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| Author Jacqueline Seewald |
With a Mystery Series, readers enjoy a consistency of
setting. They like knowing what to expect. The setting should be one the author
is familiar with, whether it be a city he/she has lived in, a rural community,
an exotic place visited, or an historic location that has been researched in
detail. This lends authenticity to the novel. For instance, in THE BAD WIFE, 4thnovel in my Kim Reynolds mystery series, the novel is set in Central N.J. where
I lived for forty years. Each novel in the series has a different setting,
whether it be the university or an apartment complex, but the town itself is
the same.
Readers also like a consistency in the main characters. In
THE BAD WIFE, for instance, Kim Reynolds and homicide detective Mike Gardner
return to solve another set of murders. They are joined by woman of color,
police detective Bert St. Croix. The three main characters are very different
in personality and background but each lends something unique to the novels.
In mysteries, people are not as they would appear and so
there is an element of disillusionment. I believe that plot is a crucial factor
in the mystery novel or any series. In the Kim Reynolds series, there are
connected murders that need to be solved. The main characters can become
personally involved as in THE BAD WIFE when the woman Mike believed he’d been
divorced from returns to wreak havoc in the lives of Mike and Kim. When Mike is
accused of murder, Kim and Bert work together to save him and find the real
killer.
In regard to characterization, the protagonists are like
real people with their lives changing and their characters developing. Ideally,
in a mystery series the main characters in the novels are not static but yet
remain true to their essential natures. There are more series mysteries today
than ever.
The big advantage of the
stand alone mystery is that it’s original and unique, a one of a kind book.
Many are in the romantic suspense genre. By this I mean that the romance is so
important that it may overshadow the mystery. However, my novel THE INHERITANCE
is actually a romantic mystery. By this I mean that there is a strong romance
between the two main characters. Jennifer Stoddard, a thirty-five-year-old
widow with an eight-year-old son, receives a surprising letter which will
change her life. Jennifer’s grandmother has passed away and named Jen as sole
heir to her estate. To claim her inheritance she must return to Bloomingvale,
the town in the Midwest where she grew up. Jen is informed by her grandmother’s
attorney that to inherit she must meet the condition of living in her
grandmother’s house for two years. Since the estate is substantial, she agrees.
However, there are those who will stop at nothing to make certain that Jennifer
does not inherit. Frightening things begin to happen to Jennifer. She is forced
to turn to Grant Coleman, the local police chief, for help. But Grant and Jen
have a negative past history. Nevertheless, they work to solve the mystery of
who is out to harm Jennifer.
As a reader, which type of mystery do you prefer? Series or
Stand alone? Why?
THE INHERITANCE, will be
published by Intrigue Publishing on December 1st. The novel is a
mystery that combines elements of the cozy with romance and suspense. As of
now, the novel is available as a Kindle book on Amazon for pre-order as well as
a print edition:
Also available:
and many other booksellers.
The
4th novel in the Kim Reynolds mystery series, THE BAD WIFE, was
published by Perfect Crime Books and is currently available both in print and
as an e-book from Amazon at:
A multiple
award-winning writer, Jacqueline has taught creative, expository and technical
writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked
as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. THE
INHERITANCE, a romantic mystery novel from Intrigue Publishing, is her
seventeenth books of fiction to be published. Her short stories, poems, essays,
reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous
anthologies such as THE WRITER, L.A. TIMES, PEDESTAL, SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY
MAGAZINE, OVER MY DEAD BODY!, GUMSHOE REVIEW, THE MYSTERY MEGAPACK, LIBRARY
JOURNAL, and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.
Pat,
ReplyDeleteThank you for inviting me to be your guest writer on your blog!
I'm thrilled to have you visiting, Jacquie! And, I have to tell you how much I love your books!
DeletePatricia,
DeleteThank you for your support.
