JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Someone asked an interesting question
at our last Reds & Readers livestream (and again, please do join us!) about
series fatigue. We didn't have the chance to get into the issue too much, but
it’s something almost all of us have dealt with.
I’m tackling the issue head on right now by writing a non-series book! Yes, after twenty years, I’m leaving Millers Kill for a summer vacation in New England. We’ll see if it goes anywhere (or if anyone wants to read my work when it’s not about Clare and Russ) but it’s like eating a lemon ice after a heavy pasta dish - just cuts through all the taste buds and resets at zero.
Previously, I’ve helped stave off, well, boredom with the social issues I have running through my plots. They always involve something I’m extremely interested and enjoy learning about, so they keep things fresh for me, despite staying with the same characters and setting.
It’s an issue because none of us ever want to get to the point where we feel like we’re churning out the same ol’ same ol’ just because we have a contract and a deadline. I’ve read later series books where the author seemed to be going through the paces without any passion; it’s not great. It helps me understand why poor old Arthur Conan Doyle sent Holmes over the Reichenbach falls.
So, Reds, how have you dealt with series fatigue in the past? And if not, can you recognize the signs in other books you’ve read?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, great question! And yes, remember how
Agatha Christie said she grew to hate Poirot?
Ah…hmm. I just talked with Nita Prose about why she’s ending her marvelous The MAID series..and she was lovely and wise about it. She said–things just run their course. And everyone always demands to start with book one, so newer books may suffer as a result. She’s an extremely experienced publishing insider, and an incredibly successful editor as well as author. And did not want to stay too long at the party.
In writing my TIME series, and the Jane Ryland series, I always had a million more ideas. Still do. But frankly, basically the public likes NEW. Publishers like NEW. And attention spans are growing shorter every second. Been-there done-that is the death knell.
Having a long-running series is a treasure and an honor and a massive massive challenge.
RHYS BOWEN: I made a vow to myself that if ever I thought Oh God, I’ve got to do another Molly/Georgie book I’d quit the series right then. Because if I’m not enjoying writing these books, then my readers are not enjoying reading them. I’m up to book 22 with Molly and book 19 with Georgie, so definitely long running series. I think I’m lucky with both as the settings are so rich and varied. The number of stories in New York City in the early 1900s is endless. And Lady Georgie travels, has a rich ensemble cast to focus on, and also makes me laugh when I write the books.
I have to confess I am glad that Clare has taken over the
major burden of the Molly books, doing all the research and coming up with the
details of the story after we’ve thought out a broad storyline and theme. As
you know I put Molly on hold when I couldn’t tackle three books a year. I
did try that once and it was overwhelmingly stressful.
But the Royal Spyness books can continue for a while yet, although I’m not sure how I would come up with fun but relevant stories once we reach WWII. Life wasn’t exactly a hoot then!
And I’m lucky to have my stand-alone novels that present a quite different challenge each year. So we may be up to Royal Spyness book 50 one day!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Here I am on book #20 and I have to say I have never felt tired of my series. I love my characters, I love London and my other UK settings as much as ever, and if I’ve been slow, it’s not because I’m bored. I always have ideas for the next book nagging me as I write!
JULIA: Although, Debs, your main characters have grown and changed (and grown a family) so much over the years it's kind of like writing new stories all the time!
HALLIE EPHRON: I wrote a series with a co-author, a friend
who’s a neuropsychologist who loves to read mysteries and never thought he’d
write one. The partnership was fun, with books named after various
neuropsychological afflictions (AMNESIA, ADDICTION, DELUSION….) and featuring a
sleuth based on my co-author. When it stopped being fun, we stopped doing it
and I went on to write my standalones.
It’s hard enough to write a compelling, believable character arc across a single book, harder still to write one that spans multiple books. I admire anyone who can.
LUCY BURDETTE: I loved those books Hallie! Love all these Red long series. Maybe that’s because I prefer reading series to standalones (if I love the characters and setting, that is.) I am about to send in book 16 of the Key West series, which I find astonishing! I had actually written book 15 so it could have been the end, but then the publisher asked for more and I’m delighted to continue. I did request some extra time in this current contract so I could try something different, and then go back to book 17.
