If you’ve visited my blog over the past few days and felt a bit disoriented, I don’t blame you in the least. Things like that happen, when a blogger suddenly and unexpectedly changes her theme.

This time, I changed from warm, serious Quentin to light, breezy Ocean Mist.  It’s quite a change, isn’t it?  They’re almost completely opposites!  And I find it interesting that I started out with a blue theme originally (Digg 3 Column, to be precise) to a red theme and then to blue again.  Curious. . . .

While I’m on the subject, here’s a few other themes that I like:

• Dawn to Dusk, which is very dramatic
• Iceburgg, a nice winter theme–I like the blue-and-white background lines best
• Misty Lake, which has a calm atmosphere
• Runo Lite, which is simple and elegant
• San Kloud, another breezy theme
• Shaan, yet another blue theme that caught my eye years ago. . . and yet I still haven’t used it. . . .
• And finally Strange Little Town, which is a whimsical Halloween theme

What are your favorite themes?

After my somewhat ranting post on cliffhangers a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about what would make authors go to such lengths in an attempt to guarantee readership.  And there is a reason.  I might not agree with it, but it’s there and I understand it.

Let’s prove three things before going any further.

First, money is good.  I wholeheartedly agree with this.  It is the ideal to write a book, publish it, and make a tidy sum that is hopefully enough to quit the day job.  Should it be the sole reason for writing a book?  No.  It is, however, the practical end-goal of many authors which enables them to spend their time doing fun stuff like writing instead of, say, flipping burgers.

In the same vein, readers are good.  The readers, after all, are the people who make or break a book’s success.  They buy it, read it, review it, recommend it. . . the author’s success is heavily dependent on readers’ reactions.

With that said, we can also conclude that publishing the first book is only clearing the first hurdle.  After the book is on the shelves, there’s a whole slew of marketing activities the author needs to do to give their book a fighting chance.  Then, of course, there’s writing the second book, which should be published soon enough that the author is still known.  Even if the author markets like crazy and publishes regularly, there’s still no guarantee that readers will pick up the second book–and then, boom, back into obscurity they go.

At this point, it’s easy to start looking for a way to guarantee that the next book–and the next, and the next–are picked up by readers.  After all, writing may be a hobby, but publishing is a business, a career.  Which brings us back to point 1, money is good.

With that in mind, what can an author do to make readers wait anxiously for book 2?  Well, there’s marketing the heck out of book 1 and building up hype as book 2 is on the journey to being published.  This takes a lot of work and doesn’t always work.  Then, of course, there are cliffhangers, which are not nearly as difficult, give the author a good excuse to write another book, and are certain to induce a longing in the reader.

Which seems more attractive?

Granted, cliffhangers don’t always work either.  As a reader, I am more inclined to blacklist the author rather than wait anxiously for the next book.  (The exceptions to this rule are serialized stories and manga–due to their format, I realize cliffhangers are necessary.  That, however, is the subject of another post.  I’m also softer towards cliffhanger if the whole story is available–think the Lord of the Rings trilogy .)  I’m sure that there are other people out there who react the same way as I do. In rare cases, the public outcry is enough to condemn the book to the lands of the out-of-print. . .

. . . but there’s also strong evidence that cliffhangers do, in fact, work wonders.  Take James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series or Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series.  Maximum Ride ends on a cliffhanger on every single book except the last one, and it’s a bestselling series.  Eragon ended on a cliffhanger for two books out of the planned trilogy.  Paolini then shocked the world when Brisingr was published with an even bigger cliffhanger and the news that Eragon was now a four-book cycle, thankyouverymuch.

Needless to say, it is also a bestselling series.

For more examples:  Serialized stories rely on cliffhangers to keep readers’ interest burning until the next installment.  Because it works.  Same with a lot of TV series (if you don’t mind me dipping into another form of media).  Because it works.  Need I go on?

So, like I said, there’s reason for the continuing reign of cliffhangers.  I don’t agree with the evidence, but it’s there.  So, writers (and readers!), my question to you is:  What is your take on the debate?  Are cliffhangers acceptable, condemnable, or just part of doing business?

*A final note:  I realize that many authors who otherwise would use cliffhangers are unable to or choose not to for their first book.  There are many reasons for this, including traditional publishers being more likely to publish a stand-alone book vs a series when looking at a first-time author.  However, I chose to go for simplicity in this post by using a two-book example rather than being vague or complicated.

Cover via syndetics.