I love both series and standalones. The important considerations to me are characters I can relate to and an intriguing mystery to be solved. Best wishes for many readers for The Inheritance.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
DeleteI agree with you. Developing interesting characters is most important. I also like an intriguing mystery puzzle that challenges the intellect to solve.
For me, it's all about the characters, whether in a stand alone or a series. I agree with your point, Jacquie, that each character has to bring something unique to the story. Best of sales with The Inheritance!
ReplyDeleteI believe that protagonists should have flaws and quirks much like real people. It's what makes them interesting, colorful and sympathetic.
DeleteBoth the series and stand-alone sound intriguing. I enjoyed "The Bad Wife" and look forward to reading more. Good luck with both.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
DeleteThank you for the endorsement! I am hoping that readers connect with the main characters in The Inheritance as they have with the Kim Reynolds mystery series.
I like to read both. Sometimes when a series goes on too long, even if the characters are great, the story line suffers a bit. It depends on the writer. It's difficult to keep a series fresh when the characters have done just about everything. Your novel looks like a great read. I'll have to put it on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn,
DeleteI agree with you about some series mysteries that simply go on for too long. There are several that have gotten disappointingly dull after twenty or so books.
As you know, Jacquie, I'm a big fan of your work, whether series or standalone. I enjoy those series where I can identify with the protagonist and also enjoy her journey. As a writer of a humorous mystery series, it's always fun to hang out with my characters, and I work hard to keep the plots and personalities fresh. I can't wait to read your new book. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteCindy,
DeleteThanks for commenting. I love your humorous mysteries which are fun to read.
I am a mystery lover and love both a series and a stand-a-lone. And as some have already pointed out, a series can get stale after a while.
ReplyDeleteSome readers are comforted by reading a series in which they know exactly what to expect, but it can get dull.
DeleteGreat info Jacquie thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings
PamT
Thank you, Pam!
DeleteI don't want to know what to expect. I enjoy a series, but it needs to be shaken up a bit from time to time, and I like a series story that can be read as a standalone. In other words, I don't want it to depend on previous stories. Hard to do, I know. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marja. I agree that each novel in a series should be able to stand alone on its own merits. That's an important observation.
DeleteJacqueline, although I like series characters, I rarely have time to read more than one or two books in a series; therefore, a standalone works well for me. In my own experience, I often think I'm writing a standalone only to have readers ask for more stories with those characters...which turns my standalone into the first of a series.
ReplyDeleteHi Maris,
ReplyDeleteThat's happened to me with several of my stand alone novels as well. Readers loved Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards as well as The Killing Land and wanted more novels with the main characters. But I've only done the Kim Reynolds mystery series. The rest are stand alones as of now.
Like others who have commented,I enjoy both. It's nice to revisit familiar characters and places in a series. I suppose that's why we have so many regular weekly shows on TV and movie sequels. Once in a while, though, it's good to
ReplyDeletemeet new people in a standalone too. So, Jacqueline, you should continue giving us both.
Thank you, Earl. And I also like to read both series fiction and stand alone.
DeleteSince I write a cozy/Southern Gothic series, I'd have to go with preferring series over stand-alones; that said, I love all the Daphne DuMaurier stand-alone mysteries and Gothics. DUH! Hard to choose! Nice post and I look forward to reading The Inbheritance.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
DeleteI myself have written only one Gothic romance, DARK MOON RISING. Like you, I enjoy reading the genre. So my one stand alone Gothic is a tribute to that tradition in literature.
Series are like new friends. You want to spend more time with them, so I like them for that reason. Stand alones are like the person you met at a convention--interesting as hell and a lot of fun to be with, but you know you will never see h/her again; however, you are thankful for the time you had together. Both are great.
ReplyDeleteJude,
DeleteThat's really a great analogy!
Good post. I enjoyed The Inheritance but realized at the end that I was saying goodbye to the characters and had a pang. I guess I enjoy living with the characters for longer than one book.
ReplyDelete