In the publishing world, there are pros and cons. I have devoted fans who consider my characters to be family and can’t wait to read more. Other readers, as Hank pointed out, want something different. I think the author has to feel enthused about writing the series, and it has to be selling for the publisher to continue.
JENN McKINLAY: Series fatigue is real. While I love my long running mystery series Cupcake Bakery (16) and Library Lover’s (16), I’m ready for a hiatus. I have plots for the next in series for both but I want to pursue writing something new (cozy fantasy) for a season or two while also writing the summer romcoms, which are single titles and allow me to travel (research!). If I get the chance to revisit the mysteries I will, but for now I need to recharge the murder battery. LOL.
JULIA: Lots to think on here, but the common threads seem to be a combination of the author still feeling that zing and the publisher still feeling enthused. What's your take, dear readers? Do you enjoy the long-running serial, or, do you, as Hank points out, crave the new? Can you tell when an author's gotten tired, and does that matter to you?
You write, Julia, and I'll read. I love Clare and Russ and all the Millers Kill folks and hope that there are many stories left to be told. I love series where the characters grow and change [and become like family], but I enjoy those new standalone stories as well. I understand what all of you are saying about series fatigue and publishing concerns and all that . . . . nevertheless, I look forward to reading your non-series book, Julia, but my heart hopes that there are still many more Clare and Russ stories to tell . . . .
ReplyDeleteI am a loyal reader of series. I have read some series for 35-40+ years.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I have been reading books by the REDS for decades.
I wait patiently/impatiently for the next book.
But I have also stopped reading some series. You may call it series fatigue. I stop reading when it seems like the author is just dialing it in (none of the REDS), and/or there is no character growth/interesting arc. Or there's a never-ending love triangle. Or an author abruptly kills off a series regular for no good reason except to allow the survivors to deal/wallow in their grief in subsequent books.
We've talked about the famous author who killed off the pregnant wife. There was such an outcry that she explained that with her main character happily married and now having a baby, his life was complete and there would be no more character development. This made me laugh. How to tell me you don't have children without telling me! (Selden)
Deletethat is an astonishing explanation Selden!
DeleteHA HA, interesting take. I never would have guessed that was why EG killed her off!
DeleteOne bright side of dropping/stopping to read a series:
So far, I have read books by 23 new authors this year.
I may have commented on this here before, but I also stopped reading the EG series, but for a slightly different reason I stuck with it a few books beyond that egregious death only to finally give up because it seemed she couldn't allow ANY character to be happy. Turning her attention to Havers, she spent a few books developing a happier home life for her just to blow it up. I got tired of watching characters I love be tortured.
DeleteHmmm, interesting. I probably read 3 more Lynley books after she killed off Helen but gave up after that. I didn't get to the latter books where she also messed up Havers' personal life!
DeleteI've been watching the Inspector Lynley series, but have only read one or two of the early books. I might just stick to watching!
DeleteI started watching the Inspector Lynley series and was enjoying it - until I read here about what’s coming. I stopped watching at the end of the season. IF you tell me the TV show doesn’t stick to the path of the books, I’ll go back to watching, but otherwise I’ll skip both the books and TV show. — Pat S
DeleteKAREN: I looked it up. Helen is killed off in book 13.
DeleteI saw the trailer for the new Lynley series but don't have Britbox. P.S. I watched the earlier Insp Lynley TV series in 2001 & did not like it.
I hope I've proved that explanation wrong!!!
DeleteI love reading series as long as they continue to entertain and keep me engaged. I also like reading the new stuff that interest me as well.
ReplyDeleteLike Grace mentioned, I've stopped reading a few series because the characters did not grow and if there is a love triangle- you just lost a reader.
Oh, I feel this. I need my characters to have fully realized lives.
DeleteYes, me, too!
DeleteJulia, I will read any book you write, but I do hope you'll return to Clare and Russ after your new one!
ReplyDeleteI can be a loyal and eager series reader (especially of books by Reds), but there are long-running series I've stopped reading and mostly I can't put my finger on why.
