I always read with interest, usually when a book in a really super popular series releases, the varying viewpoints of readers and then how the author interpreted certain characters, their pathways etc. It’s no denying that readers become invested in their favorite series or their favorite characters. They root for them along the way. They wait anxiously for character B and C to get their own stories. I see this a lot with hugely popular series like J.R. Ward’s just to name one that comes to mind!
But what happens when the reader’s expectation doesn’t reconcile with the author’s vision/interpretation of character B and C? As a reader do you shrug it off and say okay well these are the author’s characters, he/she knows them better and chalk it up to minor disappointment? Or do you become angrier because as a reader you’ve invested countless hours, you KNOW these characters and what you got wasn’t what you expected?
And who’s right?
I’ve long sided with the author (because hello, I am an author haha) BUT I am a huge reader and I’ve BEEN disappointed when a long awaited character gets a story and it’s not what *I* envisioned. I grumble. I sulk. But at the end of the day, that character is the author’s creation and their worldview and my worldview are going to be vastly different.
Does it mean I break up with the author and swear “never again?”
Usually not. Unless said author breaks my cardinal rules lololol. There are a few things that if an author does, I break up with them forever and ever amen. Killing a major character off will do that. Dissolving a happily ever after that occurred previously in the series. I mean NOOOOO I do not want to read a SECOND book with the hero or heroine from a previous story where I was already invested in the FIRST HEA only to have to reconcile in my head that it didn’t work out and now I’m expected to root for this other person? Is it realistic? Well of course, but realism is NOT why I read fiction. I read because I want to be in my happy place where everything is perfect and everyone stays together and lives happily ever after.
So what say you when an author doesn’t go the way YOU want him/her to go with a story or a set of characters? Is it off with his/her head? Or do you chalk it up to differing visions and move on?
I don’t write an author off, because if I’ve become that invested, it’s because they’re so good that he/she is worth just stepping back from that book (or the series), and waiting until the next. Now if it’s a run of books, I might say…to the library rather than buying. And then, if it’s still bad, time to walk.
Even though I don’t always agree with what an author does in my favorite series, I trust them implicitly to tell their characters’ stories. I really don’t understand when people get mad when something doesn’t unfold the way they think it should. Now, if it’s something huge like you referenced, killing off a major character or something, then, okay. But, I do taxes for a living. I am not a writer and thankfully there are wonderful authors like yourself who put stuff out that I loooove to read!! Keep up the good work!!!
It depends on what the difference is. There is an author that I completely washed my hands of for 2 reasons. One I am deathly afraid of snakes and I read in pictures. So every time the snake was on the written page I saw the snake in my mind. The snake in this book was the murder weapon. the second reason is off topic so I won’t go into that here.
But if you mean the character b or c just went a different path than I thought they would go then no I am not upset. That is the fun in reading and not writing the story. I love to see where a character goes and not try to write the story myself.
Keep on writing them as you see them and I will keep reading. Thanks for all you do.
hi maya
starting to read a series,and u get to one’s that doesn’t give what u want,depends on the quality of the story..if it’s still a good read,i’ll continue to buy said reader’s books…if it’s boring and terrible..i won’t be too quick to check out any new books from said author…maya banks,erin mccarthy,lora leigh, never disappoints me…
regards
riana louw
I will not write a author off my list if they do things different than what I wanted. First off, because I am NOT the author and second, because things rarely go the way I think they will! LOL But one thing that will make me question, reading or buying, is if the editing of the book has gone bad. I know of one author, while I love her series, I just cannot follow anymore. The bad editing and the inconsistency between the books in the series makes it very hard to follow what is going on. Other than that I love to see what the author will do with a series! I rarely get mad, because its a waste of my time! :D
Your cardinal rules match up with mine! There are some things that will make sure that I do not read the book or I will wait until I see some reviews for the next book: killing off a main character (as in the hero or the heroine), cheating in the main relationship (I’m not talking about menages, etc…), breaking up the couple I’ve become invested in, etc…
OMG yes I can’t believe I forgot CHEATING. It HURTS me ugh. I don’t mind really dramatic over the top stories where the hero or heroine may THINK the other cheated and I love all the drama and angst involved. Just as long as they really DIDN’T cheat, I’m okay hehe.
