Can a Genre-Hopping Debut Author Find an Audience?

I've poured my heart into Tunnel Vision, the first Coldwater Chronicles thriller, and can finally say, "I'm finished!"

It's a gritty, pulse-pounding mystery set in my beloved fictional Missouri town of Coldwater*. It’s my baby, my debut, and I’m all in.

But, here’s the thing nagging at me.

I’ve got a head full of stories itching to break free, and they don’t all fit neatly into the thriller or mystery box. Kid detective adventures, psychological craziness that’ll turn your brain sideways, thought-provoking tales wrestling with faith and ethics, even a sci-fi doomsday event—my brain’s a genre-jumping playground.

So, here’s the big question: Can an author like me, who wants to dabble across genres, find an audience who’ll follow along, no matter the tale I’m spinning?

I get why so many authors (most of them, probably) pick a lane and stay in it.

It’s smart—honing your craft in one genre lets you churn out stories with depth and polish that readers crave. You build a brand, a loyal fanbase who know exactly what they’re getting. Thriller fans want thrills. Romance readers want to feel like falling in love all over again.

I also see that authors develop separate pen names, dedicating each one to a particular flavor or tale. That choice echoes the previous thought, where expectations for what the author should produce drive the story. Like an effect generating the cause.

In those cases, stick to the script and you’re most likely golden.

But my ideas? They’re all over the map.

One day, I’m sketching a plucky kid sleuth solving neighborhood-level capers. Then I’m diving into a creepy tale about a fractured mind trying to live in a normal world.

Some stories feel like full-blown novels; others might be a novella or a blog post that hits you in the gut.

That's not to say my stories won't be polished or honed. My perfectionist brain would not even allow those to escape into the world without being the best possible version I could create.

Will my stories cross the typical reader audience? Yes.

Can I pull it off? Maybe.

Will it boost my author career? Too soon to tell.

What I’m wondering—hoping—is whether readers out there will vibe with the stories I tell, not just the genre I’m in. Is there an audience who’ll ride with me from the heart-pounding streets of Coldwater to a kid’s detective adventure or a deep dive into morality? I’d love to find out.

Tell me, readers: Will you follow a storyteller wherever their imagination roams, or am I just dreaming too big?

* There is actually a town of Coldwater, Missouri, but that's not the setting for this series. Instead, it's a combination of multiple different small towns from my past that hold special places for me. Learn more about that here.