Looking for Romance?

I celebrated my novel's first birthday last month. It was a fun year, full of events and celebrations -- much more fanfare than I'd given either of my non-fiction books, which lived a quiet life tucked in the pages of catalogs geared to educators.

Typical of the youngest of the progeny, Casting the First Stone had gotten the most attention, and while it probably didn't know the difference, I'd gotten used to it. So what to do in year two?

Keep celebrating, of course! This Saturday, February 14, I'll be celebrating with 20 other writers (including fellow Susquehanna Writers bloggers Cate Masters and Susan Gourley/Kelley) at "Love is in the Air" at Aschcombe Farm and Greenhouse in Mechanicsburg. If there's anything better than a book celebration, it's a multi-author book celebration!

So if you're in the mood for a dose of romance or a dose of spring (or both), stop in between noon and three on Saturday. We'll have  prizes and book swag and while we'll certainly have books on hand, we're also happy when you just stop by and talk to us.

Wrap Up

Many readers love to read series.  Lots of writers enjoy writing series.  I personally fit both profiles. 

In my fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, the books are a continuous story.  The same characters are the main protagonists throughout all four books.  They're fighting the same battle from the first page until the last chapter.  Like in most epic fantasy series, you enjoy the books more if you read them in order. 

          
 My romance series, on the other hand, while it takes place in the same dystopian world, can be enjoyed not matter what order you read them in.  In fact, if you read the last book in the series first, One Good Woman, you'll hopefully want to read the books preceding it.  The Greater Good started the series followed by The Lesser Evil and A Ruthless Good.  The hero of One Good Woman, Brady Gellot, was introduced in The Lesser Evil but the heroine of OGW, Cara, first appeared in The Greater Good.  She was of those strong but vulnerable women you can't help but love.

My publisher is offering a One Good Woman at a special low price of only $1.99 starting today.  For that price, I hope lots of you can try out this romance series and read Brady's and Cara's story. 

I like four book series though I'm a fan of some very, very long fantasy book series.  How long do you think a book series should be?  Are you willing to try a new author if the price is right like that reasonable $1.99?

Meet and Greet

This week I'm hosting four of my friends and fellow authors on my blog.  Each will share some insights into their success as published authors and their writing process.  I think many hopeful writers believe there is a secret formula to success and becoming a published author.  Those of us in the field know persistence and hard work are the only two things all published authors have in common.  After that the process of completing a novel and finding a home for it in the publishing world varies for everyone.  Still, there is no harm in learning how others do it.  One little hint could make the difference in your own writing.
As a reader, I love learning how my favorite writers get the words on to the paper.  It fascinates me endlessly, especially their little quirks.  I also like seeing the person behind the writer. 
The four authors I will be interviewing also have another thing in common.  Their books are available for purchase on your new eReaders.  I hope you received one for Christmas like I did.  Please visit everyday and I promise you'll find something for you.
On Monday, December 27th, welcome Cate Masters.  She's a member of The Susquehanna Writers and has her own busy blog.  I'm so happy she could find time to join me.
On Tuesday, December 28th, welcome Natalie Damschroder.  She has a new release and a big book coming out in April.
On Wednesday, December 29th, meet Megan Hart and hear about her upcoming release, Precious and Fragile Things, a chilling suspense novel you'll be still thinking about long after you're finished reading it.
Thursday, December 30th, welcome fantasy novelist, Jon Sprunk, also a member of The Susquehanna Writers.  Jon will tell us about the first book in his fantasy series, already released, the upcoming second book. 
Please stop by and read their interviews where you'll find them as clever in person as their characters are in their novels. 
Do you like meeting authors personally?  Did you get or give an eReader for Christmas?  What books have you bought?

October Events

This month I have a few book-related events:

Two book signings for Shadow's Son:

* Oct. 2 - Borders at Lycoming Mall. 2-4 pm.
* Oct. 17 - Barnes&Noble at State College, 12-3 pm., with uber-talented author Susan Kelley.


And a radio appearance! I'll be on The Hour of the Wolf out of NY on Oct. 16, 5-7 am.

Series Fatigue

I write fantasy and as most fantasy readers and writers know, it's all about the series. Some famous series includes Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Mr. Jordan passed away and left his fans hanging until his widow found another author, Brandon Sanderson, to finish the sprawling complicated tale. Terry Goodkind, one of my favorite, finished his eleven book Sword of Truth series. I love fantasy series but when do they get too long? When a reader gets to book ten and it's been over a year since reading book nine and perhaps ten years since reading book one, has the intensity and interest wilted? Does the reader get to the point where they think, 'just save the world already and be done with it?' What is the ideal length for a series?
Some series aren't always a continuing tale. Many mystery and suspense novels feature the same protagonists and a host of recurring characters but each novel has a new crisis or new villain. Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels are a good example or any of Robert Parker's detective series books. But even these novels are more enjoyable if you've read them all in order.
Romance novels often call it a series if a group of novels take place in the same location or perhaps the same fantastical or futuristic world. Each book may have a guest appearance by the protagonists of a previous novel and often the secondary characters in one novel have their own tale somewhere down the publishing road.
As a reader there have been a few series I gave up on. After all, if the good guys can't win in 10,000 pages, I'm not sure I can pull for them anymore. Or in the case of a series romance, how many hot guys and heroic women can live in one town? How many serial killers can one cop run into in a lifetime? When does the reader start to say enough? Why can't some writers end the series and let us believe they all live happily ever after or not? They either save the world or go quietly into the night?
My own fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, is four books long. Book One will be released in January. My romance series, The Chronicles of Solonia, is four books long. The Tigers of Salubria will be three books long when complete.
As a writer, do you decide how long a series will be before you start to write it? As a reader, do you know series that have gone on too long? Do you have some you want to never end?