I’m rejoicing because on Friday, I turned in my manuscript for the final Chicory Inn Novel, Home at Last! I also got to see the final cover for the series, and I’m so pleased! I’ve really liked the covers from the beginning, but seeing the progression from day to night with the covers all lined up, it feels just short of brilliant to me. 🙂
The final book feels aptly titled: HOME AT LAST! I must admit that I wrote “the end” on this series with a few tears! These characters have been living with me almost 24/7 for the last 3.5 years and I’ve grown to love them dearly!
Here are the release dates for the five books in the series:
I’m also giving you the first peek at my full cast of characters. These are the images I used to give the characters in my head “flesh and bones.” I’m not going to label them because there will be spoilers if I do! But if you’ve read the first three books in the series, I bet you’ll be able to guess who’s who. Hint: They are somewhat in chronological order of the age of the siblings in the book. And that’s all I’m sayin’! 🙂
GIVEAWAY: One winner who comments below will win copies of the first three books in the series! To enter, post a comment below with the answer to one or more of these questions: Do you like novel series or prefer stand-alone novels? Do you prefer the typical 3-book series or would you rather have 4 or more books? Do you read a series as the books release, or wait until they are all available? Any other opinions you’d like to share about novel series? I’ll choose a winner at random tomorrow night (and so sorry, but only U.S. residents are eligible to win. But anyone can comment!)
UPDATE: And the WINNER of the first 3 Chicory Inn novels is… Pat who posted at 9:43 p.m. Pat, if you’ll send your snail mail address to debraney@mac.com, I’ll get your books in the mail! Thanks again, everyone, and CONGRATULATIONS, Pat!
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I loved series. It helps you get to know the characters better. The story can develop slowly as you fall in love with it. I buy each book and wait for the next in the series. When I have them all, I read them until I am finished. I want to feel the story come to life and really experience the emotions of the characters. I like to read them this way so I don’t forget what I read months ago and have to go back and refresh my memory.
Hmm, it depends on my mood and if I like the author or not, but I do like series, sometimes of four or more books if the characters are good. I like the progression of the covers too; that’s so neat! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I do like the novel series. I always want to find out what happens next in the characters lives.
I love series and the more books .the better! I am always sad when they end because I get attached to the characters too!
4 books (or more!) is fine with me, because, like you, it’s hard for me to see a series end and to say goodbye to the characters, so I’m always happy if there’s another book to look forward to!
I started reading The Elm Creek Quulters several years ago and I fell in love with the different characters. Over the course of the many books by Jennifer Chiaverini, I enjoyed their marriages, the birth of their children, and suffered with them through divorce and death. When the series ended, I felt like had lost both family and friends.
I started reading this series after several had been published so I was good for awhile but then, I had to wait anxiously for each new publication.
I look forward to reading all of your series!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Stand alones are good. Series books are often even better. Sometimes the stand alones are disappointing because they are over and I want more of the story. As long as the author keeps a reader’s attention any number of books in a series is good. New twists a few new characters not just a rehash of what’s come before.
I like both stand alones and series, but the series give me a sense of relief–knowing I won’t be leaving these characters and towns for long. The more books in the series the better–as long as things aren’t becoming repetitive.
I like to read books as they come out, unless they are a new-to-me author and her books are already out, then I devour them all at once.
I love books in a series. I usually read them as they come out and will sometimes reread them in order when they are all out. The longer the series the better they are. I usually wait with bated breath for the next book to come out.
I’m really looking forward to this series. I like both stand alone books and series. I usually prefer the standard three books in a series but don’t mind more than three from time to time. I enjoy your books and appreciate the opportunity to win some in this giveaway. Thank you for your generosity.
Stephanie C.
I like series as long as they don’t go on forever. Having more than 5 or 6 books gets to hard to keep up with I think. I would love to win!
I love a series, three or more books are great!
I guess i don’t have a preferred method of reading a series, just depends on how I get them and what time I have to read.
I haven’t read any of this series, so having the first three would be great!
