Saturday, January 31, 2015
Do You Have Time to Kill? by Jamie Hill (Author blog post)
My latest romantic suspense novel is now available at Amazon and will be in print in a few weeks. Time To Kill is book 2 in my Witness Security series.
People seem to either love or hate series work. Readers have told me when they get to the end of a book and discover a cliffhanger, they sigh and do some quick research to find out if the book is part of series. Some find this disappointing. While I can totally relate to that position, I have my own reasons for preferring series work. (But not cliffhangers. I hate cliffhangers.)
When I finish reading a book I enjoyed, I have trouble leaving that ‘world’. (Similar to watching the last episode of Parenthood this week. I’ve rewatched the ending multiple times and need to erase the silly thing off my DVR so I can move on!) Back to books. Nora Roberts was the first author I read who really did series well, in my humble opinion. For sweet contemporary romance I grew up reading Danielle Steel, but her titles were singles. Nora introduced me to trilogies, where there might be three characters that are connected in some way and they each have their own story to tell. I discovered I loved that method of storytelling. I always wondered what might have happened to characters I enjoyed, and the series method gives me the opportunity to find out.
The first series I authored dealt with three cops who worked together in the Wichita PD. A Cop in the Family was fun because Family Secrets was one of my first novels, and I had a hard time moving on from Jack and Crystal. By writing more books in their world I was able to show what they were doing in later years.
My romance series, The Blame Game, focused on a family and relationships that four members developed over a span of twenty years. That was great fun to write.
Witness Security is set in Topeka, Kansas, at a fictional Witsec office. There will be four books, each telling the story of a different US Marshal working there. Doug Jackson found true love in book 1. His partner Jordan Burke gets her turn in book 2. If you know my writing, you’ll know that I’m not spoiling anything to say I always write happy endings, because that’s what I like to read. How they get there is the fun part.
I’ll continue to write series books because that’s what I love. I promise to always let the reader know up front that the book is part of a series. And I try to make each book stand alone, so you don’t have to read them in order if you stumble upon the second or third book first. But I recommend readers try to read them in order when possible, because that’s the way they were written. Oh—and no cliffhangers. My stories will be complete when you reach ‘The End’. Then you’ll get a peek at what’s to come in the next book. In this case, you can read the beginning of Cover of Darkness, Book 3 in Witness Security.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them!
Time To Kill
Witness Security
US Marshal Jordan Burke is happy for her partner when he takes a month off for paternity leave, but she's not happy about her substitute partner. Nick Pierce worked for the Topeka Witsec office years ago and left under less than the best of circumstances. When he’s asked to fill in he hesitates, but curiosity about Jordan makes him accept the job. The minute he sees her again he doesn’t regret his decision. From Atlanta to Los Angeles, Jordan and Nick discover that danger, and help, can come from the strangest sources. While they struggle to protect their witnesses, the bigger challenge seems to be keeping each other alive. And there’s always the possibility that they might kill each other first.
http://amzn.com/B00RQRKB68
Jamie Hill
Jamie Hill was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in Midwest, USA. At various times she wanted to be a veterinarian, teacher, cheerleader, TV star or a famous singer. The one thing she always wanted to be was a writer. Starting at about age ten, she penned romance as she envisioned it in one spiral notebook after another.
When she's not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies (the scarier the better!) In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework. After that, she's probably taking a nap. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line.
Find more about Jamie at these places online:
Books We Love: http://bookswelove.net/authors/jamie-hill/#
Website: http://www.jamiehill.biz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Hill/135137799867321
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Thanks so much Val. Appreciate your hosting me today. Jamie
ReplyDeleteThanks for always writing to die for books!
DeleteI loved Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele. I loved Parenthood also and was so sorry they ended it. Not too crazy about the ending either. Very sad. I like happy endings. That's probably why I write romance. Great blog, Jamie.
ReplyDeleteLoved Parenthood, one of the few shows I never missed. The ending was sad but it gave us a glimpse into the future which was neat. Thanks for stopping by! Jamie
DeleteI've discovered the same thing, that readers either love or hate series but almost NOBODY likes a cliffhanger. The mark of a good series is that each book can stand alone and not confuse the dickens out of a reader if read out of order. I really enjoyed the first Witness novel and can't wait to meet Jordan.
ReplyDeleteSo many of the free and 99 cent books on Amazon are just the first part of a bigger story. I really don't like that. We try to emphasize that BWL's sale titles are complete novels, not teasers! Thanks for commenting Gail. Jamie
DeleteI enjoy enjoy a series--as long as each book can stand alone! No cliffhangers for me.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Ann. Makes you feel cheated when you've finished the story! Thanks for posting. Jamie
DeleteGood luck with the new release, I look forward to reading it. I agree, I prefer reading a series if each book can stand alone. That way, if you start with say, the second book, it's not confusing to the reader. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Astrid, yes, I've had several readers tell me they got the second book of a series first, but if they like it enough they'll go back and get the first. Thanks for commenting! Jamie
DeleteHi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I don't mind series as long as they are stand alone books. Nothing infuriates me more than to read a book, then you are left hanging at the end, and if you wish to find out what happens you need to buy the next book.
cheers
Margaret
Yep, I agree Margaret. Thanks for stopping by! Jamie
DeleteNot many books leave me breathless now but The Shinning did when it first came out I couldn't put it down and could hardly stand to turn the page. Rebecca was like that for me, also. No one reads Forever Amber any more but it's am great historical novel. As for the demise of Parenthood, well, my favorite show is/are reruns of NYPD Blue, even The Big Bang is getting tedious.
ReplyDeleteGood choices! Thanks for visiting Karla. Jamie
ReplyDelete