Facial recognition. Automated social media. Global position tracking. Satelite monitoring. Consumer data analysis. Handheld scanners. Does this sound like science fiction?
It’s all available today. There’s no need to wonder about when this stuff will come to pass. It’s here. Now. Today. Facebook tags our faces for us. Our phones have buddy locators. Drones survey just about everything. Signal detectors, handheld scanners, and communications devices are all common apps on our phones. We text, video call, and have synthetic voices speak for us, all without batting an eye. We are living in the future.
From genetic modification to network data carriers, the things of books happen all around us, yet so many people aren’t even aware that it’s not only possible but something they are USING right now. This is science fiction… yet it’s not.
I’m wallowing in a series about gamers, hacktivists, geeks, and social expectations. It’s all set in the modern day. All of the tech is out there, and cheap. I’m not talking about google glass or anything. I’m talking about the free apps you can download in seconds. Here’s the problem…
What the hell genre am I writing?
I took a modern drama plot, wrapped it up in the story arc style commonly seen in romances, and filled it with amazing science that sucks the reader right in. Unlike most video game books, where the story is about how games are taking over our lives, this one goes the other way. People with real life issues trying to hide away in a virtual escape. People who want to be forgotten, and find “their own type” as pixels in their games. People who come together, from all walks of life, because they share a hobby. Whether it’s motocross, rock music, or horseback riding, this concept isn’t unique. Sadly, I’m having trouble finding any books about gamers where the game isn’t either a sentient being or a plot device created by the villain. Ready, Player One is an example of what I mean.
And so, I’m stressing myself out (if you can’t tell by the recent theme lately) about getting it right. I want to put the book where people will find it. I want to shelve it so people have a chance at enjoying what they read. Sadly, I have no clue where that is. It’s not literary. This story is total genre. It’s not really suspense. It’s contemporary drama… but that shelf doesn’t fit.
*sigh* I’m gonna be bald by the time I figure this out!
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