I’m with you — when a major character is killed off and it is a character that makes the series, then the author loses me as a reader. I still get flushed and angry thinking of Jude Devereaux’s A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR. That book haunted me for days. Secondary characters biting the big one don’t bother me but to be honest, killing off any character is hard for me unless the character is beyond redemption.
As for my vision vs. the author’s vision, I have to trust that the author is being true to what she sees and envisions with the book she has written. I may not like the how the book is going, but I have to believe that the author knows what is best for her characters.
Not being the author, I do not really have a say the way the story goes on, also many writers say that the characters tell the story and they just put it on paper. I am pretty easy going and I do not understand why some readers get their panties in knots when a book is not what they envisioned. That’s too bad, get over it and move on, I say.
Love , love your books!
I agree with your comments and I’ve had series’ where the author took a beloved character in a different direction than I had taken them in my imagination. Only once was I unable to continue with the series. But I find that the one story often becomes the one I’m least likely to revisit in the future. Of course this has never happened with any of your series, Maya. Thanks.
Am with you i read for my happy endings. In a long series I wouldn’t say I get disappointed but surprised when an author goes a different direction than I thought the story was going to go. It is the authors world and only they know the best road for their characters. I do get upset when readers get mad at the very people who brings us such enjoyment with their stories. An author should always stick to their vision at the end of the day you can’t please everybody.
Hi Maya—
Awesome question… I, as I am sure many other readers do, get very involved in the story… They are like movies in my head. If a story doesn’t progress the way I want it to I will keep on going. After all.. I am watching someone else’s vision (book) in my head. I may not like the course but generally the outcome is the same(both mine and the authors :) ) And like you i have some ‘no brainers’ if the main characters get killed off or there is a separation of a past character it’s hard. Like in Lara Adrians books when Danica’s mate was killed and she was pregnant it was sad but since we didn’t have a lot of info or their back story her appearance in her own book where she finds her mate was totally cool. But if we had been ‘invested’ it would’ve been much more difficult!
Ultimately we are reading a book that evolved in someone else’s head.. So if I don’t agree with the author I will still keep on reading.. because it’s their character and they know ‘better’ than the reader where that character needs to go and who they need to be with to satisfy that characters needs. It’s their ‘Journey’ I am just along for ride :)
I love your stories and characters and how they evolve.
Thanks
It usually take several not up to par books for me to quit following an author. My biggest issue seems to be when an author starts a new series when I’m thinking hey your not done with the other series yet. I tend to get bogged down and slow to start a new series or I nit pick it because these are not the characters that I wanted.
Killing off a main character and ruining my happily ever after is a kiss of death for an author but only if they do it more than once.
I have read many book series by many authors and sure, sometimes, the direction a character’s “story” takes does not match what I was imagining, or it ended up not being as exciting as the other books in the series. But I do not write the author off. Even when the story of a character didn’t go as I was imagining, I still enjoyed the path of the story. Something might have happened early in the book that really threw me off, but by the end of the book, I “got it”, I understood and went with where the story led.
You Maya, have a more unique experience with this type of issue because you ARE and author. You are used to actually creating the “story” of the various connected characters in a book series. So your reaction to a story that doesn’t go as you would imagine might be a more personal hit to another author. Of all the series I’ve read, many have at least one in the series that wasn’t my “favorite”, but the series in a whole far out weigh any negative reaction I might have to one character’s “story”.
Keep up the great work. I believe I have 2 of your books on pre-order, can’t wait to read them.
I will admit that I am really guilty of being disappointed when books in the series don’t live up to the expectations that I have for that character, but usually I get over it pretty quickly. I can’t think of a single time that it has turned me off from the author completely… though I am the type that re-reads my favorite series’ often, and if a book had been a disappointment, I usually skip it when I re-read.
