Change of writing style by Sloane Kennedy

[Robyn]

So let me just start off by saying I never comment on authors I have read nor do I review books......But that changes today.

So about a week ago I stumbled upon the books of Sloane Kennedy. I have read a few gay romances before as they were in a series of mostly m/f and at first didn't really want to read them. I soon got over that..lol I downloaded the first book in the crossover series (there are 4 different series that crossover one another and when visiting her sight it gives a suggested reading order) and LOVED it. So then I bought then next 3 in the series and also LOVED them and the same can be said when I started reading the 1st book that crossed over.By the time I got to the 5th or 6th book (I inhaled them lol) I decided to buy the next 14 or so (total of 19 books)...I got to number 9 with great anticipation for what was to come in the next 10....And then it happened...Something in the 9th book made me want to have a sneak peak at number 19 (i just HAD to see if one of the characters was still alive then) and I was shocked and dumb founded that she (Miss Kennedy) had changed her writing style from that of the 3rd person to the 1st ...which I LOATH!!!! Yes Loath...I always read excerpts to find out an authors writing style and thought great, they are all in the 3rd person....Should I be pissed off?? I mean I think I should be and that's probably why I'm in this discussion group posting this. Who changes their writing style mid series???? I'll give you a run down of the series and how they are set out...

1st series...The Escort Series consists of 3 books all written in the 3rd person.

2nd series..Finding Series consists of 5 books so far with the first 4 written in the 3rd person and last book in the 1st.

3rd series.. The Barretti Security Series consists of 4 books all in the 3rd person.

Now all the books in the series I have mentioned above all crossover and intermingle so far (except for the 5th book in the Finding series which is last in the 19 book crossover to date).

By now I have probably lost everyone but I'm not done yet...lol

So what do I do next?? I have all the books in the series and I'm REALLY looking forward to reading the next 10 books or so to see how the past characters are fairing and to meet new characters but I LOATH the writing style....So I email the author and this is what I received back ....

Hi Robyn, glad you are enjoying the Finding series so far.

To answer your question, why did I change from third person to first person for Finding Hope, I did it simply because I am happier writing first person now. I made the switch from third to first person about a year ago when I released my first book in my Protectors series. I immediately found that I could connect with my characters better and reach a whole host of emotions that I hadn't been able to before. The quality of my books has improved greatly and I believe first person has a lot to do with this. I debated trying to write Finding Hope in third person but was concerned that the story would suffer if I tried to switch back to a narrative that I no longer enjoyed as much. I understand that first person isn't for everyone, but perhaps you will download the sample of FH and give it a try. Each main character gets chapters for their POV so you still hear from all the main characters.

If you decide against it, I completely understand. Hopefully you will still have enjoyed the first 4 books in the series.

Sloane

So what do I do now?? Well I MUST finish the series so today I started "Absolution".
Do I like it??? No, not really. I find I can't connect to the characters in this format and that's why I avoid the writing style. I have found heaps of books in the past where the synopsis drew me in but when I saw the writing in the 1st that was it for me..

Am I being unreasonable?? Should I be pissed?? I'm sure many will say get the hell over it , they're just books but I find myself immersed in the stories.

As this was on my mind today (a lot) I came up with a few ideas to get around this in the future.

All authors must realise their books in both formats (yeah like that's gonna happen) lol

Then I came up with the big money maker.....Someone come up with an app or program that I can download the book to that's in the 1st person and change it to the 3rd person...Simple right????

Please comment on anything relating to this post as I'm very interested in peoples thoughts on it. And if you prefer the 1st or 3rd.


Many thanks

Robyn

[MaggiMae]

I have all of Sloane Kennedy's books and have re-read them multiple times. 3rd person or 1st person means so little to me I actually hadn't noticed that her style had changed. I can understand if 1st person isn't your thing but the books are emotionally charged and gripping IMO however she writes. I'd say persevere because I think you'll be missing out on some amazing book boyfriends and emotionally satisfying HEA'S if you give up. Just make sure you have copious quantities of alcohol, chocolate and tissues on standby.

[Robyn]

Well after I vented I waited about a month and started reading the next instalment of books. Initially I had trouble getting the characters of "Absolution" but by the end I understood the writing a bit more (still would have preferred the other writing style though lol). By the time it came to reading the next books I was ok.

For some reason I have always been uncomfortable reading in the 1st person. I think being forced to read the remaining books in the series opened up a whole slew of new authors that I had been opposed to read before.

So I must thank Sloane Kennedy for changing my opinion of writing styles.