Well, my second book for my hoarding werewolf series has begun. So far its been so fun to swim around in Natalya’s head. For me she has so many layers that I love to explore. When it came to starting the second book, it took me forever to complete my first page. On the Magic and Mayhem Writer’s Blog I talked about some favorite first lines I found during crit group at Borders. For me personally, the first page is so important. I’m one of those impulse buyers. As an adrenaline junkie, I tend to be picky and want to be hooked immediately. I’m not ashamed to say that if a book does not keep me interested I tend to just put it down instead of wasting what little time I have as a parent and an author.
Since this isn’t my first book, I feel a little more comfortable with the process, but what’s different is that this book is a sequel. (Cue the ominous music…) As a rule, I don’t write sequels to books that aren’t under contract. Even when I was querying, I didn’t write a second book to a second one I ever wrote. For the first book I wrote as a writer, I did write the first chapter of a sequel, but I never finished that particular book. That first book is also kicking it with the dust bunnies and may never see the light of day. Of course, there is the what if factor. What if the agent/editor liked it after it was sent and I could’ve had that second book ready to go? But well, I’m a suspicious person. I don’t like to invest time in writing a book only to have it join the dust bunnies under my bed. I wish I could write a book for fun, but with all the time I have to give to write, I just can’t write for kicks anymore.
I have a lot of time to work on this second book so I’m taking it slow and letting things flow as they come. I tend to write very fast, but only when I’m in the mood. I actually remember the days before I used to write. Scenes would come to me and I’d be like, that sure would be fun if I wrote it down. Right now things are coming slowly so I see that as a sign that I can recharge the battery and read a good book. Or in my sad case right now, I can endlessly watch a bunch of South Korean dramas and cry my heart out every five minutes. I promised myself I would stay strong and not watch. (Yeah, right!) For goodness sake, if you are a sucker for a cute romance with lots of angst do not click the link above. Just keep reading and stay strong! Don’t fall into the black hole of quality entertainment… Oh man, I clicked the link.
I've written the dreaded sequel that will never see the light of day. I guess the only good thing about it is that writing that book helped me hone my craft. Good luck with your sequel! I can wait to read this series 🙂