QUIBBLES & BITS
It may be me, and probably is, but sometimes I find that a series gets stale, if not downright moldy. On the other hand, maybe it's like driving into a town you've never visited before. You're hungry enough to eat a horse (or one of the cows that dot the side of the road). On the main street -- usually called MAIN ST. -- there's a diner called DI E (with the N and R missing from the sign) and a Village Inn or Denny's (or Tim Horton's). Avoiding DIE, you decide to eat at the Village Inn because, although the food is somewhat bland, you know exactly what to expect.
I'm not saying that series books are bland. I'm just saying that by the time I get to Book # 6, 7, 8, 13, 15, I kinda know what to expect.
Is that good?
Most (if not all) of you don't know this, but I've been writing a "secret series" since the 1980s, using a pseudonym. The books are not on my website and I've bribed Jeff Bezos to keep them off Amazon.
A few close friends and relatives know about my secret series, but they've been warned to keep quiet. They are well aware that, If they say one word, I'll email my hitman, whom I keep on retainer.
My sleuth's name is Plethora.
Things I like about Plethora: Her turgescent ego and florid complexion. Her fluctuating weight. Her superciliousness. And her hot love scenes with Detective Engorgement, although I do wish she'd choose between him and her other boyfriend, Forester. Also, Grandma Matzoball is a hoot.
However, I don't like the fact that Plethora started out in my first book (A is for Abundant) at age 25...and she's still 25 years old in book twenty (T is for Tightie Whities). Also, she doesn't own a cell phone.
I have 6 more books to write (in that series) but I'm afraid it's getting stale - if not downright moldy.
Compare the Plethora series to my diet club mysteries, starring diet club leader Ellie Bernstein and Homicide Detective Peter Miller. I always planned to write 4, and only 4, using 4 lines from a quote by the late, great Gilda Radner: "Eating is self-punishment; punish the food instead. Strangle a loaf of Italian Bread. Throw Darts at a Cheesecake. Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed. Beat Up a Cookie."
I've been asked, more than once, if I would write more than 4. The answer is no. Not unless I was offerred a lot of money, and/or an all-expense-paid trip to the Caribbean (or NYC).
GOOD BIT: The good news I hinted about a couple of weeks ago is that John Betancourt (Wildside) will be publishing my backlist and I'll be launching THROW DARTS AT A CHEESECAKE at Left Cost Crime/Denver.
Which means no one can say: "I'd love to read CHAIN A LAMB CHOP TO THE BED, Deni, but I prefer to start a series at the beginning and your first two books (Throw Darts at a Cheesecake and Beat Up a Cookie) sold out and are virtually impossible to find." Or something like that.
Question of the Week: Do you find after umpteen or more books, a series starts to get stale?
