Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Change in a Romance Series--Good, Bad, or Thrilling?



What happens when the series you are writing or reading changes in unexpected ways? As a reader, do you stop reading that series or author because it no longer meets your expectations of what should have happened? Or perhaps you continue to follow the stories of the author a little longer to see if perhaps you are being nudged in a new direction that isn't as bad as you once thought, only different than what you thought you wanted?

Authors, do you stick to telling the stories the way the characters bring them to you, or do you try to force them to conform to the plot or style of the way things used to be? Do you wrap up the series abruptly and start a new one in the style you want to write in and hope to find a new audience?

I know these questions are worded to my particular bias, although I would welcome other responses to the initial question about change in a series of books you've enjoyed reading--up until the author surprises you in ways you didn't want to be surprised.

Yes, you know where I'm going to come out on this debate because I've written five books to date, none of which is the same as any other one in the series. Hell, I write about very different characters period, so how can any two stories be expected to be the same? That's the greatest beauty of being an independent (self-published) author. My stories don't have to conform to the dictates of a publishing house. For instance, I can have vastly different levels of heat in them. Nobody's Hero is probably my highest heat level overall--Adam was humping like a teenager most of the book. But that doesn't mean every other couple in the series will be that sexually active (and given the direction that couple's story has taken in this saga, maybe Adam knew something I didn't back then).


Sex and even BDSM won't take place in every chapter in a Kallypso Masters epic-length novel. In one of my books, the main couple doesn't have a sexual encounter (not intercourse even) until the last chapter. In the latest, Somebody's Angel, there are a number of sex and BDSM scenes (some of them kinkier than anything I've written before--Marc and Angelina are my more sexually adventure couple), but reviewers looking for erotic reads seem not to have even noticed there was sex in the book.


In the beginning when I wrote Nobody's Angel, I planned to make this a BDSM series with lots of sex--heck, I even tried for menage, but then I wrote Masters at Arms and realized that just isn't what this series was going to be about. It's about wounded characters seeking a familial connection that was missing in their lives, whether because of combat, abuse, or some emotional disconnect. I've since stopped referring to it strictly as a BDSM series, although each book does have some degree of BDSM in it. But each couple approaches BDSM in a vastly different way from the other couples. They're all very individualistic and realistic--human, if you will. (They're certainly real to me!)

I love my readers dearly. I will go out of my way to spend time with them virtually or in person, but I can't compromise my writing to please them. Even though my last book sold far fewer copies than the one before, which sold fewer than the one before that, I'm never going to be a hack. I can't spit out formulaic books in rapid succession because my writing process isn't linear and I don't plot. I have to wait for inspiration and for the characters to tell me their stories.

And the story Luke and Cassie are telling me for the next installment in my saga borders on a sweet romance at the point I am in the writing. I'm sure that will change, but what if it didn't? What if Cassie just isn't ready to have an intimate relationship with Luke yet? I suppose I could postpone the book until they were ready, but I absolutely love where they are going with this relationship and plan to see it through to the end--which, of course, isn't the end at all in a Kallypso Masters book. You all know they will be back in other books because all of my characters are family and they just have to have that connection. I can't write a one-couple romance and leave everyone else at arm's length, even if they'd let me.

I used to be the Queen of Tease, but I think I'm becoming the Queen of the Slow Burn since Nobody's Perfect and Somebody's Angel were written. I don't write the wildly dramatic openings and then drift off. Masters at Arms's opening should have made that very evident. (While listening to the first 15 minutes of audio, I thanked God Phil Gigante was narrating, otherwise, I'd put you to sleep with all of Adam's introspection and backstory in the opening pages of that book in the bus station.)

I'm working on having new covers designed for when I hit the convention circuit this summer and am rebranding myself to be more than a pigeon-holed author who writes only one type of story. The heat level will be more realistic on the covers--altho I have no intension of changing the previous stories. I write about Marines and when they have sex, they're going to use erotic terms, not romantic fluffery.

