I have an ongoing series. It’s called The Hunters. It is erotic romance, it’s paranormal, it’s a lot of fun to write. The first book, The Hunters: Tori and Declan came out almost two years ago from Ellora’s Cave in ebook. Since then, six books have been released in ebook format. There’s two print books out now, each containing two of the ebooks. The fifth story, The Hunters Ben & Shadoe will be out in print any day now.
I recently signed a two book contract with Berkley. This is going to be a spin off series from my Hunters books. The first book there is called Hunting the Hunter and it’s scheduled for release in 10/06. Long way off…for now, though, the other Hunters books are still available through Ellora’s Cave.
The Hunters seem to be pretty popular with the EC readers. Every week I get lots of emails
When will Mike get a story?
Are they going to be more Hunters?
Is Leandra going to have a story? Is she going to have a story with Mal?
Is Mal going to get is his own story?
I hope you keep on writing the Hunters forever….
Okay, yes, I love getting these emails. That means I did something right. I wrote a series good enough that readers like it. But uh…I can’t write it forever.
Which brings up today’s topic… SERIES!
I don’t think any author should write a series forever. I mean, won’t they get bored? Right now, I have roughly two more books planned in this series. Leandra and Mike~MIKE… Not Mal. Mal wasn’t ever going to be paired with Leandra. He had his own mate from book 2. He didn’t know it then, but I did.
And I also knew in book 4 who Leandra was going to fall in love with. What can I say, I like making them suffer. And nobody would make her suffer quite like the man she tried to kill. ;o)
So Leandra & Mike. Then Mal & Kelsey. I haven’t started either of them. Right now, my brain is a little tired from the Hunters‘ books. It needs a break. I plan on writing Leandra’s story first and then Mal’s. After that, unless somebody just jumps out at me, that part of the Hunters world may draw to an end. I do have the spin off series with Berkley that I’m working on. The first book is done. The second book is contracted and in the works. I have sketchy ideas for two or three more books if they are interested.
I will tell you, I’m pretty excited about the Berkley Hunters. The world is do indepth, there’s a lot of suspense…and I’m also scared to death. What if it falls flat…what if it sucks…but that’s just part of it. I did something different~for me~with that book. I just have to hope it works.
I love vampires. I love werewolves. I love anything paranormal, out of the ordinary, but if you keep writing in that world for too long~doesn’t that make make it become just a little more ordinary? That’s why I don’t think series, in general, can last forever.
Here’s my reasoning…
- They can get boring for the reader.
I’m a reader too. I can’t tell you how many series I fell in love with and for the first five or six books, I jumped on them the minute they came out. Books seven, eight and nine…eagerly awaited, but I no longer mauled the manager if she didn’t have them sitting on the shelf for me. Book ten…eh, I could wait a week or two. By eleven, twelve and thirteen, well, I was reading them at the library and waiting for paperback, or not even buying them anymore unless it was in the trusty old used bookstore. There are a couple authors who are exceptions to this rule. But in general, for me, after the first few books… well, I will still enjoy them, but I just don’t devour them the way I used to. Series can get old. They can get stale. I don’t want to see that happen with any of my books. Although I’m sure some people will think it has happened, or that it will happen. It’s all a matter of opinion.
- They can get boring for the author.
YES…this is entirely possible. It’s not an issue now, but I get bored writing in just straight romance, which is why I write all over the spectrum. I don’t just write contemporary. When, I write paranormal, I don’t just write vampires. I don’t just write werewolves. I don’t always make the guy the vampire. Or the werewolf. That does tend to be the norm. I’ve also killed off my main characters. Now I’ve brought them back ~G~in a new world, in a new body, sometimes with a striking red dragon as a sidekick, but I get bored doing the same thing. So it’s safe to assume I’ll eventually get bored writing in the same series.
- You start seeing too many similar things on the market.
Right now, the market is full of paranormal books. That’s fine. But I like trying new things. Sooner or later, I’m going to wrap things up just I can try to veer off in a different direction. A few weeks ago, my agent looked at a proposal that she said was different from anything she had seen before. Paranormal, yes… more in the realm of dark fantasy, but definitely paranormal. I like being different.
The thing is though, if you start seeing too many books on the market, sooner or later, won’t the readers get bored with it? There needs to be a variety.
- There are other stories the author may want to write.
Lots of them. I know I have other ideas brewing. I have two books left in the Mythe world, possibly more. I still want to write more books in fantasy worlds. I have a two book suspense series that I want to pitch to Berkley that I haven’t even started. and I can’t until I finish Finding the Hunter. And if the editor is interested the proposal my agent sent her, then there’s another book I have to finish before I can start these two.
But nope… sorry. The Hunters won’t last forever. That’s the bad news.
The good news…
The Hunters as you know them aren’t lasting forever. I’ll write more in that world, but the books will be different. The focus will be different. My writing style is changing-people who read Hunting the Hunter will see that.
I hope people like the changes. I’m really proud of this newest Hunter book. Nothing stays the same, right?
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