One more week and COLD SNAP will be done. It’ll need revisions and copyedits, but the story will all be there — if all goes well. Last night, I wrote a new prologue. I had one already drafted, but it nagged me … I just didn’t like it. It didn’t show my heroine, Elle Santana, the way I wanted. She has a very strong motivation for doing what she’s doing, and the original prologue didn’t show that. The new one does — a teenager she’s been helping dies in her arms of a drug overdose after being thrown from a car. Originally, it all happened off-page. But I realized half way through the book that it needed to happen on the page. And I think it works.
But my book is not the only thing that’s ending … it’s coming up on television endings! Season finales, starting next week.
One more week until the season finale of THE FOLLOWING, which is my favorite new show this year. It had a slow start, but after the third episode, I was totally hooked. I will be watching the series again with my teenager Kelly because it is so, so, so good … and I’m going to use it as a teaching tool for my writing workshops. It has everything a good crime thriller should have — a flawed but motivated hero; a brilliant but psychopathic villain; a strong, well-developed supporting cast; a love-interest; strong pacing; high stakes; and unexpected twists. Just when I think Ryan Hardy does something that’s stupid, I realize that it’s totally brilliant. The writers of the show know exactly how to turn things around showing you what you need to know and nothing more … or less. Just … wow.
One more week until the season finale of BONES. BONES was an amazing show, but after season 5 it lost something … seasons 6 and 7 were off. Season 8 has rebounded. I think there were a couple issues. First, they waited too long to get Bones and Brennan together. As CASTLE has proved, a consummated relationship doesn’t ruin the show. (Season 5 of CASTLE is fantastic.) There is no MOONLIGHTING curse. The other problem with BONES was some of the storylines. The cast didn’t seem as engaged or … I don’t know. It just didn’t work for me. And how they got together was rushed and didn’t work in the context of where they were at that time. But, they’ve redeemed themselves (sort of) so I am looking forward to the return of Pelant! I love a good villain 🙂
One more month (or less!) for the season finale of NCIS (again, I didn’t like season 9, but season 10 is much stronger), GRIMM, CASTLE, ARROW and more. And after the cliffhanger on NCIS Tuesday night … well, let’s just say wow. As far as ARROW … this is a show that I want to like, but I wish it weren’t so preachy. I like the actors, though, and the stunts, so I watch every week it’s on … but it’s not my favorite.
One thing I love about the change in television programming is that when my favorite shows end … new favorites spring up. There are summer premieres. For example, last year I enjoyed PERCEPTION and LONGMIRE, both of which are returning. (yeah!) In fact, LONGMIRE starts the week after most of the finales. And then I hear that UNDER THE DOME, the Stephen King book, is being made into a television series. I’ll definitely be in line to watch that!
And, when my daughter comes back from college, we have to catch up on SUPERNATURAL. She made us promise not to watch it without her. Since I’ve been watching this show with my two oldest since season one, we’re waiting 🙂 … My number two daughter also wants to to get the GAME OF THRONES which we haven’t seen yet, and we have to catch up on THE WALKING DEAD. There’s just not enough time to watch all the television we want!
What summer show are you most looking forward to? Anything you love being cancelled? Any show you’ve been disappointed in this year … or just love?
Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly three dozen romantic thrillers and mysteries, including the Lucy Kincaid series and the Max Revere series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets.
Yay for getting close to having a new book of yours to read. And hurray for you getting that pesky prologue worked out. =o)
I don’t watch much series TV anymore. Every once in a while I catch Bones in reruns. And I was a big fan of NCIS, but I got bored with it long about the season that they did that whole Mexico thing. I haven’t watched the other shows you mention at all. (Except for the first couple Longmire episodes, but it didn’t hook me enough to keep watching.)
The only show we really wait for lately is Swamp People. Those gator hunters kill me. “Choot ’em!”
Well, I’m a bit of a TV addict 🙂 I watch late at night and I watch while walking on my treadmill. If I didn’t have television, I wouldn’t be walking nearly as much! 🙂
God, the last time I actually regularly watched the telly, Rachel and Ross were still together on FRIENDS. The first time. In the interim, the only show I’ve watched with any regularity– and long after it started; I think it was already on season 4, possibly even season 5– is BONES (thank you internet TV!). It definitely went downhill after season 5; I only managed to catch the first 12 episodes of season 8 before the thesis writing took over my life and it was much improved, but the show was starting to feel like it had played itself out. After my thesis defence I’ll get caught up, but I really don’t think it has much more than a season left in it.
Season 1 of GAME OF THRONES is good. I have the entire A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series on my Kindle and read book #1 (A GAME OF THRONES), but epic fantasy is really not my genre of choice (I slogged through THE LORD OF THE RINGS by sheer force of will. In Spanish), so I may just stick to the TV show. Especially since I’ve been told books #2 & #3 are reaaaaaally slow, and I read 6 other books in the time it took me to read book #1, haha.
My daughter read the first book and loved it. Started the second and put it down after 150 pages because it was slow. She really wants to watch the series!
