Readers ask questions, and that's great. There's nothing writers love quite so much as talking about themselves and their work.
But I do cringe just a little when I get the most frequent question from a reader, and it's because I don't have an answer that's going to make them happy. They want to know if there will be more books in the Haunted Guesthouse mystery series, and I have to tell them no.
I hate that.
Authors most often don't decide when to end a series. I have never voluntarily ended a series since I finished the Aaron Tucker books in 2005. And that wasn't so much because I wanted the series to end as that I had a better deal with another publisher.
So no, it's not my choice that the most popular of my book series will not continue. Believe me, we tried, to the point of actually selling the last two Guesthouse books to a new publisher when the first one decided not to ask for any more. Then those two books didn't supply the kind of sales numbers the new publisher required, and well, you're not going to move a series more than once, if you manage it that many times. (Still, you might get another quick glimpse of Alison and the gang, not in a new book, and when I know for sure I'll be certain to pass the news along.)
Alison Kerby and her nutty group of confederates will have to satisfy themselves with ten novels and two novellas (only on audiobook). And you and I will have to do the same, I'm afraid.
The same is true of Duffy Madison and Kay Powell, who inhabited the Mysterious Detective and Agent to the Paws series, respectively. Each of them got two novels and that was it. This is the reality of the publishing business. If enough people buy the books, there are more and if not... well, I can only assume I didn't do as good a job as I should have.
That's the way it goes.
(And if you're one of the people wondering whether the next Mysterious Detective book would have solved the mystery of Duffy Madison, I can tell you with no hesitation that it would not, because I never decided whether he was real or not.)
But.
Within a month (specifically, by November 1, when AND JUSTICE FOR MALL hits bookstores and libraries) there will be four Jersey Girl Legal mysteries in print, and the fifth will be available in 2023. Also next year will come UKULELE OF DEATH, the first in what we all hope will be a series about Fran and Ken Stein, and if you want to know about them, read their names together and you might get an idea. More on that after New Year's.
So let's not dwell on the past. The Guesthouse books and all the others still exist. You can read them whenever you like. And I'm not finished writing yet, so hopefully there will be more on the horizon. And if we run into each other somewhere along the line and you feel compelled to ask, I'll be happy to answer you question.
But I'm afraid the answer will not have changed.
I often wish I could ask the authors whose series abruptly get cut what the ending would have been... But you're a pantser, aren't you?
ReplyDeleteI am that. I never have a series end in mind.
ReplyDeleteYou mention two Agent to the Paws books above, but only one is listed on your website under books. What is the name of the other?
ReplyDeleteWell that just suck! I enjoyed listening to this series. I will hang up with my family just to get back to the story.
ReplyDeleteI had just wondered aloud whether there would be any more Guesthouse Mysteries (because I loved them all), and then I checked this blog. You're an amazing writer and storyteller, so thank you so much for all your books. By the way, I think the Guesthouse Mysteries would make a fantastic tv series. I will have to check out your other series now. Best wishes, Darlene
ReplyDeleteI just binged 6 of your books in the last 3 weeks on audible. They are so much fun and your sense of humour is bananas! I’m glad I have a few more to go. I’m an ex-Jerseyan, now living abroad and you have really brought back all I miss about down the shore, the people, their “unique” Jersey attitudes and the Bergen county malls. Thank you for writing and I look forward to reading your other work.
ReplyDeleteMaybe self publish? I'm told that it's more lucrative and you have such a great following that you could easily cut out the publishers fees. What do they actually do for you that you couldn't do for yourself now? More money for you, my friend, and as the artist, you deserve it. That way, you get to write what you want and what your audience wants. With love, a big fan.
ReplyDeleteJust finished “Edited Out” & was sad to see there are no more Duffy books. To bad he wasn’t as popular in our world as he was in his. I enjoyed getting to know Rachel & Duffy & joining in on their adventures. 🙁 Oh well. I do have a few more Haunted Guesthouse books to go. Love Amanda Ronconi’s narration. That’s how I discovered you.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why Duffy Madison or your other series didn’t sell more books because I loved the almost series and have been looking for the next book which is what brought me here, to your blog.. couldn’t you put installment by chapter on this blog and make it a paid subscription? You would get paid without going through the publishing company and we, your readers would get our favorite characters doing what they do BACK!
ReplyDeleteI am so sad to hear there will be no more Haunted Guesthouse books. I have listened to all 10 books and the Novellas on Audible while driving back and forth to work in the last couple of months. I was looking forward to continuing the series. I enjoy your style of writing and your sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll take a moment and look at some of the other series I've written and am writing. If you enjoy the style, you might find something you like there. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWill there be more Agent to the Paws & Jersey Girl mysteries?
ReplyDeleteI have been a fan of your books for a long time and have recommended them to friends who have also enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteYou are the first author I have written to but decided to since I just
finished My Cousin Skinny and really enjoyed the humorous remarks.
I think it’s the best one of the series.
I hope you have more planned.
DeleteThank you for the kind words. I'm afraid the next Jersey Girl book, GOOD LIEUTENANT, will be the final one in that series. But a new series will be starting in the first half of 2025 and the Fran and Ken Stein series will continue next year as well.