Today I am so pleased to welcome K.A. Mitchell to Joyfully Jay. K.A. has come to talk to us about her latest release, Put a Ring on It (Ready or Knot Book 1). She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Confessions of a Serial Addict
Lucky Charms would absolutely be my choice for last meal, none of your off-brand nonsense either. Though lately I’ve been partial to Raisin Bran Crunch.
Oops. Wait. That’s a different blog.
Sorry. I’m also addicted to puns.
As a consumer of fiction, I’m pretty much like everyone else. When I find a series, a world I like, I binge. I inhale all the books or TV episodes there are to find in that world. I fall in hard. If I’m really addicted, I go digging for fanfic. I’m the kind of person who—pre-ereader days—would take a bit of personal time from work for an “appointment” which was actually me being at the bookstore on Tuesday when the next book in a favorite series came out. (I needed He Shall Thunder in the Sky so desperately after the agony of The Falcon at the Portal.)
But as a writer, my serial experience has been really different. The first time I ever wrote a sequel—or a connected book for a series—it was because Joey Miller would not. Shut. Up. (If you’ve met Joey, you know how seriously impossible shutting him up is.) I’m very glad I didn’t make him stop because I got to enjoy telling that story, and it’s one of my bestselling books. Thank you, Joey and readers. You’re the reason for the Florida Series. I had another Joey-moment with Bad in Baltimore. There was a single story about Nate and Kellan and then there was Eli, and this time I knew better than to tell him to shut up. Eli led me to other characters who also needed to be part of this found family, and I kept returning to that theme. Five books later, I’m still not done with them.
But both those series were really random, characters who floated in on an association with another character and took form in my head. I wanted to write something where the players were all there at the beginning, the bonds of the family of friends already in place. I wanted to give myself and my readers that anticipation of a building story, where there’s something coming, and you kind of know what it is but not what it will be. I knew if I could find the right story, I could have that thrill of waiting breathlessly for the next book, and I hoped I could give it to my readers too.
At the same time, marriage equality was spreading from state to state. My wanting to tell that kind of story connected with the new opportunities for couples to get married. I saw a scene unfold and chomp! The plot bunny bit!
The scene played out in my head. It was a delightfully angsty trainwreck and I had to dig in and find out why and how it happened. After some digging around, I knew I had the opening to the last book in the series, and I knew it took place at a wedding ceremony. Now I had to figure out how to get there.
While wandering around online, I saw a video of a flashmob proposal and chomp went another bunny. This would be the opening scene for the first book. I worked on the characters, digging deep into their back stories and finding out what they wanted and what they were afraid of. I knew how they’d all met and their complicated history as friends and lovers.
But just because it was my first planned series didn’t mean I didn’t still have a lot to discover. Even people you think you know surprise you, and the guys had lots of surprises for me. I’m working on the third book now, and I’m so excited to tell this story.
In fact, I can’t wait to share these new characters with you. You’ll meet the four of them on the first page of Put a Ring on It. I hope you’ll be as interested in seeing how things work out for them as I am. And thanks Theo, Jax, Dane and Gideon for filling my head with a whole series like this. You guys are awesome imaginary friends. I think I’ll keep you.
I’d love to give away a $7 US gift card to the e-book retailer of your choice (assuming that retailer offers them). Comment below and tell me what you like about book series in order for a chance to win.
Blurb
Kieran Delaney-Schwartz—adoptee, underachiever, and self-professed-slacker IT guy—lives his under-the-radar life by the motto: Don’t try, don’t fail. His adopted siblings are all overachievers thanks to his driven, liberal parents, but Kieran has elected to avoid disappointing anyone by not getting their hopes up. He’s coasting through his early twenties when he’s hit head-on by Theo. The successful decade-older Broadway producer sweeps him off his feet for a whirlwind thirteen months that are pretty sweet, until it all comes screeching to a halt on Valentine’s Day, with an unexpected proposal via an NYC Times Square flash mob.
