Sequels
The sequel to The Square Peg, The Broken Triangle comes out on Tuesday July 2 and it got me thinking about the perils and pros of sequels.
I've done quite a few over the years and some were a slog, some were fun, but it's a sure and certain fact that some readers will like the first, dislike the sequel and vice versa. It's definitely a gamble because you're providing a direct comparison; it's not a case of, hmm, did I like this book by author Z about shape-changing snails with a love of the opera and an allergy to cats more than the book author Y wrote with shape-changing frogs into tattoos and bondage?
No, a reader can think, I loved this and that about book one and they're missing in book two, darn it. Or a cliffhanger can be resolved in a way they weren't expecting and that leaves them let down. (I'm thinking of my own experiences with the Stephanie Plum novel where a book ends with a knock on the door and you don't know if it's Ranger or Joe behind it.)
For me, even knowing going in that a sequel can turn some readers off the first book, a sequel is tempting in some ways. You've built a world already and it's fun to revisit it. You're curious yourself about what's next for characters you love, even though there's a twinge of guilt because a roses and kittens story is boring as hell so you're going to have to throw stuff at the poor babies.
It's also reassuring to know that you have an audience who liked the first book and will probably give the second a chance. Book sales: 0 is not what anyone wants to see on a royalty statement.
But in another way, it can be tiring to dismantle the happy ending you spent 250 pages getting to in the first book. It's like starting over. And if there's a gap of years between the sequel, you've forgotten the character's voices, who they are.
Happily, The Broken Triangle was written right on the heels of The Square Peg and we avoided the trap of happy ending spoiling by shifting the focus to a different romance, while bringing in Ben and Shane as often as needed.
For those wondering, there's a smidge of kink in this but Vin isn't into the same things as Ben and Shane, not by a long way. It's not a threesome either, but a love triangle.
So what do you like/dislike about sequels? Do you hope there'll be one if it's a book you liked or feel that it's unnecessary if the first book ended in the right place?
I've done quite a few over the years and some were a slog, some were fun, but it's a sure and certain fact that some readers will like the first, dislike the sequel and vice versa. It's definitely a gamble because you're providing a direct comparison; it's not a case of, hmm, did I like this book by author Z about shape-changing snails with a love of the opera and an allergy to cats more than the book author Y wrote with shape-changing frogs into tattoos and bondage?
No, a reader can think, I loved this and that about book one and they're missing in book two, darn it. Or a cliffhanger can be resolved in a way they weren't expecting and that leaves them let down. (I'm thinking of my own experiences with the Stephanie Plum novel where a book ends with a knock on the door and you don't know if it's Ranger or Joe behind it.)
For me, even knowing going in that a sequel can turn some readers off the first book, a sequel is tempting in some ways. You've built a world already and it's fun to revisit it. You're curious yourself about what's next for characters you love, even though there's a twinge of guilt because a roses and kittens story is boring as hell so you're going to have to throw stuff at the poor babies.
It's also reassuring to know that you have an audience who liked the first book and will probably give the second a chance. Book sales: 0 is not what anyone wants to see on a royalty statement.
But in another way, it can be tiring to dismantle the happy ending you spent 250 pages getting to in the first book. It's like starting over. And if there's a gap of years between the sequel, you've forgotten the character's voices, who they are.
Happily, The Broken Triangle was written right on the heels of The Square Peg and we avoided the trap of happy ending spoiling by shifting the focus to a different romance, while bringing in Ben and Shane as often as needed.
For those wondering, there's a smidge of kink in this but Vin isn't into the same things as Ben and Shane, not by a long way. It's not a threesome either, but a love triangle.
So what do you like/dislike about sequels? Do you hope there'll be one if it's a book you liked or feel that it's unnecessary if the first book ended in the right place?
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Yeah, looking forward to it.I actually love both, stand alone books and sequels. It depends on the books itself. I mean, if the stand alone doesn't involve other couples I want to get to know or problems unsolved but ends with everybody happy...I don't need another book. If there is still the "is it going to work" or "I want to know about this guy" - feeling, of course I scream for a sequel.
Both has it's merits.
Ann wrote: "Awesome, I can't wait to read Vin's story!
Personally I like sequels like this. I've been introduced to Vin, gotten to know him and now I want to know more. I don't usually do a lot of comparing..."
I like the distinction you make between a sequel and a series; totally agree there's a difference.
Hope you like BT!
Personally I like sequels like this. I've been introduced to Vin, gotten to know him and now I want to know more. I don't usually do a lot of comparing..."
I like the distinction you make between a sequel and a series; totally agree there's a difference.
Hope you like BT!
Sunne wrote: "Yeah, looking forward to it.
I actually love both, stand alone books and sequels. It depends on the books itself. I mean, if the stand alone doesn't involve other couples I want to get to know or ..."
Totally agree! I love Heyer's books and she rarely did sequels but in one she brought in the grandchildren of the original couple and another picked up a couple some five years on and that was interesting. D E Stevenson did something not quite a series, but close, and interlinked a lot of her books but not explicitly with locations and characters just glimpsed in one book, stars in another.
