#2 - Where's the Sequel?

Before I get too far into this, I just want to say that I am not at all opposed to sequels. There have been some exceptional sequels of both novels and movies over time. In fact, my favorite novel to date is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a sixth sequel. As for movies…I loved four of the five Star Wars sequels, and though most of my friends didn’t like it much, I thought Phantom Menace was pretty good too.

In the movie industry, sequels act a little bit differently than for novels. When a great movie is made, sequels can ride the money train until people get bored. We hope those in charge will spare us because, let’s face it, if we loved the original, we just can’t help showing for what will follow. If it’s bad, many of us won’t go see the third. But, many of us will, praying that they took more care with the third, that they’re not just trying to cash in. We want it to be good. The movie exposure is all over the place. Commercials will promise that this one is the best yet. Rarely will they be right.

With novels, the opposite is often true. Even with a big publisher, getting the word out on a great new novel doesn’t guarantee people are going to find it and love it. There are millions of books. In fact, many times it’s the second, third or fourth in a series that finally gets the series noticed. I see lots of novels these days that say they are the first in a series. Many authors seem to gear themselves for writing a series when they’re starting their first novel. My question is…aren’t they worried about diluting their product? Sacrificing the quality of one exceptional novel to make it into a mediocre series?

I admit...In My Shoes, my first novel, was written to allow for a sequel. That said, I didn't really intend to write a sequel. No really. Honest. I left it so the reader could take what they wanted from it.

Several readers, friends and strangers, have asked me if I intend to write a sequel to In My Shoes. Initially, my response was no. At the moment, my response is...I'm not sure. I am less adamant than I was at first. I always had some idea of how I would want to develop a sequel, and there is some worthy material, in my humble opinion. The problem is, can I make it worthy of following the first? I am very proud of how In My Shoes came out. I don't intend to write a sequel to it, or any other novel, if I don't feel I can make it as good or better than the first. I think the readers deserve that. As a reader myself, that's what I expect from a series.