Put your hands together because today is Ann Aguirre day. For those of you who do not know (I can’t imagine who that would be), Ann is the author of the very popular JAX series. The first book in the series is GRIMSPACE, and the second book WANDERLUST, has just been released. Maria and I had the great good fortune to meet Ann in New York where she hosted a terrific gathering for readers – check out the video on the home page as well as the other two on the video page to find out more. Today Ann is going to give away signed copies of both books, one book each, to two lucky posters.
In which I fall in love with an analogy and thrash about with it in unseemly ways
by Ann Aguirre
A book is like a blind date. You have certain expectations when it begins, and things should, more or less, wrap up by the time all is said and done. There is the possibility it may go further, but that depends on how well rapport is achieved and a great number of other esoteric factors. Most likely, though, even if it’s pleasant, it isn’t going to be repeated. That’s the nature of most blind dates (and standalone books).
A series is like a relationship. In both cases, you found something you liked and you want more of it on a regular basis, yes? I’ve been mulling this (yes, just like cider), and I notice that certain criticisms readers have regarding the early books in a series is that X isn’t resolved or Y doesn’t seem to add up, or Z shouldn’t have hooked up with the freak in the leather pants when clearly she was destined for the tall, brooding fellow whose name we won’t even learn until book three. Wow, that was an impressively long sentence. Let’s all admire it for a moment.
And…done.
I think there’s a certain commitment and trust involved between author and reader when embarking on a series together. The reader has to trust the author to answer all questions in due time. The author needs to be up to that task. A single book without a continuing story arc needs to wrap up before the last word. In a series, an author can leave things dangling, and sometimes it looks messy to the reader, who isn’t privy to what’s going on behind the scenes.
I think the danger comes when the author throws too many red herrings into the soup, and now everything is devilish fishy, and he or she simply loses her way, and forgets what the whole point of the series was in the first place, and just commences writing lovely reams of stuff that come off like a donkey in a handcart — unusual and eye-catching at first, but not serving any useful purpose when you get right down to it. It can be hard to balance.
What do you guys think about series versus standalone titles? (I write two of the former, so I hope you like them.) I’m not sure if I had a point, except perhaps that series books should be regarded differently than a standalone book, even one set in a pervasive world. Anyhow, I’m off to put some more herring in my soup. Wish me luck that it’s not too much!
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Stacy ~
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 8:04 am:
Hi Ann! Lovely to see you here. I can’t wait to read Wanderlust.
Hmmm, well, I love series, but I also long for standalones every once in awhile (probably why I like categories so much, or at least one of the reasons). I’m rather anal so I like to read series in order. By the time I came across JD Robb’s In Death series, there were already 12 or 13 books out, and what did I do? Yep, went and bought the whole series. Sure the bookstore and publishers love readers like me, my bank account, not so much. Sometimes I just need the quick fix.
But what I love about a series can’t be replicated in a standalone. I absolutely adore getting to know the characters on a deeper level, investing emotionally in the storyline and world-building is a wonderful experience for me. For example, Colleen Gleason’s Gardella series was such that the main character (Victoria) had to learn and grow and experience life before she could choose the man for her. It makes the pay-off so much more enjoyable.
So how many books are planned with Jax?
Andrea
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 8:25 am:
Hi Ann!
Welcome to RNTV! Congrats on your new release! Several of the gals here have raved about this book and Grimspace, so I’ll be checking them out!
What an interesting comparison … a book is like a blind date. I’ve never really thought of it like that before.
As for series vs. standalone books, I like both. I’ve only recently been introduced to series books, and I really like what I’ve read so far. I think it’s definitely a trend that is on the rise. And I think Stacy hit the nail on the head with what she said about the reason she loves a series. “I absolutely adore getting to know the characters on a deeper level, investing emotionally in the storyline and world-building is a wonderful experience for me.” This is exactly why I like series and why I love Gleason’s Gardella Vampire series.
MaryKate
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 8:42 am:
*MK waving*
Hi Ann! I’m reading Wanderlust now. Can I just say, March…*SWOON*
I agree with Stacy, I love series books because I love getting to see past characters living their HEA, or I like seeing the characters grow. Also, like Stacy, I love the Gardella series, but I also had to give Colleen a lot of trust that she *would* give Victoria, her heroine, an HEA. It’s taken four books to know who she would be with. Of course, I knew from the beginning who I wanted her with. But we had to wait to see if Colleen agreed with me.
I think the key to having a successful series, if the evolution of the love story is going to be over several books, is that you give the reader enough to go on in each book. For me, I need some romance. I’m OK if they dance around each other and don’t consummate, but I WANT some romance. Otherwise, well, it’s not romance. But you’re right, it is about mutual trust between reader and author. We have to trust you to make the payoff believable and you have to trust us to find the ride worth it and to stick with you. It’s a balancing act, that’s for sure.
