if you had a detective story that you set on another planet, it would depend which plot-line featured more strongly - was the focus on whodunnit, or the fact they did it off-world, if you see what I mean.

Astrea, that seems to make sense, but I have heard an opposing view. I think it was the agent David Headley who told me that if you have sci fi/fantasy etc elements in your story, it "trumps" other genre identities.

On the other hand (to swing back), the commissioning editor I saw at Verulam told me to downplay the sci fi element in my thriller so as not to put off mainstream publishers/agents (I think I said this earlier in the thread, so apols for the duplication but it seemed relevant here).

that summing up this thread so far, there is no easy way to define a genre and a name change is much easier than a sex change.

LOL Sharley!

FWIW, Sharley, having read your first novel, I think you naturally have quite a WF voice. My natural voice is colder than yours (quelle surprise ). Yours is quite warm and chatty and mine is naturally cold, so I need to warm mine up a bit, probably for any genre.

Perhaps it's important to see where we naturally fit into the genre scheme? I used to think I wanted to write literary fiction, but that was a huge mistake because I didn't really even know what it was. What I do enjoy reading is what I remember Sara Maitland calling "middlebrow".

However, what I appear to write most effectively (not necessarily effectively enough, but most effectively) is thrillers. I realised this after writing a few thriller-y scenes and feeling they were my best scenes ever, and then realising (how could I have not realised before?) that I have always dreamed in thrillers. I also like watching thrillers on tv.

Deb

However, what I appear to write most effectively (not necessarily effectively enough, but most effectively) is thrillers.

I think this goes for me too. Should have guessed, really, as my favourite reading material tends to the dark side, though it doesn't always work that way, I'm sure.