Joined: 4/24/2014
Posts: 28
|
Hi all,
I'm working on "A Bead in the Hand," sequel to "High Strung" in the Glass Bead Mystery series. In the first book, the MC adopts a dog because the murderer is the dog's owner, and she's going to jail. In "A Bead in the Hand" I'd like the MC to say "...I adopted a dog after his owner turned out to be a murderer." This, of course, means that I've just revealed the killer in the first book. I'm concerned that someone who has not read the first book may read this, and now know the key to the first story. It is not as fun to say "I adopted
a dog a few months back." Or more mysteriously (but still a giveaway) "I adopted a dog after his owner turned out to be a unsavory character."
I know that readers often read books out of order. Is a reader going to be upset by this spoiler if they read book two followed by book one? I think so, but thought I'd ask the community here at BC.
Janice
|
|
|
I wouldn't provide any spoilers, but that's just me. You might be able to allude to the characteristics of the dog's previous owner. Something akin to It was my standard Friday night - popcorn and a movie, with my new dog jumping into my lap to lick the butter off my fingers. Quite a change for the pup, I guess. From what the police told me, her previous owner kept her outside, instead opting to cradle a [beautiful woman, gun, bag of stolen money, etc.] in his lap.
|
Joined: 8/29/2015
Posts: 16
|
I'm working on the third book in my series and it is difficult not giving away too much of previous books. Perhaps you could say, "I adopted a dog under unusual circumstances." The reader will wonder about that. You could even asterisk it and put your first book's title at the bottom of the page. --edited by ValerieT on 11/10/2015, 11:43 AM--
|