Of my own series, I have ended three myself and had two terminated. Ending the Country Store mysteries after book 13 was the hardest, because my fans love it and my editor wanted more books. I confess I miss Robbie and gang, but it felt like the appropriate time to do it, for Robbie and for me. Right now I have one series ongoing and am excited to be putting final touches on a new series proposal that my editor seems interested in. Shiny new baubles! Stay tuned for news.
Keep us posted on that Edith! Did you feel the country store series was finished forever, or that you were taking a hiatus?
DeleteMy intention is that it's over, Lucy. I left everybody in a good place, and I no longer want to write three books a year, because grandchildren! It's time not to work so hard. And for me, that means two books a year instead of three. Yes, I will keep you all posted.
DeleteGood luck on the new series proposal.
DeleteOooh, new series proposal sounds intriguing. Fingers crossed they like it!
DeleteI love series characters. I'm sure I was conditioned by my early devouring of the Bobbsey Twins, then Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I don't mind listening to backstory over and over. I only mind if the characters stop being true to themselves. A couple of times in the later books, I told myself to give up on our Canadian author friend because the characters seemed to me to becoming caricatures and the plots too outlandish, but her two most recent have received raves so I'm sure I'll go back.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I am sorry to hear Clare, Russ, & Co. are off on hiatus because I enjoy them so much. However I understand the desire to flex different muscles. Are you perhaps working on the Thomaston book you once mentioned collecting research for? (Selden)
Interestingly, Selden, I still have that complaint about our Canadian friend. Her most recent books have been excellent thrillers, but the beloved secondary characters have felt shoehorned in and flat. I desperately hope she can recapture the charm of the earlier books. (As you can tell, I have not given up on her.)
DeleteChiming in on our Canadian friend. When an author becomes an industry, the books can become less interesting to me. The core of the heart remains, but the surrounding tissue can be a bit dry for me as reader...
DeleteI too agree, and find some of the writing pedantic and preachy. On the other hand, at the same time, the last two have a different reader, and the first one does not have me loving the reader - I wonder how much that in in the mix?
DeleteSadly, I am not a huge fan of our Canadian friend. I read most of the books but switched to listening to the more recent ones. The recent change in narrator has been a bit jarring for me. The new thrillerish plot direction made me miss the beloved Three Pines community & cast of characters. The upcoming book is probably continuing this trend.
DeleteOh our Canadian Friend! I got into maybe thirty pages of her last book and gave up. I’ll have a look at the next one when it turns up on Bookbub
DeleteCan’t believe this happened.
Same for me, on the thriller aspect. I still love the characters, but not interested in the terror/drug cartel/conspiracy situations.
DeleteI think her first narrator passed away? Switching narrators is very hard, although I must say I've been listening to Ann Cleeves' Shetland books and the second narrator is SO MUCH BETTER. Kenny Blythe is wonderful and won an Audiofile award for one of them.
DeleteAlso, I really enjoyed the collaboration with Hillary Clinton in the politcal thriller STATE OF TERROR so I can see the inclination towards bigger canvases.
DeleteIf the author is uninterested, so will the reader be. There are no two ways about that.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the characters grow and change, it is compelling for the reader, all other things being equal, ie, plot, settings, etc. We all know about a very long-running series where none of the characters seem to move forward, especially the main one, who is such a dithering idiot she can't choose between two men after years. Give me a break. After awhile it becomes tedious, not fun.
All the Reds' series I've read have character arcs that propel their lives, just like real ones. We all want to know what will happen next, because the murders are almost incidental to the fascinating lives being lived by the sleuths.
I've noticed that I stop watching TV series on the streaming channels because of this. Also, some of the situations are so preposterous that it's an insult to the viewers' intelligence. You can almost see the line of demarcation where the powers that be pulled the plug on older series. Remember Happy Days, and the Fonz "jumping the shark"?
Question for the authors with series: does the pressure to produce a new book, especially in a tight timeline, stifle your creativity at all? I myself would find this to be the case, and I have found myself wondering about books I've read if having a writing version of a forced march affected the quality of the book.
DeleteI hasten to add that I have NOT found this with any Reds books.
