How to Keep a Book's Characters from Going Defunct.

   Quick answer: Follow Charlaine Harris' lead ... and reuse characters in subsequent books and stories, like she's doing in the Midnight series.

  Read a couple of treats besides The Lord of the Rings trilogy while on vacation. Charlaine Harris' Day Shift -- the second book in what I believe will be another long series featuring the strange residents of Midnight, Texas, who draw notice in spite of hating it -- was the winner of this batch of  reading.

   Yeah! My memory got a workout. Harris' books are located in the part of my Keeper Bookshelves that my son and I didn't weed. [We took five cartons of paperbacks to trade. The Friends of the Library got the books the bookstore didn't want.] --  No, I didn't go pawing through the stacks to find the Sookie Stackhouses and Lily Bards to verify my memory.

   Day Light picks up after new people come to live at the refurbished Midnight Hotel, which for some reason is housing some indigent Las Vegas seniors as well as paying guests. The reason why is never explained. The problem is left for future books? This book's mysteries center around a strange child who grows supernaturally fast and a couple murders connected to Manfred Bernardo and Olivia Charity.

   Yeah. Manfred Bernardo and Olivia Charity are featured residents this time around, but interesting revelations appear about most of the regular residents of Midnight. What I liked best were the appearances of characters out of Harris' previous books, each with new disclosures about their lives.

   While writing my thoughts on this Midnight book, I suddenly felt like I was discussing an ongoing TV series. Got me wondering.

   Do you think the reason multiple book series have become so prevalent that print stories are imitating TV shows? Yeah, I know there have been a huge number of continuing book series since novels became popular. But still...

Highly recommended. I kept reading the hardback even when my thumbs were hurting. Multiple viewpoints add texture to this tale of murder and strange goings-on. Harris fans will find her usual humor mixed with mayhem, a mystery with multiple red herrings, quirky but well-developed characters, and a fast moving plot. Read more formal reviews and excerpts on:

Amazon and Nook.

~~#~~ 

 My Little Writing Rut

    My writing got some spit and a polish while I goofed off. Major accomplishment was getting my "bible" or concordance for my Andor world organized. Still have to go through the character files/etc for most of the stories, but got my Trapper Tremaine stuff pretty well organized, including a cover. Was going to have a draft of the short story done. But we won't talk about that.

Ta Dah! Here is the Cover Reveal.

   Trapper is a copper in the Wilds of early Andor, stories with a Western feel, who accepts a new job in the Shyanne district working for the Paladins who have yet to organize into the Kingscourt.

Yeah. The cleaning up the "bible" was much needed.
Writers, how do you keep track of your characters? 

   Pillar of On the Run? She's still studying with Gracie trying to overcome the inhibitions her mother
inflicted on her so she wouldn't reveal how powerful her magic was when she was a toddler.

   My next side project is to post another snippet and put up some formal buy buttons on my website...if I can figure out how.



   Then, the new expanded version of Vengeance is up on Amazon, Nook, and Smashwords -- for free.
 
   The uneasy truce with the enemies surrounding the Far Isles Half-Elven is collapsing. An unprovoked attack, that kills her granddaughter and almost kills her daughter, is evidence enough for Mariah. But, will the fierce warrior and her ring-mate, Ashton, be able to convince Linden, Lord High Commander of the Marches, that their people are in danger?

   With attacks coming from the Trestemontans from over the eastern sea, hints of magic among the magic-hating Suthron Hounds, and Drummer Shamans using Spirit drums made from the skins of live human sacrifices, the Half-Elven warriors have reason to worry.

 Praise for Vengeance
“A magical novel that takes you into the world of half-elves.”
“A great mix of fantasy and humour.”
“A well-written novel packed with vivid imagery, strong world-building, characters that resonate with the reader and a single thread of taking vengeance for the death of a loved one.”