Writing a series is a challenge.

In this review, I am going to look at how Kerrelyn Spark’s ties her books together in her romantic comedy vampire series Love at Stake. I have read a number of books in this series, which if you are unfamiliar with Spark’s work are very funny takes on what it means to be undead and how the mortals who fall in love with them deal with this fact. The book I am focusing on for this review is Sexiest Vampire Alive. According to Heroes and Heart Breakers this book is fourteenth in the series.

Sexiest Vampire Alive Book Summary

This book has a great cast of characters. A young, recently-turned vampire Gregori is asked to visit the president of the United States and convince him that vampires mean humans no ill. Of course, Gregori instantly falls for the president’s reclusive daughter who is a dedicated scientist looking for a cure to save her dying mother. Through a bizarre set of circumstances, Gregori ends up transporting the daughter to Southeast Asia because for some reason only she can find the special herb. There they meet enough trouble from various paranormal creatures to keep you reading and laughing. And of course, they fall in love and live happily ever after.

Common Themes

The whole plot hinges on the fact that when vampires are undead, they can’t protect themselves or the ones they love which sets up both conflict and humor. Having a common theme is one way to tie the series together, and Spark’s has used this one in at least all the books of hers I have read.

Kerrelyn Spark’s Constant World

Another way the series is woven together is through creating a consistent world. From book to book ,you can rely on Spark’s vampire world to function in the same way  –  the vampires have the same physical and bodily needs, and the same cultural practices – i.e. they drink synthetic blood, they use shifters to guard them during the day, they have to have a beacon to transport to a new place, etc.

One Main Focal Character

Characters are also consistent from book to book. The hero of the first book, Roman, is leader of the good guys and appears in every book. The main characters of the succeeding books are all people who are tied to Roman in someway. This is a technique that Lisa Marie Rice also uses.

Can It Stand Alone?

Now if the books are so tied together can a reader pick up one and enjoy it as a stand alone or do they have to be read in order to be understood?

In the Sexiest Vampire Alive, the story opens with a set of characters introduced in other books involved in filming an advertisement with disastrous results. There is no back story in the first five pages and the scene works well on its own as an opening chapter. You meet the hero and learn a bit about his personal problems and worries. On page 6, a battle is mentioned that occurred in an earlier book, but the mention is tied in well with the current actions and emotions of the characters in the scene who are fearful the rival vampires are coming to get them. In fact, dealing with their fear falls on Gregori’s shoulders, and we are shown his competence as he provides safety for his panicked friends.

Tips For Writing a Series

The fact that Kerrelyn Spark’s series is up to, I think, 17 books is a strong tip off that she is doing something right. So here are the three things I have gleaned from her about writing a series.

1. Tie the books together with a common theme.
2. Have the main characters all related to one head character.
3. Place the stories in the same setting where things operate in basically the same way in each book.
4. Use back story so it contributes conflict to the current action in the story.

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Can you think of a series that uses any of these techniques?

I love to hear from you!