Speaking for me only, I have a year between books and that works fine. If I didn't have a deadline, not sure I would muster the urge to write it:)
DeleteIn two series (maybe three - Julia as I need to reread the last book), the characters have moved on to two real life differences because of their employment. Debs characters have new ways to go, and so do Joy Ellis' - great series if you have not tried it. In that one the two characters have just married, approved by the boss, but not approved by the unit - will one have to work in another district. There is room for expansion.
DeleteI knew when Gemma and Duncan got together as a couple they couldn't continue to work on the same team, which was hard, but it also has provided lots of new opportunities.
DeleteI love series and prefer to read series over stand alones. I love to watch characters grow and change and have lovers and new friends come into their lives. I love the familiarity of the people and the settings. The early Molly books, the early Georgie books, the early Gemma and Duncan books, totally hooked me. All of Jenn's series are so compelling. I love to see the secondary characters develop. I follow all of the Reds's series and many of our contributors 's series, too.
ReplyDeleteI have left series. Sometimes, even when a writer is acclaimed, I just don't feel it, even from the first book. I have left series for some of the same reasons as Grace, but also because of lack of progress in a relationship. Come on! He kissed her in book #1. They live next door to one another. Six months later, they have another kiss. In book #5 they are still having one kiss?! Good-bye. No progress for characters or relationships. I have dropped a series if the main character is too whiney. I have left when there is no reason for the volunteer sleuth to go question someone or even be involved in a murder investigation. But most of the time, if I like book #1 (and I always try to read book #1 first) I will stick with you.
You're a loyal reader Judy, but with definite limits! For me the first book is the hardest to write--yes it's exciting new ground, but I don't really know the characters yet. It's easy to make a mistake that you wish you could fix later:)
DeleteJudy, we so appreciate the enthusiasm!
DeleteYes, Judy, you are our dream reader!
DeleteI do love series as long as the author keeps the characters growing. As others have said, I can tell when the author starts phoning it in for the sake of a contract and I will generally stop reading.
ReplyDeleteI also like new things. But sometimes you want comfort and that's what keeps me going back and re-reading old favorites. Funny how I almost always re-read series. I don't know as I've ever re-read a stand-alone (aside from classics like Pride & Prejudice).
Next year will be book #9 in the Laurel Highland series (writing it now) and I have a contract for 3 more Homefront books. I don't know if 9 books counts as "long running" these days. But I have an idea for something that could be a standalone OR a limited series and I really want to write it and get it to my agent. Which means something is going to at least have to go on pause for a while. At least my plan is to leave everybody in a good spot so if I never get to pick them up again, readers won't be left hanging on the major points.
That's me, Liz, above. Not sure why Google signed me out of my account.
DeleteSounds like a perfect plan!
DeleteI'll read any book you write, Julia, even if it's Sci-Fi! I have gotten tired of series (present company NOT included) and just stopped after awhile.Sometimes the books seem all the same, other times I just crave something different. In one case, the writer's negative view of humanity and right wing politics got more and more strident and I decided to leave the series.
ReplyDeleteGillian, did you see that you won one of my new books? Please send along your snail mail address to edith@edithmaxwell.com!
DeleteGillian, I had the same reaction to an author’s viewpoint not peeking through, but clubbing you over the head as you read. It was an adventure suspense series, not anything like the Reds (or their Readers) write. Later I heard the original author died and someone else took over the series. I’m curious how the new person writes, but not enough to read the series again. — Pat S
DeleteAs a reader, I do love series, although as has already been pointed out, if each new book is a rehash of the previous and the characters don't evolve, I quickly lose interest.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, I'm currently in the terrifying spot of moving away from both of my series (at least for now) in order to test the standalone waters. I love my characters and settings, but as Julia says, I need to reset. And I believe it was Hank who once said, in a standalone, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. I confess, I am leaning into that!
good luck Annette, can't wait to see what happens!
DeleteI am very faithful to the series that I like. Reading a new book in a series is like taking news of friends and family and it fills me with joy.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think that it shows when an author didn’t enjoy writing a book, didn’t put mind and heart on it. So it’s better if a series end. I feel a little bereft but it’s like losing a friend and it happens, it’s life.
