The Problem with Book Series Part 2 – The Waiting

Currently reading: Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts. 1^st in a three-part series – thankfully I have them all.

If you remember, part 1 of problems was about how it sucks when your favorite series comes to an end. You just want your favorite characters to go on forever.

Just as frustrating? Waiting for the next book to come out. When a book ends, I’m left wondering will happen next with our intrepid protagonists? Will they survive the latest cliffhanger they were left in? Did they finally bed whomever they were after? Are they even still alive???? These are just a few of my burning questions!

Yes, I know I’m being overly dramatic – it’s part of my charm… 😁😁😁

For example, I started “The Bone Season” series by Samantha Shannon summer of 2013. It’s a seven-book series (I’m glad to know what to expect) and the last book came out in spring of 2017. I had to wait while she wrote a book unrelated to this series before my beloved characters would return this month. 4 years of my dear friends in limbo and I do not like it, not one bit! 

Then there was Camilla Lackberg’s Patrick Hedstrom series, the first eight books I binged in 2014, only to find myself at the mercy of the author as I waited for a new novel to arrive. Binging a series is great until your caught up and then what’s left? You guessed it – WAITING. Fortunately, the next novel came in 2016, followed by the another in 2017. But now I’m back to waiting and I’m not sure if another novel in this series will be written. 

I wonder if I did a deep dive into series and release dates, what the average wait time for a new novel would be…

As I wait for any of my favorite authors to release a new book in their respective series, I’m left to scour their websites, as well as Amazon, and publishers’ emails looking for any information about upcoming novels. And when I find that gem of information I’m looking for, I note the novel and it’s date  into the “upcoming releases” spreadsheet on my computer, so I know when to hit the bookstore.

This is where my meticulous tracking (ok obsessive tracking) of books comes in handy 😁😁😁.

Currently I am awaiting (see what I did there?) the publication of 4 new books in 4 different series, set to be released this year.

Now, as much as I jokingly complain about waiting for the next installment of a series, I completely acknowledge the fact that writing takes time, and that I would rather have a good book than a rushed one. 

I also give a lot of credit to our favorite authors who craft amazing characters that I want to visit over and over again.  They have earned my loyalty, if not my patience. It’s just not in my nature 😆😆😆.