Reading and Writing Romance in Series
I’m a fan of series. I love knowing when I finish the first
book in a series there will be more coming. It’s like becoming part of a
community. Everyone in the community is an individual with his or her own story.
But we all know the stories, the backgrounds, the experiences, and being among
our community members is always easy to slip into and enjoy the sense of
belonging and support. We recognize the faces and can’t wait to discover what
has happened since the last time we saw one another.
Reading series is like that for me, especially when the
titles in the series can also stand alone. There is pleasure in reading each
book, and with romance, following the developing story between the hero and
heroine as they find their HEA. In the final book, it’s so satisfying to see
every character from the multiple books gather together and affirm their
devotion to one another. It just feels good.
I get the same satisfaction as an author when writing a
series. My books often have a theme of 'family is what you make it.' Love and
support can come from nonbiological family members just as well, and maybe
better, than from a biological connection. Sometimes family is where we learn
our most difficult and painful lessons about ourselves, and that’s not always
fun. Turning to our ‘made’ family can provide solace and companionship and
support in a meaningful way. For these reasons, I enjoy creating a ‘made’
family in writing a series with a group of characters who can push each other’s
buttons but also never let each other down.
Writing my Fierce Hearts series was hard work and it was a
deep experience for me. I enjoyed the diversity of characters and problems, as
well as the strength of each one as they faced danger and pain and still
triumphed in their individual ways. Although right now I’m working on a book
project that I expect to be a single title, thoughts for future projects are
popping up in groups, so more series are to come.
Do you like to read series or do you prefer single titles?
Do you have a favorite series? Share?
10 comments:
I love a good series, as long as the books stand alone too. No cliffhangers please! Great post, Lynn.
I love series books! I love watching the characters grow and develop over a series. It's not romance, but the Harry Potter books are one of my favorites. You get to see romances, friendships, and foes all change over the course of the seven books!
Great job, Lynn!
Thanks, HiDee. I like closure, too, and don't delayed satisfaction.
Harry Potter books definitely a favorite series, Gwen.
Thanks, RT!
My favorite series is Robyn Carr's Virgin River. Every once in a while, I reread one of the novels. It's kind of like taking a trip to visit old friends!
I'm a huge fan of series. Even though I didn't plan it that way, all three of my published fiction works are set in the same universe--even though two are romantic comedies, one a short story collection, and one a YA novel. When I come to love characters, I just hate to let them go.
Yes, Angela, like old friends. A very nice feeling.
Hey Mark, I know what you mean? All of my most recent books began with the characters in Dancing with Detective Danger, a romantic suspense. The stories just keep coming and evolved into an actual shifter series. Now that it's completed, I miss them. That's why I wrote a short story loosely related to the series characters.
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