That's a good explanation Danielle! I feel the same way about series that I love...waiting at this moment for the next Kent Krueger and Ann Cleeves:) (and Julia and Debs OF COURSE)
DeleteHaving just finished AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, I will miss Clare and Russ, but good for you trying new things in your writing.
ReplyDeleteThat really is a great question Julia and my only answer to it is depends. Some series I truly want to go on forever and others I think, oh this again. So for me it isn't so much the author, but me and what I want or think I want. I don't necessarily want new. What I want is a good, well written story. Easy for me to say, huh.
ReplyDeleteBut I can understand an author growing tired of the same characters in the same setting. You guys live with those characters on a daily basis for months, or even years. We readers on the other hand enjoy them for a few days and move on, but still ready to read more in a year or two.
I am so looking forward to reading your something different!
I like series reading because the characters become dear friends. I have muddled through a couple who seemed to be calling it in…one came out on the other side with a breath of new life and I was glad I continued. The other lost my interest totally. I haven’t seen a new book from her in a while so I am hoping someone convinced her to just hang it up.
ReplyDeleteAn abrupt and unexpected end to a series, like with Sue Grafton’s books, is heartbreaking. So if you are planning to end a series as a reader I would like to see it coming. I know that isn’t always possible.
I do love series, for all the reasons the rest of you have said. I am eagerly awaiting my call from the Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Julia, to tell my your November book is here! And, like the others, I’ll be eager to read whatever you write. As long as the author is still interested in the characters, and story, the series will continue to be interesting. Thank you ALL for writing!
ReplyDeleteI love series. Enjoy getting to know the characters and the mysteries. Am always looking forward to the next book.
ReplyDeleteI crave the new...NEW BOOKS IN A LONG RUNNING SERIES that is.
ReplyDeleteMaybe my attention span is longer than others. But I like long running series and I am more upset when a series ends before I WANT IT TO. Yes, clearly that's an insane school of thought since I'm not responsible for writing the books, but no one said my reasoning had to be reasonable.
If a series goes off the rails, yes I'll give up on it but that's really only happened once and that was because when I read the last book I would read in the series (it is still going on), most of the book felt like it was copy-and-pasted from all the books that came before.
And I'm still out here hoping and scheming to get new stories in series that have ended.
The notion that both short attention span "fans" and publishers only want new annoys the crap out of me. They need to learn to stop raining on my "long-running series rock" parade.
I prefer series to stand-alones (although I do occasionally read stand-alones). I love long-running series as long as the stories are interesting and the characters are growing. It’s like visiting an old friend. Over the past couple of years, I have found various new-to-me authors that I enjoy. It’s a great feeling to find a new series that I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time ever commenting here although I've been reading this blog ever since I stumbled upon it a while ago. I'm not a writer, but now that I'm retired I consider reading my full time job, and I love reading mystery series. I always start at the beginning, enjoy getting to know the characters, and watch the evolution of the writer's style over time (for example Ruth Rendell- now that was a long career!). I've learned so much about Canada, India, Switzerland, and of course the US and UK. I try to vary reading a dark one with one or two that are lighter, although I'm about to give up on a certain series that a couple people have mentioned because it's getting too dark. Many thanks to all of you for the countless hours and days you spend researching and plotting your stories, whether on a series or a stand-alone. (Kathy in Ohio)
ReplyDeleteYes Kathy! And many thanks to all the red writers!!
DeleteWelcome to the commenters side of the blog, Kathy in Ohio! (Have you considered spelling your name with a “C”? I’m a very, well, I don’t want to say shallow person, but I tend to notice the first letter of a person’s or character’s name more than the actual name. So having both a Karen in Ohio and a Cathy in Ohio is going to throw me. If changing the spelling of your name is too much to ask, I understand. Moving to another state also works for me!) — Pat S
DeleteKathy, we're so glad to have you here!!
DeleteWelcome to the Reds, Kathy!
DeleteSo nice to see you here, Cathy!
