Everything I did wrong . . .

By James M. Jackson

Everything I did wrong with my first crime series would take too long to enumerate. I got a few things right. The Seamus McCree series encompasses eight novels, two novellas, and several short stories. The average of the 700 Goodreads ratings for books in the series is about 4.4.

I’m starting a new series (the Niki Undercover Thriller series) and want to continue writing stories that people enjoy and rate well. But I don’t want to make the same mistakes I did with the Seamus McCree series.

Mistake 1: Inconsistent subgenre

The first two books in the Seamus McCree series (Ant Farm & Bad Policy) are traditional mysteries featuring Seamus as an amateur sleuth. While the rest of the series all involve mysteries, the third (Cabin Fever) is primarily a thriller. The fourth (Doubtful Relations) leans into suspense. The remaining novels (Empty Promises, False Bottom, Granite Oath, & Hijacked Legacy) are thrillers. One novella (Low Tide at Tybee) is a standalone mystery; the other (Furthermore) immediately follows False Bottom and is a thriller.

A reader does not need to read the series in order. But if they do, the flexible subgenres might jar them as the series moves from traditional mystery to thriller to suspense to thriller. And if someone reads one of the later thrillers and goes back to the beginning to catch the entire series, Ant Farm might not meet their expectations.

Lesson learned: The Niki Undercover Thrillers remain consistent: thrillers with a healthy dose of mystery and family drama mixed in.

Mistake 2: Inconsistent book covers

I like the individual covers for the Seamus McCree novels and novellas. They do not, however, project a common theme. The color scheme is variable; the font sizes and placement for title, author name, and series tag are not consistent. Yes, if a reader examined the book covers, they could figure out they were part of a series. But it is not obvious, and certainly not at thumbnail size.

Lesson learned: The Niki Undercover Thrillers covers will have consistent elements, while still allowing each cover to express elements of its story.

Mistake 3: Use a main character name many people mispronounce

I did not know how many ways people could and would mispronounce Seamus. Early in each of the first books in the Seamus McCree series, I created an opportunity for someone to mispronounce Seamus’s name, giving him the chance to provide the correct pronunciation (Shay-mus). For many people, the connection from eyeball to brain to long-term memory did not work. In conversations, they’d tell me they’d loved the books and couldn’t wait for the next “See-mus” novel.

Plus, Seamus’s name ends with the letter S. Should the possessive be Seamus’s or Seamus’? I went with Seamus’s and vowed never again to give a major character a name that ends with S.

Lesson learned, almost: The main character in the Niki Undercover Thrillers is Ashley Prescott. Her most frequent undercover name is Niki (last name Foster, but she rarely uses it). Common names, easily pronounced, neither first nor last names ending in S. Terrific—except for spelling Niki with one K, not two.

There is a reason she spells it with one K, which was explained in Cabin Fever. At that time, I didn’t know she’d be a continuing character in the Seamus McCree series, let alone that she’d be the lead in her own series. Many people reflexively spell her name with two Ks, which is a problem when it shows up in reviews or social media praise for the stories she is in. But I’m stuck with one K and will make the most of it.

Mistake 4: Multiple base locations

My novels use actual cities and towns, mostly places I know well. I was living in Cincinnati when I started writing, and that is where Seamus had his home. The first two novels in the series focus on Cincinnati and locales in southeastern Ohio. Cabin Fever takes place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where I have a home (and Seamus has a camp). Then, we moved our winter home from Cincinnati to Savannah. Doubtful Relations is a road trip, with the action starting in Cincinnati, moving to Savannah, working up the coast to New Jersey, with a brief foray to Boston, where Seamus grew up. The novella “Low Tide at Tybee” allowed Seamus and family to visit Savannah for a winter vacation. Empty Promise, Granite Oath, and Hijacked Legacy all returned to Michigan’s U.P., but in the middle of those, False Bottom and Furthermore took place in Boston.

Readers needed an atlas to keep it all straight, and it was hard for those who enjoyed reading books set in (say) wilderness areas when I switched to urban settings.

Lesson learned—sort of. The Niki Undercover Thriller series revolves around Washington, D.C. and the twin city area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, with forays into the surrounding country.

Mistake 5: Killing off a beloved character

 It made sense to me that the character had to die. It fit the series arc and, because she was close to Seamus, helped shape his character in future stories. All good reasons, except many readers had grown fond of her and hated (yes, it’s a strong word, but it’s correct) that I killed her. The read-through from that book to the next one in the series was lower than the read-through between earlier books. As I said, many readers hated it.

Lesson learned: I do not intend to kill (or have killed—characters are doing the killing, after all, not me) any well-loved characters close to Niki. That’s not to say good people won’t die, but none to whom readers have become emotionally attached.

I’ll stop after these five. Writers, what “mistakes” have you made that you hope to avoid in the future? Readers, what “mistakes” have authors committed that made you much less likely to pick up their next book?

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James M. Jackson authors the Niki Undercover Thriller and Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read a free Seamus McCree short story).