B and ljbonkoski are the winners of Alex’s giveaway. Look for an email from him!
Sherry — I love falling back but hate the early dark!
Join me in welcoming back Alex Erickson to celebrate the thirteenth novel in his Bookstore Café series — Death by Caramel Macchiato! Look for a giveaway at the end of this post!
Alex: When I originally sat down to write this blog, I was thinking I’d discuss some interesting tie-in with my upcoming novel, Death by Caramel Macchiato. In the book, there’s a big town event, a sort of live action role playing murder mystery that might seem crazy anywhere other than the fictional Pine Hills. There’s coffee. Cats. Drama within the local community theatre. I had options.
And yet, when I brought up the dreaded blank page, I realized something: Death by Caramel Macchiato is book thirteen in the Bookstore Café series. Thirteen!
When I first started writing in this little cozy world, I didn’t know if there’d even be a series, let alone thirteen plus books in it. I didn’t have a contract for it. I was running on pure faith that I could come up with something that wasn’t completely horrible. Death by Coffee was born, and like any book, it isn’t perfect. But it had that little something about it that spawned book after book, that drew in reader after reader. It’s something I still haven’t been able to put my finger on, yet here we are, talking about the series in double digits.
Who knew?
Now, when it comes to my reading habits, I love long running series. I want to dive into a world and never come up for air. I want to cheer for the characters, to see how their lives progress year after year. And, yes, I even enjoy their suffering to some degree. Their pain is how they grow. Their pain is what makes their successes feel that much more amazing. And as the series progresses, the stakes always seem to grow, not just for the characters, but for the reader as well. There’s a drastic difference between when you’re worried for a character you’ll never see again past the last page in a standalone, versus worrying for someone you hope you’ll see again and again in future novels of a series. The stakes feel more real, even if the characters are not.
But I understand that not everyone wants to invest so much time into one group of characters, in one zany little town. I might like the idea of a 60+ book series like J.D. Robb’s In Death series, but I get that it’s not for everyone. Even trilogies sometimes stretch the limits of a reader’s patience, especially if the second novel falls into the dreaded “middle book syndrome.”
So, what is it that makes a series feel as if it has overstayed its welcome? The characters going stale? The plots starting to repeat? When you’re talking murder mysteries, there’s really only so many ways you can kill the victim, only so many motives. Yes, the author has to be creative, but is there a point when they can get too creative, where the story becomes too hard to believe? Where is that breaking point?
I don’t know the answer. At this point in the series, I’m trying to find that happy spot where I’m bringing back the familiar, be it characters or locations or plot points, while also looking to do something different. How different? I can’t stray too far from what has come before or else the series would no longer be the same. But to stick too close to home might have the opposite effect and create a sense of stagnation, a “why don’t the characters ever do anything out of their comfort zones?”
My bookshelves are filled with series after series. Sure, there are standalones and trilogies here and there, but the vast majority of the books are parts of a much larger whole. And me being me, I love a large variety when it comes to genre. Give me The Wheel of Time. Give me The Expanse. The aforementioned In Death.
And, of course, there are the cozies, which are very nearly all done in series format.
How about you, dear reader? Would you want to see a cozy standalone? A trilogy with a definitive beginning, middle, and end? Or are you perfectly happy with books that go on seemingly forever? Let me know because, who knows? Maybe I’ll get the opportunity to try a little bit of everything, and why not give the reader what they want? Alex is giving away two signed copies of Death by Caramel Macchiato to a reader who leaves a comment. U.S. only.
About the book: When Pine Hills, Ohio hosts an inter-town murder mystery game, bookstore-café owner and sometimes-sleuth Krissy Hancock assumes it’ll all be in good fun, but that’s before the competition claims its first real-life victim. . .
The unique weekend-long event—a combination of a live-action role playing game and a theatrical production—draws competitors from all the neighboring towns, including Pine Hills’ own Krissy and Rita. Although the actors, clues, and performances are spread across the community, somehow Krissy’s team lands at the one location with an actual body. . .
Police immediately call-off the competition while they conduct a real murder investigation, but soon it’s clear some folks are playing by their own set of rules. So it’s up to Krissy and her pals to shuffle through the suspects and draw out the real killer before another player takes their final turn.
