series

Series Readers—What they Really Want to See in Our Books

May 21, 2014May 20, 2014Writing Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve just finished the latest Southern quilting mystery—book five in that series, due to release in late 2015. So that means, right now, I’m no longer under a contract until Penguin decides if they’d like to acquire more books for the series (likely something they would determine after seeing sales figures for book four, coming out in August).

For the first time…ever, really…the only project I have to work on is my self-published Myrtle Clover series. I started book seven at my usual full throttle, and then slowed my writing pace down a bit and decided to take a more thoughtful approach. Continue reading

Series—Keeping Things Fresh Without Alarming Readers

May 14, 2014May 14, 2014Uncategorized, Writing Tips

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’m an avid reader of mystery writer M.C. Beaton’s (pen name for Marion Chesney’s) books and have been for many years. I keep track of her releases and order them when they become available. She writes a few series under different names, but the Hamish MacBeth series is my favorite and has had a huge influence on me. Beaton’s books are the reason I’m writing cozy mysteries.

One of the reasons I track her books, apart from my own enjoyment, is because she’s successfully kept this particular series going for 30 books. (My series with the most books is only at 6 books…working on the 7^th now). And Beaton has not only retained her readers, she’s increased her readership. She’s recently become active on social media (years ago I couldn’t even find a photo or contact info for her online…when I was already all over the place online) and that seems to have also helped gain her readers.Continue reading