I do enjoy a great series as long as I don’t have to wait too long for the next one because I read them as they come out. I also enjoy a stand alone as well. As for how many to a series, I think it depends on the characters in the previous ones and how they would adapt as a lead character so having to have some significance in the earlier books. The Chicory Inn series sounds great and I would love to have a chance of winning them!
I like to read a novel series of 3 books as they release. I usually can’t wait to see what will happen next! By the time I finish, I know the characters in depth and they seem like friends. Thanks for the pictures from Chicory Inn!
I like both stand alone and series. There are times when characters need the addition of another book. Some series end at three easily but others beg for more, especially, when you have a large family involved.
I love novel series especially if I know that it is a series when I start. I really enjoy reading them as they release whenever I possibly can. If the money isn’t there to buy them at each release date I will read them close together. I do still like to read one book in a different genre in between each two books. It helps me to separate the end of one book and the beginning of the next one. I hate when a series ends too. My “friends” have left and I can’t keep in touch with them.
I read books as they are released. I like stand-alones and three-series that seem to tell of another character more in depth of their life. They are connected, but not really as they are individualized. I especially like the two-generation stories that go between then and now with an item ~ as a necklace or journal found that relate to both and uncover a lesson to be learned that is beneficial (my that is a super-long run-on sentence!). The number one priority is that the novel be Christian-based and look to the Lord for help by example rather than by spoken words, other than Scripture inserted as a place to turn to. This opens up to more readers than those who would say they are being preached to. My very favorite is historical fiction. We learn so much more from the author in their research than we would have learned in school. Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
I like series better than stand-alone novels, but I do read both. I usually don’t read the first book in the series until at least the second book comes out. Sometimes, I wait until I have most of the books, before I start reading. Thanks for offering this giveaway, but don’t enter me, as I’ve already read the first two books. I just bought the third one. Fun series! I’m enjoying it. Blessings, Deborah, on you and your writing.
I enjoy both series of books and stand-alones, and any number of books in the series. I read 2 series of one author back-to-back and really enjoyed being able to read them non-stop, however, it was the first of her books I had read and the books in each series had been published. In a situation where they have not, I wouldn’t have enough patience to wait until all books in the series had been published before starting to read them.
Congrats, Deborah – thanks for the giveaway opportunity – would love to become acquainted with the characters in ‘The Chicory Inn’ novels!!
I do love a series, and am glad when I discover one that’s already finished so I can read them all at once. Otherwise, I usually end up re-reading the whole thing by the time the last one comes out 🙂
I like series but they always take too long to get released. By the time the second or third book comes out I have to re-read the first one! Sometimes I just wait till the whole series is published to read them.
I like series, but I find that I don’t want to read them until all of the books have been released because I forget too many details if there’s too much time between publication of each book in a series. If each book in the series can serve as a stand-alone (such as when each book just focuses on a different person in a town or family), then I’m fine with reading them as they’re published.
I like series and stand alone books – I just love books! For a series, I prefer 4 or more, because once I get invested in the characters, I don’t want to let them go. It’s hard to discover a new author with a lot of books already published in the series (7 or more), because I want to read them through to get caught up and need the time to do that. That being said, once I’m caught up, I read the books as they are released. Your series sounds great – love the casting you included.
Three or four book series, it doesn’t really matter, as long as it doesn’t leave us hanging, looking for more. I prefer books rather than e-readers. I can pass the books on to my mother, who also loves to read. I have a friend and author who has written a six book series.
I love both standalone books and series. I admit that I will wait until a series is in my local library or thrift store or garage sale and purchase it at a bargain. My budget doesn’t allow me to purchase many new books unless I win a gift card for amazon. When I find a good series I don’t want it to end at all.
I love a good series.
To me it depends on the first book whether I want it to end after reading it. Usually, I end up falling in love with the book and I don’t want the story to end. So, I love reading a series of books from start to finish. If I start reading a “first” book as soon as it comes out, then I will read them as soon as they are debuted. Sometimes I’ll find a book I like that I didn’t know already has a series of books with it and I have to go back and read them from the beginning!
