AccessRomance - All A-Blog » Blog Archive » Questions for Readers: Continuing Series

Questions for Readers: Continuing Series — Secondary Characters, In Jokes and Plot

I am currently writing two series. My “Heart” books are set on a fantasy world (Celta) with psi/magic colonized by Earth centuries ago. For these books, I usually have a hero and heroine you’ve met before who were secondary characters previously. I also usually wrap up the plot, though I may leave a thread dangling for later books. So, my question is — do you like to see secondary characters become heroes and heroines?

And how much do you want to see of previous heroes and heroines? Since I am now on book six (recently sold two), my readers have favorites. However, I’ve never done a “party” scene, and only let the older ones appear if they have a purpose in the book. Do I need a Healer? I have Lark Apple. Do I need a prophet? Here’s the young and precocious Vinni T’Vine. Who all do you want to see and how much of them do you want to see?

Sometimes, though, for plot reasons, I CAN’T have a previous hero or heroine appear. My last hero, Straif Blackthorn HAS to be gone for the upcoming Heart Quest (September). The story couldn’t be told with him there…does that bother you?

And those dangling threads…the Heart books may have a subplot dangle, but my Luna books (Average American women Summoned to another dimension to fight monstrous evil) have an over-arching plot that will carry six books. New hero and heroine each book, but taking steps to defeat the evil. Do you like plots that wrap up in the book, or larger ones? In the larger plot, I DO leave more threads dangling. Some readers realize these aren’t explained, and some miss them and some don’t care.

I haven’t done a single character (and romance) over several books, how much do you like these?

I was recently doing a book revision and needing to cut and came to an “in joke.” Something the readers of prevous books would pick up on, but something that added only a little to the book. Do you like these? Do they make you smile? Do they annoy you and make you rather read the previous book instead of this one?

So. let’s talk a little about continuing series. What you like best about them, and what you hate most about them.

Thanks, and may your reading satisfy today.

Robin

6 Responses to “Questions for Readers: Continuing Series — Secondary Characters, In Jokes and Plot”

I love continuing series books. I dont hate anything about them except that I have to wait for the next one.

I do like when the characters re-appear in the next book or if they cant, to be mentioned; Also like the background info on them in case I have missed a previous book. Especially love the brother/sister/cousin/friends characters. Stronger pull there I think.

by Pat on June 3rd, 2006 at 9:48 am
I also love continuing series, as long as the author knows when to stop. Repetitiveness or continuing long after the storyline has run its course just ruins it for me. The other thing I don’t like is when there is little or no mention (other than names) of characters from previous books. If Joe and Jill were the characters in book #1, and Joe’s brother Adam had his story in book #2, I want to find out what’s going on with Joe and Jill, at least a little bit.

The best example I can use is of JD Robb’s In Death series. We are still learning new things about Eve, which just goes to show you that Nora knows how not to tell all the story right up front. There are still conflicts in the marriage, their careers, friendships, etc., so there is a lot of rich history to draw from but also new stuff to explore.

I like the “in joke” idea - something that ties the books together. Chances are, being the anal soul that I am, I’ve read the previous books, so I like the idea of having and inside scoop, so to speak.

by Stacy ~ on June 3rd, 2006 at 10:33 am
I have to go with the usual caveat: “as long as the writing is good…”

As long as the writing is good, I enjoy series of both types very much.

I really enjoy series with secondary characters becoming main characters in the next books; where the main characters of previous books in the series make brief appearances, or are mentioned as part of the background for the current main characters’ story. I also enjoy the idea of an overall story arc running through several books, whether external (the kind in your Luna books), or the character/couple with a story developing over the course of several books (Suzanne Brockmann’s Sam and Alyssa come to mind).

There are two things that can kill a series for me:

A) When it never stops, so you have the original main character’s children’s children (slight exaggeration) story being told but the environment or time period hasn’t changed–from clothing to technology. Drives me insane! You can’t have twenty years pass for people yet have everything else remain the same. And of course, as Stacy said, when the author seems to have run out of plots.

B) When the individual books cannot stand alone. I believe that this is the hardest thing for the author, balancing the backstory of the series with the needs of each individual story. Bringing back characters from previous stories as necessary for that book–which can be used to give the backstory without dumping the whole thing awkwardly on the reader–seems to me one of the best ways of accomplishing this.

Again, though, it’s all in the writing–plot, character development, an engaging writing voice, and I’m there.

by azteclady on June 3rd, 2006 at 11:03 am
I enjoy the continuing series and it doesn’t matter if the characters from a past reappear or if everyone is new.

by Estella Kissell on June 3rd, 2006 at 3:16 pm
I like series books. Look at Suz Brockmann’s series - by the time she writes a book about a character the reader already feels that they know the character and are looking forward to finding out even more about him/her. Sometimes though with other authors, when you can’t find the beginning books I wish they could give a brief synopsis of the earlier books at the beginning or even the end of the book. I know that is not feasible but it would help, even if you read the earlier books you don’t always remember them. I like “in jokes”. They make you smile and they make you feel like you are a part of the world the story is in.

by Joyce on June 4th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Hmm. Synopses…mostly I drop stuff in that happened before in an odd line or two. In Heart Quest, I have the hero, Winterberry (who is a guardsman — cop — assigned to the top ranking nobles), run down briefly in a paragraph how he viewed each book (I think he’s been in them all)….

“I’ve been on assignments ike T’Ash’s HeartGift being stolen. Apprehending the dangerous outlaw, Ruis Elder. Monitoring the Hawthorn-Holly duel…and accompanying Straif Blackthorn, a man suspected by the Council of being negligent of his title and his estate, to a mine in the Hard Rock Mountains.”

“Wow. Interesting stuff.” (Trif, the heroine says).

“No,” he said. “Babysitting.”
*************************************************************
So I don’t usually explain in all one bit, but thread it through.

Thanks all for your comments!
Robin

by Robin Owens on June 4th, 2006 at 8:09 pm