Monday Musing - The Zion Trail

My mind is a busy place. Sometimes, however, it grinds to a halt, as though something has gotten caught in the gears. This usually happens when I'm stressing about something.

I think I'm trying to second-guess where I'm going with my current WIP. I've written historical romantic fiction for a general audience up to now, but this novel is different. It begins on a farm in Pennsylvania, where life changes for the Marshall family when two visitors introduce them to a new religion.

Yep, it's those awful Mormons, come around to gain converts to their cult.

Or so many general fiction readers will think.

I'm not trying to round up new readers who are uncomfortable with the concept, or unwilling to take this journey with Elijah Marshall. But will my current non-LDS fans accept this step in a new direction?

It's not so much a permanent change of direction. It's more like a temporary detour. It's a piece that has been hanging around, awaiting completion, for a very long time. Since I bought the perfect cover back in 2013, it's really time to finish up the novel and give it birth.

The top half of the cover

I pledge to write my usual character-rich prose, full of adventure and romantic tension. Whether it's a novel about Mormons or Buddhists or Catholics, it shouldn't matter. It's about people overcoming adversity and finding a satisfactory ending by the conclusion of the book.

If I can only find assurance that my readers will stick with me through this deviation from the Owenverse (Owen Family + Universe), I think I can unclog my mental gears and write with my usual hectic brain feeling the story.

What do you think? Will you stick, or will you wander? Will I be devastated or comforted? Let me know in a comment below.

Thank you.