How to Earn Your Genre Twist

Happy Monday, fellow authors!

Let's talk about one of my favorite narrative devices: the genre twist. As we discussed on social media today, Claimed by Night begins as a grounded mystery/thriller and then, at a critical moment, reveals its true nature as a dark, urban fantasy. This can be a brilliant move, but if handled poorly, it can feel like a cheat that alienates the reader. Today, I want to share a few tips on how I tried to earn that reveal.

For me, the key is foreshadowing. A reader is smart; they won't accept a sudden introduction of magic into a realistic story unless you've laid the groundwork. I knew I needed to seed the first act with clues and moments of "wrongness" that could be interpreted in two ways.

In Claimed by Night, before the word "witch" is ever spoken, I planted several clues:

• An Unnatural Presence: Liz’s first impression of Daemon isn't that he's magical, but that there's a "predatory awareness" and an "unnerving focus" about him. His quiet commands cut through the bar noise "like a razor.". These hints feel like standard thriller tropes, but on a second read, I hope they point to his supernatural nature.

• The Canary in the Coal Mine: A veteran waitress, Millie, takes one look at Daemon and his associates and refuses to serve them, saying they give her the "creeps somethin' fierce". Her powerful gut feeling validates the reader’s sense of unease and hints that these men are more than just difficult customers.

• The Reveal Creates More Problems: A great twist shouldn’t just be an "Aha!" moment; it should be an "Oh no" moment for the protagonist. When Liz learns magic is real, it doesn't solve her problems. It makes them infinitely worse. It confirms the threat is real, inescapable, and operates by rules she doesn’t understand.

If you earn your twist by layering in subtle clues, a final reveal won't feel like a betrayal of the story's promise. It will feel like a shocking but inevitable conclusion, the moment the reader realizes the truth was hiding in plain sight all along.

May your reveals be earned,

June Skye