I actually love both, stand alone books and sequels. It depends on the books itself. I mean, if the stand alone doesn't involve other couples I want to get to know or ..."
Totally agree! I love Heyer's books and she rarely did sequels but in one she brought in the grandchildren of the original couple and another picked up a couple some five years on and that was interesting. D E Stevenson did something not quite a series, but close, and interlinked a lot of her books but not explicitly with locations and characters just glimpsed in one book, stars in another.
Do you mean Georgette Heyer?*squeel* No seriously, I love her books heaps, they had been my first love for humorous romance in my teenage years (oh...long time ago). You probably refer to Leonie and Justin and Vidal, true? I only know the German titles of the books. Oh - how I loved the Grand Sophie!! My favorite, shortly followed by the one with the tollgate and John and Nell...okay, I'll stop here. It's just I kind of had the feeling that nobody has read this books ....
I tend to go for more character driven stories, so for my favorite books that I hated to finish, a sequel lets me spend more time with those characters. Sometimes, I don't even care what the plot is, I just want to hear them talking, know their thoughts, and picture their expressions. Kind of like a stalker, which might be a little creepy. The downside is that my expectations would be high and that tends to set me up for a disappointment. That didn't have with Room at the Edge, though, which is one of my very favorite sequels. If it was an exciting plot that caught my interest, it might be difficult to recapture some of the tension, excitement, or whatever it is I liked, after the original conflict was resolved. Second books focusing on other characters don't create the same kind of expectations because their personalities would be different and as Ann said, I would expect the story to have a different feel to it. I do like seeing the original couple in the second book, though, so I can enjoy more of them. In some books, I've been more interested in the secondary characters, so those sequels are even more appreciated. I will usually cry out MORE! in my reviews if I'm not ready to let the story/characters go.
Aside from all of the above, though, I've had many favorite books where the story is so obviously complete and done, it would be odd to have a sequel. Those stories tend to have epilogues that close them out.
Sunne wrote: "Do you mean Georgette Heyer?
*squeel* No seriously, I love her books heaps, they had been my first love for humorous romance in my teenage years (oh...long time ago). You probably refer to Leonie a..."
Yes! Yay, another Heyer fan. And the Regency Buck people are in An Infamous Army as are Vidal's grandchildren so it all links together which is awesome.
I grew up reading them because my mum owned a few. Adore Arabella and Venetia, Grand Sophy absolutely... I can read them again and again.
She's really well-known and popular in romance circles so we're not alone!
*squeel* No seriously, I love her books heaps, they had been my first love for humorous romance in my teenage years (oh...long time ago). You probably refer to Leonie a..."
Yes! Yay, another Heyer fan. And the Regency Buck people are in An Infamous Army as are Vidal's grandchildren so it all links together which is awesome.
I grew up reading them because my mum owned a few. Adore Arabella and Venetia, Grand Sophy absolutely... I can read them again and again.
She's really well-known and popular in romance circles so we're not alone!
LOL - I did read them again and again. I was kind of dissapointed when I had read all of them. I still own all as German paperbacks. They have this subtle humor that I love.I thought they had gotten kind of forgotten - the only people I know who have read them are my mum (of course) and my hubby (yeah, he loved them, too).
But back to your question:
I really think it depends on how the author presents the reader the characters and how final the book is at the end. Sometimes they have to go through more than one book to become what they should be and this is as good as if all fits in one book.
I have problems with sequels when they get out of control....like (please nobody throws tomatos at me) with the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Great series, really, with one of the best couples in romance ever - don't we all want a Jamie for ourselves? - but the whole thing got out of control in my opinion, too many side characters, too much time between huge books, not enough focus on the main couple anymore. I still love it and I'm going to read the next book anyway but somewhere she lost me in the sheer amount of story and backstory and sidestories.
Sunne wrote: "LOL - I did read them again and again. I was kind of dissapointed when I had read all of them. I still own all as German paperbacks. They have this subtle humor that I love.
I thought they had got..."
Oh, I agree! Loved the first few then they got bogged down in this huge mass of historical detail and you'd have a huge book covering a very short period of time and very little actually, you know, happening, lol.
Saw on Dear Author today that they're making them into a TV show. Wish the BBC would consider doing the Heyers instead...
I thought they had got..."
Oh, I agree! Loved the first few then they got bogged down in this huge mass of historical detail and you'd have a huge book covering a very short period of time and very little actually, you know, happening, lol.
Saw on Dear Author today that they're making them into a TV show. Wish the BBC would consider doing the Heyers instead...
Sunny wrote: "I tend to go for more character driven stories, so for my favorite books that I hated to finish, a sequel lets me spend more time with those characters. Sometimes, I don't even care what the plot ..."
It's not creepy at all! That's one reason I write fanfic; it lets you dive back into a world again, though I write it based on TV shows/movies rather than books.