I am an avid reader and there are some stories that I find myself thinking about as I do a pan of dishes in the sink, especially in ongoing series.
As invested as I get, they are the author’s characters, sprung from their mind, so they rule by default. I was always amazed at how many people were upset in the JK Rowling books that Harry and Hermione weren’t a couple. Um, hello, they aren’t because that isn’t what she wanted/intended/forsaw IN HER OWN STORY.
My dealbreakers are when writers get lazy. There are a few authors who have series that may have simply gone on too long because it seems like entire passages are lifted from one book to another, or they have padded for word count the way kids do on high school term papers. I get that in a sex scene there are only so many ways to describe Tab A fitting into Slot B, but come on…..nearly word for word the same as the last 3 books of theirs that I read? Um, no.
It’s funny you mention this because a few of my favorite authors latest releases have been well let’s just say less than stellar. I went with it thinking huh ok everyone has their off days so ok wait for the next one. It’s gone 2 ways in that one of the authors books jumped back on track and the other not so much. Since I have given it 3 books worth of effort to stay dedicated there is still just something off in the books (to me) so although I have yet to say I’ll never read so and so again I will be honest in saying when it comes time to purchase new books that author’s dropped down on the must buy now list over to the I’ll read eventually I think. The above really applies to series more so I guess. If I read 1 book from a new to me author and it just doesn’t do it for me then I probably won’t add them to my monthly book release list but if I came across something else from them I’d check it out.
I have read series that once they got to a character I want to read the story it was a disappointment and I have read some that were better than I thought it would be. After meeting some authors. Listens to the authors talk about how a story comes about and how a character talks to them. I will still be disappointed in some stories but now I understand that what I might picture but it might be how the story played in the authors mind. So even though I might be disappointed it the story, I will still read the author and the series. I do not listen to reviews on the books because what I think is always different. I read for pleasure I do not care if the the editing is off and the timeline might be off but if the story is good then it does not matter.
I’ve never broken it off with an author per say. I’ve been pissed off that a story hasn’t gone the way I think it was going but that hasn’t stopped me from reading the rest of the series. I think as long as the books have a HEA and the two main characters work out their issues through out the book and there is a resolution then it’s a good book and I’ll keep reading the series. Yes in future books that couple might come back and have a fight or argument that adds to the plot of the current book, but I think thats ok as long as they remain together and work things out. Fiction couples aren’t always perfect, they can’t be there has to be some conflict. Like you said why would I want to see them break it off or worse, get killed then the author has to write another HEA for them. You can’t kill off a character that someone has invested time into liking or loving and waiting for their HEA. It ruins the books. I’ll use your example also (since it was thrown out there) I love JR Wards BDB series, but I didn’t like Paynes book at all. Her character was nothing like I thought she would be when she was developed. But that didn’t stop me from reading her latest book (which I loved). I also think high anticipation can kill a book as well. I think the more you get worked up over a book and the longer you have the wait the higher your expectations get and then why you finally get the book you read it and *sighs* it’s not quite what you hoped for. Knock on wood, this hasnt happened to me for a book, but books that turn into movies, happens all the time.
When it comes to characters, I expect the author to keep the character true to what they have already established for that character. I am also just not able to read a book in a series where the sister or whoever gets a story, but in the first book the sister or whoever is a completely awful person. I have no interest in this awful person and just can’t read the book. If they keep that character true to who they were in the first book, that next book has zero appeal. And if they flip them to be some other kind of person, then I really doubt I will be able to buy it.
I like series with recurring characters, and if there is a lapse here or there, that won’t put me off the author forever, but I am more likely to get the next book from the library instead of buying it, to make sure it did not happen again.
I will not write off an author if a story lines dosen’t go the way I think it should. I can say sometimes I have been heart broken and upset and pissed when especially a fav charchater is written off or killed. I would say one thing that I really like to see in a series is what when we are introduce to a charachter in the book that this person is only in the one book. I like when stories overlap and chachters are in thru out the series. I also hate when I series that I really love is turned into a movie and it is like nothing like the book, or the actor chossen to fill the role your like really him.