Perhaps so many other authors (especially traditional ones) write separate series in multiple genres, so they don't trounce on reader expectations. Well, readers of indie authors need to be aware that we don't play by the rules. We don't have a marketing department telling us they can't publish our awesome story because they don't know where to shelve it. Maybe some authors want to be "shelved," but I'd much rather be read--and by readers who appreciate indie voices.

As much as I love my readers and hate the thought of any of them refusing to read further in this series, I can't compromise my writing to please readers. I write for myself and to tell the stories my characters demand. Some of the complaints I've heard about Somebody's Angel make it clear that a number of readers aren't going to have their expectations met with Nobody's Dream either. I hopeI will be able to attract an audience of readers that is open-minded (in more than just BDSM and sex) and willing to see where this saga will go as it progresses. I know I have tens of thousands of fans who will be there with me for every book I release and that they will welcome the detours and surprises--and I just want you to know I love you for letting me explore my talent as a writer and to try new things rather than become stale by giving you what you THINK you want. You are the audience I have sought from the very beginning.

One of the things I love about the way I've chosen to share these stories is that you don't lose the other characters just because they reached their happy ending. They come back--some of them come back with a vengeance, like Marc and Angelina, and need an entire new book. Lately it's become clear to me that Adam is harboring all kinds of things from his past that I didn't even know about until that scene in Somebody's Angel made it clear to me that I need to dig deeper. So I'm planning to follow Nobody's Dream with Somebody's Hero so that I can explore the depths of that man's soul. (Of course, I knew at the ending of Nobody's Hero that he hadn't really dealt with the issues of his childhood. I knew he'd have to deal with that and expected to do it in a subplot. But I've learned that when there are issues as deep as Adam's--and the man was in the Marine Corps for 25 years and in many areas of Marine responsibility, so you can bet there are things he's experienced that have only been hinted at in the past books. As his life evolves, triggers we never even imagined before are going to explode and he's going to have a hard time keeping it together for himself and Karla, much less his extended family. But he's not the only one who will have to face the past in that book. Marc, Damian, probably even Luke and Savannah all have similar issues that need to be looked at more closely. So, like Somebody's Angel, I see Somebody's Hero being a bit of a roundup of the usual characters--but taking them to places you will find anything but unusual. Readers only wanting to explore new couples in every book are going to be left in the dust, I'm afraid, because that's not where this saga is going.

I also want to point out that I am writing the "Rescue Me" series (although many readers refer to it as the "Masters at Arms" series). The series is first and foremost about wounded people in need of emotional, physical, or psychological rescue--and sometimes all three. I refuse to put bandaids on their issues and pronounce them cured before their happily ever after. I prefer to write from a realistic approach to past traumas and I speak from experience when I tell you that the romances you've read where that happens are fairy tales--and not like the realistic fairy tale I told in Nobody's Perfect, either.


Some of my characters will choose to find answers and healing in BDSM, but I'm not longer even calling it a BDSM series, because I don't see that as the major focus of this saga. I have chosen to tell the stories that fit my characters. Luke, for instance, is dabbling in rope work and throwing butterfly kisses with a single-tail whip--but Cassie is far from being where she would let him anywhere near her with rope or a whip. I refuse to force her go there just to meet reader expectations for a hot BDSM scene. Of course, Luke can be patient and powerfully persuasive at the same time, so he may break down those defenses and they might very well have a light BDSM relationship. The thing is, at only 48,005 words into the manuscript, I have not effing clue where their relationship will go. I get surprised just the same as you do--and just ask my editors how I agonized over Somebody's Angel and where it took readers. Not what any of us expected, I assure you! But they told me to listen to my characters and that they would lead me where the story needs to go. I did just that, even knowing some readers wouldn't be happy about it.

I write about a "family" of imperfect, human characters. Never a dull moment, I assure you! If you'd like to read something a little different now and then, I invite you to take a chance on my books and see what you think. Just keep your expectations out of the equation and see where the Rescue Me saga takes us both!


