What are the perks
to writing multiple series? Oh, there are so many. Over the past eight years, I
have written five different mystery series. Two under the pseudonyms Lucy
Lawrence and Josie Belle and three under the name Jenn McKinlay, which is my actual name. The three
under my name have nothing in common. Nothing. Except somewhere along the line
I started putting in crossover mentions or Easter eggs, as they’re called in
the trade, for readers to find like an inside secret for those that have read
more than one of my series.
How did it
start? I’m not really sure. One day, I decided to have Scarlett Parker’s
parents from the London Hat Shop mysteries buy a house in Briar Creek, the
setting for the Library Lover’s mysteries. And in the Cupcake Bakery series, I
have them looking at Vegas showgirl hats designed by a London milliner, which
of course is Viv, the proprietor of Mim’s Whims, from the Hat Shop mysteries.
Theses random mentions were a hoot to write and I got a lot of positive
feedback from the readers who’d read all three series.
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| The Mash-Up |
And now you’re
wondering what does this have to do with Death in the Stacks? Well, because my
hat shop series ended, I thought it would be hilarious to have the London
characters visit the library and its community as a last glimpse at them before
they departed for good…maybe. Of course, once I jumped on that train then I had
to have the cupcake bakery characters do a walk on as well. It was crazy trying to
give all of these characters equal airtime. And in fact, I couldn’t. But they
are all there and they are all in the scene for the murder which I had the best
time writing. It felt exactly like introducing your best friends and having
them all hit it off, you know, over the discovery of a dead body.
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| On Sale TODAY!!! |
Lindsey Norris and her staff are gearing up for the Briar Creek
Library’s annual Dinner in the Stacks fund-raiser. The night of dinner and
dancing is not only a booklover’s dream—it’s the library’s biggest moneymaker
of the year. But instead of raising funds, the new library board president is
busy raising a stink and making the staff miserable.
Although Olive Boyle acts like a storybook villain, Lindsey is
determined to work with her and make the event a success. But when Olive
publicly threatens the library’s newest hire, Paula, Lindsey cracks like an old
book spine and throws Olive out of the library.
The night of the fund-raiser, Lindsey dreads another altercation
with Olive—but instead finds Paula crouched over Olive’s dead body. Paula may
have secrets, but Lindsey and the rest of the crafternooners know she’s not the
one who took Olive out of circulation. As the plot thickens, Lindsey must catch
the real killer before the book closes on Paula’s future . . .
How about you, readers? Do you enjoy having characters from an authors other series do a pop in, or are you a purest and want no crossovers in your fiction?
Happy Book Birthday, Jenn! “Death in the Stacks” sounds like a real treat . . . I’m looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other about crossovers. I enjoy them when they happen as long as the characters are integrated into the story in an interesting way.
Thank you, Joan! Yes, that was the challenge - making it smooth. We’ll see if I succeeded.
DeleteHappy pub day, Jenn! I'm with Joan on this one. I don't have a strong opinion about crossovers as long as it doesn't seem like "stunt casting." Every character has got to pull their weight!
ReplyDeleteExactly, or in my case, the sub-plots are just for comedy so they’d better deliver a punchline.
DeleteHappy publication day!
ReplyDeleteConfession time: I haven't started this series yet. Just too many books to read. However, I am very anxious to get to this book and read the crossover scene. Sounds like so much fun to me.
What? Not read it? LOL - just kidding! I honestly have no idea how you get all the reviewing and reading done, Mark. You’re amazing!
DeleteI have no life. That makes it easy to get reading in.
DeleteThanks so much, Mark!
DeleteHappy book birthday, Jenn! I love it when there's crossover. Makes me feel like I'm an insider sharing something special with the author. Of course the author has to handle it well and the characters have to be in the story for a purpose not as promo!
ReplyDeleteAgreed - I find the delivery of clues is a helpful task for walk ons, well, that and shenanigans. You can’t ever have too many shenanigans.
DeleteThat is so fun, Jenn. I love crossovers, but have only done them a couple of times. Best of luck with the new book!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Edith!
DeleteHappy book release day, Jenn! I like crossovers in books with characters in different series. I also like it when two authors collaborate and bring their protagonists in to the other's books. It's just bittersweet that Death in the Stacks is the last time we can see the Hat Shop girls.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Grace. It was hard to let that series go - now I need a new excuse to visit London. Hmm...
