I’m having a Lee Iacocca moment.

Look.

I don’t write fiction which pushes the limits on socially acceptable sexual practices, a la Fifty Shades of Gray.

If that’s what you want, buy it.

I don’t write romances, in any of their flavors. All you have to do is look at the Amazon top 100 paid books and you’ll see there’s already plenty of people doing that.

If you like those kinds of books, buy as many as you like. You don’t need me to tell you.

I don’t write contemporary fantasy/paranormal books, either. At least not in the way they’re commonly defined. According to some of the book reviews I’ve received I am, but in my stories, there aren’t any vampires, werewolves or any of the myriad of other lesser demonic creature derivatives authors have been able to come up with.

If you really love that kind of book, have at it.

What I do write, and will continue to write, are stories that I believe to be fun, entertaining, compelling, and thought-provoking. I’d add mysterious and intriguing, too.

I write books that virtually the entire family can enjoy. I purposely avoid sex, graphic violence, and obscenities in my stories for that reason. Strangely, I don’t think I’m giving up on quality or gravitas, in the process. The books can be, and have been, read and enjoyed by adults.

If you want something “edgier,” so be it. I know you can find it elsewhere. No problem.

I don’t back away from current events, be they social, economical, political or religious. Many of us deal with these kinds of issues regularly—in our families, neighborhoods, workplaces and voting booths. Aside from adding realism and a contrast to the more fantastical elements of my stories, I want to make people think. So, there are elements of those things in my books.

You can escape in my stories if you want to, but you can also ponder questions and deeper meanings.

Currently, I’m writing a series. In fact, with the first two books, I’ve been writing a trilogy. Not all is resolved in each book. In fact, some things from the first book aren’t even resolved in the second book. Whether or not they each provide a satisfying stopping place is debatable—I believe they do—but I disagree that each book should automatically be standalone. Even if that is convention. One, they’re not standalone. They’re part of an ongoing series. There are intentionally unanswered questions and plot lines. Two, I want people to read the next book, and then the next, and then the next.

I know, selfish, greedy me.

Read them, or don’t. It’s simple as that. It really doesn’t take two whole books to determine if you like what you’re reading or not. Get your money back on the first one if you have to and don’t buy the second one. Period.

Move on.

I know there will be someone else who will like my books. If nothing else, it’s the law of averages. There’s bound to be someone who enjoys the anticipation of more story after the last one ends. Like everyone who regularly watches The Walking Dead, or who watched Breaking Bad. You folks don’t even have the option of reading faster or longer. You all just have to wait for the next episode to come out.

I write about what interests me, not what I think millions of others will be interested in. I seek profit, of course, but I’m not trying to appeal to the masses in the process. The more readers, the merrier, but I’m not tailoring my books to the current social palate. I write what keeps me engaged. I write what I think will be popular one day. It may be soon, it may be later, and there’s always the chance I’m wrong and it will never be popular.

If that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is.

That’s not a reason to stop writing or self-publishing, though.

I know I can’t please everyone. No one can. That’s a given. But, quite frankly, the only earthly person I have to please is myself. I have to be right with me. I’m not going to give up on my hopes and dreams, or do what I don’t feel right doing, for the sake of money, power or conformity. Or political correctness.

I love my wife and sons, and I try to do right by them, but I can’t even please them all the time.

I believe in a Heavenly Father, so yes, I’m trying to please Him as much as I can, and sometimes, I do that at the cost of what I would really rather do. Funny thing, though. Sooner or later, I always feel good about pleasing Him.

So, there you go. My Lee Iacocca moment.

Carry on.