When I first started writing, I always thought I’d write standalone novels. Most of the books I read were standalone, and I didn’t have any desire to write a series. After I released my first book, people started asking for a sequel and wanting to know what happened to one of the characters. I just didn’t have the story in me. I was done with it and ready to move on to something new.
I wrote my second book and still had no intentions of making it a series. Off to the editor it went, and I started working on another story that was completely separate from the other two books. As I started going through the editing process my editor threw out the idea to change a few things with one of the secondary characters. She said it would make a great opportunity for him to have his own book someday. My gut reaction was to say no. I wanted to keep the story as I had it. But I started thinking about what she told me, it made so much sense, and the thoughts began swirling in my head for another story. Hmmm….
Thankfully, I took her advice and the story ended up being SO much better in the end! Most importantly, that character got his own book (you’ll find out who it was in just a minute). This led to the idea of another character getting a book, and before I knew it, I was planning a whole series before the first book was even published.
It’s funny how my reading habits have changed over the years and I realize more people want a series than I expected, especially in Contemporary Christian Romance. I prefer to read a series now myself, although I still enjoy standalone books as well. The characters become like family, and I love getting to know the whole bunch.
My latest release came out on January 17, and it’s the last book in the Finding Home series. Interestingly enough, this was the book I’d started writing before I ever decided to write a series. I never imagined it would have been part of the series, let alone the very last book in it. It just so happened the story lined up perfectly to fit right in with the others. If you haven’t read the Finding Home series, you can download the prequel novella free if you sign up for my newsletter. 
Books in the series by order:
Where the Heart Is (Bristol and Gavin) is the prequel novella to the series leading up to Book 1, A Half Made Whole (Brexen and Leighton). Bristol and Brexen are twins. Book 2 is When I Found You (Chase and Cait). Chase is Leighton’s best friend, and he’s also the one who I changed his story. Book 3 is One She Never Expected (Piper and Nolan). Piper is Cait’s little sister. Book 4 is Waiting for Right Now (Cort and Elle). Elle is Piper’s best friend and business partner. Were you able to keep up? Lol! I love how all the characters connect from book to book, and you will see them show up in each other’s stories. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone, BUT they are much better when you read them in order to connect the characters.
For a chance to win one of my ebooks, comment below and tell me which you prefer–standalone or series?
K. Leah is a hopeless romantic and adores a good Hallmark movie. Growing up in the South, she likes her tea sweet and coffee strong. Family and faith are what matter most and she wears many hats, including being a wife, mom, and graphic designer. Other than being creative with designs or stories, she likes to spend her free time escaping reality into the pages of a sweet love story.
I love both stand alone & series.
I like series mostly
I love both series and stand-alone books. Sometimes I like to wrap it up and sometimes I just like to have it continue on and on and on…
I read both series and stand alone’s. Sometimes it gets hard keeping track of all the different series available in CCR, and I get the characters from one cowboy series mixed up with another in my head!! Then I have to painstakingly sit down and skim through the series in question to get myself straight. Note: I have never had any trouble with Valerie Comer’s series, as they are rather unique….or Elizabeth Maddrey’s Hope Springs.
Wow! I agree with Margaret Bunce’s comment because sometimes I too get the characters from one book confused with another series, but that is not a problem as it gives me an excuse to re-read both series.
Having said that, sometimes it’s great to read a standalone and just enjoy the novel for what it is.
I prefer stand alone books. Thank you
I like them both. I just read the last book in your series and now I have to read the other books!
Hi K Leah! Before retiring in 2012, due to time constraints I read standalones. Upon retirement I discovered Valerie Comer’s Farm Fresh series. Now I read both -series and standalone. I enjoy reading series, multi- author ones with a common theme or series with an unique motif. Elizabeth Maddrey’s So You Want to be a Millionaire or Peacock Hill series. Best wishes and Happy Writing.
I prefer stand alone books. 😊
I like reading both series and stand-alone. But it sounds like we had similar writing starts. I never imagined wanting to write a series despite readers asking for more. But my first series starts releasing in June. And I am so excited!
I also enjoy both series and stand alone stories. Retirement has helped provide more time to read, so please keep them coming!
I read both, but I prefer series.
I lean more towards series because I love being able to revisit characters I’ve enjoyed. However, I also prefer when each book in the series can be read on its own since sometimes it can be months before I get to the next book and I don’t want to feel lost when I return to the series.
I like both but I do confused with series (order, confused with another series)
I love books in a series. That’s why I love reading about families going through trials and stuff. I wanted to be a writer at first and an to publish something. But my English skills and grammar weren’t that good. Our school had a imagine called the Red and White magizine. I published a poem or so. That’s how far I got with publishing.
Good luck wth your books. I’ love to read them.
I like reading a little of everything Christian.
