WHAT MAKES A SERIES WORK?
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| Marilyn on right with Bonnie Hearne |
Today my guest is veteran
author, F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith. She’s written forty novels. I think that makes
her an expert on the topic - book series. Her newest novel is A Crushing Death.
The easy answer is
the characters. For a series to work,
the reader has to love the main character(s). If the main character(s) isn’t
realistic with some flaws and redeeming qualities, he/she/they aren’t going to
compel readers to be anxious for the next offering in the series. The writer
hopes the reader will want to find out what is going to happen to the
heroine/hero or supporting cast next.
In the Rocky Bluff
P.D. mystery series there is a large group of on-going characters:
Officer Doug Milligan
is the main character in the first book of the series: Final Respects. He
appears, and sometimes stars in the following books—and is now Detective Doug
Milligan.
Officer Stacey
Wilbur, the only female officer for a long while, is in many of the first books,
but becomes an important character and the love interest of Detective Milligan
in Smell
of Death. She eventually becomes Officer/Mrs. Stacey Milligan.
A favorite among
readers of the series is Officer Gordon Butler. He makes his first appearance
in Fringe
Benefits. Nothing goes easy for Gordon in the job or his love life.
Officer Abel Navarro
appears in most books. He’s married to Maria, an emergency room nurse and they
have a daughter. He becomes Sergeant Navarro later in the series.
Officer Felix
Zachary, the only black officer for quite some time. He’s married to Wendy, a
teacher, and eventually joins Milligan as a detective.
The character who
shows the most growth is Officer Ryan Strickland and much of the change can be
attributed to his wife, Barbara.
The latest character
to make an appearance is the new chief, Chandra Taylor, also African American.
She plays a big part in the two latest books—Violent Departures and
the brand new A Crushing Death.
There are other
characters who come and go, some important, others not so much. In my opinion,
the men and women in the Rocky Bluff mystery series is what makes the series
work.
I’d love to hear from readers and what
they think makes a series work. Once again, the person who comments on
the most blogs during this tour, can have a character named after them in the
next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery. So be sure to leave a comment on this blog.
Tomorrow
you can find Marilyn at: https://mmgornell.wordpress.com/
A pile of rocks is found on a dead body beneath the
condemned pier, a teacher is accused of molesting a student, the new police
chief is threatened by someone she once arrested for attacking women, and
Detective Milligan’s teenage daughter has a big problem.
Here’s where to get it: http://www.amazon.com/Crushing-Death-Rocky-Bluff-P-D/dp/1610092260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457618775&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Crushing+Death+by+F.M.+Meredith
Bio:
F. M. Meredith who is also known as Marilyn Meredith is
nearing the number of forty published books. Besides being an author she is a
wife, mother, grandma and great-grandmother. Though the
Rocky Bluff she writes about is fictional, she lived for over twenty-years in a
similar small beach town. Besides having many law enforcement officers in her
family she is counts many as friends. She teaches writing, loves to give
presentations to writing and other groups, and is a member of Mystery Writers
of America, three chapters of Sisters in Crime and on the board of Public
Safety Writers Association.
Facebook:
Marilyn Meredith
Twitter:
MarilynMeredith
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