To Series or Not to Series? That is a Question

I’ve come across several discussions lately about writing series versus stand-alone novels. Both sides have valid complaints. With a series, the trend now is to write a cliffhanger and leave the poor reader dangling for two or three years, or even forever, before they get the next installment of the story which ends with another cliffhanger. I’ve heard some readers say they wait until the entire series is published before they buy or read any of the books. Other readers say they love series because the story is so long and convoluted that it keeps them hooked for a long time. They love the characters and worlds so much, they want to keep reading the saga.

Stand-alone books don’t keep you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next book. They have a definite beginning, middle, and end; something that series books don’t always have. But what if you fall in love with the characters? If enough fans demand a sequel loudly enough, the author may write one. Sequels usually fall far short of the mark, though, especially if they weren’t planned in the beginning.

I read both stand-alone and series. The ones that are most satisfying to me are the series where *each book* in the series has a definite ending. Each book is a complete story, but with the added bonus of familiar characters that I enjoy. The one exception? Tad Williams Otherland series. I waited until I could get all four books, though. It’s a series because the story wouldn’t fit in one volume.

My book, Nexus Point, is the first in a series. Yes, I said series. No, no giant cliffhangers. Each book is a complete story. The only plot point not completely resolved by the end of the book is the relationship between the main characters. You can read all but books 10 and 11 without reading the others first and they will still be good stories. They just have more depth if you know what happened in the other books.

My publisher, Cyberwizard Productions www.cyberwizardproductions.com , has bought all 11 books. Their philosophy is to commit to the whole series. It’s unfair to a reader and the author to drop a series halfway through. Even if sales are lousy, which I sincerely hope won’t be true, they will publish the whole series. They have faith in my writing.

And for those of you hesitant to start a series, I have written all 11 books. They just need a good editing. Writing book one implies a promise to the reader that the author will finish the series. I make this promise in good faith. I hope you enjoy the series and the characters because I sure did.

So check out the first three chapters of Nexus Point. Email me if you have questions. Most of all, enjoy the story. www.nexuspoint.info

Stories are published!

I've got two publications this week! How often does that happen?

Check out "Glutton's Purgatory" for free at http://www.bewilderingstories.com/
Carl had a normal life, until his food began talking to him.

"Minor Details" is in the Halloween issue of Darwin's Evolutions at http://darwinsevolutions.com/
Two teen "witches" sell their souls. Guess who comes to collect.

Defining Extraordinary

Extraordinary People

An acquaintance commented the other day that I was an extraordinary person. The comment took me aback. I don’t consider myself extraordinary. I’m just a normal person coping with life. It got me thinking, though. What makes an extraordinary person?

Many people idolize sports figures or celebrities. It’s easy to say they are extraordinary because you aren’t close enough to see the flaws. It’s easy to overlook warts from a distance. To me, the most extraordinary people are those in my neighborhood, those who cross my path in life. No, they are not perfect, but they have their moments where they shine brilliantly. The neighbor who friends the teenager struggling to define their place in life, lifting them to a higher purpose. The couple who stay together through tough times and still love and cherish each other into old age, never straying. The employee at the store who strives to treat each customer with courtesy and respect, meeting impatience and anger with an unwavering friendliness. These are my heroes.

So what makes a person extraordinary? The courage and conviction to live a moral life, no matter what others may say. The passion to reach higher, to keep trying. I have a quote in my office that I hope I live up to in my life. “People are like stained glass windows–they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in their true beauty is only revealed if there is a light within.” ~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. May we all live with a light shining brightly. May we reach to become extraordinary through small daily acts of service, love, and kindness.

Through the eyes of a child

Several years ago, a heartburn medicine company had an ad campaign that featured a man sleeping. He suddenly sits up. His wife asks, very concerned, "What's wrong, honey?" He opens his mouth and...

Breathes fire. She pats his arm. "Heartburn, again?"

My then 2yo son, looked at me, eyes wide, and said, "Mommy, I want heartburn!"

I love the innocence and wonder of children.

Religion and SF tv shows

“Defying Gravity” was an interesting tv show. I’ve watched the nine episodes available online. But the story arc bothers me. Why do the creators of SF shows think they have to have a mystical, quasi-religious story arc? Star Trek (the original) only did it in a few episodes, usually because they had to deal with aliens with god-complexes. StarGate SG-1 dealt with it a bit, for the same reason. But Defying Gravity, with its near-future realism, wasn’t content to build a story around exploration or even a strange artifact. No, they had to find “God” in the object.

Not that I object to religion. I’m very religious myself. I’m just wondering why SF shows have to explore the idea that God can be found as a tangible thing just waiting for us to reach a certain point in our technological evolution. Is it because we are searching for meaning or is it the same reason that ancient people built the tower of Babel? We have a deep-seated need to find God, to classify Him, to fit him into the framework of understanding we’ve built to explain our existence. So we create tv shows where God is a glowing, amorphous blob that wants us to retrieve the other bits left lying around on other planets. Maybe the writers didn’t mean to take the story that direction but since the show was cancelled, we’ll never find out.

On the other hand, you have tv shows where God does not exist and never has, where relationships are always doomed to fail, where true happiness does not exist. Firefly, much as I love the show and the characters, falls into this trap. Joss Whedon must not believe in marriage or happiness, none of his characters ever find it and if they do, the universe punishes them by ripping away whatever they had.

So where is the balance between religion and science? I personally believe science and religion are not contradictory but complementary. Science answers questions religion isn’t equipped to handle and vice versa. God is not quantifiable, but his creations are. By understanding his creations, we can understand something about deity. And through religion, we can build a relationship with God that can help us understand science and find meaning in our existence.

I wonder if Hollywood will ever find that balance.

Why Attend Conventions?

Answer: They're fun! And you can have fangeek moments and no one gives you strange looks. And you can network with other people who have similar interests.

I spent last weekend in Phoenix AZ at the First North American Discworld Convention. Sir Terry Pratchett is amazingly funny, friendly, and a true gentleman. The con was well-run and very enjoyable.

And I agree with Sir Terry's comment: "I've never seen so many corsets in one place at one time in my life!"

Thanks to the committee and the guest of honor and the others who attended for making it a great experience.

Teenagers Need Instruction Manuals

I have a 17yo daughter.

According to her, I'm a blend of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Evil Stepmother. Catch 22. No matter what I do, I'm evil. If I let her go to a party, I'm evil for not caring about her safety. If I forbid her from going, then I'm determined to destroy her social life. If she sneaks out and goes anyway, then I'm evil for not stopping her. I lose.

Sons are much easier to deal with.