It’s all in how the characters are presented.If I’m not hooked on a book within the first 10 pages I won’t read it.Even if it’s in a series that I am reading.
I know one thing that is making me nuts is not knowing whether you are going to put Sean(think that’s the police officers name) and Rusty together in the KGI series.
I had my heart set on one couple in Suzanne Brockmann’s Trouble Shooters series.I was so upset when I figured out that she wasn’t putting them together.In the end it turned out that she was right in who she paired them with.and Rusty together in the KGI series.
It’s an interesting question, and I need to think some more about my answer, but here is the kneejerk:
No matter how much I love a character, I don’t write for them in my head. I follow where the writer takes me, period. If the author’s voice sucks me down to the world she’s created, to where these characters are alive, then I am just a witness to the course of their lives. I share their emotions and hope for their ultimate happiness, but I don’t seek to direct their destinies.
So, basically, no, I don’t ‘break up’ with an author because these or those two characters didn’t end up together (Suzanne Brockmann’s Decker and Sophia, for example).
What will make me stop (and in the rare cases this happens is after a long, drawn out, bloody, cruel, to-the-death battle), is when I no longer connect to the author’s voice, when quirks in the writing get in the way of my immersion in the world that these characters live in.
IMHO, no one should completely write off an author just because they may or may not have met a readers expectations with a certain storyline. Everyone has different opinions and views, and just because 1 reader doesn’t like something, doesn’t mean another won’t. There are MILLIONS of readers out there, and just as many books that appeal to those readers. Some are more popular than others, but that doesn’t make the less popular ones bad. For instance, I read to escape…be it naughty children, missing my husband, family stress, anything really. I find that even some books with bad reviews are worth it because I found them interesting, even though other people may not have. As far as the author catering to the reader for the direction of the characters, that shouldn’t even be an issue. YOU are the one writing the story. It doesn’t matter if the reader knows those people inside and out, they will never know them the way you do. If they are unhappy with the outcome, then they can start their own series where people do what they think is right, and I’m sure someone out there will read it and either enjoy it, or complain. It’s a fine line that every author walks, but that shouldn’t stop you from writing what you feel is right. If that even makes sense lol.
Basically it’s the author’s decision and when a storyline doesn’t fulfill my expectations it only mirrors life: You can’t always get what you want! Wouldn’t break up with an author because of that!
Reading for me is an escape and a way to release the stress of a hectic life. I expect a good read. I want an all out emotional blitz of a journey to the HEA. As long as the author is successful in telling a good story where I care and can feel the emotions along with the characters I will keep reading. I already have a job and it is not as an author. I have never stopped reading an author because I did not like the direction the story went.
BTW- glad you are feeling better and cannot wait to start Sweet Addiction tomorrow
I don’t think I have divorced a writer because a series I was reading didn’t turn out the way I thought it should. But saying that, if a second or third book continue to disappoint I will not put them on the top of “I have to have that book” list. My money is limited for extras so I am careful where I spend it.
I am waiting with bated breath for Sweet Addiction, unfortunately I will have to wait until Friday to purchase, but you can bet I will be busy reading it on Friday.
Well said, azteclady. I would like to add that a writer is an artist. His or her imagination, talent, and muse will lead them on a journey of personal expression. I don’t expect a writer to spin a yarn just for me, anymore than I expect a sculptor to adopt my preferred style of painting.
I will admit that I don’t give up on an author for one book in a series that is unsatisfactory to me. And I also don’t give up on an author who has other series in which I have no interest.
With that said, I spend a lot money on books and I read what captures my heart and my mind. If an author ultimately fails in that task, I feel no compunction to spend more money on books that don’t or no longer move me.