I love a stand alone book – but I also love series! My problem with series though is that I read so many books that by the time the next one comes out, I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened in the previous book. So sometimes I wait until several have come out and then just read straight through. And then since I’m always looking for discounted books, sometimes I find one in a series at a yard sale and love it so much that I go on line to find the rest!
I love series! I hate to let go of a lovely places and interesting characters, knowing that I may meet them again makes the parting sweeter.
Hi Deb, I loved seeing all the characters, and the progression on the covers is beautiful! I have not read this series yet, but I look forward to it! Blessings, Carrie
I love stand alones and series equally. I enjoyed seeing the lesser characters develop in follow up books. I just hate waiting for the next one in a series. 😛 I would love to read this series. Thank you for the chance. God bless!
I love love love series!! I really enjoy getting to know a group of people and seeing how lives are progressing for everyone throughout the series. I like to wait until I have all of the books in a series before I read them though. I am looking forward to reading the Chicory Inn series. Thanks so much for the giveaway!!
Hi, thank you so much for this chance to win. I adore series’! I love meeting and falling in love with the characters. If I really like the author, I would like a 4 or more book series. Thanks again for this giveaway. 😊
Personally, I’m up for anything, be it series or standalones. I think series are great when there are so many great characters and when the author have more to say to serialize it. Sometimes, a standalone is all it takes and I appreciate that, without it getting too draggy. I love serials where there are several characters that I’ve fallen in love with from the first book and just can’t wait to read their story. And as long as there’s more to tell, I’m not picky as to if it’s a trilogy vs several book series. What I don’t like is when it was called a “trilogy” and then there’s a bunch of half volumes or related ones that didn’t really make sense.
By the way, I also LOVE that last book title. Definitely aptly named.
Such beautiful covers, Deborah! I’m anxious to read them all. 🙂
I enjoy series, especially those that continue on beyond the typical three. My preference would be to read them one after the other. However, since I started writing reviews of the books I read, I try to get them either before or as soon as they are released so I can read and review as close to the release date as possible. When I’m on a street (or launch) team, this is almost mandatory. With so many books read over the years, I find it a bit more difficult to keep track of the characters when I read them as soon as they are released, but I wouldn’t be much good to the launch team if I waited until the entire series was complete.
I prefer to read one book after another! Therefore, I have not ready any of this series yet and can’t wait to start!
I love novel series. You become acquainted with everyone on an individual basis and they become friends and family to you. Normally I like a 3 book series but it all depends on the author, I think. I have read series where they seemed to drag out and it is like by the last book it falls flat. I would love to win these books as I have been reading about them for some time now and they really sound good. I typically read a series as the books are released (I can’t wait for all of them at once).
I am partial to series. I love finding out more information about the characters than you can find out in the first novel. If I discover the series just as it is being started, I will read it as they come out, but if I discover it later,I will read however many I need to catch up to the present one’s approaching publication!
I like series and stand alone books…and I like to see characters in other books that are not necessarily a series, just because I don’t like to see books end–I don’t like spoilers in a book series–keep me in suspense until the next book! 🙂
I like either stand alone or series and as long as it holds my attention then the number of books in the series is great the more there are, thank you!
I prefer a series of novels because once I get to know the characters and town, I just don’t want to leave them. I also like knowing I have more to look forward to. I prefer series with 4 or more books because then there is even more to look forward to. I read the books as they are released unless I find an older series that has several books released, then I read them all back to back and consider it a treat! 🙂
i love reading series novels more than stand alone novels. If you fall in love with a character then you get to read more about them. The longer the series the better…Just gives you more to read about and fall in love with. I would love to read them all together, but am also satisfied with reading them as they come out as long as they come out quickly. i am scared that if i put a book down then if it took a long time for the others in the series to come out then i would forget what the olders books were about.
I love series as well as stand alone novels. The 3 part series are ok, but 4 or more makes me happy to continue to follow up more on the characters. In a series, I anxiously await each new book and read as they are released!