Bio: Alex Erickson is the author of three cozy mystery series, including the Bookstore Café mysteries. He hides away in his home in Ohio with his family and their gaggle of cats. You can find him online at https://alexericksonbooks.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alexericksonbooks
The Wickeds 
I like stand alone cozies but that’s just me. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
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Congratulations, Alex. I remember when you started! I love the premise of the new one. I’m a series girl all the way – in reading, with some exceptions, as well as writing.
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I love a series! Hundreds lol!! I know it must be hard for authors to keep it fresh and interesting, but the familiar characters and towns are what makes cozies cozy, to me. I saw Jim Butcher’s books on your shelves, were you reading the Dresden Files? That’s a series I’d like to read!
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Yes, I’ve read the Dresden Files and his other series as well! I discovered his books, oddly, through the canceled Dresden Files show, which I enjoyed.
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Personally, I prefer long-running series. While I can enjoy standalones, the one drawback of those for me is “What if I really like the characters?” I’m going to want more with them and there won’t be that next book to wait for.
With a short series, having a defined beginning, middle and end is fine as long as two things happen. The first is that we know it has a planned arc. The second is…BE DAMN GOOD! This is why Babylon 5 is such a great TV show. Five seasons with each season being a chapter in the overall story. It was planned as a five year novel for television from the start.
With longer series, I like that feeling of familiarity with the characters. So long as the story is good, I’ll keep coming “home” to them with each successive book. Plus for those series that I am a huge cheerleader for, I want them to go on forever because I enjoy them so much (For Example: The Country Store Mysteries by our beloved Maddie Day!)
The only drawback to a long series (other than the pains upon the author to “keep it fresh” is if it is going to come to an end, END IT! Don’t leave us hanging thinking the new book is just the latest book. We’ve got to mentally prepare for the end of the series because we’ve invested so much time in it.
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Thanks, Jay!
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Personally, I love all forms. Single stories are great for quick complete reads. When you want to read but your own life is at such a busy time that you don’t have it in you to invest in more than one book. It needs to be complete in pulling you in to the story, adventures and twists in the whodunit it and then an ending that leaves you content with how things worked our and a sigh of happiness when you shut the back cover. Trilogies allow you to expand on the characters and enjoy not one but three stories seeing them come more to life as you learn more them in more than one book. There’s the added advantage of seeing how they interact as they solve more than one mystery. Series have it all! They have complete stories in each book. They allow the characters to become more lifelike to us. However, series also bring in new characters to expand the stories. They allow us to develop characters we love and those we don’t like so well. We become invested in their lives to the point that as soon as we devour one book, we can’t wait for the next book to be released to find out what happens next and to see our favorite characters (that almost become family or friends we wish really lived in our human world). The sign of a true series is when the readers never want it to end. They can’t get enough of stepping into the world within its pages.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of DEATH BY CARAMEL MACCHIATO! It’s on my TBR list and can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review it.
2clowns at arkanasas dot net
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I love long-running series if I am able to connect to the characters and they move forward in time along with the stories – in other words, life events happen to them along with solving mysteries. I was involved in two weekend long interactive murder mysteries in Newport on the Oregon coast several years ago, so I am very eager to read this book! Congratulations on number 13!
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Series, series, series, all the way. Long-running or trilogy, it’s all good. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a stand-alone cozy. Maybe, some of the British ones I read back in the 1970s. Yep, been a fan that long. Nothing recent, though.
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I like the series that go on and on. I get very sad when my favorite series end. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway.
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Series are captivating and special. I enjoy them greatly. Following the characters and their trials and tribulations is exciting and gives me great pleasure. So much to look forward to.
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I do love a series that goes on but like when the series comes to an end.
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Congratulations on another book! I like cozies to be in a series. It’s so nice to go visit the characters and see what they are up to. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
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Personally, I like a series with a lot of books the more books 📚 the better my only pet peeve is that Iran an author is going to write a book series in my opinion I want to see the same main characters from Book 1 to the very last book with different secondary characters
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I like long series. I get invested in the characters and want to know what happens with them.
