Do you usually finish a book wanting to see a certain character go on in his or her own story? Or maybe you want to go back and delve into their past history? I know I do.
I like it when there’s a network of family and friends that populate a series, allowing me to visit with those same characters again and again. Giving me a chance to see them at a different time or from a different point of view.
As a reader I find this satisfying and intriguing. As a writer, my DH co-author and I have worked to make this an integral part of our Dance ‘n’ Luv series.
Aside from the dance thread that runs through each book, we have a family of three siblings, the Richardsons. Parker Richardson, who played a supportive role to his sister Casey in Book #1 Kiss Me, Dancer, is the hero of Book #2 Touch Me and Tango. Their sister Jenna, who is a secondary character in both books, will have the starring role in upcoming Book #3.
In our short story prequel, Snow Dance, Parker and Casey feature as important secondary characters, Jenna as a minor one, but we shift the time period. The reader gets to spend time with Parker and Casey as teens and experience firsthand the backstory that figures into the full length books. Here we also introduce teenage Tanya Gentilliano, who is the heroine of Book #2.
On Amazon
On Amazon
On Amazon
So, tell me, as a reader, is there a series you keep going back to because you want to see the characters again? And as a writer, do you have certain characters that need to be explored in another book? Do you find your readers asking you to bring’em back for more?
The Best of WG2E Writing-Great-Characters Wishes – Alicia Street
Alicia Street is the author of Kiss Me, Dancer, Touch Me and Tango, Snow Dance and Aphrodisiac. Alicia is proud to be a part of the WG2E family. Connect with Alicia at her website and on Facebook.
I go beack to Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory series. Love those Mallory’s.
Hi, Cynthia! I love the Mallory series, too. And your Centauri series!
There are a couple of series that come to mind for me. I always enjoyed Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series – as much for the main character as for the secondary characters. I likewise enjoyed most of Robert Parker’s Spencer series – especially when Hawk got to kick gangster butt. The man did it with such a fine flourish, he always made Spencer look good.
I remember as a kid reading The Hardy Boys and Doc Savage and it always made me feel comfortable and at home when I encountered those wonderful secondary characters.
At the heart of it that’s what a writer wants to do is to make their readers feel right at home.
Yesss to Robert Parker’s books! And so true what you said here, Steve — “At the heart of it that’s what a writer wants to do is to make their readers feel right at home.”
I like reading a series because of the comfort factor. I’m just beginning to write a series, and there is a lot more that goes into a series than a stand alone novel. I’m intrigued by the challenge and I hope my readers like it, too!
Definitely a comfort factor, Christy. And yes, I think writing a series gives more of a challenge. Like keeping track of characters and other details from one book to the next, making sure they stay true. while introducing new elements to draw the reader back. Good luck with yours!
I enjoy series, also, perhaps because you can follow characters for a longer amount of time, but the adventures are broken up into manageable novels. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz are a lot of fun for me.
Hi, Tamara! I haven’t read the Lisa Lutz series yet, but it is on my list. However, I do have a new favorite female sleuth — Jade O’Reilly!
Another MAJOR Lisa Lutz fan here. I think her characters are addictive because they’re all so marvelously dysfunctional. You know the story is going to involve a series of bad decisions. (And they seem to love the same TV shows I do.)
Oooh. Now I’ve gotta read them.
Like you, I love series. When I read them , it is like visiting old friends:)
Yes, Lois, “like visiting old friends” really says it.
I’ve liked reading series since I was a child. I loved reading Famous Five, Secret Seven etc. Now I like writing series. My first romance estory coming out next week is a first in a series, where the main female in the first one appears in the rest of the ebooks after that. She is the one that helps the other main characters get their lives back on track and find love again. Also, my YA stories is a series, where each character will appear either mainly or briefly in consecutive stories.
Me, too, Julie. Lots of series books characters kept me company when I was a kid. Good luck with your new series. Sounds like you’ve got it down!
Characters are like family to me. They stand frozen in time until I can return to my WIP and free them to move once again. They age, their lives develop, and sometimes they depart. Readers ask about them when it has been too long since a visit. It seems very real, and that’s the magic of immersion.
