I tend to write my novels in series of 3. Why? Because I have a strange and some might say fascinating history with the number 3.
That being said, I always try to give each book enough of a backstory so that you can pick up any of the books in a series and have a reasonable grasp of what is going on in that volume. Each book is a complete narrative unto itself that tells its own story, HOWEVER…. (yes, there is a however – a rather big HOWEVER) you won’t get the full picture unless you read them all – in order.
I am a very character focused author. In my world, all of my characters are real people with real thoughts, feelings, histories, personalities, etc who are responding to the situations put before them in the best way they can, based on who they are AT THAT TIME.
I am very interested in character growth, evolution and motivation. My characters, like myself, tend to be quite Byronic in nature – with every thought, gesture and action often hiding or eluding to a much bigger picture.
Reading one of my books and not the others is kind of like watching a movie with a third of the screen obscured.
Will you be able to enjoy it and get into it? Probably.
Will you miss things? DEFINITELY.
Series Structure
I structure my series like real life.
When you first meet a new person, do you instantly know everything about them…..even after internet stalking them?
No.
You see what they want to show you. You see the image they want to show the world. As they grow a little more comfortable with you, you begin to know more about them – things that might make you interested in deepening your relationship with that person, that might well pique your curiosity.
This is the first book.
Once you decide you want to know that person on a more intimate level, you start to learn deeper things – the types of things they hide from more casual acquaintances. As your relationship grows more and more intimate, you learn more about their past, their true motivations and even some things that might make you question whether or not this person really is who you thought they were. They may well even do or say things that might push you to the very edge of your personal boundaries, and, sometimes, even past them.
This is the second book.
More time passes. Finally, you reach the ultimate level of intimacy – the inner sanctum, the level of full trust and disclosure. All the walls that person has put up have crumbled before you and all of their facades have been laid bare. Things that happened earlier in your relationship take on new meaning and significance as you finally, truly understand who this person is. This is the third book.
The third, the final book, is the crown jewel. Everything becomes clear. True thoughts, motivations, things that have happened in the characters’ past that shape who they have become and things that have occurred in the previous books finally begin to take real form and gain deeper significance. For better or for worse, this part of the character’s journey comes to an end.
In my personal opinion, because of this, the further you go into the series, the better, more intense the protagonists’ story becomes.
About the Author
Grea Alexander is an author specializing in historical fiction and supernatural horror books. Her books are available in regular print, large print & ebook formats.
REBELLION BOOK I: BOOK OF QUAY
Intrigue, deception, betrayal. What are a few knives in the back between two lovers?
Qing Dynasty, China.
Some wounds cut too deeply to ever truly heal, to ever be forgotten. For the rebel Phong Quay, Princess Ni Soung is one of those wounds – a remnant of the most painful chapter in his life, a pawn in his never ending war with his greatest enemy, the Emperor Ni Fehn.
As the Han rebellion against the Emperor intensifies, Princess Soung becomes caught in the middle. As bait in the Emperor’s most brazen bid to date to bring Phong Quay down, the princess may just find herself a casualty in the battle between the two men – a battle between the past and the present, between the truth and lies, between love and revenge.
Grea Alexander – online
Seamonkey Ink It’s my first & main online property. Ok, so it’s a seedy faux physical address store front where I get my mail. www.SeaMonkeyInk.com
GoodReads It’s where my reviews live. www.GoodReads.com/GreaAlexander
Twitter It’s where I pelt people with lemons then run away. @SeaMonkeyInk www.Twitter.com/SeaMonkeyInk
Library Thing It’s where I once had a drunken 1 night stand & left behind some review babies (that I’m not entirely sure are mine). www.librarything.com/author/alexandergrea
SMI Retailers
Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Grea-Alexander/e/B00HV0M83Y
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/grea-alexander
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SeamonkeyInkLLC
Seamonkey Sores…es List of all known SeaMonkeyInk retailers http://seamonkeyink.com/smi_indexes_2013_013.htm