Now everyone wants in on the wedding, except the grooms….
Bio
At a very early age, K.A. Mitchell decided that Ken and G.I. Joe made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie fell off sharply. Today she still loves hanging out with imaginary friends and making up stories. Even better, people pay her to read about them. Now the author of over twenty gay romances, she guarantees happy endings for even the surliest of heroes, despite all their baggage.
Giveaway
K.A. has brought a $7 gift card to the eretailer of the winner’s choice to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter (KA would love to know why love book series). The contest ends on Saturday, September 12th at 11:59 pm EST.
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As a general rule I like book series, but I hate when they draw on forever, once the common plot is completely exhausted and the only way of continuing is adding new characters out of the blue, characters who do not really relate with the original charecters/plot. That can spoil a series for me. Otherwise, I’m a serial addict as well. Some of my favourite books ever are, in fact, part of a series
Congratulations on the new release. The book sounds really good! 😉
Thank you! Yes, I’m not a fan of the drawn out ones, especially when it’s focused on the same relationship. I can handle interwoven friend groups, as long as it doesn’t seem unreasonable in terms of connection. “He’s really her long lost step-brother!” 🙂 Hmmm. Maybe that wouldn’t be bad.
I love book series for the chance to re-visit characters that I love. And to learn more about their world and the people in it. To see background characters get their spotlight!
They get to be like old friends! I love in jokes when I’m reading. I have since my first series ever! (Trixie Belden)
I like the chance to see what happens next with characters I love.
Me too! There’s always that one character whose book I’m dying to read!
I do love book series because in series you often get to see more character development , more background info and it is nice to see what happens to the main characters in the future. But i don’t like it if you have to wait forever for the second/third or fourth book. And i also feel that when there’s nothing more to say about the characters and there is a good ending that a serie should stop because if not you mostly get repeating of storylines etc.
Thanks for this post and the giveaway and Congrats on the release of Put a Ring on it 🙂
Thank you! Yes, series can drag on, especially if there aren’t fresh characters/storylines. And since mine aren’t with an external plot, the characters have to be very different so it’s not boring. I’ve fallen out of love with series (and TV shows). It feels like breaking up. 🙂
I often prefer standalones, but when I do get attached to secondary characters, I like to see them get their own stories in a series!
I worry sometimes that in this world of series, I’m not going to get an ending. Cliffhangers kill me. I can fall hard for secondary characters. As I writer I’ve discovered they get a way with a lot more than main characters can!
I like book series because it allows the author to develop the world and characters more fully, to slowly reveal secrets and to show growth/change over time. If I love specific characters, then I enjoy reading about how their lives continue and also the chance for secondary characters to either take center stage or to have expanded roles.
Thanks!
Wow! That’s a terrific answer. I completely agree!
I love book series! It’s especially good if the books have a killer cliffhanger! I am a glutton for punishment like that! However, I dislike waiting forever for the next book to come out! I’ve read books and was so excited for the next in the series and the author even says the book will be out by a certain time but then nothing happens! Then I forget a lot of the details and I don’t like that.
The anticipation of a good book is exciting for me though! I love series when a couple books are about certain characters and then there can be spinoffs.
I love the anticipation too! I try to be very careful about not posting release info without a confirmation from the publisher because I know how crazy it makes me as a reader! I’m hoping these books come out no more than six months apart. The next one should be out in January.
I enjoy reading series books because as the series continues you can catch up with your favourite characters mean while you can enjoy the introduction of new ones.
Me too! I love hanging out with old friends. It feels all warm and fuzzy.
I love reading book series….it’s great to reconnect with your favorite characters and meet new ones!
Isn’t it? There are so many series I get so excited for!
Happy Snoopy Dancing, a new K. A. Mitchell book!! I love series, where the characters show up in other books and all of the worlds are intertwined. Someplace where you can totally immerse yourself.