Totally true, Dale. It’s like a magical parallel world. And don’t you just love it when a reader asks for a character to return? Then you know you’ve done something right.
I love series. Like Lois said, it’s like visiting old friends.
My upcoming release will be part of a series. I hope the characters are ones that people enjoy coming back to.
Hi, Rhonda! Great that your debut will be part of a series. Look forward to reading it.
I call that daisy-chaining and have a whole series based on the concept. It started with three stories in Boston about a group of friends and siblings then moved to New Mexico when one of the sibs moved there. Now I am starting in Seattle with book 6 with a Sib from a different Boston family. It gets a little crazy at times but it feels very organic to me. I know I love when you can read what happens after the HEA and it seems my readers do to. I think the only important thing is not to get so lost in that world that the next book can’t be understood without reading the last book or two. As a reader I have fallen into that trap and it is not fun.
You’ve really got it down, L.C.! Clusters of books that are linked and following a character to a different city. And as a reader I don’t mind seeing a married couple and then going back to read their story in an earlier book. If the characters are people I like I want to see how it all happened for them.
Alicia, I lovelovelove your covers! Just beautiful!
Ditto on Parker (& Hawk). Also Sue Grafton & Janet Evanovich.
I haven’t (yet) written a character-related series but my Park Avenue Series is connected by Manhattan settings. Rags to riches stories. And sometimes riches to rags. Works both ways, even on the Upper East Side.
Thanks, Ruth! I’m really happy with the news covers. It took a while to find the right look, but as you’ve said in your posts, that is one of the benefits of being an Indie author. Unlike the time our Trad publisher put a horrendous cover on our book and there was nothing we could do about it.
As to your series, yes, I think thematic and location threads also work really well.
So nice to get to know your characters like this, Alicia. I LOVE the covers!
I do leave many stories, wishing they would go on or tell me more about a supporting character by giving them their own book. Especially in YA for me. It seems life is just beginning for that character when you finish the story. I could easily go back and make a series with each of my books. I can totally see Alex doing undercover ops with Jordie’s grandfather Brigg and having college student Jordie butting in on missions. Or see what happens to Penny and Carter and how they deal with life and having a young family at 17 and 20…talk about drama! I would especially like to go back and add a few books to Brinn’s story. I can see a love triangle forming between her, Justin, and Cody as she pursues a life of trying to help Cody and the FBI find missing children. I actually started book 2 in that series and stopped because I had another idea my muse wouldn’t leave me alone about. I think that’s why this time, I planned a trilogy:-)
You’re just brimming with love for your characters, Paula, and I’m sure your readers feel that. I hope you do go back and do book 2 with Brinn. Good luck on your trilogy!
As a reader, I get hooked on characters. I have read single volume books that I enjoyed immensely, but the stories that stay with me are the ones that go on through multiple volumes with a set of anchor characters as well as multiple reoccurring supporting characters threading through the volumes. Like family reunions or yearly family letters, I can’t wait to hear how everyone’s life has progressed. I do agree with L.C., however. I like each volume to be self-contained, so that I can enjoy the story if my intro-book to a series is later than volume 1. If I like the characters, I will go back and try to find the other volumes, but particularly with older printed series that wasn’t always possible. Now, of course, it’s better because I can find the authors here or on twitter or somewhere and ask if I loose track because I don’t have the full story.
So true, SK! It’s like family reunions or letters from home. I love going back and forth in time to witness a character’s experience at different stages of life. And I agree, every book should be complete in itself so the reader is satisfied whether or not an earlier book has been read. Thanks for chiming in!
Nice post…though I realize I say that every time (and I mean it). I thoroughly enjoy this blog site and have learned so much!
To answer a couple of the questions – As a reader, I always go back to Brenda Jackson’s Madaris Family books – there wonderful! As a writer, I’ve been asked – numerous times – when readers will get to meet the rest of the Jenkins Family – some were introduced in my recent short story -Best Woman for the Job. The Jenkins Family series is coming soon – 2013!
