A continuation, second novel, a sequel.
I’ve been working on the idea of a second novel ever since I started on the first one. In the early chapters of THE RAINBOW KILLER, I remember that a second and even a third book would be necessary to do this story arc justice. I’m barely out of my debut thriller, and already diving head first into the sequel. I have no agent, or publisher as of this writing, but hope spring forever eternal, or so I read. Maybe my sense of urgency stems from my age, and concerns about how many novels I can produce before the curtain comes down. The truth, I feel, is I’m in love with writing, and cannot imagine denying myself the pleasure of creating stories.
Let’s go with the term continuation in this paragraph, okay? This continuation is presenting me with a new challenge. I want it to be as exciting and thrilling as the first, which stresses me out because that’s what I do when I get anxious. A continuation should be as strong as its predecessor, which can be tricky. I’m in love with the story of THE RAINBOW KILLER. It has it all, from strong, relatable characters, to plot, subplots, red herrings and everything else expected in a thriller. So far, I have an equally strong start to the continuation, but, at chapter eight, the sensation that the pace could slow down considerably if I don’t do something soon, looms large.
Maybe I’m experiencing the infamous second novel syndrome. I sit in front of the computer screen, anxious about running out of ideas. Yet there is no lack of ideas; it feels more like I’m juggling sharp knives after one too many glasses of Pinot Noir. The idea of connecting Mary Dubois to an overall story arc while creating a sequel—yes, we’re going with sequel in this paragraph—is different from what I had to contend with in the first novel. I need to consider the evolution of my main characters, unresolved plot points from the first book, new plot points, new characters, new conflicts, and maintain a connection between the first novel and the sequel. Bottom line, the stakes are going up for Mary and her friends.
Stay tuned as I work on the second novel.
Best regards,
Joelle
