Today, I'm celebrating all the amazing mutts I've had the privilege to love over the years — both my own dogs and the fosters who've passed through my home.

It got me thinking about the authors I encounter who sometimes feel like "mutts" in their writing.

They just don't fit neatly into a single genre box. Maybe they blend cozy mystery with a touch of romance, or fantasy with elements of suspense. And while that creative mix can make their work truly one-of-a-kind, it can also leave them wondering: "How do I describe myself to readers?"

Here's the thing: readers love clarity. When they know exactly what to expect from your books, it's easier for them to recognize your work, become superfans, and recommend you to friends.

But clarity doesn't mean boxing yourself in or losing the uniqueness that makes your stories stand out. It's about finding the right way to communicate that uniqueness to readers.

So how do you actually do that? A few approaches that work well for genre-blend authors:

1. Lead with the dominant genre, name the twist second.
Instead of "I write genre-blending fiction" (too vague to be useful), try "cozy mystery with a splash of romance" or "fantasy adventure with a suspense edge." One clear anchor genre, one distinguishing flavor. Readers get an immediate mental category and know what makes you different within it.

2. Borrow comp titles.
"If you like [known author/book], you'll love mine" does more work in one sentence than a paragraph of description. It instantly locates you for readers who already know what they like.

3. Let your branding do the clarifying, not just your blurb.
Cover style, color palette, and tone of your marketing copy can signal genre blend visually — so readers get the "vibe" even before they read a word of description. A lot of the clarity work doesn't have to live in your bio at all.

4. Pick ONE consistent way to say it — everywhere.
The confusion usually isn't that your books are hard to categorize. It's that you describe yourself differently every time you're asked. Nail down one version of your genre-blend description and reuse it verbatim across your bio, newsletter, and social — repetition builds the clarity readers need.

When that's done well, being a "mutt" as a writer becomes a strength, not a challenge — a genuine point of differentiation instead of a source of confusion.

So today, I'm celebrating both kinds of mutts: the wonderful dogs who've brought so much joy to my life, and the incredible authors who embrace their mutt-ness while learning how to clearly define their brand.

Do you feel like a "mutt" as a writer? Or do you stick to a clear genre? If you're a mutt — how do you currently describe your blend to readers?