Thanks, Sharon! And it’s always nice to hear it again.
I agree, Brenda Jackson’s books are totally wonderful! And how great for you to have readers begging to see your characters again. Keep those fingers on the keyboard!
When I wrote my first book, I never considered a series. However, the family grew in my mind and then into their own tales. The Double Keltic Triad was born. But then I discovered that other folks were somehow involved with this family saga, either directly or as minor characters. So instead of a series–it’s kinda like a spider web–far reaching in the past, present, future and across dimensions. Oooh, make me shiver in delight to think about it.
Best get to formatting for the next book.
As much as I love all my characters, even the villains, there is one who who will always stand out for me. And for my readers. He started as a what I thought would be a ‘walk on’. but has turned into a hero in his own right. And someday Nightshade WILL have his own story and a HEA.
And who doesn’t love a Happy Ever After!
Hi, lizzie! I think family sagas have such appeal because we all need those deep connections only family and close friends can supply.
And don’t you love it when a ‘walk on’ turns into an important character? I read that Tolkien’s Strider/Aragorn character was originally meant to only be a walk on.
If they’re stand alone titles in a series, in that you don’t have to read them in order, I’m good with them. I don’t have a lot of time to read so I’m always picking up stories out of order. If I can follow along, I love them! And then I search for the earlier books too!
Me, too, Terry. I’m always starting in the middle of a series and going back if I like it. Luckily the authors I read make each book complete in itself. I know I do. We can never assume a reader will start with book one.
Off topic question. What does the abbreviation “DH” mean? I’ve seen it here and other sites, especially baby sites (I’m pregnant with our first child), especially in concert with “DD” (on the baby sites, not the author name ;-D). Could you enlighten me on the meaning of “DH” (and “DD” if you know)?
Thanks!
Hi, Randi – DH means Darling Husband. (And I would guess it’s interchangeable with a few other D words, depending on your mood.)
DD can mean a lot of things, but if it is on a baby site, I’m guessing Darling Daughter may be it there.
I really love series! I’m very much into historical romance and I think that my favorite book-hopping character of all time is Lisa Kleypas’ Derek Craven. I think that being emotionally invested in that character is what makes you read the next book. They become like one of the family. Great post!
Now I’m going to have to add her series to my ever-growing list, Natalie. I love Mary Balogh, Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Hoyt, Vonda Sinclair . . . don’t get me started. I’m totally addicted to historical romance.
Yep, we’re on the same wavelength then! We can swap suggestions
I love series! I’m hooked on Patterson’s Alex Cross novels—love the character and his family, lady friends and allies. Same goes with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s FBI Special Agent Aloysius Xingú L. Pendergast. And James Rollins’ Sigma Force books keep me coming back for more. There are many others, as well.
When I started writing “The E Z Knight’s Reports” series of action adventure thrillers, I thought it would be relatively easy to knock out book after book once I completed the first one. After all, I’d already established the basic, all-encompassing story arc and had developed the main recurring characters. Not so.
First of all, I started with the book that was clearest in my mind, Knight’s Ranson. Big mistake, since it wasn’t the first in the series. I think I did a really good job with it—I believe it’s a very entertaining and fast-paced read, and the reviews seem to agree. But the second book was a prequel, Knight’s Big Easy—oh, boy! I had to backtrack and consider how the characters had developed into what they became in the first book, to set them up properly in the prequel, book two. Confused? I was, but I got it worked out.
Then I needed to consider that a reader might not pick up the series at the beginning—how much info did they need to know concerning the current story and the overall series? How much time do I need to devote to character development in succeeding stories in order for a new reader to feel comfortable with those main recurring characters, but at the same time, not bore the readers who have already enjoyed a previous episode?
With an action adventure thriller series, there are other decisions to be made about characters. What happens when I bump one off? Will I decide later that I really wish I hadn’t? Will readers put up with me bringing them back with a “well, they really didn’t die in book three, it just looked like it,” or “the ending of book four was just one of those Dallas dreams”? I don’t think so! The entire series would lose all credibility.
