I'm LOVING this weather here in SW LA! Cool mornings, hot afternoons. Enjoy opening up the windows and letting fresh air in when possible. This is my idea of perfect weather and I wish it would stay this way. All. The. Time.
Alas, perfection in any area doesn't last long. Life is always moving, always changing, always evolving and hopefully we're growing right along with it. I know, change isn't always easy and sometimes we're dragged into it kicking and screaming LOL!
Today our guests speak to us about Ending a Novel Series so please welcome Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger!
Accomplishing the Final Book
There were several things we wanted to accomplish with this final book. We wanted to:
- tie-up loose ends by taking care of the lingering questions throughout each book.
-re-orient our characters so the readers would know that they would be okay in their next phase of life.
Tying-up loose ends was easy since we kept notes on all our characters, their flaws and goals. However, after the joy ride of 1950s Hollywood, it was coming to an end. And re-orienting our characters was tough.
Re-orienting our characters was difficult. We had been living with them for five years. It was sad. Not because each character had sad endings, but because our relationship with them was coming to an end. It was like ending a relationship with dear friends or moving away.
We wanted to be sure our readers were happy that the major question about the death of Skylar Drake's beautiful wife and sweet daughter was answered. And to be sure our characters did not have sad endings but that everything would work out okay, not necessarily happily ever after, but okay.
It was bittersweet as we wrote the last chapter. Sadness swept over us when we held the finished manuscript in our hands for the first time. The realization that we would not be writing any more new adventures for them. And that we would not be moving the characters forward.
One of our readers asked, "What about Fan Fiction?"
Sure, why not. Some of our fans have tried it and said it was fun. So it can be done. Remember, just because we are not writing the story doesn't mean you need to stop the story.
Many have asked, "What are you going to do now?"
We will continue to write separately and together, more books and short stories as well as essays or articles as we come across them. And though we are not writing about Skylar Drake and his friends, the memory of the plots, sub plots and people in his life will be fond memories.
GAME TOWN is the fifth and final book in the series and yes...we are still married!
That's wonderful Janet & Will! Having written my Tempered Series, I can definitely identify!
The next Skylar Drake Mystery, GAME TOWN, the fifth and final book in the series, will be available April 15, 2019 and yes...we are still married!
Find out more about Janet and Will at the following locations...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4
e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com
website: www.janetlynnauthor.com
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Contact info for Will:
Twitter: @Will_Zeilinger
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wzeilinger
website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com
Get a sneak peek into Game Town on last month's Saturday Spotlight and check out Janet & Will's previous Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight
Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll check back weekly for more Saturday Spotlights and Wednesday Words with Friends!
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT
9 comments:
So great that the two of you can collaborate! Wishing you much continued success.
Ending a series can be bitter/sweet. Sad to leave the characters, but happy to move on to another story. Good luck to you both.
Saying goodbye to characters is hard. You're right when you say they become like family. I enjoyed learning about your series and your books. Thanks for sharing!
It is hard to end a series. Our characters become so real. Great interview.
I appreciate that you shared with us, not just the physical part of ending a series, but the emotional as well. Thank you. People seem to hunger for book series and they're so fun to write. Cheers
Thank you all for your comments about the ending of our series. When we started this series and began writing together someone told us to be sure you know when to start the series and when to end it. This is so true! We had fun writing it and the characters told us when to end it. It's hard to explain but it was directly for them. It sounds strange but after a while, the characters do communicate with you. The fourth book, SLICK DEAL, we thought was the last of the series. But Skylar Drake had one more mystery he had to solve, hence, GAME TOWN. Thank you again for helping us say goodbye to the series.
How wonderful that you can write together. It must be great to have such a close partner to bounce ideas off of. Congratulations on holding everything together--story threads and the marriage, lol!
It is hard to leave characters, isn't it? Your series sounds like a fun one to read.
Nice post.Keep sharing. Thanks for sharing.
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