I was in a local bookstore the other day and saw a section labelled Romantasy near the Romance and Fantasy sections, just down from the Mystery section, and it got me thinking about genre mashups. There are a lot of sci fi/fantasy/horror blends that are very popular now, and I didn’t know the label “Romantasy”. One of my writing buddies explained it to me and since then, I’ve since noticed the category in every bookstore I’ve been to in the last month.

A quick internet search on genre mashups revealed an article on www.writersdigest.com by Paul Cicchini titled “How to Write a Mashup Novel” where he describes a mashup novel as one where you get two or more different literary genres and mix them up for a fresh, entertaining story. He lists an example that I’ve often noticed in the bookstore but never read, Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Another of the techniques is superimposing historical figures and fictional events together.

Some hate mashups, whether they be in food or music and terms like fusion cuisine sends a shiver down their spine. However, others are ready to embrace something new knowing that some might not work for everyone, like butter chicken poutine vs. a California roll. Everyone’s taste is different and for every person that loves a jazz country mashup like Louis Armstrong’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, there is another who would prefer a bossa nova new wave cover of Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film” by Nouvelle Vague.

In books, one of my favourite mash ups is romantic suspense; I love crime fiction, and I love romance, and when it’s done well, it’s just so satisfying to read. I love genre fiction and love a story that has a strong resolution. Vague endings with wishy washy and indeterminate conclusions drive me crazy. I long* for escape and comfort in my reading life. I also need the villain to be punished in an unequivocal manner, none of this “and he gets away with it and the couple fizzle out. The End.” No, the couple need their HEA (happily ever after) and the villain has to be punished or killed in some clever and spectacular manner.

*someone might have binged all of Bridgerton Season 3 this weekend…

I have never tried writing a mash up novel but have been starting to gather ideas for NaNoWriMo 2024 – last year, I wrote a romantic suspense draft but recently after my first read through, have realized they really are two separate stories and plots, one romantic and one murderous, and they don’t easily jam together.

Listening to comedy podcasts is a major source of stress relief for me and I have never tried my hand at writing a romantic comedy. They are so hard to get right, the romance sweet but not treacly, the comedy funny but not cringey. NaNoWriMo is often a chance for me to work on an idea without the evil critical editor breathing down my neck, because I don’t have time to listen to her while I barrel towards 50,000 words in a month. I think I’m going to give it a try this year and will report back.

Have you written a mash up story? How did it go? Please let me know!