I have only let go of one author. Richelle Mead and her dark swan series. I loved this series, pre ordered almost everything, bought (again) to have on my new kindle, seriously in love. But she ruined it for with her last book Shadow Heir. When the author doesn’t care about the book or their readers then there is no point in even selling it. They should just stop writing. That’s the only book I have ever given a review to and if I could I would do negative stars. I usually love the difference an author will take with creativity and if I don’t like it I usually just make upsomething that I agree with.
I have to agree with a lot of you. There has been authors that I like the first book in the series then I got to book 3 and it was not what I was thinking the story was going I have stop reading that series only. Some authors I love one series but for some reason I can not get into one of their other series. I loved a series but the last two books have not been disappointed plus it left so many question that I did not know were the author is going. This author has a new book coming out in the series I will not buy it but I will go to the library and get from there to see if the author is getting back where she left off two books ago.
So funny that you brought this up! I have had this struggle my whole life. I re-write things out in my own head when a story doesn’t go the way I thought it should.
As a little girl I had myself CONVINCED that Casy’s Shadow ended with them taking that beautiful horse home to race another day…only to watch it years later and find out he DIED?!?!
As a heartbroken teen I was sure Matt Dillon’s lovely wife survived the botched surgery in Liar’s Moon; I even saw him rushing into her hospital room and her telling him “I bet there’s a lovers moon out tonight.”…but nope, watched it years later and realized that yup…she died too…
Pretty funny when I think about it. I guess it doesn’t matter how a book or movie ends when apparently I just wrap it up the way I want it to end any way….tell me something, in Old Yeller, the dog lives right?…Wait, on second thought I like the way it ends right now just fine……..
I have to be honest here and say I wrote off Karin Slaughter for killing a major character. It bothered me so much, I refuse to read another of her books. Maybe that’s childish of me, but what she did was a cardinal sin to me and I can’t bring myself to try again. Matthew Reilly did it too but I was eventually able to forgive him. But I think it’s because he writes action, whereas Ms Slaughter writes what I considered to romantic suspense, although the romance was minimal. But to kill off a romantic lead… No, just no!
I’m pretty laid back when it comes to differing views. If an author doesn’t give an HEA that I like, I’ll give them a second (and usually third) chance. The only way I write off an author for good is:
1) Cheating characters. If it’s a secondary character, I can deal, but the hero or heroine cheating is a deal-breaker for me. NOTE: If they cheat WITH each other, I’ll make exceptions. I’ve read several novels like this with extenuating circumstances (heroine is in an abusive relationship and the hero gives her a way out, for example). But if the hero or heroine cheats on each other, I can’t deal with that – not in any time period or genre.
2) Must have a forever happily ever after. Meaning: no killing off the hero or heroine or breaking them up in a later book.
What I really hate is when there is a series started and there are two stories left, like 2 members of a family, and the author announces that they are no longer working with the publisher so those stories are now going to go unwritten. Ugh I hate that and so I won’t follow an author after this, especially if they aren’t writing in the same genre.
*confused* But…how is this the author’s fault?
If/when a publisher doesn’t buy new books from a specific author, it (publisher) often still retains rights to the world/characters, so the author cannot continue writing those stories–it’s not that s/he doesn’t want to, is that legally, s/he probably can’t.
Hmmm this is a hard one because I generally work really hard NOT to visualize how I’d like character B and C to get together. Great example William and Gilly in Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. I could come up with a ton of ways for them to get together, and several different HEA’s for them, but what if what I’ve visualized messes with someone else’s HEA??? Nope not gonna happen, I simply can’t take on that kind of responsibility! Even if my view and the authors doesn’t mesh I keep reading because somewhere along the series it’ll all click for me :-)
To me, its the author’s story to tell. After all, these characters came alive in his/her head and gave her the story to tell.
Yeah, in some cases I would like to see B end up with D rather than C but rarely do I find where I totally disagree with the story the author has written.
It takes a lot for me to “divorce” an author and disagreeing with a plot line doesn’t do it for me.