I enjoy a series of three and the icing on the cake is that they are stand-alone if you don’t read all three or read them out of order. I enjoy reading them as they come out. More than three in a series it’s easy to get lost but always enjoy a Christmas story after the series finishes to catch up with characters I’ve come to know. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win!
If I enjoy the characters and there’s not a cliffhanger at the end of each book, I enjoy reading a series. It doesn’t matter in that case if it’s 3 or 20 books.
My daughter and I got involved in reading The Baxter series by Karen Kingsbury (which is going to be made into a TV series). There are 15 to 16 books! My daughter got so involved with the characters that she almost forgot they were fictional and caught herself right before she was going to ask prayer for one of them in Sunday School.
Another series I enjoyed was the Yada Yada Prayer Group series.
I would love to try your series, thanks for the chance with your giveaway.
I love reading series. There is a sweet comfort in picking up a book and renewing old acquaintices! It’s always sad to finish the last book in the series and realize you won’t meet these friends again!
Hey Deb! I love reading a series and following the characters lives. More books in the series the better. I have a hard time waiting for the next book, so I like to read them when all of them are released. Thanks for the giveaway. 🙂
I like series books, the more books the better. I love discovering a series where there are already several books out, but still more to come.
I like them both. I really enjoy a series because of the depth of character development that evolved over time. Limit – depends on how it’s going. One of my favorite authors is going to release her 18+ in a series this week & it will be another Best Seller. I buy them as they come out & can’t wait for the next one. You are a new author to me but I am looking forward to reading your books. Thank you for this opportunity!!
I like a series of about 3 books. I usually wait until the whole series is out to read them. Thanks for the chance to win these.
I like both series and stand-alone. If I am reading a series I prefer one that has more, however 3 is fine, for me though the more the better, I love seeing the characters change in each consecutive novel. I likes the way Kay Hooper did her Bishop Trilogies with the characters continuing but a different main character in each group. As far as reading as the books release or as a series, it just depends on the circumstances. If I have found a new author after the series has started I will purchase the complete (to that point) series so I can read them in order and then I eagerly await the release of the next.
I enjoy both. I like stand alone books. I also love series because often you can carry in the stories with characters that you come to love such as Dani Pettrey’s Alaskan Courage series and Dee Henderson’s O’Malley Series.
I prefer to read the books of a series all together, to keep the continuity of the story going. For that reason, I really prefer a series to be limited to three books (though I do hope to acquire all of this series; I have the first two). For someone like me on a limited budget, it gets kind of expensive to buy all the books if there are more than three. Also, I just get impatient to wait till they all come out! The exception to this is a mystery series. For some reason, reading the latest once a year or so is fine. And to be perfectly honest, unless the series is superb (I’m guessing your series will fit in this category, Deb), by the time I’m done with the third book, I’m usually ready to move on to reading something else. I like the series books to have a complete ending. I find it rather maddening to get to the end of the book, find a cliff-hanger, and have to wait several months to a year to continue the story. I also like reading stand-alone novels. This gives me a chance to mix up genres a bit so I have more variety in my reading. Thanks for the chance to win your books.
I enjoy stand-alone books, and also 3-book series, but my favorite is the longer series. I prefer that all or most of the books in a series be available when I start reading them because often the time is so long between volumes being relesed. However, I do read some series books as they are released because I just can’t wait for them all to be published.
I prefer that books in a series be at least moderately related to each other. I’ve been disappointed with some that hardly seem connected at all. What’s the point of being in a series then?
I would love to win your books! What a treat that would be!!
I have not read any of the books in this series… so series are ok, when they goes past four books I tend to avoid the series, if I know that before I started reading the stories. That said, like most things, there have been exceptions that have been a delight and series that disappointed and/or I moved on in my reading choices.
I prefer a series to be pretty much stand alone with glimpses of the characters from the previous books. I don’t like to be left hanging especially if the next book isn’t going to be available for months or a year! And I most definitely prefer to have ALL books in the series, even if I have to borrow them from my library 🙂
I really do love series because you get the depth of character with them. Especially ones about a family 🙂 Thank you Deborah for the chance to win the first 3 books in your Chicory Inn novels!
