Pavlov's Music and Cliffhangers

Driving today, listening to the radio rather than some preprogramed iTunes playlist as I usually do, I felt a distinct desire to race home and write. I was listening to a country music station and realized that my response to the song playing was physical—almost Pavlovian. I wanted to go home, walk into the house, fire up some music, and do nothing but write.

Maybe it’s the story I’m in the midst of currently. The song was something Billy and Renie would’ve listened to, and yes, I know that sounds as though I’ve crossed over and am actually living in the pages of my book, but I cannot imagine that other writers don’t know what kind of music their characters would be listening to.

Somehow the mood left me before I got in the house. I think maybe Doug started a conversation with me about our children, or something else important enough for me to stop, listen, and lose my desire to bury myself at my keyboard.

Instead, after whatever important conversation I had with my husband, I read. I read about a book a day, when I’m reading instead of writing, which is a blessing and a curse. Anyone who is a fast reader understands the curse side of it. I finished the book I started this morning a few minutes ago. And it is a cliffhanger. The good news is, this is not a new series, so the second book is already out, as is the third and fourth I believe.

So having just finished this book, and knowing that in just a few minutes time I’m going to start the next book, and read through quite a lot of it before I finally fall asleep, I want anyone who has read Linger to know that I’m sorry.

I know what’s going to happen in the next book (and the one after that). So I have been less than empathetic when I’ve received emails or facebook messages cursing me for the way the book ended. I usually say something trite about how you’ll just have to wait and see, with a bit of an evil glimmer in my eye as I say it.

If the next book in the series I’m reading right now wasn’t published, or available, I would be PISSED. In all caps PISSED. So again, I’m sorry. I’ll try to get the second book, and I’m even sorrier to say, the third book, ready for reader consumption faster than I have been. And I’ll warn you upfront. At the end of book two, you’ll be just as pissed at me as you were when you finished Linger. Again, I’m sorry. And I’ll do my best to never write another series this way again.

The good news is, the current series does not involve any cliffhangers . . . yet.