Wicked Wednesday - the pros and cons of writing a paranormal romance series

Many of the paranormal romance books you see out there are series. Readers love them, and the demand for them is high. Yet before you dive in and start writing your own series, there are a few things you need to consider.

PROS:

* Readers love them. Their demand for more is fed.

* You have plenty of time for world building and to develop characters. You'll spend so much time with them, you'll know them very well.

* If readers love your first book, it paves the way for great sales in the future with the rest of the series.

CONS:

* Readers might love them, but a series is harder to sell to a publisher.

* You'll spend so much time with your characters, you might get sick of them. Usually it takes years to write a series. Years where you are stuck with these characters that you may grow bored or frustrated with. Things might start to feel stale.

* If readers hate your first book, the rest of your series will bomb.

Here are four tips to help make your series a success:

* Avoid cliches and formulas. Keep each book fresh. Don't be afraid to try something new or show a different side to your characters.

* Make sure each book can stand alone and connect to the series.

* Up the ante in each book. Your characters must continue to grow. Their challenges must get harder in each book.

* The couple might get together in the first book, but that isn't the end of the relationship. There are many stages and challenges to each relationship. Don't let the romance die.

My favorite paranormal romance series and an excellent example of how how to write a series: The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

In your opinion, what makes a series good? What are your favorite paranormal romance series?

1303 - The Dragonslayer cover reveal

Title: 1303 - The Dragonslayer
The 13th Floor series, #3
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: February 13th, 2013

Blurb:

On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

Mark The Dragonslayer "to read" on Goodreads.

I do realize it's not exactly like the previous two covers. The model isn't staring forward, but I saw this picture and I was mesmerized. That is Xan. That's my dragonslayer! The fact he's shirtless is just a bonus. Heh.

Now who wants to be a part of my tour next month?!

I also have a bonus guest post over at Livia Peterson's blog. I'm talking about writing a series. What do you have to think about when planning to write a series?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway on Cherie Reich's blog for your chance to win the first ebooks in the 13th Floor series and an ARC of The Dragonslayer.

Wicked Wednesday - writing a series

Many paranormal romances these days are series. They're the most popular. The fans are hungry for them, like ravenous vampires. Goodness knows I love them. I read them and write them. Yet it's important to remember a few things when starting to write a series.

First off, does your idea need more than one book? It has to be a pretty dang big idea. Don't stretch out something that could fit into one book. You'll bore your readers. Examples: each book in the series could have different narrators, or you could follow the protagonist through vampire slaying school going year by year.

Every book must be able to stand-alone. It must have a story that is unto itself, but then make a strong connection to the overall story of the series. It can get tricky, because you want to have an amazing story within each book but you want to take away from the overall story.

Give yourself a lot of wiggle room. This is in case you carry on the series longer than expected or if you have to end it sooner than you thought.

You don't have to do all your world building in the first book. That's the nice thing about writing series. You can start small and expand on your world as you go along.

Finally, make sure you're ready for the commitment. Writing a series can take years. Are you willing to devote that much time to one world? To a couple of characters? Know yourself. Know what kind of writer you are. IF you jump from idea to idea, a series isn't for you.

Do you enjoy reading series? Do you write stand-alone novels or series?