Note to self: finish what you start

Not long into the pandemic, I—like lots of you—started binging TV shows because let’s face it.  There wasn’t a whole lot else we could do.  Right before lockdown, though, hubby and I had discovered some pretty cool new series:  The Witcher.  Messiah.  I am Not Okay with This.

Two of those titles were canceled last year—after I was fully hooked and eager for more.  And it reminded me of one of my cardinal rules:  Don’t watch a f*cking series until it’s DONE.

That mantra began in the 90s, when I was disappointed that an awesome show was cancelled after only one season, a show called Earth 2.  I was so into it and, huge bonus, it had an amazing cast, including some of my favorite actors like Tim Curry and Clancy Brown.  The network (NBC, I think) canceled it—and on a huge cliffhanger.  I was so pissed off.  Angry. Bummed out!  But what could I do?  Absolutely nothing.  I had no control over the situation at all.

However, I could control something.  I could stop myself from watching shows until they were completely finished.

I broke that rule in 2006.  Hubby and my oldest child were really into a series that perhaps you’ve heard of.  😉  Lost.  It was two seasons in with a hell of a buzz and my family members were really into it.  There was a lot of viral marketing going on, too—stuff on the internet, magazines, merchandise.  Well…I caught the reruns that summer and got hooked.  If you watched the show or heard anything about it when it ended, though, then you know how disappointing that turned out to be for a lot of fans.  At least they ended it, but I think it would have been better to end in the middle, like Earth 2.  My imagination would have ended it better than the writers did.  (Sorry to the creators of Lost, but surely you know by now how you completely went off the rails the last couple of seasons.)

Again, though, that experience reaffirmed my thoughts about waiting to watch a series until it was over.

Well, lots of time has passed and these new shows on Netflix that I mentioned above looked AMAZING, to say the least.  Messiah, in particular, was one I was dying to see.  And I devoured all the episodes before the pandemic—like in a day or two, I watched all the entire first season, eagerly awaiting what was coming next.

And then they announced, for lots of reasons, why they were canceling that show.  And then others, many others.  I know I am Not Okay with This is based on a comic book, so I could read more of the story, but what I loved about that show was the actors.  Rarely have I seen such a charming cast.  They made that show.  Don’t get me wrong; the story was solid and, while I would have loved to watch more episodes, I didn’t feel like I was left with figurative blue balls.

Messiah, on the other hand, was just getting good.  Really good.  And left me with so many questions.  What a horrible way to leave us rabid viewers hanging on the edges of our seats.  So, needless to say, I’m following my old rule again.  No series viewing until they’re complete.

Except for The Witcher maybe.  Henry Cavill’s nice to look at.  😉

Believe it or not, this post wasn’t meant to be a mere rant at television’s failings. Instead, when I approach this failure as a writer, it helps to make me far more aware of my readers and their wants and needs.  Those of you who’ve been with me for a while know how long the Nicki Sosebee series took to reach completion, especially when you take into account that the first eight books were published in two years.  The other five released rather slowly, from 2014 through 2020—and I could tell you all the reasons why, but I won’t bore you with it.  I’m just glad I was finally able to resolve that story for you.  And I’m so proud of how it ended.  I don’t think all my books are the best thing since the invention of the electric guitar, but I do know one thing—the Nicki Sosebee series ended strong, and my readers who loved the series unanimously loved how it ended.  Even though that particular series doesn’t have a lot of followers, I’m glad I made the ones who do quite happy with the finale.

I have other series midstream.  Tangled Web.  Feverish.  Wishes.  Codie Snow.  Small Town Secrets.  Pretense and Promises.  And, actually, a couple others I’ve started writing but that are, as yet, unpublished (Rock Stars on the Rise and Jo Hatch).  The uncompleted ones far outnumber the series that are finished (Bullet, Nicki Sosebee, Matchmaker, Vagabonds, and Heat).

But I want to make you, my faithful reader, this promise:  I will finish these series.  My brain goes nuts and sometimes I let it run, writing whatever is nagging at me, so for that I apologize.  Know, though, that I will get them written and into your hands as quickly as possible.

On that note, what series do you want me to finish next?  Let me know!

(P.S. I thought about this after publishing this post—I am also super upset at Netflix for canceling Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, too. Because it’s nonfiction, there are no cliffhangers, but I loved that show. I’ve been with Netflix almost since the beginning—even before the whole streaming/DVD debacle—but in 2020, they seriously shook my faith.)