Keeping Track in a Series

I've always loved reading books in a series. As a kid I got hooked early on Encyclopedia Brown, then Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys, then Anne of Green Gables, then Agatha Christie's Poirot & Miss Marple mysteries, then... Well, you get the idea.

I enjoy lots of stand alone books, but I've always been drawn to series as well. I love companion series, where the setting remains the same, but the main characters are different in each book. This is pretty popular in contemporary romance right now and I'm loving it!

One of hardest things (for me) about writing a series (okay, 2 series) is keeping track of all those little details. I've got the first 2 books in each series at various stages and have 3 more of the books simmering around in my head - with another idea trying to wedge it's way in. My brain is kind of a scary place at times.

It does drive me crazy when I'm reading and I remember a small detail from the series and in a later book something contradicts that detail. It doesn't happen often, most of the authors I read do it very well, but when it's off it can throw you out of the book and I don't want that to happen to my (eventual) readers.

So keeping track of all of the details of each series can be a little daunting. If you pop on over to From the Write Angle today, you'll see how I attempt to keep track of all the things!

Do you like to read or write series or do you prefer standalones?