I don’t know about you, but I’ve just finished an exhausting book and blog tour for Kiss Across Chains and the Kiss Across Time series. Not only did I go into withdrawals when I had finished Chains, but now I’m dealing with departure depression because I have to let the series go (for now) and move on.
As a reader, you likely experience the same wrench when you reach the (current) end of a series. I do. You know there’s more books on the (far distant, sometimes) horizon, but you have no idea how you’re going to deal with the absence of those characters and their situations in the meantime.
You’re also reluctant to start another book or series, because you don’t want to sell out this fabulous series by being swept away too easily or fast by a new series.
Here’s some tips for making the (temporary) severance easier.
Reread the series.
Only this time, instead of speed reading because you must find out what happened, you can now linger to appreciate the finer moments. Really wallow in the books and take more time than usual to finish them.
Find the author’s website
Sign up for the RSS feed and/or her newsletter – all good stuff to stay current with what is happening with the next book and the series.
Chase the Blog Tour
While you’re on the author’s website, check to see if she has toured the books individually or the series as a whole. Character interviews and scenes are becoming more and more popular, requested by host sites who book author tours. Follow the tour around to see if there’s any vignettes with your favourite characters for you to read and top up on your dosage.
Check out Kindle Worlds for Sanctioned Fan Fic
You may not be the only one suffering. See if the series is one of the sponsored worlds on Kindle Worlds, and if there is any fan fic published. If not, suggest the series to Kindle Worlds.
Reread the series on a different device
This one sounds weird, I know, but it really works. If you always read your books on your tablet, cellphone or ebook reader, then read the series any other way (the Cloud, your desktop, cellphone, tablet or the ereader you stopped using a year ago). Because the text is presented differently on other devices and flows differently, you end up with a different reading experience. You’ll notice different words, phrases and scenes and the book will feel fresher than a simple re-read on your usual device. You’ll get to be delighted all over again.
Bonus tip: If there are paperback versions available, consider investing in paper books for your keeper shelf. They’ll give you a totally different read.
Post Art
Grab a copy of one of the book covers from the series and use it for your cellphone background, or your desktop, tablet, etc. The reminder will keep your head in the series’ universe.
Goodreads Discussion Groups
See if there is a discussion group for the series. If there isn’t, and you feel very strongly about the series, start your own, recruit all your Facebook and Goodreads friends who feel the same. Then you can discuss the series and its characters all day without feeling obsessed or guilty because you’re in the best company.
Freeze the series and then re-read.
This one takes more than a modicum of discipline, but is so worth the abstinence. Put the books, art and discussions away for as long as you can. Six months is good. Until just before the next book in the series is another milestone. The longer you can keep it in the deep freeze, the more effective this is.
Then read the series again (still taking your time and savouring). Because you have by-passed your short term memory there will be whole tracts and possibly entire scenes in the books that you don’t remember. It’ll be as close as you can get to reading the book for the first time.
Enjoy!