As a reader, I am always asking "what happens next?" when I finish a book..any book. The main character could live happily ever after but I always want to know if he or she really did. Did she go on to have dozens of babies with the man of her dreams? Did they buy a house and move to the suburbs? Or did more problems arise later on.
As a writer, even long before my manuscript was accepted for publication...I had the idea of a sequel rolling around in my brain. My story is complete though...is has a definitive ending, the kind readers expect for my genre. All questions are answered, no lose ends are left. But even as the writer, I'd love to find out if the happily ever after really did pan out.
I just finished reading a book today...the third in a series. This author, as I noticed in the past two books in the series, purposely leaves many questions unanswered and to me that is frustrating. It feels like I just read a part of the story, not a complete book. Now I am left hoping she is in the process of writing a fourth. As one of her readers, I would be severely disappointed, even angry, if she didn't.
(Edited to add: I checked the author's website and she is indeed in the process of writing #4. I feel somewhat better about the ending of book #3.)
So, what do you think of sequels???
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I love sequels! I'm a big Barbara Taylor Bradford fan so I guess that started me on the path of digging in with one family and waiting for the next book to come out. Same thing with Karen Kingsbury, but in that case I feel like she maybe overdid it. I would love to be able to write a big family sagas - I fall in love with the characters and don't want their stories to end.
ReplyDeleteMine is already setup in my head as a series. I can't see it playing out any other way, but of course, that final decision would be up to an agent/editor.
ReplyDeleteI like sequels if they're all published and I don't have to wait for the next one. ;)
ReplyDeleteNo, really, they can be good, but I don't like them if it feels like they're just a marketing ploy.
I like my book to *finish* but I DO like reading sequals with minor characters where you get a glimpse of what happened to the characters in the book before.
ReplyDeleteException: Francine River's mark of the lion series. I screamed at the end and drove like a maniac to the book store to buy the next one.
And I still love the books.
But unless you're Francine Rivers, I'd rather the story have a wrapped up ending:-)
Lady Glamis...I completely agree! that is how I feel about this series I'm reading. The author had me hooked since book one...the story felt unfinished and I'd go crazy if I couldn't find out how the story ended....two books later...still no end.... And now I have to wait. Book 4 is in the process of being written. I didn't start this series until after book 3 had already been published. I can't help but feel this is a marketing play...and it's YA. For that reason it feels a bit wrong to me.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the Sisterhood series by Ann Brashares. Each of those books have a difinitive end though they all fit together perfectly.
Thanks, I'll have to check out that series!
ReplyDeleteIt's one of my favs!! Could read them over adn over again! :)
ReplyDelete