write. It strikes my scattered and somewhat faulty brain at whatever place and time and I write it out. I am unable to turn the direction of a story. I don’t feel as though it’s in my control. It’s scary.

It’s also exciting.

The things people tell me most about the stories I write is that they are ‘exciting’ and ‘fast-paced’ and ‘unique’. These are (to me) massive compliments. I can’t give you the hashed and rehashed vampire lore, zombie lore, Devil lore…I’m not good at regurgitation. But for a while there, my unique approach to storytelling made me feel like a big fat loser.

I was a failure.

When I started in my second short story class, I tried to plot. I tried to lay out a point A to point B equals climax at point C outline. But when I tried to write the whole story, it would take one quick sniff at the outline and then bolt off in another direction. All I could do was hold onto the chain and pray it turned out okay. I felt like a failure because everyone else knew how to control his or her stories. Mine was a rabid honey badger. On crack. With flatulence. What a mess, I thought.

Enter my hero, Stephen King.

I read ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King and my perspective changed. It was okay not to plot and plan. It was okay not to know what came next. It was all okay. I was still a writer…just different. That’s when I started submitting my short stories for publication. I had five accepted and placed within three months or so and that’s when I knew that I had something.

Something that people like.

As long as people tell, email me, contact me through the website to let me know they like what I write, then I am content. I’m lucky, too, to have what seems to be a pretty dedicated fan base. Okay, I am unpredictable. You may not like everything. But I will always give you a good story, visceral and affecting, honey badger flatulence and all.



Hello. My name is Christine Dougherty and I write horror.

I got started writing short stories and had some of them published in The Absent Willow Review, Necrotic Tissue, Fiction at Work, Niteblade, and others. The short stories were lots of fun and people seemed to like them, so I decided to start writing novels. Since then, I've written eight with more in the works. Some of the best ideas--like the Sinker zombies in The Boat, for instance--came from my husband, Steve. He has that kind of mind, and I'm thankful for it.

My literary heroes are Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Anne Tyler. My reading tastes are as eclectic as my writing. My non-literary heroes are a bit more personal, but you can rest assured Steve is among them.

I live and work in South Jersey in a house full of animals and animal hair; I'm a better writer than I am a cleaner although on occasion the cleaning bug bites me hard...then the dust tends to fly.

Although I feel I'm doing pretty well on my own, I am actively seeking an agent for whatever might come next.

Visit me at www.christinedoughertybooks.com and drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.