Aliens in Love: Bending the Rules from James W. Ziskin

Do you work other genres into your crime fiction? Do you bend the “so-called” rules?

 

I had a killer idea for a time-traveling-interstellar-alien-romance-mystery-cum-bildungsroman/comedy of manners/roman à clef. But—would you believe it?—

 

SOMEBODY BEAT ME TO IT!

Other than my alien romance, I haven’t tried to write outside the overarching umbrella of crime fiction. But I have mixed elements from other genres into my books. As for bending the so-called rules, aside from playing fair with the reader, I don’t subscribe to any. That includes (excludes?) most, but not all, of the prohibitions laid out by S. S. Van Dine and Ronald Knox back in the 1920s. Only one secret room permitted in a story??? Who can write a mystery with only one secret room? No way. In fact, I have broken—not bent—several of their rules in my books, as have many writers more accomplished than I.

 

Now, have I borrowed elements from other genres and used them shamelessly in my mysteries and crime fiction? Yes, I have. And since I don’t intend to give them back, I suppose you could say I stole them. That said, my Ellie Stone novels (seven to date) fall squarely into the mystery genre. Ellie is a small town newspaper reporter in the early 1960s. Her beat is local and human interest stories until the occasional murder pops up. These books are traditional procedurals and do not stray into other sandboxes. Okay, once she nearly fell in love (Heart of Stone), but that’s about as close to romance as she’s ever come. And no sci-fi, fantasy, western, or erotica DNA to be found.

 

On the other hand, many readers of my historical thriller, Bombay Monsoon, have suggested that it’s a romantic thriller. I’m fine with that description, even if that wasn’t exactly my intention when I wrote it. Yes, my main character, Danny Jacobs, falls for a mysterious, desirable woman, and his obsession for her fuels the plot and the suspense of the book. The object of his desires is unavailable, is the lover of Danny’snewfound friend, and appears to be all wrong for him. I won’t give away the ending other than to say that while Bombay Monsoon is a love story of sorts, it’s not a bodice-ripper and it is definitely a historical thriller.

 

That brings me to my next book, THE PRANK, which comes out in July 2026 (Level Best Books). I struggle to put a tag on this story. Is it a mystery? No, definitely not. Is it a romance? Well, the main characters spend time together and one is definitely interested in the other. But, no. It’s not a love story. And it’s not science fiction or fantasy either—no robots or elves or faeries. And, no, it’s not exactly historical, even if it does take place at Christmas 1968. It’s not a comic novel, there’s no time travel, and I wouldn’t call it literary despite the fine writing.

 

(Blushes as accolades pour in.)

 

(Blushes even more as eyes roll in reaction to ill-concealed attempt to pat self on back.)

 

No, THE PRANK is not a literary novel. Finally, I’m confident it’s not picaresque, paranormal, steampunk, dystopian, or alternate history.

So what is it, exactly? 

 

Could it be a thriller? Yes, I suppose I’ll have to settle for that. But what kind of thriller? I don’t think it’s a domestic thriller, in that it’s not about a married couple or a family. Is it medical? Legal? No. It’s certainly not geo-political, military, or techno either. No spies in the story either. No, THE PRANK is none of those.

 

So, back to my previous question: what the hell is it?

 

Well, there’s a crime of sorts. And somebody dies. And we wonder what will happen next. But there’s never any doubt about who did what. No mystery. It’s more a cautionary tale about good intentions and bad decisions. The characters drive the story because they both want something. And they want it a lot. Enough to risk serious societal repercussions. 

 

I like stories like that, even if they don’t fall into neat categories, which makes them harder to sell. Kind of like that novel I wanted to write: a laugh-riot bildungsroman about alien detectives falling in love as they tumble through eons and galaxies.

 

 

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THE PRANK…enigmatic and unnerving. The pace never flags for a second. This is some masterly plotting. I loved it.”

—Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

 

THE PRANK. A picture clipped from Playboy magazine, a missing Swiss Army Knife, and a prank gone terribly wrong conspire to make Christmas 1968 a deadly holiday to remember.

 

“The Holdovers meets The Bad Seed,” THE PRANK features a charming but volatile thirteen-year-old named Jimmy Steuben. He befriends his seventh-grade English teacher, Patti Finch, just days after her boyfriend is killed in an electrocution accident while hanging Christmas lights on his roof. Patti desperately needs respite from her grief, and a chance encounter with Jimmy provides just that. Ignoring the dangers of a potential scandal, the mismatched pair begins spending time together over Christmas break. Patti finds solace in Jimmy’s company; Jimmy discovers desire and infatuation. But what Patti doesn’t know is that it was Jimmy who caused the tragic accident that killed her lover.

From two-time Edgar Award finalist, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity award-winner James W. Ziskin, THE PRANK releases July 2026.

PLACEHOLDER—NOT THE OFFICIAL COVER

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