Author Allie Pleiter talks about her Continuity Series, YUKON WEDDING (GIVEAWAY, too!)

Most of you probably know of Allie Pleiter, multi-published author of both fiction and non-fiction books. Maybe you've even won one of her novels here on my blog. Well, Allie has recently ventured into what is known as the Continuity Mini Series with her Harlequin Love Inspired book, YUKON WEDDING. Below, Allie talks about what this is, exactly, and the pros and cons she's realized along the way. Be sure to watch the YouTube video of Allie and her editor, Krista Stoever, as they are interviewed by The Romantic Times. Too fun!

Leave a comment on this blog post and be automatically entered to win a copy of YUKON WEDDING.

A little about Allie: An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

Continuity series...good or bad?

by Allie Pleiter

YUKON WEDDING is my first venture into the literary phenomenon known as the continuity mini series.  Mostly a beast of category fiction, this is a publisher-initiated series of 3-5 books that run over a specified story arc.  As a writer, you’re essentially hired to write the story. 

“Sure,” I said when asked because really, who says “no” to paying writing jobs?  Plus, I liked the idea of stretching a new literary muscle.

The hardest part of writing for me is coming up with ideas, so this opportunity seemed attractive.  There were advantages and disadvantages, as it turns out.

Good:

1)  Writing is a lonely business.  Chances to collaborate with the other authors in the series were a nice new experience (even if it meant hundreds of emails).

2)  It was an interesting exercise to write backwards from a needed outcome.  I learned when I could veer off the synopsis, and when I couldn’t.  Ninja plot-wrangling, to be sure.

3)  As a writer, I benefit from the connection to fans of the two other authors (Linda Ford and Dorothy Clark, in this case), who may not have read my books before, not to mention the promotion of the series in addition to the promotion of my specific book.

Not so much:

1)  Someone else’s ideas are, well, not my ideas.  It’s a bit odd to have non-Allie-created characters bumping around in my head.  Yes, I gave them depth and details and nuances, but would I have written a treasure-hiding Alaskan adventurer on my own? Probably not.  And that’s just odd, not bad.

2)  So YOU try and have three different people write three sequential books while working simultaneously and let me know what that does to your creative stress level.  Hint:  it’s not good.

3)  If you do need to make a change (and you know how those pesky characters are...they have their own idea about what to do), you can’t just go with it.  You must consult your fellow authors, inform them, make sure there aren’t ramifications of your choices in their books. 

Overall, YUKON WEDDING is an amazing story that I’m glad I wrote.  I was invited into a world I might never have otherwise visited and I stretched new creative muscles that have taken my skills up a notch.  And you, dear readers, you get not one great story, but three.  You get a whole ice cream sundae instead of a single scoop.  And that is very good indeed.

Watch the Romantic Times interview of Allie and her editor, Krista Stoever, as they discuss continuity series.

Back cover copy:

A gold-rush town is no place for a single mother. But widow Lana Bristow won’t abandon the only home her son has ever known. She’ll fight to remain in Treasure Creek, Alaska—even if it means wedding Mack Tanner, the man she blames for her husband’s death. Mack sees marriage as his duty, the only way to protect 

his former business partner’s family. Yet what starts as an obligation changes as his spoiled socialite bride proves to 

be a woman of strength and grace. A woman who shows Mack the only treasure he needs is her heart. 

Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to WIN a copy of YUKON WEDDING. Winner will be announced next Friday, April 22.

**Contest disclaimer: Void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. Entering this giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility in accordance with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws. **