If I am going to read a series, I like to have all the books in hand before I start reading. I am just too impatient to wait to find out what happens next. Then when I have read them all, I am so sad that it is over.
I’m a fan of your books. I’ve read 1 & 3 of the series. I prefer to read books as they come out. I then watch for the next one to be released. Thank you for spreading God’s message through your writing.
I love both stand alone books and books in a series. The variety helps me not to become bored as a reader. If the series is really good I can enjoy more than 4 books. But at the same time, I think a writer should know when to quit. Personally I think a series with like 15 books is a bit much, you get tired of it. If a series is by one of my favorite authors, I can not wait to read them all at one time, I will read them as soon as they come out. But then I might have to go back and read them all again because I forget details as time goes on.
I love to read series and I read them as they come out. Then I re-read them later after I have all of them. I love to share my books with others so they can enjoy the characters as much as I do. Novel series just make the characters more real than stand-alone novels.
I love book series. The length of a series depends on the stories. If it feels like the story is complete I’m good with 3 books but if not, I’m going to want it to go on until it feels finished. I used to reread each preceding book when the new one came out but some of my series are over 20 books & that became impractical if I wanted to read something other than that series. Nowadays I read the books as they come out unless it’s a Love Inspired. Then I will usually hold the books, usually 6, until the series is complete.
I enjoy novels written in a series of at least 3, but not if they have cliffhanger endings.
I like novel series because I love to see how authors connect the characters and the plots. I do tend to like series where the books can stand on their own, but I still like to read them in order. Have not read this series yet, but would love to!
Love both series or stand alone, would love either a 3 or 4 book series and I read them as they come out.
I love novel series. The story doesn’t end after just one book and I often get to see how characters are doing after “their” story ended. As far as the number in a series, I’ve never thought about that. However, my love for reading was really cemented when I first read Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly series in high school. I believe there is at least 7 in that series. As much as I loved that, I think I would love to see longer series like that.
I love series, I read them as they come out and I love any number that author comes out with!
It depends on my mood to which I prefer to read-series or stand alones. I find I do prefer the series with at least 3 books, but if there’s more that’s good too as long as it doesn’t go to an extreme. And if I get hooked on a series, I read the books as they come out, but of course, I have to re-read the books before it.
I love series because you connect with the characters over a longer period of time. After all characters become part of the family. 3 in a series if great but more than that is wonderful as you see more of the characters’ lives as they mature or have their own family. I’ll read books as they are released but if I discover a new author with a series I’ll request all the books at once from the library unless I can purchase them. Thank you for the giveaway. I look forward to reading this series.
I volunteer in the church library and have for 37 years. Our readers love both series and stand-alone books. We have books that are 3 or more in a series but Gilbert Morris takes the cake with 40 books in his Winslow Series books.
I also am the book buyer for the library so I buy the books as they are released. If I didn’t I would have a lot of people mad at me.
I read both but I prefer if each book can be read as a standalone. And does every book deserve to be a series no. Most series are good with three or four books.
As I get older I am enjoying stand alone novels a little better than a series. I still enjoy the 3 or 4 book series but I prefer to read them right after each other!
I equally enjoy both types of books. Stand alone books have the entire story on hand and don’t leave you hanging. It can be really thrilling or romantically amazing or be a base for a series the author creates as a result of the direction this book could take. Series are also very entertaining. My favorite series I have reread many times are the series by David Eddings and later his wife, Leigh. These were not only a series of several books, they became a series of different themes. These were so fantastic, that I sometimes give away a group of these books and then replenish this group of books again.
Thanks so much for all the great comments. Really helpful to hear your opinions and comments about series vs. standalone, and how many books you like in a series.
And the WINNER of the first 3 Chicory Inn novels is… Pat who posted at 9:43 p.m. yesterday. Pat, if you’ll send your snail mail address to debraney@mac.com, I’ll get your books in the mail! Thanks again, everyone, and CONGRATULATIONS, Pat!