Diamonds & Duds of Dynamic Duo Series Writing

Are you a series reader? What I mean is, do you like reading
book series?

I LOVE writing series!! I know it’s not for every writer
just like it may not be for every reader. But, boy, oh boy, I can’t seem to NOT
think in series. When I start a first book (and think it’s going to be a
stand-alone) my brain immediately starts zooming in on these secondary
characters to see who is going to be next 😉

Series writing is a norm for me.

Or so I THOUGHT!

Until, I was asked to write a series where the hero and
heroine stayed the SAME in each book!!!

What?? (Erica can chime in here too. She’s doing the same thing
with her Thorndyke and Swann series)

I’m a romance writer! The romance is the driving force in
most of my fiction, so how on earth could I keep the “spark” alive for
characters who’ve already been romanced in book 1 to carry through books 2 and
3??

Have you tried writing a series like that before? Do you
like reading them?

As I’ve been learning how to make this type of series work,
I’ve been finding a few “diamonds” and “duds” in the writing process.

Diamond: I don’t have to leave characters that I’ve loved
writing! I get to follow them into the next part of their story!!

Dud: Um…what is supposed to happen next? Most of my stories
end with an implied happily-ever-after, but what happens after the ever after?
I have to figure that out?!!

Diamond: I get to spend more time with characters I have
ADORED writing! They’re such fun!

Dud: I must figure out how to keep growing their
characters/relationship far longer than I usually have to do! (Not an easy
feat, my friends).

Diamond: romance and more romance – This hero and heroine
are just chock-full of fun romance and humor. It’s a blast to spend time with
them.

Dud: But , whereas, romance was the driving force in book 1,
it’s not the focal point of the other books so now I have to learn to share
that spotlight with another story purpose. I’m choosing mystery (which has been
fun) but it requires a new learning curve.

Anyone ever been here before? If you’ve written a series
where the main characters continue to be the main characters throughout, I’d
LOVE to hear from you. What diamonds and duds did you discover?

AND, for fun, I’m giving away a paper copy of The Cairo
Curse to a commenter below (U.S. entries only).   

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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered”
with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she
loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed
adoration of the UK into her stories. Her 20^th book came out in
February 2023. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC
where she is a wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and
a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her dual timeline novel, Hope
Between the Pages, was a 2022 finalist for the prestigious Christy awards. Pepper
loves connecting with readers and other authors through social media
outlets like Facebook & Instagram.

You can
learn more about Pepper and her books on her website at www.pepperdbasham.com