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I can’t wait to read the new book Alex and look forward to what Krissy is up to this time.
For me it’s series. I read a book several months ago that I found out after it was a stand alone. It was disappointing because the book was well written and the characters were interesting.
The longer the better as long as there isn’t regurgitation. I will reread a good series several times as I’m doing now with two of my favorites, especially if there is decent humor mixed in. Rotating characters in and out of the series keeps them familiar but not boring. I primarily borrow ebooks from the library because I’m a senior on a limited budget and read all the time. It disappoints when the whole series isn’t available. While I understand the library can’t afford to carry every book, I hate to miss out. If it’s a good series I will purchase what I can manage in my budgeting. As another commenter mentioned, if the series ends, don’t leave readers hanging. Bring closure.
I hope Krissy’s mayhem continues for many more books. Thanks for the good reads.
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Alex, you and my husband would get along fabulously talking about the Wheel of Time series.
I like it all: standalones and series. But you nailed it with this: “But to stick too close to home might have the opposite effect and create a sense of stagnation, a “why don’t the characters ever do anything out of their comfort zones?”” For me, a series that gets stale from the author not pushing the characters is no longer enjoyable.
Congrats on luck 13!
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Although I enjoy both book series and standalones, I spend more of my time reading the series ones. I enjoy the character development, and I look forward to seeing the usual characters in the next book. If there is one book that does not quite look up to what I expected, there is usually no problem, because I can always find something about the book that I did enjoy. In contrast, it’s more of a problem if it is a standalone. Especially if it is the first book that I have ever read by that author!
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I love a cozy series because if I like the characters I come to think of them like friends. I like seeing where their lives take them. I like the occasional standalone thriller/ suspense book, but go immediately back to my series. I have shelf after shelf of these books in my library in my home.
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I had never heard of you before meeting you at Aaron’s Books I Lititz, PA, but now I have so many books to look forward to!
Love, love, love a good series, when they end I feel as if part of my family has died. Keep up the great work, Alex.
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Hi Alex,
I like your idea of a bookstore cafe as part of the setting for your series. I like reading books from a series, as I enjoy getting to know characters. Characters are sometimes more important to me than plot. I don’t think a series should go on to the point that an author gets tired of writing about the characters or a plot begins to sound “thin”.
You would be a “ new to me” author. If I am fortunate enough to win a copy of your book, I would write a review on Goodreads, as I do every book I read. Thank you for the chance to win a book.
Best wishes,
Muriel Logan
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I actually like reading cozies that are part of a series. I like getting to know the characters (and the animals), it’s like following the story of their lives. When a series ends I like that the story comes to an ending that wraps up the series and you know what happened to the characters. Looking forward to reading book #13!
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i like cozies that are part of series so long as the plot and the characters are kept current and changing. i enjoy stand alones as well. Not of fan of trilogies though
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I love a long running series, as long as the main characters continue to grow and evolve. Congratulations on the new book! Can’t wait to read it!
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I like a mix of both, so longer series , some quick and short, some stand alone. Variety is the spice of life!
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I like Cozy series as I like to get to know the characters and what is going on in their lives. I hate it when they stop writing and do not end the series. I want to know what has happened to them. madspangler@comcaast.net
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Hi Alex. Thank you for being here today. I wish I could give you a clear cut answer. For me, there is not one. It all depends on the characters, the storyline and the author. The author knows what the characters are telling him or the storylines he or she have in their minds. I am all in for any length of a book as long as there is an ending that ties it all up at the end of the book. I love when series or trilogies have most of the story lines cleared up at the end of the book. I am not a fan of cliff hangers. It is so hard when you have to wait for the next book to be released.
Personally, I love to connect with the characters so much so that at the end of the the book, they feel like family or friends. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
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Depends on my mood. I love series books but sometimes I want a simple standalone cozy or at least something short like a trilogy. It allows you a break from the long series.
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Oh, I definitely love a long-running series! I love being able to connect with the characters and their lives as they deal with life in general.
Congratulations on another book! I have enjoyed every single one!!
Thank you for the chance!!
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