All of his life, Theo has been told that he suffers from a rare and dangerous disease only treatable by his guardian Dr. Saintly’s technological innovation, the Mercy Tube.  He is never allowed to socialize with anyone other than his three caretakers, Dr. Saintly, Mr. Nicely the butler, and Clarice the deaf maid; and under no circumstances must he touch anyone with his bare hands.  He’s told that this is because his condition is dangerous to humans, that only the Mercy Tube can cure him, and that he should be grateful for the care of his guardian and servants.

Theo’s world changes when, on his thirteenth birthday, Mr. Nicely takes him for a nice stroll around the cemetery. . . and he finds a parcel with his name written on it.  Back in his room, he secretly pieces together a message from someone outside his small world.  This unknown friend claims he’s in danger, which is confirmed when Clarice helps him escape from Dr. Saintly’s hold.

Free for the first time, Theo learns that Dr. Saintly is the head of the Society of Good Works, which, contrary to its name, has good deeds last on its mind; and the mysterious people who sent him the note are the remnants of the Society of Unrelenting Vigilance. Both societies have been waiting for generations for an heir of the Candle Man to be born. . . and Theo is that heir.  With friends and enemies both clamoring for Theo’s cooperation, what will he choose to do?

Glenn Dakin is a children’s TV show writer who has branched out into novels.  Good call, I say; I found The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance to be enjoyable. Theo’s adventure is interesting, and a strong point is that it starts out with Theo being sheltered from the world by his guardian and servants.  He’s bored and annoyed, but doesn’t really suspect ill intent.  Well, why would he?  He was raised that way!  And Dakin did reference Theo’s upbringing throughout the story, such as his impulse to obey authority and his awkwardness when it comes to affection (he was raised in a comfortable, yet unloving, household) even as he longs for it.

Another thing I liked was the network of tunnels under London, which leaves the city open to both Societies and various other people in the know.  It leaves many interesting paths available for future books. . . what secrets lurk in the catacombs?

Of course, I can’t go over the strong points without noting the weak ones.  There was nothing major this time.  The dialogue was a little stilted at times, the characters were a little 2-D, and story seemed awkwardly placed somewhere in between a steampunk fantasy and a contemporary superhero story. . . maybe a little more world-building would have fixed that. In other news, Dakin could have written a little more detail into the story; it was written in more of a telling fashion, leaving detail a bit bare in parts.

The other problem I noticed was that the first five pages were the best five pages.  This is more of a pet peeve of mine rather than an actual problem though–I dislike it when an author puts so much effort into hooking the reader, only to coast comfortably through the rest of the story.  I understand why authors do this (they need to hook the agent/publisher first, which means the first five pages have to be the cream of the crop), but I prefer a story that starts out slow and builds to the climax rather than one that hooks me instantly then paces along at a moderate pace.

In my last post, I wrote about my fears that Vigilance would end on a massive cliffhanger.  Luckily, I was wrong.  Theo’s adventure ends without any cliffhanger of note, but there is definitely a hint of future adventures.  After all, as the new Candle Man, Theo’s inherited a lot of enemies. . . and we all know what that means. . .   Without spoiling the story, though, I’ll say that Theo overcomes the difficulties set out before him and is able to rest before his next adventure.  Which is as it should be.  Good job, Glenn Dakin!

My overall score would be a 3.5/5.  It wasn’t spectacular (of course, I was reading Lord of the Rings lately, so I might be a bit biased), but it’s still worth checking out.  I put a hold on the second book in the series, The Society of Dread, as soon as I finished Vigilance, if that gives you another indication of how much I enjoyed it.

If you’ve read Vigilance, how did you like it?  If you haven’t, do you think you would like to?  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Warning: Very wordy post ahead!

While browsing through the juvenile section of the library the other day, I happened across a book with an interesting-looking cover.  It was titled Candle Man: Book 1, The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance by Glenn Dakin.

I’m a sucker for a good-looking cover. (Cover via syndetics)

When I noticed the “Book 1″ bit, I became a bit wary and almost shoved the book back on the shelf.  Lucky for it the cover was so interesting, or else it would have remain unread; but my fear that a certain problem would wield its grotesque power at the end of the book was certainly understandable. I am talking, of course, about cliffhangers.

Now, The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance was quite good (though maybe not exactly what I expected from the cover and blurb) and almost entirely free of the problem, having only a hint of future adventures to come rather than ending right before the eve of battle or just after an immense revelation that will force the character to choose a new path.  Whether or not this constitutes a cliffhanger at all is debatable, which is not the point of this post and which I might post at length at a later date.  (Completely off topic, I do recommend The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance, and I will be posting a full review later.  Moving on. . . .)