DeleteJenn, I had an idea. Perhaps Bodleian Library at Oxford or the British Library in London? Diana
DeleteCongratulations on "Death in the Stacks" and happy publication day! Like most of your Reds readers, I like a good crossover when it works for the story. I also enjoy it in romance novels, when characters from one book turn up in another. We come to know and love them in their own stories, so it's nice to revisit old friends in a new story.
ReplyDeleteYes, I like that, too. In fact, in my rom-coms, I write them as continuities. So, the main story focuses on a different person out of the same group of friends so you revisit the same cast but from a different perspective.
DeleteI love that approach. I think it immerses the reader in the universe of the series, not just one particular book.
DeleteCross-pollination! I love it!! I am much more timid in this regard. (Only done this once: Ivy from NEVER TELL A LIE shows up as the neighbor (a drive-by) in COME AND FIND ME. And it is a kind of Easter egg moment.
ReplyDeleteJenn, congratulations on the new book! You're amazing!!
Hallie! That is my new favorite term - cross pollination! LOL! Thank you.
DeleteJenn, happy book launch day! I love the Hat Shop series since I'm an anglophile. I reviewed Assault and Beret at goodreads and Instagram @wonderwomand. Five stars! I look forward to reading Death in the Stacks. The crossover of characters remind me of when Nancy Drew teamed up with Hardy Boys. I think that Alexander McCall Smith once wrote a short story about Precious Ramstowe meeting Isabel Dalhousie and Bertie at a mutual friend's wedding?
ReplyDeleteHow did you pick the name Norris for your character in the Library series? I thought of Mrs. Norris from the Harry Potter stories.
Diana
Thank you, Diana! Norris is actually my maternal grandfather’s surname. We laughed pretty hard when Filch’s cat was named Mrs. Norris.
DeleteEaster eggs are good, but I would need to know they're there, so I could be on the lookout for them.
ReplyDeleteI know I've seen one or two in other series, but cannot for the life of me remember when or where.
A head’s up is always helpful!
DeleteSo fun! I had Charlotte McNally show up and one of the Jane books… And I just loved it. Got lots of great feedback about it. It is a bit of a job all, though, and I think it has pitfalls. But your books, Jenn, charming and funny, are the perfect place for it. And I love when I see Easter eggs in books, it makes me feel smart. I love thow Carolyn Hart tucks titles into her books. ( truly a joy to be one of them! ).
ReplyDeleteI did not, however, like the Game of Thrones episode with oh my gosh, what’s his name? The British singer. My poor brain. I thought it took me out of the story.
Ed Sheeran? And I agree!
DeleteHank, I remember seeing Charlie in one of the Jane books. That was fun. i don't consciously look for these things, but I do tend to notice them if it hasn't been too too long since I read the first book.
DeleteI love how —not thow. And what is that singers’ name? It is driving me nuts.
ReplyDeleteI love Easter Eggs - in both books and television show. It feels like a special treat for those that are devoted to their favorite series, but for those that don't know, nothing is lost. It's the best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I may have literally squealed when Charlotte McNally showed up in Hank's Jane/Jake series. Far too brief - for me - but still a welcome surprise.
It is a thrill, isn’t it? I love a well delivered cameo!
DeleteHappy Book Day Jenn! Another for my TBR list. I think I need to take an internet sabbatical and only read for the winter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kristopher and Hank. Love the Easter Eggs and feel so smartly "in" when I find one! Which isn't often unless they are obvious. I read IN FAIRLEIGH FIELD when it was first published, and I missed every single one of Rhys's carefully disguised characters. Julie read it during Bouchercon and couldn't wait to catch Rhys and talk with her about them. It all goes to show who is more widely read in our house! And who angled her way into Nancy Mitford's former apartment in Paris.
Oh, I’d love to take that sabbatical with you. My TBR is actually becoming an embarrassment.
DeleteThis reminded me that when I was a kid I was devoted to the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries in books but also on telrevision (Hello, Shawn Cassidy!) and when they did a crossover episode - OMG, it was the best Sunday ever!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are two peas in a pod, Jenn! That was the best Sunday ever, although I have to admit to a slight preference of Parker Stevenson over Shawn Cassidy!
DeleteHappy book birthday! The cross-over scene sounds fun. I like crossovers - if the story supports it, of course.
