My love for reading is so deep I would get in trouble in school for reading ahead.  Books were loyal friends that kept me guessing. I was able to travel around the world without leaving my room. The characters weren’t part of a story, they were my constant companions.

It’s been a couple decades since I’ve been a student, but my passion for reading is stronger than ever. My reading style tends to be by author. I choose an author and work on getting my hands on all their work. If I enjoy it, I keep an eye out for their new releases.

A few years back I learned about a character-driven author who had stand alone titles, and a series in the works with a favorite non fiction author.  Once I devoured that series, the author continued the saga on her own. Multiple books followed sharing the fictional lives of a mid west family. Even as my life transitioned through marriage, motherhood, and a move, once I knew a new book was coming out, I hit pause on my own life. I became consumed with thoughts surrounding this fictional family–what trial would overwhelm them? Would their be a marriage? A divorce? A health crisis?

Once the overall series surrounding the original family wrapped up, I realized I was so intertwined in the author and especially this family, I needed a step back, a breather. I felt bad because the author crafted such a great story it was almost a downfall. Turns out several friends admitted they stopped following the author because the same series that consumed me, took over their thought lives. The lines between fiction and non became blurred, and my friends decided when the author transitioned the series, they were going to make the break.

Guess what? The author has a new release, a stand alone that re visits the series I fell so hard for I had to walk away. Because it’s just one book, I’m flirting with returning to the family I loved so much I temporarily ditched my own.

How about you? Have you ever had to break up with an author or a series of books because you became too involved? Is there such a thing as an author being too good? Would you ever go back after a break up?