I believe the key is to not only have the work in progress well outlined, but also the overall story arc—and to start as close to the beginning of the whole thing as you can.
It’s fun. It just takes a bit more time than I’d expected to write the story I want to write, as well as to ensure both new readers and followers alike are comfortable with each book as both a series installment and also a stand-alone novel.
Series are fun to read—and a blast to write!
Hello, Gordon, and thanks for sharing your process with us. In my former pen name incarnation I had a mystery series with a trad publisher, so I know what you mean about killing people off and wishing you hadn’t.
I like the Alex Cross character, too. And I think the development of his personal life is what made that series so successful.
Luuuvvv this discussion, Y’all!
Well done, Alicia! And congrats again on your superfab new covers!!!
Pretty much all I read are Ebooks in a Series, and that’s all I write now too!
I’ve found that as both a reader and writer, that’s how you keep peeps reading! You get ‘em hooked on your characters and their worlds and then keep crankin’ out stories so everyone keeps comin’ back for more.
And as far as comments from my readers, that’s hands down what they luuuvvv the most about my books – They simply can’t wait to see what all my quirky crazy characters are up to next!!!
They begin to feel “at home” with these characters and very much a part of their worlds.
Also, they luuuvvv when you can bring those worlds alive a bit outside of the books too…whether it’s with special tchotchkes and prizes related to your characters and stories (i.e. I’ve done bootscootin’ buckles and bling for Bootscootin’ Blahniks, cupcake-themed prizes for Stompin’ on Stetsons and baby gifts for Buckles Me Baby) OR perhaps letting your readers be part of the action (for example, I’ve let my readers vote on and thus choose the next location for my Cozy Cash Mysteries…that’s why in Thug Guard, for instance, we went to Vienna first – that’s where my readers wanted to go).
Thanks, D.D.! Wavin’ at ya, Girlfriend!
I think it’s great the way you even managed to carry your romantic comedy characters into your mysteries. No mean feat!
And what great ideas for treating readers. As usual, you’ve got me thinking.
I love series, too. As a reader, I’ve loved series with the same protagonist(s) appearing again and again (Robert Crais’s Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books, for instance). But I also love the other kind you’re talking about, where the stories are linked by setting and recurring characters, but the main focus moves on. I adore seeing the main characters from the last book make appearances, whether they’re just walk ons or whether they’re more integral. If I like a book in a series, I’ll go on to read them all, or until something causes me to lose interest. Some of my favorites have been Suzanne Brockman’s SEAL books, JR Ward’s BDB series, Pamela Clare’s I-Team, Bonnie Vanak’s Draicon wolves. (There’s a nice romantic suspense and PNR mix for you!)
As a writer, I love writing series too. You’ve already laid the groundword for the story world and you’re building characters as you go. Fun!
Hi, Norah! Great examples! And so true that having certain groundwork decisions already made allows us more space to focus on the specific characters.
BTW – I hope you’ll be continuing your fab Dix Dodd series!
Hi, Alicia!
I think this is a great idea. I’ve learned a lot from working with D.D., and I know she loves to use recurring characters in multiple stories.
Best of luck!
Hey, David! Thanks for coming by!
Aha, I found you Alicia! Just now going through my emails and here was a post by you. What a pleasant surprise, although I don’t know why I was surprised since you are a regular here at WG2E. I appreciate your insight on series novels. I, on the other hand, like a stand alone novel. Once the story is done, I’m ready to move on to another one. What I do enjoy is re-reading the same story. But that may have to do with trying to get into the author’s head and learning craft. I know, I don’t follow the trend. That would be why I may not be successful at this. Who knows. I am overwhelmed with this whole writing thing. I’m just puttering along, slowly but surely. But I wish you and Roy all the best with your series!
Always good to ‘see’ you, Karen! I think commercial fiction like romance, suspense and fantasy are the kinds of books that lend themselves to series. I know that your writing leans more toward literary, and those books seldom run in series. And certainly there are plenty of successful stand alone novels. You always come from the heart, Karen, so I know your work will find readers.