Growing up, I never could get into a book series like my avid reading mom did. Mom owned a lot of the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Boxcar Kids collections, but despite her prodding, I didn’t dig into them. The closest I came was reading a few of the Mystery Incorporated installments to catch up with my beloved Scooby-Doo.
Suffice to say, I never sought out to write a series, either. When I began my first mystery, Husband in Hiding, on Leap Day of 2012, I didn’t know if I had the so-called chops to pull off a mind-twisting crime novel. I surrounded all of the intrigue and bedlam with a love story between the lead detective and her husband to make it closer to my wheelhouse at the time. Once I finished and handed it over to my writing coach, I continued to be hesitant about if this constituted a true mystery.
To my pleasant surprise, my writing coach returned the manuscript with a big smile and kind praise. She even suggested I write a sequel to it, an admonishment my mom had already made without reading it. Thus, I tweaked the ending to be a tad less final and started the follow-up a short while later.
It proved wise of me to listen, since, to my utter astonishment, the publisher who accepted Husband in Hiding in 2015 said he saw potential for a sequel. Thrilled, I could tell him it was already finished. A day or two later, my winning streak continued when he asked me the name of my series!
My series? A few days earlier, I didn’t know if the first book would ever see the light of day!
Needless to say, I felt like I’d been shot into space with hardly a chance to buckle my seatbelt. I started to brainstorm what I could call my series right away, as my publisher flooded my inbox with suggestions. None of them grabbed me, though, and my euphoria soon turned to frustration, with the perfect name eluding me.
Under pressure, I half-heartedly agreed with his idea of “The Deaf Detective Series” but it didn’t satisfy me. Sure, the books do follow a deaf detective, but being disabled myself, I’ve never liked to be known for my handicap. I’d resent if anyone titled a book about me, “The Story of the Author with Cerebral Palsy”.
I retreated into my room to listen to some music, which has always played a significant part in my creative process. One of my favorite bands had just released a new album, and it featured a song about being undefeated. When it came on, the lyrics and melody resonated with me, and I thought of how it suited my novel. Despite the challenges the protagonist, Minka, faced in the plot, she comes out victorious every time, undefeated.
Then, it struck me: The UnDEAFeted Detective Series.
To convince him to have a deliberate misspelling in the name, I mocked up a logo, which he spiffed up with his graphics designer. Topping it off, I drafted a summary of each of the next three installments I had in mind, though I had yet to compose the second two. In truth, I was just spit-balling, but the further I went along, the more real they became.
As I’ve highlighted before, turnovers in the company prevented me from continuing the series with that publisher. The Wild Rose Press has released the second and third follow-ups…and today, I’m announcing they’ve accepted the fourth, Undercover Babymoon, for publication later this year!
In spite of the setbacks and disappointments, I can’t believe I’ve already made it through those four installments I pitched almost nine years ago. More than that, I didn’t expect these characters and their arcs to embed themselves into my—and readers’!—hearts like they have. The protagonist, Minka, has represented so many of my struggles as a disabled person, and while weaving her triumphs together, I’ve strengthened my determination to achieve my own. I hope she’s done similarly for others.
Given this is the last of my initial four, does that mean the series is over after this? I don’t yet know! I completed the first draft of Undercover Babymoon in 2017 and haven’t written any other full-length installments since. The novel—which I’ll detail further in a future post—wraps up the characters’ arcs for now, closing the curtain on their current era.
But Minka has proven time and again that she’s always up for a curtain call!
Also See
The Power of Perserverance in Publishing
KarinaBartow.com 
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