It took me until about halfway through A GAME OF THRONES to get into it (reading that took me a month, and in that time I read 6 other books), but then it was like someone flipped a switch and I couldn’t put it down. I think I’ll let HBO guide me through books 2 and 3, since they did such a good job with #1 :).
LOL, good to know!
I look forward to summer to catch up on what I’ve missed. I have the past two seasons of Justified waiting in my queue, not to mention White Collar, Burn Notice, Rizzoli and Isles, Leverage, Bones, and Castle. I’m intrigued by Under the Dome so will probably give it a shot.
though it hasn’t been announced I think Vegas isn’t going to make it to season 2. CSI:NY probably won’t make it back either. I will be sad to see both go.
I love all these shows, but watch television only sporadically, so the continuity is lost for me. At the end of the day, what I had for lunch is a mystery, so keeping track of when certain shows are on is an unattainable dream….
I guess I have a problem with commitment…
I do a lot of that — record or buy a season and watch in a marathon. My daughters and I did that with BUFFY — though we still have two more seasons! I like White Collar, but haven’t finished last season.
My internet is all wonky — the above comment was supposed to be for Toni! 🙂
LOL Deborah … I see a blog topic in there! It’s true, though, that there is a continuity with television that wasn’t there in the past. The shows you would probably do well with are Law & Order (I love SVU) because while there are character growth arcs, almost all the episodes stand alone. Start with a short television series, like JUSTIFIED or LONGMIRE which has the connected stories, but only 13 episodes. You can commit to that, right? 🙂
13 episodes????? Whew, I’m getting a flushed and worried. Is there a show with like three or four? Kidding, of course, but truly, I’m the most ADD TV watcher.
I love Castle…Okay, I love Nathan Fillion….
I’m easily bought, but I’m fickle:)
I’m loving The Following. Joe is just such a great villain. Grimm is awesomeness. I tried watching Hannibal but it is too much for me. We are almost caught up with Big Bang Theory, so that is our one comedy we watch. Really looking forward to Under The Dome.
My comedy is NEW GIRL. Watch that with my two older girls. I keep meaning to watch BBT, but haven’t done it yet …
I am totally hooked on The Following! Terrifying concept and great writing.
Exactly — the writing is amazing.
Jealous of all your TV knowledge! I am just now getting into some regular shows. I’ve been disappointed with American Idol this season. But on a friend’s recommendation I started watching Homeland and love it. Haven’t been following Bones for many years.
I don’t watch reality television, Idol, voice, whatever. I did watch a Duck Dynasty marathon one weekend … I’ve seen some Homeland, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t quite do it for me. Maybe if I’d started from the beginning.
You should watch Longmire. It’s only 12 or 13 episodes and starts May 25th. It’s about a sheriff in Wyoming. Police procedural, but small, rural town setting. I really like it as an alternative to big city cop shows. Not as good as Justified, but still good.
LOST GIRL is coming to an end on SyFy and I haven’t heard if it’s being renewed for next season. I’m ready for HAVEN to come back. RIPPER STREET (BBCAmerica) ended and I’m hoping it will be back. GAME OF THRONES is back, yay! And I’m giving DA VINCI’S DEMONS a try. I think it’s on Cinemax. Not sure I can stick with it. On “regular” channels, I enjoyed ELEMENTARY on CBS and I’ve sort of tuned in to RED WIDOW on ABC.
NCIS *killed* me this week! ARGHHHHH! Next week can’t get here fast enough.
LOST GIRL isn’t available on Netflix or iTunes … I wanted to see it from the beginning. Might have to buy it … I love HAVEN! And though I haven’t seen RIPPER STREET, it’s on my list to watch this summer. ELEMENTARY I will likely be watching via Netflix disks (and PERSON OF INTEREST) …
Ohhh, I forgot about DaVinci’s Demons. I even have the husband watching that one. And October is waaaayyyyyyy too long to wait for The Walking Dead.
Actually, October is good … I haven’t seen season 3 yet!
Season 3 was pretty awesome!!
NCIS is the one this house is anxious about. I can overhear my girls talking abut it and speculating what might happen.
I’m looking forward to the summer season of Covert Affairs on USA. I think what the lead character went through last season was needed for growth, but the catalyst was the death of a character that I was hoping to see grow.
NO SPOILERS on COVERT AFFAIRS! I haven’t seen the last couple episodes … I got overwhelmed with a deadline and forgot :/ … NCIS is my fave. LOVE it. I’m very anxious about Tony and Ziva …
No worries, that wasn’t a spoiler!! 🙂
I love Castle and NCIS. I have been watching both from the start. I have to admit that I like Ziva better than I did Kate on NCIS. I agree with you on Season 9, not so good.
With Castle, there always is the chance I will fall asleep so it’s on record whole season list.
I am so glad that Castle and Beckett got together. Even that one seemed to take forever.
It took awhile, but not TOO long (like BONES!) … And when it happened, it totally worked. I just LOVE this season.
GRIMM has been renewed!!! Whoot!
I saw that. I was doing WooHoo!!! over here too.