Epilogues are another divisive thing; some readers love them, others hate them...can't please everyone :-)
It's not creepy at all! That's one reason I write fanfic; it lets you dive back into a world again, though I write it based on TV shows/movies rather than books.
Epilogues are another divisive thing; some readers love them, others hate them...can't please everyone :-)
Sunny wrote: "I tend to go for more character driven stories, so for my favorite books that I hated to finish, a sequel lets me spend more time with those characters. Sometimes, I don't even care what the plot ..."Ha - fellow stalker! I know exactly what you are saying! Once I've connected with strong secondary (at least secondary in the first book) characters, I want their story and I want it to be different. It's the writing style I connect with initially so that stays the same for me. I'm also completely fine with a great book that has wrapped up and can stand alone.
Oh - the Heyer books on screen, that would be nice. A bit more funny like the Jane Austen movies....*sigh*....Not sure about the Outlander series - generally these things tend to be so not like the books. And which actor can really live up to be Jamie?
I love epilogues!!!! They show me that everything really has worked out and is fine, of course only if it really is...I hate them when they hint on the next problem. It's that easy :)
Sunne wrote: "Oh - the Heyer books on screen, that would be nice. A bit more funny like the Jane Austen movies....*sigh*....
Not sure about the Outlander series - generally these things tend to be so not like t..."
I never saw the movie but I read enough reviews for The Seeker (movie version of Susan Cooper's incredible Dark is Rising series) to make my blood boil. Sometimes it's best they don't make them, for sure. But sometimes they do such a wonderful job...
An epilogue that raised a problem? Nooooo! Do not want, lol.
Not sure about the Outlander series - generally these things tend to be so not like t..."
I never saw the movie but I read enough reviews for The Seeker (movie version of Susan Cooper's incredible Dark is Rising series) to make my blood boil. Sometimes it's best they don't make them, for sure. But sometimes they do such a wonderful job...
An epilogue that raised a problem? Nooooo! Do not want, lol.
Really looking forward to The Broken Triangle! I agree with everything you said about sequels. As a reader, I maybe have more of an inherent trust in a sequel that exists because the book was originally conceived as a two or three or seven part project. Which is probably unfair, since I'm sure a lot of great sequels come from the author deciding later on to revisit the characters (In the movie world, I think about Toy Story 3 - released 11 years after #2 but far and away my favorite of the franchise). As a writer I had maybe the most fun I've ever had spontaneously writing my first sequel last year. But you do have to go in knowing you can't please everybody. For me it has to come from the characters. If they have more story to tell and they won't leave me alone about it, I'll go for it :)The idea of sequels that focus on different characters interests me. Very excited for more from The Square Peg world!
J.A. wrote: "Really looking forward to The Broken Triangle! I agree with everything you said about sequels. As a reader, I maybe have more of an inherent trust in a sequel that exists because the book was origi..."
Thanks, J.A.! I agree that planned sequels feel more of a safe bet in a way because the author isn't at risk of writing themselves into a corner. With Square Peg, the bar seemed such a great focal point for a series; we could tell the stories of the employees, maybe the customers and revisit whenever we liked. We decided we wanted to tell Vin's story halfway through writing so we could end it as we did on the cliffhanger knowing we wouldn't be leaving people hanging.
Thanks, J.A.! I agree that planned sequels feel more of a safe bet in a way because the author isn't at risk of writing themselves into a corner. With Square Peg, the bar seemed such a great focal point for a series; we could tell the stories of the employees, maybe the customers and revisit whenever we liked. We decided we wanted to tell Vin's story halfway through writing so we could end it as we did on the cliffhanger knowing we wouldn't be leaving people hanging.
Sunne wrote: "I thought they had gotten kind of forgotten - the only people I know who have read them are my mum (of course) and my hubby (yeah, he loved them, too)...."
Not forgotten... I'm reading today's LHNB story The Song and it mentions Heyer and her stories.
:) Awww - I need to check this one out, I'm way behind with the LHNB stories.
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Personally I like sequels like this. I've been introduced to Vin, gotten to know him and now I want to know more. I don't usually do a lot of comparing between books that are sequels. It's obvious the focus is on a different character, etc. So, the feel is going to be slightly different while still feel familiar. It should different if you have strong characters that a reader has connected to.
I can't help but compare two books in a series though. Which sounds strange because they should be basically the same thing, but to me they aren't. To me a series is only loosely connected by location, commonality (they're all shifters or they're all assassins, or they're all shifter assassins). With those it seems like new and old characters are mentioned back and forth but if you took them out completely as a reader I probably wouldn't notice much difference. I can't help but compare those and usually as it gets later in the series I start forgetting who is with whom and why. The names sound familiar and I'm sure I read about them, there just wasn't enough of a connection for me to keep them all together.
So, for me, sequels with strong and unique characters I really look forward to and when a series gets too long I end up fading out before I read them all.
I'll be downloading Broken Triangle as soon as it's available, can't wait to read it, thank you!