3 Lessons I Learned from 3 Bestselling Series #MondayBlogs

Defining Paranormal Romance Author Tips for Facebook Groups #Mond...

3 Lessons I Learned from 3 Bestselling Series #MondayBlogs

Before I was ever an author I was a reader. My motivation was the joy found getting lost in a new world (especially paranormal), getting to know great characters, and following a great love story. Once I launched my publishing house, I started reading with a different enthusiasm. There are several series that I really have enjoyed and read the books over and over. During my most recent rereads I found 3 common denominators I myself have found I want to apply to my own writing.

Real world descriptions: While reading Laurel K. Hamilton’s, Jeanine Frost, and Charlaine Harris novels I found that their ability to really describe the cities, restaurants, and communities made me feel I was there. At times, they even made me want to visit. Laurel K. Hamilton’s novels were so wildly successful that in her book, Circus of the Damned, she explained that since people sought out locations she described in earlier books and actually found them she had to be more vague and creative in the circus’s location. With that said in my new book, I’m setting it in the town I live in. But even after living here for 5 years I find myself with a lack of information. So I’m excited to get to know my community better all in the name of good writing.
Characters that Continue: In the Night Huntress Series by Jeanine Frost, she wrote seven books around the main characters, wrote a few spin off stand alones for the intriguing secondary characters, and finally she created a new series called, The Night Prince Series, that continues after the end of her main novels dedicated to a memorable secondary character. This is the kind of world building I’m going for in my own series.
Challenges: All the characters for all these authors are flawed, joyously and wonderfully flawed. They get beat up, challenged, and hurt physically and emotionally. Then they clean it up. There is always a great balance of intrigue and happily ever after for now. This is something I really need to learn. I’m often the one to make each book a little bit too neat. But what I’ve found is there needs to be an over reaching challenge for a series to be successful. This one I seem to have my hardest time with. Plots and subplots are where this panster type writer really struggles.

These are just some of my observations. You may have some of your own. I’d love to hear them. We all need each other. Readers need great books to read, and authors need to be read. Share your thought sin the comments below.