If you are new to my books, you can download Masters at Arms, the introduction, for FREE or splurge and get the combo with the introduction and first book for only 99 cents. Buy links are on this page of my blog.

The reading order for the rest of the saga to date is:

1. Masters at Arms & Nobody's Angel (these are permanently combined for only 99 cents)
2. Nobody's Hero
3. Nobody's Perfect
4. Somebody's Angel

And with luck and inspiration, Nobody's Dream will be the next book in the saga and (with even more hope) released later this year. (I told you I don't rush the books!)

45 comments:

  1. Ignore reviews write what you want to how you want to and your loyal readers will be there I have loved each and every one of the Masters at Arms series and found it refreshing they had differences. Nobody wants to read clones - same ole thing - only the names have changed! so boring!

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  2. Kally, don't you dare compromise your characters or stories due to a few individuals who may not be as vested in your series as we, your faithful readers are! I absolutely applaud you on how the books are written. The characters, their lives, their trials, their loves - that's what draws us in.....kinky sex is great, BUT it's not everything for everyone. If Luke and Cassie are a "sweet romance", then more power to them. It's THEIR story, that just happens to "through you". I am a true fan of your writing and your stories. Don't change a thing!! ��

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  3. Kally, I love that you don't write "formula" books. God knows we can get every type of story told over and over again with little variation if that is what we need. Maybe yours don't always go to the "happy" side of life or the predictable line.But they are so much more real and that's what will keep me coming back. Listen to those who are speaking to you in your head, they know what is going on! I had to work my way through "Somebody's Angel". Had to go back and re-read often because I had a little trouble wrapping my head around some parts of the story. But in the end I accepted that people are gonna do what people are gonna do. I cannot wait for the next book. No matter what, I know that story will touch me a special place in me also.

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  4. Oh Kally !!! DONT READ REVIEWS !!!! I personally LOVE the hot sex mixed with a little sweetness... As I read this series I sorta see Cassie and Luke as having a SWEET romance. neither are HARDCORE BDSM and well THAT"S OK. I love that your books are unpredictable. Some authors after a while get predictable with their writing and you are anything but. KEEP WRITING FOR YOU ! Your characters speak to you and you have to be true to them. MUCH LOVE TO YOU KALLY !

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  5. The only time I dropped a series and its author was when she killed off a major character about half a dozen books in, for no good reason that I could see. I suppose it's possible she explained it a couple books later, but I was gone. She had lost my trust when she didn't cherish that character enough to explain his death in the context of the story. You DO cherish your characters, Kally. I'll be along for the ride.

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  6. Write what your heart wants you to write Kally, we will be here to read. I understand wanting to read the reviews, it calls to you. But, you can't please everyone and if they are really only looking for a hot read, then your books aren't for them. And, a negative review can be a positive for a potential reader. I have bought books that had negative reviews because the reviewer pointed out things I was looking for. Only you can make these characters come to life, and they will only work if you write them as you are called to do. Patiently looking forward to your next book, because when it does arrive it will be written from your heart.

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  7. Kally, keep writing the way you do....to me it makes the characters more human. They will handle things differently, talk differently, have sex differently. I think the way you write really brings that home. You have gotten me to emotionally involved in these characters and their lives, and it takes a very special writer to do that. Keep up the great work!

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  8. Kally, first i'd like to say that i haven't read Somebody's Angel as of yet. I have been in a M/m frame of mind lately. I know i would need to start all over and re-read everything first and when i do that, i want to be able to give it my full attention. I am looking forward to reading it once i start the series again.
    What i have to contribute to your post is, i do not think there is anything that could make me stop reading your series, unless you were to suddenly start spitting out formula books, which i do not see happening.
    The authenticity, the real emotions and variety is what hooks a person and draws them in. Keep doing what you've been doing and i'll keep buying your books. Thank you.

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  9. Every story has its own importance. From the beginning, we've known Luke isn't as hard core as Master Adam or Master Damien. I am looking so forward to reading his story because of the glimpses you've given us all along. Keep up the good work.