DeleteI follow quite a few series and love them, with the same provisos others have mentioned. The characters must grow and change and move forward over time, and the writing must still feel fresh and vital. It saddens me when a series I have loved comes to an end, even if I do understand the many reasons a writer might need to end it.
ReplyDeleteThere is a series I followed for quite a while that was set in the Sanibel Island area. Eventually I stopped reading new entries because they began to feel phoned in. But recently I noticed the author had written one since Hurricane Ian came through, set during the storm. I picked it up and sure enough, that external event seemed to have re-lit the author's fire. That book was as good as the early ones in the series. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
One place I think I'm different from most readers is that I rarely binge a series. If I stumble onto a good new series, I will read one entry, then a couple other books, then one more entry, for however long it takes. I find I enjoy them more that way.Also, it allows me to make the pleasure last longer.
SUSAN: I am the same. I don't think I have ever binge-read a series.
DeleteRight now I am binge reading a compilation of the Rumpole of The Bailey series. Love John Mortimer's writing.
DeleteI have binge-read a few series when I fell in love with a later book and then wanted to catch up to that point and had the time to binge because a surgery or something. I did that with Debs' series and Louise Penny's after my 2011 back surgery, and then with the Maisie Dobbs books after Winspear appeared on this blog with one of her later books.
DeleteI know the series you're talking about Susan, and I will have to try the new one.
DeleteI don't think there is anything more fun than discovering a new (to me) series and binge reading all the way through it. Unless it's getting a new book in a much loved series...
DeleteThanks for this interesting discussion. I'm only on book 4 of the Ellie Kent mysteries. . . so I'm not fatigued yet, just slow! I do love other people's long series, which are such a great opportunity for learning. A favorite of mine: Sue Grafton's A to Y books about Kinsey Milhone, which are, to my mind, a love song to California as much as anything else. I found the way she varied the settings and elements of her stories brilliant and inspiring. When I began reading this blog, I was thinking more of the term "series creep," which I first heard from a publisher. It referred to declining sales, rather than the fatigue of the author. I'd be interested to hear how authors handle their publishers pulling the plug on their series, possibly long before they are ready to see them end.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a hard one, and not something we authors can control. I've had 2 series ended by the publisher--I was devastated but you learn to pick up and move on. Actually, the Key West series was also dropped in the great mystery purge of 2007 or so. Luckily, Crooked Land picked it up and now they've published more than the original publisher did.
DeleteWhen I love a series it is for the writing, the characters and the plots. If all three continue to hold my interest, I'll read every book that comes out.
ReplyDeleteStandalones are fine and good, though if the focus is on the plot rather than the writing and the characters, they risk not capturing my attention long enough to make it through. I read for the characters, so if they come into my reading life and then vanish after just one story, I find that a tad unsatisfying.
Naming names now to get my point across – the Kane & Abel series by Jeffrey Archer – so good in the beginning, and then I really didn’t care. Ken Follett – would have followed him to the end of the world in his books, but then the last series of 3 books – the first was good, the second was tough, and the third – just no interest. I see he has a new one this month – let’s hope he is back on his game. Beside what he writes, the cost of the book is always a mortgage-the-house investment!
DeleteWhen I read a series, it is because I love the characters , the plots and the writing. They can say I am a loyal series reader. I cannot recall a time when I stopped reading a mystery series.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there was a teen novel series in the 1980s, which I stopped reading because the team of writers (the named author on the books just wrote the outline and the team wrote the story based on the outline) killed off my favorite character. I felt exactly like the Will Ferrell character getting mad at the Emma Thompson writer character in STRANGER THAN FICTION. I was so angry that I wrote a different ending to this particular novel where the real bad guys die instead of my character.
There was a mystery series, which I loved. The first two books were wonderful. Then the next books changed the names of the characters and the stories did not connect. In the first two books, something happened to this character then in the next books something drastically different happened to the same character with no explanation. It was confusing. Yet I continued reading the series because I loved the main character. After ? seven ? books in the series, it ended. I wonder if the author got series fatigue or it was the editor / publisher?
There are several series, which I loved, that ended like Penny Warner's Connor Westphal and Rhys Bowen's Constable Evans. I am so glad I bought the books and I am definitely keeping them despite my massive purge of books. There are too many books and so little space for all of my books. These serial books survived the purge because I worry that these books will be out of print.