Dina
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 8:56 am:
Hello Ann,
If I can read the first book in the series and know the characters then it’s ok, but sometimes, I don’t know a book is a series and read the 2nd out of order and then have to go back to the first one. It’s usually if you see a book on a shelf and you buy it w/o knowing, or that could just be me.
Like the others, I do enjoy continuing with fav characters and wanting to know what’s next, but I do love standalone books alot becuse it’s easy to just pick it up and read it.
CrystalGB
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 9:41 am:
Hi Ann. Good to see you here. I loved Grimspace. I am a fan of series. I like it when characters who appear in the first book get their own story.
Ann Aguirre
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 10:23 am:
I might write some books down the line, telling the stories of some characters who aren’t Jax. I’m not sure how many Jax books there will be, but at this point, I have four contracted, and enough story for six, at least. I’ll probably pitch two more books once I’ve written the ones I have contracted. *g*
Maria Lokken
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 11:18 am:
Hey Ann – Welcome!
Interesting question about series. I’m definitely a series girl. I think what surprises me – and not always in a good way is when I read a book and I don’t know it’s going to be the first in a series. Sometimes, I’m in the mood for a book that wraps everything up neatly, and when I find at the end of the book that it continues and I wasn’t aware of it… honestly I get the “I want to hurl this book across the room” feeling. If the book has interested me enough… then I can’t WAIT for the next book in the series to be released.
When you say you’ll probably pitch two more books — are you ever influenced by readers in terms of whose story you will tell, or what direction the story will take, or plot points you might beef up?
Fedora
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 1:09 pm:
Hi, Ann,
I’m an impatient kind of person and I prefer stuff to wrap up neatly when I get to the last page. If it doesn’t do that, then I want the whole series, and I want it now! 
No waiting for the next book to come out, please!
Generally I love a good series, but I also prefer that each book be able to stand alone
Gannon
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 3:10 pm:
Hi Ann! I loved Grimspace and I’m looking forward to reading Wanderlust.
I love a good series, because when I get ‘caught up’ in the characters’ lives, I hate to let them go. It’s great to watch their lives and relationships grow and change. As long as I get a HEA (and the romance, like MK said), I’m happy. But I enjoy stand alone books, as well. What can I say….I just love a good story!
Anna Campbell
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 3:54 pm:
Hi Ann! Welcome to RNTV! Firstly, I LOVE the video! As you say, too implausible for fiction but what a great story to tell your grandchildren! Have you all checked out the video? It’s hilarious! Also, congratulations on the release of Wanderlust! Sounds like you’ve got another hit on your hands.
Anna x
Wendy
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 5:22 pm:
Hi, Ann!
I like both series and standalone. Something that seems tricky to me is when an author tries to write a standalone book as part of a series! Because although that sometimes doesn’t work.
Anyway, love your books! I managed to get my greedy paws on an ARC of Wanderlust but it was borrow so I can’t wait to get my own copy!
azteclady
on Sep 4th, 2008
@ 7:38 pm:
*waving* Hi, Ann!
(please don’t enter me in the contest)
Well, I like both series and stand alone books, but then I look for different things in them. Have I ever mentioned I want Vel and his bounty hunter pack?
Pam
on Sep 5th, 2008
@ 1:30 am:
I like both stand-alones and series, Ann. I read mostly historicals and paranormals. In the historicals, series tend to be more focused on a secondary character or another member of the family, more than a carrying plot, thus easier in my mind for each to be a standalone. More and more the paranormals have that underlying plot that develops and carrys through the series, even if the romance for the H/h and/or part of the plot in that particular book is resolved, which I like and find makes a series more interesting for me, guessing where things are going to go next. I think that has to be harder on the author to make it stand-alone, yet keep up the intrigue of that underlying plot, thus some readers criticisms, yet some of those dangling things are what make the paranormal series more interesting to me, and even, keeping the series from getting stale after a few books, starting to sound more of the same story over and over. It’s like watching my favorite sci-fi shows, you’re left hanging to see what happens next week, or the season cliff-hanger (even shows not sci-fi/paranormal). I like it, and try to watch for those behind-the-scene clues, and if I discover I found a new author/series with previous ones I missed, I’ll get them all and read in order to catch everything that’s going on. It’s harder for the romance series to do that, since romance readers are used to stand-alones, series or not, but the lines are starting to blur between the straight sci-fis and those with the added romance I think, whether more readers will like those series with things left hanging, I don’t know, but I find I’m liking it. I just happened to read a review on Nalini Singh’s latest, where the reviewer hadn’t read the other series, and mentioned it could be a stand-alone, but for me this is one of those series best to be read in order because of that very intriguing plot building through the series, saying that who’s read them all and catching everything going on vs. one who hasn’t yet. Guess some of it depends on all those other things going on aside from the romance (or even that in some cases) that the particular reader may or may not catch, or being one who just likes it all tidied up book to book.