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  10. My review? I'll keep reading as long as the saga goes. I initially started reading them because Masters at Arms was free, and it had BDSM. But then there was story,background, love, heartache, and just such indepth everything! I love your books Kally!

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  11. Kally, your books are so much more than BDSM. Your characters are realistic and real to reader's. Stay true to yourself and your characters.

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  12. Kally your books are great. I love that we get to see the same charters in all the books. The fact that each book is different is freaking awesome. I hate reading books in a series and kind of reading the same thing over again and the only difference is the charters names. You put so much time into the books that you really get pulled into there world. You can't help but feel what they are going through. I love each of your books for different reasons. Yes I love Nobody's Hero the most because there is something about the dynamic between them that makes my heart pound and I can't get a bog grin off my face. I love your writing and your charters. And I will always push through a book even if its not what I thought or wanted it to be. Thank you for wonderful books that we are readers can sometimes relate to and simply enjoy.

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  13. I've yet to drop a series just because the author took the characters in a different direction or killed off a major character. I have been known to scream, cry, and call the author names but I've never dropped the series. The only series I nearly dropped got so far from the original story line I (and others) lost interest. I can say the author finally worked out whatever she needed to work out and the last two books have been closer to the original ones. The characters have grown and so I'm glad I stuck with the books. Authors need to write the story their characters have to tell not what the readers want to hear. You keep writing and I'll keep reading!

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  14. I love your books. Your books are so much more than one particular element. You grip the reader and pull us into the story where we feel with and for the characters. I always read your books in one sitting then have to re-read to savor the books. Can't wait for Luke's and Cassie's book. Best of luck.

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  15. I love the world that you have created, much like J.R. Ward and the BDB series, each book has a different couple as the focus with many back stories happening at the same time. I like knowing what happens after the HEA, or the not so HEA as some cases may be. The characters in your stories become real through your writing and I feel like they are family and friends that I want to reconnect with. The only time I disappointed is when I don't see an expected release date, but that is just me being selfish! lol

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  16. Kally...stay away from the reviews! I know that's impossible for you. .but what hooked me on your series is the continuation of the people. They have become family to us also. You love your family, but can't control them :) Yes... you know I can't wait for Luke's story but I don't have any expectations except a great story.
    I'm wouldn't say you are "changing" your writing. .you are following your characters ♥♥

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  17. I'm here til the end, my friend! The characters came alive for me, and that doesn't happen often. I fell in love with them as if they were my own family members. And that goes for Kally too. I wait patiently because that's how the characters tell her how to write. And that works for me. <3

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  18. I have bought every one of your books to date, and I think it's a *delight* that I haven't just bought the same book 5 times. It's also wonderful they're not full of really samey sex scenes just to 'fill a quota'. I wouldn't have bothered if you wrote like that. I love the slow burn and the realism, and as an (amateur) writer myself, I completely get where you're coming from when you say you don't know where characters are going to take you next. The journey is the fun part! I like a story that may not be going quite where I expect it to. I'm looking forward to Nobody's Dream (though I have to admit, part of me's dying to read the one about Grant!) and wish you well with all the writing and edits ahead.

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  19. Kally, first don't believe everything you read, especially reviews. Your books are a breath of fresh air. I have bought books to be disappointed with the story line, or bored to the point of not finishing the book. I love your characters , your style, the story line. Wherever the stories go, I'll be there !

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  20. Kally, one of the reasons I love your books so much IS because you don't write the same old same old. Please don't listen to these critics. I read ALOT of romance/erotic and find alot of it being the usual "boy meets girl they get tingling feeling and shot of electricity, fall into bed and so on and then they get their HEA. The best thing about your books is you never know were there going to take you. And you also make us readers feel like were apart of the family. If these critics are only looking for all sex or mushy romance there are plenty of books out there. But if a reader wants to become invested in a saga/series then they need to just pick up "Masters at Arms" and start reading. It will pull you right in.

