Broken Branch Falls Summer Blog Tour - guest post by Tara Tyler

Christine - terrific blogger, stupendous writer, awesome mom, great friend! I'm very happy to be here today, but even happier to know her!

Only a couple of posts left on my Broken Branch Falls Summer Blog Tour. Thanks for catching this one. I'll be talking about...

The Pros and Cons of Sequels

First, sequels can go two ways. They can be part of a continuous story, like Hunger Games or Game of Thrones, where you really need to read the previous books to know what's going on in the later ones. Or they can be separate stories with the same characters, like Harry Potter. Both of my series are like the latter, same characters, but independent stories. They refer to the past, but you don't have to read the previous books to understand newer ones.

Next, I conjectured about the pros and cons of sequels...

PRO
Sequels help build a fan base - if a reader likes the characters and story, they will want more.

CON
When building a series, writers have to put off new ideas to write the sequels, usually.

PRO
The world is pretty established with the first novel, adding more is great, but it's not like starting from scratch, just add a few new characters and places.

CON
Coming up with new story lines can be tough to do.

PRO
If you're published, you should be set for the next one (should...)

CON
Need to keep the next books fresh and as exciting if not more so than the first one that inspired the writing in the first place.

PRO
The writer gets to continue the story, create and fulfill the answer to the question What happens next?

All in all, I love writing sequels. I hope to submit SIMULATION, next in the Cooper Chronicles series after POP TRAVEL, in Sept. Then I can concentrate on BBF's sequel, CRADLE ROCK. I also have some other, new ideas waiting, but I work on them when I need a break from the main WIPs.

Whether writing sequels or stand-alones, the best thing to do is keep writing!!

What advice would you give for writing sequels? Do you write/read them?
Christine's 13th Floor series is phenomenal! I highly recommend it!
And thank you again for having me, sweetie! I look forward to meeting you in person!

Try this BEASTLY QUIZ and find out which beast you are!
(It's part of the August giveaway below.)
BROKEN BRANCH FALLS (MG Fantasy)
by Tara Tyler
Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Gabe is an average fifteen-year-old goblin. He’s in the marching band, breezes through calculus, and gets picked on daily by the other kids at school, especially the ogres. But Gabe wants to break out of his nerdy stereotype and try other things. He has his eye on the new ogress at school. Though it’s against all beastly rules, there’s just something about her.

Gabe starts a fad of mingling with other species, forcing the High Council to step in and ruin things by threatening to destroy the school and split up Broken Branch Falls. With help from other outcast friends, Gabe sets out on a quest to save his town. They'll show 'em what different friends can do together!

Available at
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Add it to your GOODREADS list!
Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno- thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!
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Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,</ div>
The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL
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