Jul
1 2013 |
Most of the books I write are parts of a series.
Some of them are set in the same place but each book has its own self contained story and HEA for that couple. The Chase Brothers series is this way, as is the Petal, Georgia series, my Brown Family and Delicious books for instance. These books will have a cast of characters and a world that builds with each new book as those characters all experience new things. So you could read book four of the Brown Family novels (Never Enough) and you’d get a book about a guy who finds out he’s got a twelve year old he never knew he existed. It’s a love story between Adrian and his son, and a romance between Adrian and Miles’ mother Gillian. If you dig in a layer and have read the other books, you also know Adrian’s brother and sister and one of his friends have also found their HEA and all their stories have built a foundation in Never Enough as well. But you could absolutely understand Never Enough without having read the other books (though the experience is deeper if you have)
I also write in terms of multiple book story arcs within a series. Each book as a self contained HEA but there’s a multiple book meta-story happening. Most frequently these books are my paranormal romances or my futuristics. Bound By Magick has had four separate HEAs but there’s one big story that’s been building since book one. The first four Cascadia Wolves books are also like that, and the first two de La Vega books were also one larger story as well as a complete romance per book. My Federation Chronicles are also based on one, sweeping world with big giant politics, an impending war, etc. While you can enjoy the romances in each, every single book builds into the next with one large story. You won’t understand what’s going on in the world if you pick up book five and you haven’t read the others. Sure, you can read the romance in it and that isn’t hard to understand, but you won’t know about the class underpinnings of this huge world and so your experience won’t be the same, or complete.
Sometimes I write in a meta world and connect series across it. For instance – my Cascadia Wolves, de La Vega Cats and my Bound By Magick series are all set in the same world. I’ve had characters from the various series show up in books from the other series – I LOVE this. You don’t need to have read the de La Vega cats books to understand Going Under when Mia (Gibson’s mate from Beneath the Skin) is the pilot the witches use to fly Molly and her PR tour around. It’s a fun easter egg for fans of the series and creates some fun threads, but it’s not necessary to have read the other series for understanding. I’ve just begun a new series crossover mini series that starts with UNCONDITIONAL and will be a story arc over at least the next book. This is the story from my Bound By Magic books, but told from the perspective of the shifters. There will be a fully contained HEA per book, but an overarching storyline that takes these characters through a devastating world event and how they deal with the aftermath.
Writing a series enables me to create a big world that is fleshed out. It connects characters, places and stories and each new book in a series makes things bigger and more three dimensional. It gives me new ways to write, new things to try, new ways to approach stories and my characters. I love to write series and I’m so thrilled my actual job is to keep on doing so!
July 1st, 2013 at 7:23 am · Link
OK, I must be slightly stupid or, perhaps, behind the times. What is ” HEA” short for? You have used at least twice in the last few posts and I can’t figure it out from the context.
July 1st, 2013 at 8:14 am · Link
I love reading series. Best way to catch up on characters that you love they always pop up here and there.
July 1st, 2013 at 8:30 am · Link
HEA… HAPPILY EVER AFTER 🙂
I love that the series connect and give us more and more layers of passed couples
July 1st, 2013 at 8:43 am · Link
i love all your series and the worlds you create x 😉
July 1st, 2013 at 12:01 pm · Link
happily ever after = hea 🙂
July 1st, 2013 at 3:58 pm · Link
This is exactly what I love about your Federation books.
July 2nd, 2013 at 10:47 am · Link
The connection your different series’ have just rounds out each world. I especially love how your paranormal stories intermesh to make complete worlds.
July 2nd, 2013 at 2:25 pm · Link
Your series with the Brown family & the Chase brothers have gotten me hooked on your story telling, I’ve now read through the Delicious series & the Petal series, now I’m waiting paitently for the next Brown book to come out.
There is a group of us in my office that have started a library of your books, Maya Banks & a few others we love your stories & would love to see more with these families! Great escape books. Thank you for keeping us all entertained!!! 🙂
July 7th, 2013 at 12:42 am · Link
When is lush going to be released on kindle ? 🙂