I agree. I just retired from my last job in April last year. Now I have all the time in the world for Bible studies and reading.
I like both but I’ve really enjoyed reading series where you already know some of the characters and can see what happens to them after they find their HEA.
I like both!! I love when a story “ends” with the HEA, yet I also love when the same characters show up in other books. When I first started reading CF, there really weren’t any series until Jeanette Oke and Al Lacy came on the scene. Then, you had a really great mix of standalones and series. Now, I still read both, though it does seem I read more series than “traditional” standalones.
I will definitely read both, but my preference is series!
Standalones are great, but like you said, there’s so much fun in getting to know the whole group.
I like both standalone and series.
They can start to run together sometimes. lol!
Yay! I hope you enjoy them.
So cool we both have similar thoughts. Congrats on your first series coming up!
Everyone starts somewhere, so that’s a great start to writing! Happy reading!
I like series! more when you don’t get a new character for the protagonist in each book but somehow the heroes and heroines in other books have already been mentioned or have appeared.
For example…the heroine’s best friend is married to the hero’s cousin and we already saw them both in one of the books. It’s funny when you see the chemistry in the couple and you already want them in a book beforehand! It’s also cute when throughout the series you have two single characters who don’t know each other, but realize they would fit in well with each other and finally get together!
I read both stand-alones and series books for differing reasons. Series, I love getting to know each of the characters and reading their own stories when it’s time. It’s like being part of one big happy family :-) Stand-alone, because sometimes I’m only in the mood to read one book at a time. Maybe my life is busy at that time and I simply can’t devote myself to reading multiple books, but still want a satisfying story.
That question is like asking what’s my favorite book, lol! Each one is unique and I love them for different reasons.
I enjoy both stand alone books and series. Series are really fun because you can get to know the characters better that way. I actually kind of appreciate the series where they go together but you don’t necessarily lose anything if you read them as standalones either. My only pet peeve with series is sometimes they go on too long and that can be a lot of time and money invested in books.
Firstly you have some interesting names. (Which may be quite common in America but not in Australia) I did grow up with a guy called Leighton but its not common here but hadn’t heard of a Bristol and Brexen before for girls names. (I guess Cort is shout for Courtney and Cait for Caitlyn) and Nolan and Chase also are not common here. Piper on the other hand is as is Elle.
I like both. It can depend on the story and the secondary characters. One book I have read recently has been focused on the main characters and the secondary ones don’t jump out for a book of there own but others do have people saying wait til you hear my story. It can depend what sort of mood I am in as to if I want to read a series or stand alone.
I definitely read both!, But I guess my preference is a standalone.
I did surprise myself recently by reading three books in the series back to back to back. I just happened to get all of them on hand finally and enjoy them so much I didn’t read anything else in between.
Hi, I love reading both, I like to alternate reading standalone and reading series. I love series because I love to hear and read more of what has happened to the book characters, how they have grown and all. I also love stand-alone stories. Have a great week and stay sage. (I’m not entering this ebook giveaway as I don’t read ebooks at all, I am not tech savvy, but thank you)
I love unique names…lol! Bristol (girl) and Brexen (boy) are twins. Bristol is a city in Tennessee (there’s a joking reference in the book about it) and Brexen is a name I came up with myself. One of my friends named her daughter Leighton and I just loved the name (it’s also an actress in a US TV show). Cort is short for Cortney (which is an old name here in the US that’s not used anymore for men). Cait is actually just Cait… but the more common US spelling is Kate. Of course, I have to be the oddball. A friend of mine spelled her daughters’ name that way and it stuck with me!
I think if I had to pick I would say a series. If I really love the characters or setting I enjoy stories on several of the characters. Sometimes I just don’t want to ‘let go’ of the families or towns. I have authors who write so well they make you feel like you are actually sitting in the rooms with the people or families throughout the books and those are the ones I really want to keep reading more of! I do still love to read a well written stand alone too.
I like both series and stand along books !
Oh so Leighton is a girl not a boy. Here Courtney is often a girl but I do know some that are boys (spelt the same way but have seen it as Cortney). Least I can work out how to pronounce your names. One at the end of last year I had to ask the author how to pronounce it as it was driving me mad not knowing. (I always appreciate an author who works into the book how a name is pronounce either as a forward or as one author did with an unusal name when the hero first met her she told him how to pronounce the name) I was so grateful as it was an unusual name.
I have also found Aussies will pronounce names differently (My friend is Jana. I thought it was like the european pronunciation with the J as a Y so Yar Na but found out it’s actually Jane with an a on the end so Jane a). Not that it matters unless you are visiting or ringing up which is when I found out.
I love standalone series! Where there are multiple books in a series but they feature different couples.
I love both! Don’t like long series (4-5 books are enough :)