Retiring a Series, Retiring a Writer

About a decade ago, my mother and I were talking about the distant future, when I’d be able to collect government pensions and retire from writing. What struck me about that conversation was her assumption that I would retire while still relatively young (65 is still young to me), just as she had from her day job. She seemed taken aback when I told her I had no plans to ever retire.

Recently, I’ve begun to wonder if that statement is still completely true. Certainly, at some point in my life I’ll cut back on the two blogs a week, book reviews, and novel-a-year output, but completely? Somehow I doubt it, but you never know what the future will bring.

I do know a growing number of writers who, for different reasons, have decided to cut down, or walk away from writing altogether. Some of it is about wanting to do other things on their bucket list. Some are planning to stop writing for health reasons, and still others simply can’t be bothered keeping up with all the technology and marketing expectation foisted on them over the past couple of decades, especially if they started their careers in the 60’s or 70’s.

I’m wondering if there are writers who decide to pack it in after their series comes to an end, whether by choice or not. Which leads me to the question, at what point does one retire a series?

For me, it’s not that difficult. Before the first book, The Opposite of Dark, was released, my publisher, editor, and I discussed where the series was going and how many books it might take to get there before Casey’s story ended. While I have a pretty good idea, I don’t have the answer completed nailed down. However, like J.K. Rowling with the Harry Potter series, I already know exactly how my series will end and what the final scene will be. It’s probably the only thing she and I have in common, except perhaps a passion for writing. Rowling wrote her final scene long before she finished the final Harry Potter book. I still have to write mine.

Planning for the retirement of a series isn’t a bad thing. After all, who wants a character to overstay their welcome? As for retiring as a writer, well clearly that decision is personal and probably changes from year to year, due to circumstances. I prefer to keep my options open. How about you? Do you have a retirement plan for yourself or your series?

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, now available for iphones, iPads, and iPodTouch at http://bit.ly/nZLlS8. Also available in paperback at http://tinyurl.com/30dlx64 and on Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/7kxuat8

FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl

TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Reviews: The Good, the Bad, or Should I Say Ugly?

It's been an interesting week. Reviews are starting to come in and for the most part, I'm pretty happy. I sent a book off to a reviewer whose website I liked and who seemed open to reviewing my type of mystery. A while later, I discovered her 4-star review on amazon.com. Yeah!

And then I got an e-mail from someone I didn't send the book to and who wouldn't sign their name. This person said she won my book in a draw at a mystery store (my book isn't carried at mystery stores, though I did give a complimentary copy to most of them), thought it was intriguing, but that she couldn't get past the first hundred pages because the dialogue was too "cartoonish". (Actually, I've been told by others that my dialogue's great.) The person then went on to say I shouldn't use friends to blurb my book because they're not helping me. I'm here to tell you that Cheryl Kaye Tardif wouldn't compromise her integrity by blurbing a book she thought undeserving. But I didn't tell that person this because she wouldn't have believed me.

It's all part of the writing life, and what makes it so interesting. Anyway, here's the good review:

"Debra Purdy Kong reprises her lead character, Alex Bellamy, in her book Fatal Encryption. This book begins with a murder and Alex in a frog costume. Alex takes a job at McKinleys' Department Store as a systems analyst. Someone is threatening to encrypt their system permanently. Alex delights in a challenge, but is he up to this one? Debra Purdy Kong writes with a flair for technology. Fatal Encryption has a timely plot. The thought of Alex in a frog costume brings humor and depth to his character. This is an entertaining read. Mystery readers will love it." -- Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com

For book excerpts visit,
www.debrapurdykong.com
Debra_Kong@telus.net

Oh No, It's That Time of Year Again

Once again, taxes are going up, income taxes are nearly due, and most of us are struggling with government forms and the dullest guidelines to have besieged mankind, unless, of course, you pay someone else to read the forms. Did you know there are people who actually like doing taxes? That there are people who think it's cool to be an accountant? I'm married to one, although he's not a tax accountant and hates the forms.

If you, or the accountant in your life, needs a break from dull, confusing, infuriating, number-crunching . . . if you want to look at taxes and tax auditors in a unique and lighter way, TAXED TO DEATH might be an answer.

Young, Revenue Canada auditor, Alex Bellamy, has stumbled into his first fraud audit, but things become dangerous when his colleague is murdered. To solve the murder and safe his life, he recruits a CA's secretary to help him. Problem is, she doesn't want to have anything to do with Alex.

Taxed to Death can be ordered from amazon.ca

Excerpts from the sequel, Fatal Encryption, can be

viewed at http://www.debrapurdykong.com/