A short reflection on wrapping up series

It's an odd feeling, finishing a series. I've got three out now, two finished and the third almost getting there, but I still can't get used to the sensation. If you've followed me for a bit now, you'll be familiar with my sayings of "talking" to my characters. It may sound crazy, but it's hard leaving those voices behind, not hearing them nag you anymore, once their story is done.

Such was the case with me and The Sage's Legacy, which I finished back in August of last year. It was an odd sense of loss at the time, given I'd been writing that series since I was 12 years old. Freya grew with me, and it was bittersweet wrapping up her story. I poured all my teenagehood angst, anger, and you-name-them emotions into that series, and while it was cathartic, once they were done... It left a void.

What's even more hilarious is that for a long time, Freya's story wasn't pulling in readers. To be fair, it's 'cause my marketing sucked back then. Still. It didn't give me much hope at the time for the future of the series, but I still had to finish it. Now, the series is not only getting readers...

(...) the way the author built the story is fresh and interesting, the characters are complex(...) The writing has the right blend of plot movement and back story.

a fresh take on the paranormal and the endless battle of good versus evil

...but it hit the Amazon bestseller categories twice in the last three months! Enough to make me happy I stuck with it :)

That being said, I didn't really know loss until this year, when I finally wrapped up my arthurian fantasy series, The Avalon Chronicles. With three novels and a novella released in August of this year, it was heart wrenching. Worse, I ended up with a concussion two days after the release of Atrox (the last novella in the series) and wasn't able to digest everything until recently.

If I'm to be honest, the realization dawned on me when I held all four books in my hands, their shiny new covers glinting at me under the afternoon soon - and that's when it hit me like an incoming train. I cried a little - yes, I get emotional. 

I'd gotten used to not having Vivienne and Sebastien in my head since their story finished last year, with the conclusion of Avalon Nightmares. But Alistair/Atrox, he's my most beloved character. His growth through the series, and his ruthlessness and unconformity make me love him even more so. Thus, it was hard letting go of him. Not hearing his snark in my ear every time I'm writing a scene, or battling with the words as they end up going totally not where I want them to...

While it was sad, I also draw a sense of accomplishment, of joy from it. And, since I have the paperbacks, nothing stops me from diving in and enjoying Atrox to his fullest, as a reader. 

It won't be the same - not quite. As a writer, I have a hard time reading my own stuff, because I constantly want to improve things, even when they've already been set in print haha. But, I may have to find a way to turn that part of my brain off that way I can enjoy my beloved fallen god :) 

Chime in with your own stories of wrapping up series! How did it feel? Did you get emotional, or just move on to the next?