A while back, I was asked how I came up with the main character in my mystery series. I explained I originally got my inspiration to write a mystery novel with an academic librarian as amateur sleuth during the time of my library studies at Rutgers University. Completing my MLS degree, I was required to attend symposiums. One speaker was a Princeton University librarian who spoke about inferno collections. His lecture was so fascinating and vivid that I was inspired to do further research. I became convinced the concept of inferno collections would be an excellent frame for a mystery novel and discovered that no one else had written anything similar. (Briefly, inferno collections are banned books considered inappropriate for public display and reading. Often these were books deemed salacious and kept separate or hidden in libraries under lock and key).
My novel THE INFERNO COLLECTION was the first in the Kim Reynolds series. It was published in hardcover by Five Star/Gale, who published two more of the novels in the days when they did mystery fiction. All three of the books received fine reviews. They were also picked up by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery for paperback editions and distribution.
Kim
Reynolds isn’t me. She’s a creation of my imagination, as are the other
characters in the series. There are now five mystery novels with Kim as the
main protagonist. The fifth novel, BLOOD FAMILY, was released by Encircle and
has also garnered good reviews.
I also created a series of short stories which feature Tom Atkins, a young attorney who ends up solving murder cases. He has been featured exclusively in SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY MAGAZINE. (The current issue has a Tom Atkins mystery story.) The Sweethearts Detective Agency series has appeared in several different mystery magazines and anthologies as well and will continue.
Should writers consider creating series characters? I’d say yes. If readers respond well to the initial book or story, it’s something worth continuing and developing further. Word of mouth and good reviews carry over for continued books in a series or short fiction. (Witness the success of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle among a multitude of others)
What
series do you particularly enjoy reading or writing? Why? Your thoughts and comments welcome here!
Hi Jacquie,
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the Kim Reynolds mysteries. The Inferno Collection is my favorite. It is a classic!
In addition to the classics, I enjoy The Haunted Bookshop series and Angela M. Sanders’s Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing series. I just finished Slain in Schiaparelli (not my favorite in the series because it is not set in the vintage clothing store, but still a fun read).
I would like to hear which series other readers recommend.
Thanks for your interesting post!
Hi Madelyn,
DeleteThanks for commenting. I hope more readers will choose to respond as well.
I also enjoy Kim Reynolds. I haven't read The Inferno Collection, but I'm intrigued and must read. I also enjoy Allison Brook's haunted library series, and I have a series of my own--the Detective Parrott mystery series.
ReplyDeleteSaralyn,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your first mystery and recommend it.
I read a series when the characters become so real to me, I have to find out what adventures they get into next. One thing I've noticed about successful series is most have long arcs reaching across the entire series. It might be family issues, a developing romance, or an unsolved underlying mystery of some sort. I am putting The Inferno Collection on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
DeleteI agree with you about the need for characters to be presented with complexity if a series is to succeed.
Series seem to do well regardless of genre. I'm please with my Tempered series and have found another story which will cross tie with another book or two cooking. We'll see...
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings!
PamT
Hi Pam,
DeleteI agree about the genre being less important than the series concept. Most romance novels these days are also part of a series.
Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteI think readers like to immerse themselves in a series because they want to follow a character(s) and see how they develop and adapt to new situations. Mysteries and thrillers lend themselves particularly well to a series.
I agree. Character development is critical.
DeleteGreat post! As always, you are spot on. I am not a particular fan of series, but lots of people are, and you have articulated the phenomena perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janis. Love to know more about the writing you are doing now.
DeleteI love the idea of an Inferno Collection (as well as the novel). When I was in graduate school I discovered that scholars in the 19th century resorted to Latin when they came to translate or discuss material they considered too "dangerous" for untrained minds. When I found modern English translations of the same material, I had to laugh at what earlier scholars considered beyond the pale. I wonder what future scholars will think of what we prefer not to discuss openly.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'm not anonymous. I'm Susan Oleksiw.
DeleteHi Susan,
DeleteThanks for your interesting comments. The phrase "banned in Boston" seems archaic now but in previous centuries any material deemed salacious was kept under lock and key by the librarian/gatekeepers.