I have to say that I, too, don’t understand why people get their panties in a wad. ;)
There have been plenty of series that led of into “strange, new worlds” that I would *never* have thought of – but that’s why I’m the reader not the author! :D JR Ward’s BDB is one excellent example of that. Of course I have a favorite one (don’t we all?) but I’m OK with whatever she chooses to do with *her* characters. Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series is another set of books that just owns a piece of my heart – especially the first of the series – and I love visiting them again & seeing what new things have happened. (Just because Mel & Jack got their HEA doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfect for them FOREVER – the whole Mel wants to adopt the baby several books later is still a subplot that makes me want to cry in a good way) (and I go back and read JUST that part on occasion)
Even death (if done well) isn’t a total deal breaker for me. If you’ve read any of the Black Jewels series you know who Jaenelle and Saetan are and most readers obviously expected something *much* different for them rather than death – even though they were *old* by their standards. I almost didn’t buy the book because of all the angry reviews – but when I finally read it I cried, no – I sobbed. It was beautiful. It was important and very, very well written. It was true to the characters and the author. Yes it was heart wrenching, and people were pissed off something fierce, but it needed to happen.
The one thing that will make me swear off an author is a repeat story. Now, honestly, I’ve read several books in a series that will remain unnamed (more than several, to my dismay) and in the beginning I really enjoyed them The last several years have really changed my opinion – I no longer force myself to even look at them on the rack. It’s all the same story with the same brooding “hero” and the same spineless yet thinks-she’s-brave “heroine” with the same he-gets-what-he-wants-but-pisses-and-moans-about-adjusting-to-her-desires-too ending. Yuck.
Thankfully there aren’t too many authors like that (they *should* come with a warning) and it’s easy to fill up the space on the shelf with excellent books from, say, you! :D
I’m okay even if a major character has been killed off. I want to know what happens afterwards. As a reader (and reviewer) if I don’t agree with the direction of the author, I merely note it and move on. Now, if there are a couple of books I’m “meh” about, I still give it a try. If after several, I then give up because rather than pull the “ratings” down, I just decide the series is no longer for me. For all I know, it could just be my reading preferences have changed. I don’t rail against the author.
I find this most often with long running series. Not every author can be a Nora Roberts and pull of Eve and Roake the way she does. (Well, at least in my opinion.) I find that many series authors get stuck in a rut and they keep building in their comfortable world. After a while, all the characters seem the same to me and I can’t keep them straight. Or the main character development has come to a point that I just can’t buy into it anymore. I guess when they say, “Familiarity breeds contempt” this happens for long running series of the same characters. (Y’all know who I’m talking about.)
Then there is the other extreme. Keri Arthur is an author I dearly love reading. Her series ALWAYS come to an end before I’m ready for it to end. She always leaves me wanting and yearning for more. *Shakes fist in the air*
As a side note – I’m a shameless fan of yours. *grin*
It takes a lot for me to break up with an author. The biggest thing for me is errors, especially obvious typos that should’ve been caught. I’m thinking of one series/author in particular, who I won’t name as I think you’ve written with her. This seal series started out incredible and characters transferred into a spin-off series. The last few books of the series contained multiple typos and even mixed up characters a couple times. The errors were distracting and it just felt like the author “phoned it in”.
AND since you mentioned the WARDen, I loved Tohr’s book much more than the last 2. My passion for the series was renewed yay! My paranormal obsession is over – romantic suspense has taken it’s place. Love me some Kelly’s <3 .
Killing off a major character, cheating, breaking up the main couple – all will cause me to stop reading anymore books by that author. I read romances for the HEA. My way of relaxing is to get a nice juicy romance, kick back and unwind.
Hello Maya, in answer to your question I as a reader am majorly disappointed that where I thought the author was heading just did not go there.I was very surprised and for me wanted more of a passionate, sexual response that the writer just did not deliver on. Kinda turned me off but I understood it. Still reading this author but have come to realize that I have to accept that its their characterization for the whole book not just something I want to read. But I will say that I re did in my mind what I wanted and it was so much better for me. P.S. Cannot freaking wait for SWEET ADDICTION. Love this series by the way.