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  21. Stay true to yourself Kally, you'll be happy and we your loyal fans we follow. I love your books and I tell everyone about them. I'm sorry you're going through this, try not to read the reviews. You know that those who can write, those who can't review.

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  22. You wrote things in "Somebody's Angel" that explained the behaviors of people present in my own life, which made Marc and Angelina both much more human than ever to me. I don't like formulaic books and yours are so far from "Chapter I: "Their eyes meet..." that they tend to grab me by the heart right away. Do not change your style, we need to hear what those voices in your head have to say. If you don't follow the voices of Adam, Damian and Marc, Luke and the others then we might lose our favorite "Ka-thunk" moments.

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  23. I love EVERY single story you tell. Just like in real life you click with some people more than others. I "click" more with some of your character than others. BUT, I still like every one of them. I don't like every book I read to be all fluff and go how I want them to. I love how you write and that you let the characters speak to you and not rush through a story. I could go on and on, but I won't...everyone before me has said pretty much what I'd say. I'll just leave it that you have a very faithful reader in me.

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  24. I love that you picked Mark Harmon( aka LJ Gibbs) a the model for Master Adam!!!! fell in love with right off the bat...Thank you!!!

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  25. Ms. Masters,
    My editor told me to get my ass over here and read your post. She was right as usual. I'm up against some of the same issues in my series. I stand by the fact that a kiss and a roll in the hay does not instantly cure wounded characters from combat, abuse, or some emotional disconnect.....My stories as yours, are foremost about wounded people in need of emotional, physical, or psychological rescue--and sometimes all three. I refuse to put bandaids on their issues and pronounce them cured before their happily ever after. I prefer to write from a realistic approach to past traumas and I speak from experience when I tell you that the romances you've read where that happens are fairy tales--HOOYAH, Kallypso. My sentiments exactly. The next time I get a one star review because I didn't write about lollipops and rainbows, I'm coming back here to read your post because the truth is a far more intriguing adventure than "Sleeping Beauty"....although I did kinda like that story too! LOL.

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    Replies
    1. Glad to hear my blog helped you reset your compass to true north, Natasza. It's so hard not to hear what readers are saying (even the minority), but ultimately we have to face ourselves in the mirror and if we start compromising in order to meet reader expectations, then we'll lose lots of other readers who welcome surprises when they read. Hang in there!

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  26. I think that you should write the way you want and how the stories flow in your mind, that's what you have done so far and people love that. For me it's the characters and progression of their stories that matter most and the BDSM was a sexy great part of it. I plan on reading all your stories regardless of what they are classified as or how much bdsm or sex is in it as long as the characters remain true to themselves as you have been writing them. I love this series and can't wait for the next book!

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  27. Thanks, everyone, for your support and understanding. I know not everyone will be on board with me for the entire journey, but glad that so many familiar faces won't jump ship anytime soon! I promise to stay true to my characters and my voice come what may.

    Kally

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  28. My hubby and I LOVE LOVE LOVE your books (and not to be TMI, but have had PASSIONATE sex after reading every single one of them so... *cough cough* we find them plenty erotic ;-)) and are SO grateful for your talent!!!

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  29. Kally, you can count me as one of your many, many fans! You could write a book about changing light bulbs; I'd read it because I know you'd make it interesting!
    If I wanted the same plot every time, I'd just reread an old book over and over. I'm really glad you've created such diverse and amazing characters, flaws and all. You're writing may challenge me at times, but it's always a fantastic ride.
    I can't wait to read all about Luke and Cassie. Whatever their journey well, I know it will live up to the anticipation!

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  30. Kally, I am with you all the way. You have me completely, irrevocably addicted, and I'll wait patiently for each any every next book. Lots of love!!

