I saw a post on the C.J. Sansom Appreciation Society facebook page. “Happiness is finding the first book in a series and knowing there are more to follow.” It’s true! I had a better than average reading age as a small child. I was an only child, and found company in books. I started on Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven series, then her Famous Five. Later came Captain W.E. John’s Biggles, then Dennis Wheatley’s Duke de Richleau series, Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Hornblower, Jack Aubrey, etc., etc. I am currently with the C.J. Sansom fans.
I suppose the attraction for the reader is twofold. You know what you’re going to get next, and you’re pretty sure you’ll like it. The attraction for the writer is that you know your characters. You have your style, your voice, you just need to find the next inciting moment and theme. The other attraction is tightly bound to the readers’ attraction. You have readers waiting for the next book.
In the Writers and Artists Yearbook a few years ago, I read an article by Bernard Cornwell. He told the story of marrying an american, moving to the United States, and not being able to get a work permit. He had a friend who said something like, ‘you’ve got a dog. Write a book about keeping the dog. You could call it My best friend the Jack Russell Terrier. Publish that then change Jack Russell Terrier to German Shepherd, and you’ve got book two in a series.’ Of course the Sharpe books are not identical, they’re each brilliant stories in their own right. But an author of a series does have something. I won’t call it a formula, because formulaic is pejorative in that sense. But author and reader share a common understanding of the hero’s character, voice, background and environment. It’s a symbiotic relationship. My golfing partner asked me yesterday if I was going to keep writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. Until I die, was my reply. I enjoy it. Why would I stop? I’m learning, It keeps my brain active, I hope I’m getting better at it. One day, way in the future, I may even turn a profit. I might see my ancestor on screen. Ah, wouldn’t that be something. I’d try and get cameo roles for Claire and I. I think she’d enjoy that.