I’m glad I decided to read Vigilance, and wholly commend Dakin for having the sense to end this story before moving on to the next one.  Other authors are not so wise (or perhaps simply more business-minded); they not only hint at future adventures, they practically scream of unfinished business and further dramatic events, all in an effort to convince the reader to buy the next book. It’s funny, though; while I put the sequel to Vigilance on hold as soon as I finished the last sentence, I am almost always inclined to return an offending book to either the store or the library and distrust the author ever after.

Before I continue, I’d like to point out that I know where these legions of offenders are coming from.  As I said before, they employ cliffhangers as a gimmick to convince the reader to buy the next book, and it often works.  My knee-jerk reaction, after all, is not necessarily the same knee-jerk reaction of everyone who reads the book; and while I might blacklist the author, others wait for the next book and buy it when it comes out.  Obviously  there’s enough of these others to make using cliffhangers profitable; and, as I well know, writing is a business and as with any business, profits are good.

Cliffhangers, however, are not.  They are dastardly little ploys with more regard to the author’s job than to the responsibility owed to readers to weave a good yarn.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

One blatant example off the top of my head include the Warriors series by Erin Hunter.  I have been assured by others who’ve trudged through most or all of the books that every single book in that blasted series ends on a cliffhanger.  While I cannot attest to this myself, I can tell you that I was so outraged at the end of the first book that I chucked into the return bin at the library and never looked back.

Cover via Amazon

Three other cases are several short series by Gordon Korman that I have read: The Island, On the Run, and Kidnapped.  All the books are a hundred pages or less, and two of them are ridiculously chopped into a trilogy when they should have been a full novella instead (The Island and Kidnapped, I’m looking at you).  The third, On the Run, is separated into six books when compiling the series into one novel would have ultimately been more satisfying.  I really don’t understand why this was necessary, at all; at least each book in the Warriors series was novel-length itself.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Yet another example is Christopher’s Paolini’s infamous Brisingr. . . at least, I like to think that it’s infamous for what he did.  I’m not referring to endless other debates about the originality of the story or any other such thing here; I am talking about the cheerful little note at the end where Paolini states that he was so enamored with the forging of swords that he had to split Brisingr into two books to make everything he wanted to write about fit into the series.

. . . Wait, what? was my first reaction.  My second reaction was the feeling of betrayal that fueled the confusion I felt after reading the ending of Brisingr into full-fledged wrath.

For years, readers waited for the end to the trilogy.  And then, when it finally came out, we were informed that it was actually a cycle, a quartet, not a trilogy.  My wrath was a natural reaction, I think.

Anyhow, it has faded somewhat since then.  The biggest point that I hope to make is that the cliffhanger at the end of Brisingr was not only unexpected, it was a complete betrayal of reader’s expectations.

That’s what all cliffhangers are, though.  Betrayals.  And they often appear at the end of books labeled “Book 1″, which is, of course, why I hate them.

So what about you?  Do cliffhangers make your blood boil, or are you accustomed to them?

About Tales from New Bruntum

Remember Tales from New Bruntum?  You know, the superhero RP I’m doing with my friends?  . . . No?  I don’t blame you, the project kind of stagnated for most of last year as we focused on our individual blogs, the Cyber Creations Club, and life in general.

This past week, though, we were talking about it, and decided to pick it back up again.  Purin of purin.arisu.cross (aka ~SalvationMachine on deviantART) and Cloud of Cloud’s World Of: have both posted their characters’s next posts, Peanut of the Cyber Creations Club (no, he doesn’t have a personal blog yet) will be entering the fray again soon, and my character Stephanie’s next post is scheduled for this week!  Hopefully we can keep it going this time.

I can’t tell you too much about it yet (we’re in the beginning of the story still), but I can tell you this:  Tales from New Bruntum is a superhero RP about four characters whose lives are changed drastically when they discover they have superpowers.  Alicia Engla, Aurelia Alette, Jackson Creen, and Stephanie Blake will have to decide what side they’re on and who to work with–or against.

Tales from New Bruntum is really, at its core, a project for the four members to have fun writing.  We–or at least I–still welcome readers, though!  My goal is to make Stephanie’s story as fun for you to read as it is for me to write.  However, I have no idea what’s going to happen–it is an RP after all, and I suspect that there might be some crazy twists in the future.

Besides writing Stephanie’s parts, I’m also drawing some illustrations for my posts.  It’s going slowly, but it is going!  Hopefully soon there will be some pretty graphics up on the site for you to enjoy!

Sound interesting?  Why don’t you check it out?  I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say about our project!

~River