I'm in a contract with my publishers to write a series - which is great - I'm new to this game so I was hardly gonna argue...
Anyhow I'm currently finishing up book two and was wondering about the following;
1. How much old ground do I need to cover? I assume I need to make it work in it's own right and can't expect the reader to have read the first. However I don't want to bore a reader who has.
2. How much can my main character change? I want her to evolve but my publisher is very clear that they love the ballsy, loud mouthed Lilly as she is and want to market her very much as a brand.
3. On a practical note Lilly is a lawyer, not a cop, so just how many gruesome murders can she get involved in before it just looks bloody silly.
Answers on a postcard.
H B x

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Massively helpful thanks.
I think my agent and publisher are both with you on how long she can continue ..what another dead body!!
HB x
I don't know if I've done it well or not--only the first one is published--but in working on my third Austin Carr mystery, I tried to focus on what the reader of THIS book needs to know for THIS story. I think the evolution of character shows up in what he says and does, not what I tell the reader.

And how many gruesome murders? In this third one, I had to mention sharkjumping. My protag is a stockbroker, and just how many lethal incidents can he get mixed up in?

About one a year, I'm guessing. As long as somebody wants him...
I'm not sure that we can answer that for another author. Every series is set up differently, and every author has a different level of flexibility when it come to obeying editorial commands.

As a reader, I dislike those insertions of canned back story. I would prefer to get a brief reference only where it is germane to the scene.

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