What Is A Serial Novel?
A serial novel is one that is written and published in sections — and it has a proud history: Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Henry James and today’s Alexander McCall Smith have all done rather well writing this way. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published as a serial novel over 40 weeks. Modern sites and apps like Wattpad are bringing the form back the the mainstream.
What is ForgeTown?
ForgeTown is a serial novel set in a fictional small town of the same name, in eastern Pennsylvania. It began publication on July 28, 2014.
In this first ‘season’, Kath Rodriguez, her husband Don Morris and their two children have just moved to ForgeTown from Massachusetts following Don’s job. Theirs is a happy marriage, but even the happiest of marriages has secrets, conflicts and unspoken resentments. Is Kath going to make it as a stay-at-home mother? What will the strain of this move do to Kath & Don’s relationship?
Meanwhile, life in ForgeTown is being upset for many of its residents by the just-announced merger of two Catholic parishes in the town. An unlikely alliance of colorful town characters join forces to oppose the merger. Will charismatic young priest Fr Tom win them over and find the advancement everyone assumes he wants?
And what about Stella and Tom, the Rodriguez-Morris children, plunged into a new world? Will Stella navigate the move to middle school in a new state, and why is Robbie suddenly developing a fascination with flags?