That’s a
really good question. I’ve thought and thought about the Bogey Man Mysteries,
and I think it’s about time to end the series.
Why?
In all honesty, I’m running
out of ideas for stories and for the characters. I’m currently working on the
last Bogey Man mystery. I just started this one, so it'll be awhile. These are special characters with ties to the 1940s due
to the fact that Chris Cross looks very much like Humphrey Bogart, and he tends
to emulate the movie star. He walks the walk and talks the talk. In the latest
story, How Now Purple Cow, the Crosses retired from amateur sleuthing. They’re
coming out of retirement for one last case which, interestingly, involves the
Black Butterfly. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait to find out what or who the
Black Butterfly is.
While there
is a following for this series, I can’t entertain readers if I run out of
ideas. At least for the moment, I believe I’m out of Bogey inspiration.
I know from
comments that a few people are tired of the forties slang used in the books. I
have to admit, I’m not tired of it at all. It’s certainly more fun than some of
today’s slang, and less offensive. However, that’s life.
Realistically,
there are younger readers who can’t relate to the Bogey Man character. That’s a
shame because the “old days” were fun in their own way. On the other hand,
there are some older readers who love this series because they can relate to the stories and the time
periods involved.
The Sandi
Webster series is another matter. Readers keep asking for more. I’ll oblige
because so far the ideas related to Sandi and Pete (her husband and partner)
keep coming. They’ve handled some old-time cases, but they have a different
take on things than the Crosses.
Both series
sometimes involve working on cold cases, but that’s not always the issue. They
become involved in current cases, too.
I can
honestly say there are a few (very few) series that I got tired of reading.
Sometimes an author can’t quite come up with a new and unique idea. The stories
start sounding too much alike – repetitious. I don’t want that to happen with
either of my series.
Of course,
there’s always room for standalone books. I’ve done two of those and truly
enjoyed doing something different for a change.
Overall,
these are simply some random thoughts about continuing or discontinuing a
series. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll come up with an idea for a third series.
Stranger things have happened.
In the meantime,
there are series I read that I never get tired of because the authors manage to
come up with something new and out of the box time after time.
I’ll miss the
Bogey Man, his wife Pamela and their son, Mikey (aka Ace), but it is what it is
– time to move on.
Thank you all
for stopping in today and letting me share my thoughts.
Now I’ve got
to get back to the Black Butterfly.
Until next
time, have a great week and read an installment from your favorite series.
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I mentioned
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