Thank you! I always used to want to mash up my favorite books as a kid (okay and as a grownup too). That would be so cool!
Love series cause you continue to see the people from previous books in that series!!! Love that. Thanks for the review and giveaway
You’re welcome! Thanks for dropping by! I hope all your series favorites are good to you!
I love reading series because I’m just not ready to put the characters away. I always feel like there’s more they have to say or more they have to do. I wonder what the secondary characters have going on that the readers didn’t get to see. I end up with some obscure question that didn’t get answered so I just simply want more. 😀
I have that happen sometimes. I get fixated on a secondary character and want his whole story. It’s a danger when I’m writing, but as a reader it’s fun!
I absolutely adore series. Back when I was reading mostly fantasy, a lot of the writer’s wrote trilogies, so I knew I would get 3 books. Single stories almost always leave me wanting more. There are a handful of m/m series that I’ve read that I still mourn for. Really. I know it’s fiction but I feel like I NEED more. I bought the last book in a wonderful series several years ago, and because I knew it was the last one, I kept putting off reading it because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. It took me about a week to get started and then I was only going to allow myself 10 pages a day, well that didn’t last for more than 2 days, but I tried. 🙂
Here’s my confession. I love the Jeeves and Wooster books. And since P.G. Wodehouse is dead, there certainly won’t be anymore. I’ve ready every story and ever novel but I saved one short story. Because then I can remember there’s always one more out there. I’ll get to it before I go. 🙂
Aw, that is so sweet! I knew you were a big softie!
Yeah, I really am. 🙂
I love series. I really enjoy revisiting a favorite world and getting to see old characters while learning more about the world and meeting new characters. Thanks for your post!
It is so much like getting to go visit old friends. You can just feel it when you curl up with the books.
I love series!! I love being drawn into the world that the author has conjured. When I reach the end of a good book (hello Joey!, hello Eli!), why would I want to leave that world? While some series go on too long, others just grow and grow. The ones I love best are when we are introduced to new people but we still get to visit with old friends. We loved the old friends first, of course we want to check in with them!
That’s good to hear. Sometimes (like with the Baltimore novella I’m working on) I wonder if I’m just indulging my own desire to play with my imaginary friends. That one doesn’t introduce new characters (so far.)
We are happy to indulge you! Especially when we get to see more of our favorite guys!
I love series because many times you want to know what comes next in the lives of the main characters or you want a HEA for those secondary characters that steal your heart.
Those secondary characters are so sneaky! They absolutely can steal a scene or a book!
I like the way a series shows the growth of the characters and introduces me to new ones. You can always find out what happened to them and how they have changed.
I love hanging out with the old friends. I love those moments of shared memories. Thanks for the comment.
I love to read a series. I’m a huge fan of series that have the same characters, but ones in the same place are great too. I think it’s that sense of community and continuity that makes it feel comfortable but still exciting. I love seeing people we know pop up here and there and seeing how people grow and change. Thank you for sharing with us! (I love puns AND cereal too!)
You’re welcome. Cereal is awesome at anytime! As are puns! I love that flow of connection and seeing how characters from other books interact.
Series allow me to get to know the world of the characters and follow up on how they are doing. I especially like the ones that follow one set of MCs, except if they are serials, which I abhor.
Those that follow one set of MCs can be very tricky to write. I admire writers who can pull that off with out making me feel like they’re just throwing random obstacles in.
I don’t mind reading book series. There are times I won’t be in the mood to tackle a long series but I do enjoy them. I love reading and finding out more about the characters and just seeing relationship development.
Yes, series are something you have to be in the mood for, and I know sometimes I’m leery of buying a few books when I know I’ll be left hanging waiting for more. Single titles have their appeal for that.
I hate leaving a world that I love once I get into it! The characters end up feeling like a close friend, and you have to know more about their lives, even the mundane stuff. 🙂
I enjoy series because I can become invested in the lives of my favorite characters. Congratulations on your new book!