I never write the author off. I may be upset but I continue to read. I have felt this a lot lately with some of the latest book releases. It makes me incredibly angry but what can you do but hope the next book make you happy.
I don’t usually write the author off, but I’ll probably not read the book again unless they manage to completely put me off. Other than major character death, unnecessary death just drives me nuts. I can live with people dying because it has something to do with the plot, but if I can’t read the book and see how that death meant something to the story or somehow furthered the plot? I just can’t see a reason to kill someone just so something is realistic and has no other value after spending time developing the character. I also hate, hate, hate when an author breaks their own character rules. If you’ve spent time setting up a, b, and then c about someone and you finally give them a book and completely ignore either previous characterization or plot because it makes the character more interesting? I’m done.
Basically, I want the bad guys to lose, the good guys to win; NO CHEATING and the hero(s) and heroine to have their HEA. Then I’m a happy camper. Is this realistic, not at all, but I don’t read Romance for that. I read it to get away from reality.
The way I look at it the story and the characters in the story; they are the author’s creation, that the author has decided to share with us.
If someone thinks they can do a better job, then they should write their own Romance novel and have the story written the way they want.
If an author goes in a different direction with a highly anticipated character, I may find the book disappointing but that in-and-of-itself would not be enough to make me give up on a particular series. And the story going in another direction can just as easily be a pleasant surprise.
However, if an author breaks one of those cardinal rules (killing off a lead character, infidelity after the HEA, etc) that probably would be a deal breaker. Also, if an author has a long running series and markets a particular couple for years then pulls a bait-and-switch at the last moment pairing the characters with other people, that is also a deal breaker.
I wouldn’t stop reading an author but wish i could ask why the chatacters said or did something that didn’t make sense.
I am assuming your question is partly due to the reviews for Whispers in the Dark were some reads are upset that there is a paranormal slant. I am not sure why this angered so many readers. I know others have made negative remarks about authors that change genre for example from historical to contemporary; it the author is good at one genre than they should not be stuck to that genre for their entire career. I agree with most of the other post and with your list of things an author should not do in their books. I recommended your books to a friend and now she is as addicted to the KGI series as I am. You can’t please everyone. Keep up the good work!
To be honest, I am very careful about reading ongoing books, if one book really didn’t suit me. After reading Micah’s book, I was leary about reading Conner’s book, so I didn’t order it until I knew it was different than Micah’s. I will not read Sweet Addiction. It grosses me out to have women sexually and physically abused. When a woman is treated worse that an owner is allowed to treat his dog,I won’t read a book about it. I will, however, give the author the benefit of reading other books in another series. I am enjoying the KGI books immensely.
I usually don’t break up with an author but you have hit on my major standards (including the cheating). However there is ONE situation that I haven’t seen mentioned. Not staying true to the character. If in book one through six a character has a specific personality and past and then in book seven they get their own book and the character is TOTALLY different than in the previous books, that is a major hit for me. I’m not talking about a different interpretation, sometimes they do such things as to have an established history be completely different, not in how it is viewed but in the actually events already stated. A complete personality change is another good example. Without reason that is, if a major life changing event happened to cause a change that is acceptable but to have it be a “it was always like this but he kept it hidden” doesn’t cut it for me if the character is already ESTABLISHED in previous books. If an author cannot stay true to their own character then skip it and create a new character in the personality they want rather than messing up a character that is already loved the way they are. Basically what it comes down to is that my biggest pet peeve is an author not being able to keep their own character straight. The exception being that they give a good REASON for the change.
Honestly, it is the reason I stopped reading comic books. Any X-Men fans out there will totally understand as Marvel Comics said that Gambit lost his accent because it was a nervous disorder. Hmm, he was fine battling supervillians but nervous with his friends, uh-huh.
Stepping off the soapbox. Sorry for the rant. Couldn’t help myself.
I only write off authors if their books become too similar and I get bored or stop caring about the central character. I can only think of one in recent years, where I gave up on them and donated all of my collection to the local library(James Patterson).
Personally I wouldn’t mind if a hero and heroine broke up a few books down the line in a series.
