I love a good series.
And I don’t just mean books. I’m talking television, too. Don’t get me wrong–movies are wonderful. But there is no substituted for a show that lures you in, week after week, to spend time with your favorite characters. I’m talking about those hit shows that don’t come along every season”¦ Friends, ER, Buffy, and a wee bit more recently–Bones, Justified, Mad Men. When the writing is strong enough, I get to know the characters so well, they feel almost like friends. I can predict their reactions, anticipate their heartaches, hope for their happily ever afters.
Some of my very favorite novels are part of a series, too. I love the buildup of meeting a character (especially a hero), watching him evolve, and then seeing him have his own adventure. I love watching him get pushed to the limit, fall in love, overcome obstacles, and ultimately find a way to be happy. It’s a wonderful story arc, with a zillion variations.
What are your favorite series? I’m taking a poll. Some amazing ones leap to mind: Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunters, J.D. Robb’s In Death stories, Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s Chicago Stars.
Just as I love reading series books, I love writing them, too. My upcoming release, UNFORGIVABLE, is the third book in my award-winning Tracers series. The series focuses on a high-tech crime lab where an elite group of forensic scientists, known as Tracers, work with homicide cops and cold case detectives to unravel the very toughest crimes. Here’s what Publishers Weekly had to say about UNFORGIVABLE:
“The science is fascinating, the sex is sizzling, and the story is top-notch, making this clever, breakneck tale hard to put down.”
So, do you need to read the Tracers stories in order? Nope. The characters overlap, but each suspense plot stands on its own, so feel free to plunge right in. I do this because, as a reader, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve plucked a book off a shelf and started a series in the middle”¦ only to fall in love with it and have to go start at the beginning. So much easier if you can just jump and quickly get up to speed.
Tell me about your favorite series! Anyone who leaves a comment will be eligible to win a signed copy of UNFORGIVABLE. Oh, and how about a free iPod? To celebrate this book’s release, I’m giving away an iPod Nano, color of your choice. Details here: http://www.lauragriffin.com/contest.php
Happy reading!
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