Opening on the Past: The Challenge of Writing Historical Series Fiction

Susan Spann

The start of a novel is always critically important, but the challenges multiply when the book is part of an ongoing series.

I write the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Although the books are standalone adventures, in the sense that readers don’t have to have read the previous installments in order to enjoy each book, a large percentage of my readers are also returning fans of the series–which creates some additional challenges in writing the opening pages.

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