As an intro, I’d like to say that I’ve written loosely connected books (Desert Warrior & Craving Beauty are both linked by the same fairytale desert kingdom), and I’ve participated in a 12-author continuity (Awaken the Senses), but the Psy/Changeling series is my first series.
As I write this, I’ve just turned in book 5 (Hostage to Pleasure), and book 4 is about to release (Mine to Possess). I’m still stunned, amazed and excited the Psy/Changeling world, and I absolutely can’t wait to write the next book. So, what have I learned so far?
The first is that I ADORE writing a series. I love being able to revisit my characters and continue their stories. For example, Lucas and Sascha, the first couple in the series, have such an amazing future ahead of them and I don’t just have to put it in an epilogue—I can follow their development, watch their relationship grow and change with them. It’s a whole new ballgame and I love, love, love it!
As to practical matters—one thing I’ve learned is that I need to have the answers to questions before I pose them. What do I mean by that? For example, I have a character called The Ghost in the series. Nobody knows his true identity. Nobody that is, except me. I knew from his very first appearance exactly who he was—that way, I could write about him with confidence – ie. how would he react to a certain situation, would he be capable of doing x or y etc.
Another practical thing I’ve learned is that writing book 2 is harder when you don’t have complete notes on the events / characters / world of book 1. I wrote Slave to Sensation from my head basically. The whole world was in there. It still is. But with each book it grows, and I realized I’d need a guidebook quick-smart. So I have a series bible.
You can read more on the bible on the Behind the Scenes page of my website, but at the simplest level, it has character names, ages, eye color, height, hair color and familial links. For major characters, or characters for whom I’ve written a book, I’ll note down lots of other things. One example is Hawke, the SnowDancer alpha – he hasn’t had his book yet, but he’s been such a strong presence throughout the series that his bio is fairly complex already.
Yet, I know that even with the bible, I’ll have to go back through all the books and read the bits where Hawke is featured, before I write his story. The bible helps, but the books are the primary source.
I could keep going, but this post has already ended up a wee bit longer than I intended, so I hope I didn’t put anyone to sleep! I’d love to hear your thoughts on series—what’s your take? Do you enjoy them? What do you like most? Any other questions you want to ask on this topic?