ReplyDeleteMary/Liz
Thank you. This cross-over felt very self-indulgent but at the time, I thought all of my series were ending (this was during the dark days or what’s been called the blood letting at Berkley when everyone who wrote cozy/traditional mysteries was getting cut) so I figured I’d better wrap them all up. Yeah, and then I didn’t get cut. As long as I live, I will never figure this biz out!
DeleteI enjoy cross-overs. It adds an extra "something" to the story if it doesn't break the rhythm.
ReplyDeleteHere’s hoping I succeeded!
DeleteHappy pub day, Jenn! I think your crossover characters are a brilliant idea - new readers simply enjoy the humor, while returning readers get the pleasure of an "Oh, isn't that...?" moment. It's like a little gift-with-purchase tucked inside the book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julia! I sure hope it reads that way! I’m sure my readers will let me know - LOL!
DeleteHappy book day! I'm still a few books behind in this series, so I won't get to enjoy the crossovers for a while yet.
ReplyDeleteI've had mixed experiences with crossovers. The ones I have enjoyed are where the author was able to remain true to ALL the characters, so no one acted in a way I didn't believe, and no one was made unimportant. The most egregious one I ever encountered was an author who had one series with a solid, living, breathing, well-developed female lead character and another with a James Bond-ish playboy male lead character. He brought the female character into the male character's series for a book or two and she became much less three dimensional. While he did give her many heroic qualities in those books, they were much more broadly drawn, like comic book superhero qualities, than the reality-based, living breathing woman he had developed in her series. I doubt that the two original series had appealed to the same audiences much, and perhaps that was the problem.
Thanks, Susan. I can see where two different audiences would be weird. That would be like trying to mash-up the rom-coms and the mysteries. Although, I did have one of my rom-com characters read a library lover's mystery in the rom-com because - why not? LOL.
Deletehappy pub day, Jenn.i look forward to signing with you on Sunday!
ReplyDeleteYes, Sunday! The Pen puts on such good party - I can't wait!
DeleteHappy Launch Day, Jenn.
ReplyDeleteI adore finding characters and other nuggets popping in from other books. (Easter eggs, eh?) It makes it clear they have lives beyond their own pages.
One author who delighted her readers this way was mid-20th century Scottish author D. E. Stevenson. (http://www.destevenson.org/) Her fans (a tight group over 40 years after her death) love to find the flow of previously met characters and places showing up, perhaps with a book of their own, or maybe just a passing glimpse, so we know where their lives have gone.
My own easter egg in my stories is a fictional peated single malt Irish whiskey that many different characters seem to keep in their liquor cabinets.
Ha, Susan, I love D.E. Stevenson, or at least I did because I must admit it's been ages since I read any of the books. But I do vaguely remember characters from previous novels showing up again.
DeleteMiss Buncle! I love D.E. Stevenson - she was quite witty and clever with her characters. Oh, and your fictional single malt whiskey would put me on a quest...genius!
DeleteHappy Pub Day, Jenn! Squealing here because I'm so excited that the Hat Shop characters have cameos! I think you should come up with another series set in London (although I would still desperately miss Portobello Road...) Cupcakes are very big there, you know:-)
ReplyDeleteHummingbird Bakery on Portobello was one of my haunts when I was there! Maybe the cupcake bakers need to franchise to London...hmmm.
DeleteMy thoughts exactly!
DeleteI have enjoyed crossovers whenever I've read them. I especially loved seeing Charlie in one of the Jane Ryland books. It gave me hope that maybe, maybe there'll be another Charlie book??? Hank???
ReplyDeleteBarbara Pym used to do this and it was a lot of fun to recognize people that I had first read about in other books of hers. I remember thinking "hey, don't I know these people?!"
DebRo
LOL, Deborah - Exactly!
DeleteEaster Eggs are such a treat from authors! Charlotte in Jane's world was great. Will North, who Debs is also a supporter of, combined characters from a previous book with his current Davies and West mystery series, Trevega House. Major Easter Eggs.
ReplyDeleteJenn, I have just featured Death in the Stacks, along with Rhys' The Ghost of Christmas Past, in my new reading blog post, "November Nuggets." (http://www.readingroom-readmore.com/2017/11/november-nuggets.html)
Good times! It’s hard to keep up with all the new titles. I have read all the series and I remember seeing the references to the other series. It will be fun to read how you worked everyone into the story. I didn’t know they were called Easter Eggs. I guess because they’re hidden surprises. Looking forward to reading your newest book. Congratulations!
ReplyDelete