Sometimes I feel like ‘the end’ are two of the most satisfying words in the English language. I realize ‘the end’ can have vastly different meanings, depending on the context. For writers, the moment of completion of a book project can bring forth a range of emotions. Joy, relief, happiness, sorrow, thankfulness, and pure exhaustion from pushing through to meet a deadline.
I’ll be honest, and share that I had wondered for a long time if I’d ever reach the point where I could say I have written and published a complete series.
My Sydney Sweethearts series, including three short novels and a novella, is now complete. The three novels were originally traditionally published without being formally linked as a series by the publisher. I wrote the Christmas novella when I was waiting for an answer on my rights reversion request.
I spent six years in the writing wilderness where I worked a busy and fulfilling day job. My writing took a back seat behind family and other priorities in my life. During some of those years I struggled with debilitating migraines, and my writing aspirations were put on hold. My caring responsibilities increased, and my health issues reminded me that I was no longer in my twenties or thirties with boundless energy.
Earlier this year I left my day job and embraced the opportunity to have more time to focus on writing. As a result, my Sydney Sweetheart series is complete, and a few of the characters live on in other stories. Billie, my heroine in Seaside Proposal, is a cousin of my heroines in Solo Tu (A Tuscan Legacy) and His Perfect Catch novellas.
Billie and Zach (from Seaside Proposal) are now happily married, and will be traveling on vacation in USA for four or five months. Their vacation will either be mentioned or included in two of the three books I’m currently writing.
I enjoy reading books where I’m reunited with characters who I’ve loved in previous books and series. I like the snippets of married life, children, and seeing these characters living the ups and downs of the happily-ever-after that was promised in their romance story. I’m also the reader who will cry if I discover in a later book that the characters have split up, or a spouse has passed.
Do you like meeting up with characters from previous books and series? Do you like it when characters jump around between different series? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Seaside Christmas (Sydney Sweethearts novella) is now my free ebook gift for my newsletter subscribers. Learn more about my newsletter list here.
I’m giving away a $10 Amazon US gift card (or $15 Australian dollars gift card from Amazon AU store) to a reader who comments on this post. The giveaway will close on September 9, and the winner announced in the Sunday Edition.
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
I am such a fan of Narelle Atkins. I love the stories she writes and I especially love her book covers.
I love seeing characters from books I’ve loved show up in other stories. I saw this done for the first time with Grace Livingston Hill’s books Marcia Schuyler and Phoebe Deane, where the main characters in the first book played key roles in the second book.
It’s fantastic when the “old” characters are part of the new story in some way, either imparting wisdom or being catalysts for something.
Congratulations on completing your series! Such an amazing feeling.
I love having characters show up in other books. It’s like catching up with an old friend and it makes me feel good. It also reminds me again of the book they were in and it brings me closer to the characters in the current book. I think it makes me feel like we have something in common.
I love catching up with characters from old books, particularly when it gives me a glimpse of how their life turned out – do they have kids, a new job, did they move or what has happened. I love getting confirmation that characters whose stories I’ve followed have a happy ever after!
I also enjoy recurring characters. But how do you keep them all straight? A spreadsheet? I really need to figure this out lol. Congrats on finishing the series! – Lyn
Hi Audrey, It’s lovely to meet you here. Thanks for your kind words. 😊
Catching up on previous characters is fun and invariably has me reading the original book again. An added bonus!
Hi Milla, thank you! The catching up with beloved characters is so fun. Love Inspired have also been doing this for years in their long running single author series. The Dry Creek series by Janet Tronstad comes to mind. 😊
Hi Lori, yes, reuniting with previous characters can make a story feel more relatable. Sometimes I’ll go back and reread their romance story, too, and enjoy remembering why I loved their story. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Ruthie, yes, the confirmation of the happily-ever-after, months or years after their romance story has ended, is important for me and super-fun to read. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Lyn, I’ve started using Plottr and adapting it to replace my old spreadsheets. The chronological tracking of time between series is tricky. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Jeannette, yes! Sometimes I think rereading favorite romance books is the equivalent of chocolate or ice cream comfort food. I love going back and remembering why I loved their romance story. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I love series and meeting characters again in other books. Congratulations on finishing your series.
A mention is nice as long as it doesn’t take over the current couple.
Yes I like when characters show up in multiple books.
I love meeting up with characters from previous books!! I like to see how they’re doing, and like to see them still together. I would NOT be happy to see them divorced or that one had passed, that would ruin everything for me. I know it happens in real life, but I don’t like it to happen in books, like I don’t like it to happen in real life. But I like my books to be better than real life.
Congrats on finishing the series, Sydney Sweethearts series, including three short novels and a novella. Now, on to the next series, lol
I love to have characters continued in other books in a series. It is so hard to leave a character once you are attached to them. I have been reading several series, one from Kari Trumbo and one from Naomi Rawlings, whose characters are continued into the next book. I am waiting for another book to be released from each series and I can’t wait to get it. Thank you for your post. Have a great day and a wonderful week.
Good morning, Congratulations on completing your series. Yes, I love it when I see book characters returning in different books. I love book series because I like to know what the book characters have been up to how their lives have changed and what has become of them. Have a great day and a great week.
Congrats on completing the series. I do enjoy “visiting ” with characters of the previous stories, especially when I have read all the books in that specific series.
Thanks for the giveaway
Hi Narelle!
Congrats on finishing your series! Oh, and I love to find characters from previous books in the newer releases within a series, but also in other series/books by the same author. It makes it fun for the reader to know how they are doing. :)
I love meeting up with characters from old books, it is always so fun and nice to see what the characters are up to.
