It’s not always easy writing a series of books instead of single publications. Although I do prefer to both read and write series.
I have two long running series and I approached them differently. The Were Chronicles series is based around ‘Packs’ of wolf shifters that are just trying to figure out their place in society.
When I started this series I had no idea that these stories would launch a whole new world for me and would provide me with spin off series later on.
These novella length books were my first attempt in creating a paranormal world that would have readers coming back for more. From the start I knew I wanted to travel around the United States and see where and how the Packs engage with each other and humans.
Each story has an original male and female character. A few books have recurring characters but mostly in only a few books. No more than three.
After nine books I decided I wanted to try my hand at another series. Although the Shifter Chronicles are a spin off of the Were Chronicles they are two separate and different series books. You can read one without the other.
There were many aspects that I wanted to change when I wrote the Shifter Chronicles. For one the word length doubled and they are novel length books. I also expanded from just wolf shifters. The Shifter Chronicles concentrate on the other shifter species. Birds, bears, tigers, coyotes, and many more.
Another change between the series is the character development. From the first book we’ve met the three main male characters. Cody, Jamie, and Zak who first appeared in the Were Chronicles series.
Every book in this series has Cody, Jamie, and Zak with roles that are important. Working for the Shifter Coalition allows them to help with cases and their fight for equal rights. As more characters are added we still have a connection with the original three.
It has been a lot of fun to have reoccurring characters. The biggest obstacle is making certain that their physical and personality traits remain true for our guys. Yes, they evolve and grow throughout the story but the basic make up of them shouldn’t change.
To keep up with each additional character, including secondary, one time shows, and the bad guys I keep a spiral notebooks with a description and write up on each one. Names are very important to keep track of also. I have a great editor that helps and will remind me that I might have mentioned the name before. It’s all the details that can make or break a series. And trust me if you slip up even a fraction there will be a reader that points it out. That is how much readers invest into the books you write. You know when that happens they are true fans! It’s great to have that kind of support so you don’t want to disappoint them.
So my advice on writing about friends and enemies involved in a series is to make notes and keep adding to them. Don’t think you will remember. You won’t!
I didn’t do this with the Were Chronicles because honestly I never knew how well it would do. Now into book fifteen I have backtracked and starting to keep up with important bits now. That is the hard way to do it.
Luckily I’ve learned my lesson for the Shifter Chronicles and it’s made it so much easier to write the books.
I am in no way an expert but I hope I helped a little to the aspiring authors out there. You never know what might come of a book you publish so keep good notes and make the accessible to go back to. You’ll return more than you know! Even know I’ll get an email from a fan for a book that was recently published and I have to look up the answer. Since I’m 2-3 books ahead in the series it’s hard to keep track of all the small details. But the details are what keeps the readers coming back for more!
You can check out my series and all my books at
Amazon Page for Crissy Smith
Crissy