I prefer a well-written series that gives me character growth along with interesting plots. I am with Grace and several others regarding authors doing or not doing something with/to their characters. In some cases, I wonder if perhaps there is a bit of author life issues creeping into otherwise wonderful works. If main characters are stagnant or begin to behave in ways that make no sense and don't move the plot forward, I just write them off. There are too many books and too little time for me to waste it on characters who have lost their appeal.
ReplyDeleteStand alone books are not my top pick, but if they are by my favorite authors I will give them a spin. If they keep my attention then I'm all in. If not, I'll stick to the series and know that the stand alone books aren't my speed. I respect that you need to "cleanse the writing palate" sometimes. I think it makes you a sharper and fresher writer when/if you return to a series. -- Victoria
I enjoy both series and stand alone books. In a series, character development is just as important to me as the plot. I also enjoy getting to know more and more about the setting as the series goes on, whether it’s a small village, a big city, or a rural area. I have given up on some series because the author seems to be running out of ideas and is just phoning it in, as they say. There have been two times when I have given up on a series I was really enjoying, not because the author killed off a continuing character, but because a continuing character who had always been a good person turned out to be the murderer! That really turned me off.
ReplyDeleteOh that's interesting Claire. That character change would bother me too.
DeleteI find it interesting that some authors end a series to write another – and then I really don’t like the other. I give it two books – grab me or I am gone. On the other hand, there are series that I don’t want to ever end, because more than the mystery, I am involved in the characters. When should they end – I don’t know. I will also say, I really appreciate it when an author knows that time is ticking, and that the next book and all thereafter will just be a cookie cutter of the plot, without trying a new ingredient. Please, I will thank you for tying up loose ends and moving on.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what authors think when they know each book that they write will be a one-off. Everything that needs to be said about this subject needs to be compacted into 300 pages – that is talent, as well.
Hope the wedding is going well!
I wrote a whole response and then hit some odd key and it all went away. To be short and sweet, I like long series if the characters grow. I also like stand alones. I started Debs’ series when she was on Book #18, I think, but happily began at the beginning. (And my joke above to Kathy in Ohio was ruined by autocorrect changing her spelling to Cathy. Hoist on my own petard!) Enjoy your weekend, everyone! And Julia, I hope you don’t read the blog until Monday because you’re having so much fun with your friends and family! — Pat S
ReplyDeleteI tend to prefer standalones more than following a series. And I just figured out one reason why. It only takes not liking one book in a series, and I tend to abandon the whole thing instead of giving the poor writer and characters another chance. But with standalones, I might hate one and love the rest, Stephen King being an example. Also I absolutely love very short series, like a trilogy.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so amusing when an author gets to the eighth book in a “trilogy!”
Happy Labor Day from upstate New York. May your potato salad be outstanding, your beer nicely chilled, and your hot dogs slightly charred.
Ann, thanks for the Labor Day smiles. Elisabeth
DeleteThere are many authors whose series I continue to read because I enjoy the characters and the way the continuity of the stories is retained. If there is a subject in which the main character has expertise I learn something from each book and anticipate next one.
ReplyDeleteDonna Andrews is an author I have read from her first book. She has written 38 Meg Langslow books and continues to maintain the same humor while finding new ideas
Carolyn Haines, Jeanne Dams and Miranda James are some other long series authors who are able to provide new stories without being repetitive.
There have only been a couple of authors whose books I have stayed with until something has changed in the writing, almost as if there is a new writer who has taken over and changed the personalities and direction.
I have often looked forward to the ‘next one’ and find out the publisher, not the author was responsible for a series ending.
There are, of course, writers who are no longer with us but they are still producing books.
Getting here late today. Two series that I wanted to go on, but they didn’t…Rhys Bowen’s Evan Evans and Edith Maxwell’s Lauren Rousseau. Such strong characters in Evan Evans…wanted to know them better. Lauren Rousseau left all too quickly…such an intelligent woman just wiped out.
ReplyDeleteThat’s me Elisabeth on Evan and Lauren.
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