Go right ahead. Call me names. I can take it—because I know what the taunt will be.

I am a “genre jumper,” and I’m not afraid to own it.

So go ahead with your know-it-all jabs about how authors should find their niche and stick with it, about how there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things; about how everyone prefers the status quo.

For those willing to keep an open mind, let’s start by asking: what exactly is a genre jumper? The simple answer is that a genre jumper is an author who writes books or stories across multiple different genres. So perhaps an author has a young adult fantasy series and then she publishes an adult romance. Or an author writes one thriller for adults, followed by two children’s picture books, followed by a memoir. Or, like me, an individual writes a historical novel about the antebellum South, followed by a contemporary romance that takes place in modern-day New York City, followed by a family drama about gestational surrogacy. Well, there you have it folks: I am your classic genre jumper.

Sure, there are arguments against taking this kind of holistic, open-minded, and sophisticated approach to writing. We can all think of certain authors who write book after book that fits neatly into the same category. For example, there are authors whose every published book contains a story about beach romance on Cape Cod. There are others who churn out one murder mystery after another, all of which take place in Detroit and include, always, a last-minute save of a damsel in distress and satisfyingly vanquished villain. When you go to your favorite indie bookstore and pick up a book by one of these authors, you know exactly what you’re getting. And that’s a great thing. I’m all for branding.

That’s just not my brand.

You want me to pick a niche? You can’t keep up with my disparate choices? Ok, fine. My niche is fiction.

As an avid reader, I can attest to the fact that one reader can enjoy books from different genres. Perhaps even two or three or four different genres! My favorite categories to read personally are romance, historical, and contemporary drama. But every now and then, I’ll pick up something that falls into the “action-adventure” department or a dystopian fantasy novel. I might even read a piece of experimental literary fiction (after you twist my arm). I read these books not because they are my go-to genre of choice, but because I’ve seen a review or been told by a friend that the pages contain a wonderful story.

As a lover of stories, I have refused to limit myself to only one genre. If I can read across genres, why can I not also write across them? Can’t think of an answer to this question? That’s because there isn’t one.

It used to be the case in the publishing industry that authors were expected to pick their genre and stick with it, forever. The end. But as society continues to evolve, and everything seems to be more flexible than it used to be, the same is happening with expectations for writers. Once upon a time, people took a job right after graduating college and remained at a single company for decades. These days, if a person has been with the same organization for ten years, they are considered either a dinosaur or a unicorn . . .  depending who you ask.

Exploring different genres in writing isn’t that different from accepting roles at different companies. Certain jobs incorporate one responsibility more than another, allowing workers to build skills in varied areas at different companies. If the employee ever returns to a previous position or industry, she comes back bearing a whole new set of skills to enrich and improve upon the job she was doing in the past. A writer who works in multiple formats, time periods, or prose styles is only building skills that will help in each future written endeavor. And I, for one, am so here for that.

Ok, you hear what I’m saying—but you still think it’s nice when you can rely on the name of an author to know what kind of book you’re buying; I understand. But genre jumpers can also provide certain consistent characteristics in their writing, even if their books are shelved in different parts of the bookstore. With my own writing, there are specific elements that I keep consistent across genres. I write plot-driven fiction that focuses on a couple of key characters and follows them through a period of personal drama and growth. I write for readers who look for these elements in their books and who seek out compelling storytelling, above all else.

In order to grow we must be willing to change and take risks, right? So, to all of you writers considering trying your hands at a new genre, I hereby invite you to catch up with the times and come jumping with me.