Im a big reader, i usually have 4 books on the go, and in the thousand of books I have read I have only come across 1 that didn’t go the way I thought/wanted, but it not my story to tell. But I love that book, because it surprised me…just saying.
I had to respond because this is the very thing I struggled with recently reading another author. I think the only way I can answer your question is by telling you what I went through. I read a wide range of books and decided to read these books because they were so popular. The series is written by Kristin and PC Cast. I was so severely disappointed that I stopped after the fourth book. I was incredibly invested with one character and he was completely trashed by a girl who just couldn’t stop cheating on him…it was insulting because ugh it was just so wrong! First you have a sort of boyfriend then your life drastically changes…then somehow you do get a boyfriend, but you not only cheat on him with your ex you then cheat on him with a young male teacher…yeah I was so not feeling those books. It was a disgrace making this supposed heroine of the book cheap and slutty. And she wasn’t the only one it was done to…then to take a character so well thought out and yummilicious is the only word I can think of (lol), then destroy him…was a devastating blow. WHY on earth would you build a character to that intensity just to trash him? Makes no sense.
Which brings me to this. I’ve started to read the last book of your Sweet Series. I’m new to these. Actually, found them after reading the over publicized (no idea why lol) Fifty Shades. They have nothing on other books I’ve read, especially yours. Me thinks the popularity is highly based on the fact it came from Twilight fanfiction (I must gag wasn’t my cup of tea). But I digress…it’s not so much writing off the author it’s the build up and the big disappointment that wasn’t met by the expectations we thought we would get.
Sweet Addiction is the perfect example. I think the description is what really set people off and was a major deterrent. Had Lucas’s name been mentioned in the description it could have appeased the the readers. But again I haven’t finished it, but I do have to admit that I’m more partial to the other books you have in this series. I thought Cole seemed a better character in the other books…I’m not sure yet in this last one. I also feel it’s a matter of what floats the person’s appeal at that moment. I’ve gone into read books and totally hated it and gone back to them much later and said, “HUH, why did I hate this book?” Which is why I was soooo puzzled by some reviews given about Sweet Possession. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this one…I was laughing so hard I cried! But I found this the best one of the series…and I LOVED Damon and Micah. It was so real and I totally got the vanilla part of it that most didn’t get. It fit especially in regards to Lyric.
It all comes down to taste, worth your time, your mood, and your overall satisfaction. Yes, it’s written by the author, but we are looking to escape to a world the author has built for us. If something doesn’t appease us we tend to jump ship and look elsewhere. It isn’t to offend…it’s just simply human. I just think it’s horribly wrong to flame someone’s hard earned work because you didn’t like it…a simple not my cup of tea would suffice. Sighs…some just can’t manage that. Harsh world indeed. I might not like some of what you’ve written (sharing, multiple partners, some harsher BDSM, etc) but I love the world you weave (especially Sweet Series World). You definitely caught my attention by your stories. See once I start I get lost in reading if it reels me in…your Sweet Series did just that! I look forward to losing more sleep while I lose myself in more of your pretty words! :)
I guess i never think of what the next character should be like. I just go with it. The author is providing me with the life of the character. Kind of like a soap opera. I’m escaping into their life whatever you want to make of it as the author. That is why I like series novels, they are like soap operas and i get to be lost in their life and they start to feel like family. Does any of that make sense?
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I know this is an old post but I just discovered you so I want to comment anyway. I agree that when I read fiction I want HEA & I don’t want it to come apart in a sequel. But, I don’t always have to wait for a sequel to see if the author takes the character’s where I would because sometimes I fall asleep reading & dream about what happens next. Sometimes I dream close to what the author has written, sometimes not. Since the character’s are created by the author & by the time I read about them there’s nothing I can do about whether they take the path I would choose for them or not, I just enjoy the read & create other scenarios in my head if I need to. Isn’t that how E L James came up with the very successful Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy? She imagined a more adult version of the Twilight series then she wrote about it & changed the characters so much that they became her own.
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