WHAT MAKES A SERIES WORK?

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 CRUSHING DEATH Blurb:

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.

Website: http://fictionforyou.com

Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

Facebook: Marilyn Meredith

Twitter: MarilynMeredith

WHY TURN A BOOK INTO A SERIES?

Why turn a book into a series?

a. The first book was a great seller.

b. You fell in love with the characters you created and want to see what happens next to them.

c. You’re lazy and don’t want to create new characters.

For most writers, B is the correct answer. Although A is the one we all wish were true.

Advice for writing a series.

Let characters grow. I loved the first six books in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, but I got tired of Plum’s car blowing up and her inability to decide between two suitors. Evanovich’s books sales prove there are exceptions to this rule.

I had my title character epidemiologist Sara Almquist move from an early, probably premature, retirement (in which she tries to forget her years as a professor) into being an active consultant on public health issues. As she tries to track the spread of a deadly flu epidemic in her community in Coming Flu, she inadvertently identifies a drug lord. She helps her sister Linda identify the killer of a diet doctor in a medical school in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. (Her sister generally doubts the values of Sara’s help.) Based on her recent successes, Sara is asked to be a public health consultant in Bolivia in Ignore the Pain, but individuals from her past follow her.

Establish a brand. A good example of successful branding is Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries, beginning with A is for Alibi. James Patterson usually manages to mention Alex Cross on the covers of his books and in ads. I’ve not done a good job here, but I try to have a woman’s face on each cover and medically related topics are featured in each book and in the title – flu, lose weight, pain. Accordingly, the back-story provides scientific information on flu viruses in Coming Flu, on weight loss in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight, and on pain management in Ignore the Pain.

Keep a few conflicts unresolved in each novel. In thrillers and mysteries that means don’t kill your villains too soon. Besides I’ve come to like my villains  - the genius psychopath Dr Abel Raines and the chameleon-like drug lord Jim Mazzone.

Don’t be confined by your original setting. Many of us loved the TV show Murder, She Wrote, but it was hard to believe the rate of murders in Cabot Cove. The writers solved the problem by having Jessica travel a lot after the first couple of seasons. I had an advantage there - my setting is near Albuquerque. According to our local newspapers, the lack of crimes isn’t a problem in Albuquerque. However, I have Sara travel to Bolivia in Ignore the Pain and to Cuba in my next novel (due out in 2014 but still untitled).

Recognize readers have a short attentions span. This is the biggest reason for not trying to do a series. It means there are no long breaks from writing. Readers expect at least one new book a year. The exceptions are many, namely George Martin who writes the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

What advice would you give on writing a series?