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  31. Kally, I may not be one of your fans from the beginning, but I assure you, I have been since I did the sneak peak into Master of Arm's. I've read the triliogy that is soon to be a movie, while it was hot at first, it also seemed liked the same thing over and over and over and yet over again. I would hate to see your books and characters be like that. I love the sweetness, romance, sex, and the BDSM that is in your books. I will always be a reader no matter what way the story line goes. I love the realistic approach your characters display. It makes it so real, and like you are literally sitting in the kitchen at dinner with them (or where ever) listening and observing.
    As stated by others, your books bring people in books to life in our minds. I don't want to loose that, as I'm sure many don't. Keep it up Kally you are doing amazing! I can't wait for the next book. Oh by the way, I recently got my mother in law into the books! She is just into Nobody's Angel, and already hooked! YES! Now I have someone to talk to about my daydreams!!!

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  32. I have not locked you and your 'Rescue Me' series' characters into nice neat definitions, i.e, BDSM. The 'family' have become as real to me as they are to you. I enjoy you staying true to their real life struggles and accomplishments. Keep up the good work, Kally. There are plenty of authors who offer one bdsm sex scene after another in their books, but they don't build relationships for the reader. Through your close relationship with all the 'Rescue Me' men and women, we are given a deeper, richer understanding of life's struggles and difficult but loving resolutions. Don't ever change your approach to story telling or apologize for unexpected twists and turns. They are the things that make you special, and your family of characters even more so.

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  33. Kally, I agree. As an author, I am the captain of the ship. I love my fans, and they know it, but I stay true to the muse. Even when those muses take me down a path I am unsure I want to follow, the beauty of the story cannot be denied and to change it would suck away the magic of the story. Truly, I feel if I were to compromise, my muses would stop speaking to me. My fans know I write all different kinds of books in different genres, but you will always find a powerful love story and a strong female lead whether its BDSM, paranormal, menage, or pure romance. Thank you for the reassurance. You are a treasure! ~Red

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  34. I like that each book is different. Each person in the world is unique, and to make your books real, you would have to make each book and character and plot different and to conform to what the characters are. I read the books because I enjoy what you write. If you made every book to be the same, it would be like the sop operas we watch on tv, we all know what is going to happen next and lose interest quickly. I like that I don't know (for the most part, sometimes you can tell) what way the story is going or what is going to happen next. This is what makes these stories yours and unique, just like you are unique, no one else could ever be you.~Maureen

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  35. I'm sad. I read the first three books, decided the respectful caution issued for Nobody's Perfect probably applied to me but have been returning periodically hoping for Nobody's Dream to be out. The three books I have are the older covers, with Master at Arms in Big Letters and Rescue Me in small print in the upper corner. So yes, my expectations are influenced by that and the fact this series is centered around a family that created a BDSM Club and the chains that used to be across your banner, your book awards, etc. But as I read this post, I wonder if you're aware that not every reader returns to your website to see the new covers or re-download the books as you update them (in my case more than a year after I bought them). Shame on readers? Why? Because we'd rather read books than a blog? Complaints or less than 5-star reviews doesn't mean you're "doing it wrong" it means readers feel invested in your writing and your world and that investment energizes them to communicate. Whoo Hooo! That they even bothered speaks to your talent, IMHO. However, your post seems to have cubby holed your readership in to (2) categories and that's what saddens me. One category appears to be this subspecies of reader that isn't, well, intelligent enough to grasp a change in direction because they questioned it. Questioning and expressing an opinion (i.e. reviewing) is the highest accolade an author can get - aside from that Richard Castle type penthouse. It's not a Failure on the Reader's part OR a Failure on the Author's part to see and get different things from the same words - it is a function of the mind and spirt. I've enjoyed your books, even re-read them several times. A sweet romance in context of this series wouldn't bother me at all and I certainly appreciated your respectful warning without giving up. You see, returning repeatedly for over two years was my commitment. But I no longer feel you respect (or really want) readers that aren't in category (2) "on board for the whole ride, no matter what." Since I can't give you that kind of commitment, one reserved for my god and my children, I'll wish you well and all the best.

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  36. Just keep doing what you've been doing. I love your books and your characters. They are so human, real, and someone I've come to care about. I've shared them with my husband, a retired military man, and he's hooked! Please ignore the negative reviews and naysayers. You are doing it right!

