I’ve always been fascinated by mystery series that go on to fifteen or twenty books. (And sometimes even more!) What’s the secret? How does the author keep the characters fresh and interesting, the plot lines so compelling that readers are drawn back again and again? Lorraine Bartlett and Lois Winston draw back the curtain on the secrets of a long running series.
I asked Lorraine Bartlett how she keeps Tricia Miles, the protagonist of her long-running BookTown Mysteries series so intriguing in book after book.
“I ask myself, what unexpected event can my characters face. That usually gives me a lot of fodder to work with.” As a devoted fan of the series, I can attest that Tricia deals with challenges in every book and shows remarkable strength of character.
I wondered if Tricia changed or evolved over the course of the series?
“Definitely. I suppose each of my series books could be read as standalones, but so much has happened in the course of the series that they wouldn't seem like the same characters. People come in and out of their lives. Circumstances change--like life-altering events. My goal is for my series characters to grow in some way with each adventure.”
Do you ever get feedback from readers? Do they have opinions on how Tricia should behave?”
“Yes, but I don't always pay attention. My characters let me know what should happen in their lives. It's up to me to pay attention to them--not a stranger.”
I was curious if readers are so invested in the characters that sometimes they feel the characters are behaving in uncharacteristic ways or shifting gears on them.
“Yes, but it's not my goal to write the same story over and over again. Without conflict--there is no story. Without conflict, characters can't grow.”
Is there a downside to writing a long-running series?
“The biggest drawback is that many readers don't want to devote time to a long-running series. That's evident by my sales. The first book in the series always sells the best during each royalty cycle. The next two or three don't sell as well, but the numbers are still pretty good. Halfway through the series, the numbers plummet. They rise again for the newer books. The more books in the series, one can see how the sales numbers drop. It's disheartening.” A PERILOUS PLOT is the latest release.
Lois Winston says, “My Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries now include fourteen books and three novellas. The latest release is SEAMS LIKE THE PERFECT CRIME. I feel it’s very important to keep my readers wanting to know what happens next in my characters’ lives. For that reason, I not only have character and plot arcs for each book, but I also have series arcs for the main characters.”
I asked her how she keeps the main character so intriguing and complex in every book.
“I thought outside the traditional cozy box for the series. Instead of a crafter or shop owner, Anastasia is a woman’s magazine crafts editor. Along with encountering murder in her hometown, at work, and while moonlighting, she’s also stumbled across bodies at diverse locations, such as the set of a morning TV show, while speaking at a conference, on a cruise ship, and during her honeymoon.”
I wondered if her main character’s core values remain the same.
Absolutely! Anastasia is governed by a moral compass that never wavers. Her integrity, honesty, and sense of righteousness guide her in how she lives her life. And her self-deprecating sense of humor enables her to deal with every adversity and dead body I throw in her path.
Finally, I had to know if there were any disadvantages to writing a long-term series.
One of the biggest reasons readers stop reading a series is because after a while, the books all seem the same. Only the victim and method of murder change from book to book. I was very cognizant of that when I started writing my series. I want readers to return for each new book I write. One way I keep my plots fresh is to scour current events for plot ideas. I’m a diehard news junkie and have amassed a collection of ideas from newspapers and the evening news.”
Anastasia Pollack and Tricia Miles will go on for many more books, which will keep their legions of readers very happy.
Mary Kennedy is a licensed psychologist and the author of the Talk Radio Mysteries and the Dream Club Mysteries. She’s written nearly fifty novels and has four million copies in print. Her first thirty-five books were young adult novels published by Scholastic nationwide and in several countries. She lives in the northeast with an eccentric cat. She’s tried unsuccessfully to psychoanalyze him but she remains optimistic.
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