Writing a Stand Alone Book That Could Become a Series

I wrote Wordhunter with absolutely no idea that it would one day become a series.

The two main characters, Maggie and Jackson, had been my constant companions for more years that I care to say. Okay, I’ll say: on and off for eight years. Before they entered my brain, I’d been writing true crime books—as in, real-life serial killers doing truly despicable things—for a decade. Five of those books were published by St. Martin’s and one by Kensington.

By the time I’d finished writing the sixth, I’d had enough. Enough of the depressing reality of murderers. Enough of the heartbreaking reality faced by the victims’ families.

And then, life added its own weight. Within a very short period of time, the four people closest to me died: my husband, my only sister, my father, and my mother.

I’d reached my limit with real-life deaths.

Much to my surprise, an unlikely duo appeared in my imagination. One was Maggie Moore—a motorcycle riding, tattooed, pierced, foul-mouthed forensic linguist, whose brilliance was often matched by her impulsiveness. The other was Silas Jackson, a laconic detective with uncanny instincts and a steadiness that Maggie lacked. Together they became the heart of Wordhunter.

When I wrote the book, I wasn’t thinking about sequels. I wasn’t planning for future books. My only goal was to tell the best story I could tell.

That, I think, is one of the keys to writing a novel that can stand alone while still leaving room for a series.

Some writers assume that a series novel must leave everything unresolved. In my experience, the opposite is true. Readers invest in a mystery because they want answers; they want the murder/s to be solved; and they want the villain/s to be identified. The immediate story should feel complete. If readers reach the final page feeling cheated because the story isn’t really finished, then the writer hasn’t written a standalone novel. He or she has written the opening installment of a much longer one.

But completing the mystery doesn’t mean completing the lives of the characters.

A case can be solved. A killer can be caught. Justice, at least on the page, can be served. But the characters who lived in that story don’t suddenly become finished “human beings.” They still have relationships to navigate, old wounds to shed or carry, bad habits to repeat/or not, and futures they may or may not be brave enough to claim. Those are the unresolved elements and unanswered questions that continue long after one or two cases are solved—and that naturally carry forward into another book.

In Wordhunter, Maggie and Jackson solve the central crime. Readers get the answers they came for, yet both characters are still wrestling with personal issues that existed before page one and continue beyond the final chapter.

After Wordhunter was published, reviews began arriving—thankfully, really positive ones—but there were a handful of comments such as: Will Maggie and Jackson solve other crimes? What’s going on with their relationship?

What surprised me was that these readers weren’t primarily asking about the crime. They wanted to know whether Maggie and Jackson would ever get out of their own way. Readers wanted to spend more time with them. 

Who knew?

Certainly not me.

Thinking that readers might know more than I, I began outlining a second book. That was an important lesson for me as a writer. Mysteries may bring readers to a book, but memorable characters often make them return for the next one.

Then came ideas for a third book. And a fourth. HarperCollins acquired those three books—and the Wordhunter Mystery series was born.

Some protagonists remain largely unchanged throughout a series. Others evolve while holding on to the core values and flaws that make them recognizable. In Books 2, 3, and 4 of the series (Books 3 and 4 will be published in 2027 and 2028 respectively), Maggie and Jackson stay true to who they are, but each new case leaves a mark.

Spoiler alert ... sort of: They become either more empathetic or more cynical.

You’ll have to read the series to see where they land.

I often joke that readers are responsible for turning Wordhunter into a series, but that’s only partly true. The deeper truth is that I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. After spending years immersed in real murders and real grief, creating Maggie and Jackson felt like opening a window in a stuffy room. They made me laugh. They surprised me. They argued with each other and occasionally with me. When the first book ended, their story didn’t feel finished—not because the mystery wasn’t solved, but because they still had places to go and things to do.

I believe Wordhunter stands on its own, even though a few plot strands remained untied. Readers can close the book and imagine the future for themselves if they wish.

Or they can read the sequel. 

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