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  37. I will follow you no matter what. I love all kinds of books and follow the writer. You make me feel as though I am personally there with the characters in the story. When a writer can do that I will read everything they write. You have a gift and passion and it shows. Follow your friends/characters in the way they lead you and you cannot fail yourself or your readers.

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  38. Please keep writing like you have been throughout the Rescue Me Series. I like the fact that yours books deal with different issues for the characters and how they deal with it. The BDSM just adds to the stories. I also like when reading your books you don't know ahead of time where the story is going or how it will unfold. Keep writing the Kally way, and bring on Luke in Nobody's Dream.

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  39. Kally,
    I read 1-3 books a week; mostly erotica of some sort and a little romance. I am into escaping a lot these days. You are my favorite author. I feel like your characters are not just family to one another but that I am part of that family. Please continue to honest with yourself and with your characters. Each time you release a new book, I re-read the Rescue Me series from the beginning to reacquaint myself with the characters, their struggles, their relationships and the wonderful stories. Keep up the good work. And maybe I will get up the courage to come and see you in Everett.

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  40. Kally,
    This is my first time ever posting anything on a blog. I don't even do that on FB but I have fallen in love with all your characters and am dying to read Nobody's Dream. My favorite male character has been Adam but ever since Luke's story started to evolve more; I just can't help to want to read more about Luke. I found out about Masters at Arms only because it was free and I have been hooked since. I look every week to see when the next book is going to come out. One of the reasons why I fell in love with your writing is because it's taken all the characters months and years to get to where they are. I love happily ever afters but I hate it when the time frame and the way they get there is not realistic. There is no way someone with a dark past and a broken soul will heal in a week or a month after falling in love. Trusting someone and healing takes time. When all the characters are mentioned again in every book I get excited and happy to read about them. It doesnt take away from the main characters and you can see just how real and close the Masters family are. Keep up the great work in writing this series. I can't wait for Luke's and Cassie's story.
    Is there any way we can get a hint of when the 6th book will come out??? A hint maybe?

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  41. OMG!!!! I read your stories because they are different. I have left authors because their series became predictable. I hate reading the same story line with a few changes it's soooooooo boring!!!! Please don't change a thing about your writing style. Be different and embrace your style of writing. Your true fans will stick by you no matter what. Just please don't conform to rules because rules are meant to be broken. ;) wink ;) wink

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  42. Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement to keep doing what I'm doing with this saga! Glad we're on the same page! ;)

    Now, back to Luke and Cassie who are totally going to blow your expectations out of the water--if you'll let them.

    Kally

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  43. I have a problem. Not with your writing, actually I guess it is because of that. These books are so very addictive. I read them one right after another, not taking time to sleep, to clean, or do anything I probably needed to be doing. Now that I have finished them, I am on my third time of rereading the entire series. They are hot, unpredictable, intelligent, emotional, rich and decadent characters that I enjoy sinking m y teeth into. If ever a book, especially an erotic romance book should be made into movies, it is this series, not the wannabe 50 shades series....kudos to you ms kally for creating such a wonderful collection of literature. Please keep up the good work and your creative expertise in how the characters evolve be it slowly like damian and savannah, or red hot like adam and karla, or two steps forward and five back like marc and angelina or sweetly like luke and cassie is not only your prerogative but almost your duty for lack of better terminology for your ever increasing number of loyal fans. Thank you. Thank you.

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  44. I'm reading through the series for the third time so I'd say you are doing something very, very right! Any reader's who want cookie-cutter have plenty of books to read. It is the rare author who can change things up (just like real life people) to keep reader's on their toes. You are the mistress of addiction, giving us a little bit of free stuff (1st book) which, like a drug is just enough to cause addiction so that we all wish you could write faster but are glad that whatever you write, it is all golden. I do have withdrawals waiting for each book but I am a loyal fan and no matter what you write, I am going to buy it and I know I am going to love it. Stay true to yourself and your characters' voices.

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