Genre-blending that is so popular right now has finally seeped into the one genre I foolishly thought might remain pure: the Amish inspirationals. Such quiet, unassuming books! Such safe novels that transport the reader to a different, safer world.

It was not going to last. The vampires have found the Amish. Leanna Ellis has recently launched her Plain Fear series, about a young Amish man who goes to the big city, has an unfortunate encounter with a vampire….and poof, we’ve got an Amish vampire, who eventually returns to his community in search of the fiancé he left behind.

I haven’t read the series, so I can’t pass judgment…. I’ve got to confess to liking the cover. I always like a good gothic, and this certainly has that vibe.

It’s no secret that I adore Downton Abbey. Its combination of unabashed melodrama, intelligent characters and lush settings has found a loyal following. Its phenomenal success has spawned a flurry of books and television series trying to capture the rarified air of high-class society filled with real world people.

The writing, editing, and publication process for a book is very long (the manuscript I’m working on now won’t be released until Summer 2015!) so I don’t think the flurry of books touted as “the next Downton” were cranked out as copy cats. My hunch is that books like Summerset Abbey were already written, possibly languishing in an editor’s slushpile, when they were hauled out, rebranded with suitable titles and covers to echo the Downton tone.

ABC got on the bandwagon with Gilded Lilly’s, an 1895 drama set in the glittering world of New York’s finest hotel. It had Blythe Danner cast as the matriarch, but sadly, filming was dropped after the pilot episode….possibly when the creator of Downton Abbey (Julian Fellowes) inked a deal with NBC to create a series called The Gilded Age.

Everything about The Gilded Age has been very hush-hush, and no word if it will actually get picked up by NBC, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

The cover of a book plays a huge part in a reader’s decision to consider it for purchase. This is especially true for a new writer, who has only a split second to capture a reader’s attention is who is scanning the shelves. The cover and title communicates the tone, genre, and overall feel of the book.

You may have noticed a distinctly different look and feel of my most recent book to my first novel. I participated in the “branding” of my debut novel, The Lady of Bolton Hill. The romance between Daniel and Clara is a huge part of the book, and I wanted to be sure to attract lovers of the romance genre. The combination of the genteel title and gorgeous cover went a long way in helping boost sales.

And yet…… the ultra-feminine tone did not quite match the contents of the book. My books are definitely love stories, but they also capture the drama of gilded age America. Some readers were surprised that my books were not the sweet, gentle romance that the covers implied. My books feature a big, turbulent stories with love, betrayal, heartbreak, all punctuated with periods of soaring joy and utter delight. Sometimes there is a healthy dose of suspense or adventure.

For my 3rd book, my editor and I decided it was time for covers and titles a little more reflective of the direction my books were headed. The romance remains front and center in my books, but the covers now hint at some of the high suspense and more of the historical context in the books.

Some people have asked me if I am switching genres. Nope! My books maintain the same type of adventure, brisk pace, and a dynamic love story. I’m just aiming for a new look and feel that is a little more reflective of my voice. I hope you like it!

I suppose it could be a book about ghosts, but if you are a librarian, ”a ghost book” refers to a book that does not really exist, despite the fact that its presence has been widely reported and people want to read it.

How could such a thing happen? If an author has contracted for a series of books, sometimes those unwritten books are given names and entered into publisher’s catalogs or even advertisements in the back of books. If the author dies, those books are unlikely ever to be written, but there are fans out there clamoring for the title. I remember reading a huge, sprawling historical epic by Thomas Tryon called Wings of the Morning (1990). It was a magnificent tour de force set in early America, and had a follow-up title called In the Fires of Spring (1992) that ends with a huge cliff-hanger and word that another book would be coming soon. I can remember haunting bookstores in hopes of getting my hands on the next book, which I believed was going to be called Kingdom Come.

I waited and waited. The title appeared in forthcoming books catalogs, but it never appeared in libraries or bookstores. I ultimately learned that the author had died and the sad fact that Kingdom Come would never be published. Oh, cruel world! Kingdom Come was forever destined to be nothing more than a ghost book.

Another explanation for ghost books are titles that are mentioned in works of fiction, but don’t really exist. In 1924 H.P. Lovecraft wrote The Hound, which makes reference to a book called The Necronomicon, supposedly a text about black magic. For all the kids who get enchanted with Lovecraft’s work and come looking for The Necronomicon ….sorry, it is a ghost book as well.

One interesting twist on ghost books is when a publisher decides to take it out of ghost status and make it real.

The Love Dare is a bestselling book that was inspired by a journal that appears in the 2008 movie Fireproof. In the movie, a man is in a faltering marriage, but his father loans him a journal called “The Love Dare,” which is a series of challenges to help rekindle a relationship. Anticipating demand for “The Love Dare,” the producers of the movie commissioned a book with the same themes and challenges as presented in the movie. The Love Dare entered the NYT bestseller list at number 2, and escaped ghost book status.

Photo courtesy of ihave3kids