In Praise of Sequels and Series

The only thing better than discovering an enchanting  new (to you) world—the literary kind, that is—is finding out that it’s part of a series or, at worst, that there’s a sequel or two…maybe three, in the offing.

I love reading series. A good book leaves you with the certainty that the story isn’t over when you’ve turned the last page; that there’s more going on with the characters you’ve fallen in love with, or the world they inhabit, than can fit comfortably into just one volume. A great book leaves you yearning for some of that "more". A series means multiple chances to get it!

As an author, I love writing series as well. Because I write primarily paranormal/sci-fi, I put a lot of energy into my world-building. The settings for my stories are usually an integral part of the story itself.  It takes time  and patience (something I don't have all that much of!) to research all the science, history, geography, myths, legends, and who knows what else it might take to bring a new world to life. From a practical point of view, I have a hard time  justifying walking away from all of that after only one book.

Of course, there’s also the emotional angle. I really hate saying good-bye to my imaginary friends. Writing a sequel is  a good way of putting that off a little while longer.  There’s also the fact that I’m OCD enough to really like things in sets, but that’s probably a good topic for another post!

In any case, it didn’t really come as a huge surprise when the idea for a four-part, spin-off series hit me when I was only about one-third of the  way through the writing of ThisWinter Heart. And, as if I needed more proof that my antho-sisters and I are truly connected, I was thrilled to realize that all of the A ClockworkChristmas authors have sequels or related series in the works, promising more steampunky goodness for the year ahead.

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We Wish You a Steampunk Christmas

Changed forever after tragedy, a woman must draw strength from her husband’s love. A man learns that love isn’t always what you expect. A thief steals the heart of a vengeful professor. And an American inventor finds love Down Under. Enjoy Victorian Christmas with a clockwork twist in these four steampunk novellas.

Anthology includes:

Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by PG Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far From Broken by JK Coi

The anthology releases December 5 from Carina Press. To keep up with the fun and laughter and sheer silliness of our pre-release celebrations, please join us on the A Clockwork Christmas Facebook page.

You can buy A Clockwork Christmas as an EPUB or for your Kindle.