I love the opportunity to catch up with characters from a previous book. I always see it as a kind of “easter egg” by the author when characters from one series pop up in another.
I can see from previous comments that most of us like being reunited with characters from past stories! I think that sort of makes them seem more ‘real’ to us!
Congratulations Narelle on finishing your series!
I Love reading a book where the characters are returning in books Congrats on finishing your series!
I do! It makes me want to read the other series if I haven’t already.
I love seeing characters from another book mentioned in another series I’m reading. It’s like getting re-acquainted with old friends!
Congratulations on finishing your series!
I will try this a second time. Thank you so much for sharing. Congratulations on finishing your series. That is fabulous. God bless you.
If I love a character, I want to trip over them everywhere.
I’m excited to read this series!!
can be interesting
Hi Diana, thank you! Series books are super-fun 😊
Hi Jcp, yes, you’ve raised a good point. If the previous couple is in the story too much, it’s probably moving the story into contemporary fiction/womens fiction genre territory with a romantic subplot or romantic elements. The main focus in a CCR is always the romance of the main characters, and in longer CCR novels there’s room for subplots and other story elements. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Kendra, yes, it’s fun to meet up again with familiar characters. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Trudy, I agree, and I did recently come across this situation in a series. I read a range of genres, which means I can’t remember if it was CCR or something else. I think I tried to block out the sad news and forget it happened. If the characters who split up were never the heroine and heroine in their own story (I’m thinking of Valerie Comer’s Cavanagh Cowboy series), the split isn’t a problem because I can live in hope that they’ll eventually reconcile in their own romance story down the track. Breaking the happily-ever-promise in a later book is not what I personally like to read, irrespective of how common it can be in real life. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Cathy, thank you! And yes, I’m plodding along and writing books for new series. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Bonnie, I agree, and the wait for new books can feel long. Sometimes I will hold back on reading as they release and do a big binge read. That way, I don’t forget story details. I’m also a big fan of rereading. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Alicia, Thank you! It’s fun reuniting with characters from earlier books. Enjoy your week. 😊
Hi Yvonne, you’re very welcome. If I had more reading time, I’d start rereading in series binges a bunch of series I’ve enjoyed. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Priscila, thank you! It’s fun to catch up with characters and see what’s happening in their lives. 😊
Hi Angeline, I agree, and I think it’s a reason why I’m not a personally a big fan of standalone series that are primarily connected by setting rather than character connections. It’s the characters who pull me into the series. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Jessica, I love your Easter egg analogy! It’s a pleasant surprise to reunite with beloved characters. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I do like seeing people show up again although if I haven’t read previous books I like it that I don’t need to have read to understand there appearance. Like have it explained the relationship so its just not a character or two with no idea where they belong. (doesn’t have to be rehash of their story). Nothing more annoying than a couple of people in a book with no idea who they are or why they are there . I hope this makes sense.
I know its not CCR but Gilbert Morris did this with some of the characters of other series appearing in the House of Winslow books. If you read the other series you instantly recognised them if not they were still integral to the story without having to know their full stories.
Hi Margaret, thank you! Yes, it seems to be the consensus. The more time we spend with characters, the more real they become to us. Years ago, I worked with one of my beta readers and we were talking at work about one of my heroes. A colleague asked us who we were talking about, and she was shocked when she discovered he was a character, not a real person, lol. 😊
Hi Sarah, thank you! It’s fun reading books with returning characters. 😊
Hi Natalya, yes, I enjoy following the characters, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Terry, thank you! It’s fun catching up with our book friends. 😊
Hi Debra, thank you! I’m sorry you’ve had trouble commenting. God bless you. 😊
I love reading book series, I usually binge read them and it’s cool when visitors show up. It’s easy to get attached so when a series comes to it’s end I can get sad that there aren’t any other books coming but if it’s ended well I’m chill with it.
thanks for your wonderful post today. yes I like to have characters from previous books in a series reappear. is it their story or are they a secondary character? and then sometimes I like to have each book in a series stand alone
Hi Mary, yes, that’s a great description! Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Melynda, I hope you’ll enjoy the stories. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi bn100, yes, I agree. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Jenny, yes, context does matter. Their relationships and connections with the main characters in the current story should make sense for a reader who hasn’t read (or can’t recall) story details from earlier books in the series. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Cindi, I appreciate series where the final book (or books, if it’s a long series) tie up the loose ends from the various story threads in the series. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Lori, you’re very welcome. Variety is good, and some stories will work better as a standalone. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I love catching up with characters in other books. How is the relationship? Are they growing together or apart? Has their communication style changed? Are the drawing closer to God? These are the things I like to know.
I like to read books in a series to become familiar with the characters and see how they progress – sort of watching your own family grow and expand. Sometimes there is too much of a gap between editions and it takes a while to get reacquainted but in this age where connections are hard to make and keep it is comforting to be able to return to something familiar. Congrats on your latest release!
I enjoy it when one book has characters from other books show up. It’s fun catching up with them and seeing what they’re up to as the stories go on.
Hi Sonnetta, It’s fun to have these questions answered. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Linda, I agree, series books can be a form of comfort reading (and especially rereading), and I love the strong character connections, too. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Megan, yes, those surprise cameo appearances are super fun. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Your books are new to me, though I might have a paperback one somewhere waiting to be read. I just subscribed to your newsletter; it looks like it’s a fun one!