Writing a sequel? Should be a piece of cake, right?

WRONG!
I am in the midst of edits on the sequel to XVI – TRUTH. I have been, for the most part, writing on this book since my agent search began, way back in 2008.
It wasn’t until after I gained representation and XVI went out in the world looking for a home, that I realized I needed to STOP writing the sequel. Why? Because I had no idea what a potential editor might want. It would’ve been a shame to have written an entire book that I would need to scrap if my vision and the editor’s vision didn’t mesh.
Was that a good idea? Uh… yes.
After XVI (and the unwritten sequel) sold and the edits on XVI were done – I started writing in earnest. Well, as in earnest as I could, considering I was wrapped up in pre-publication promotional activities.
Did things change from my original XVI to the final product? Most definitely. Which made me uber-glad that I waited to finish the sequel. As it was – I pretty much threw out everything I’d written earlier and started fresh.
The challenges to sequel-writing (as I am learning) are many. Let me note a few:

1. You can’t change horses (or space-ships) in mid-stream. If you don’t have certain slang or technology in book 1, it had better not show up in book 2! Unless, of course, your characters are scientists and are inventing new technology (not so much new slang! Lol)
2. How much time needs to elapse between the end of book 1 and the start of book 2? This going to be dependent upon your editor’s vision (and, of course, yours!) – but, you have to be sure to allow enough time to pass for things to happen that can (and probably should) happen “off-camera.”
3. Then there is possibly the biggest challenge of all – not info-dumping on your readers! Many will, hopefully, have read your first book but they will need a bit of a refresher. But dousing them with a blow-by-blow of previous events is not the way to go. It is a very fine line to tread – including enough, but not too much.
Sequel-writing is definitely not for the faint of heart. You have to tell a new story – you can’t just rehash the same thing with a different villain or someone new to be saved. The story should be able to stand on its own – while inviting the reader to seek out other books from your same created world.
Enough said on this for now – since only my editor and my readers will be able to tell me if I’m successful in practicing what I preach. And… since I’m busy editing TRUTH, I’d best get back to it!
Oh – I did want to ask though… what do you feel are some really good multiple books? What sequels worked for you?

Spring Break!

We're taking a break from now until next week to catch up on writing. Me? I'm doing some spring cleaning on my manuscript (and ignoring the house). See y'all next week!

Writing Week: Sequels

The lateness of this post should attest to the dire-ness of writing sequels...

I'm in the midst of writing A MILLION SUNS right now--it's due on Friday actually. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but while I'm reaching for it, I thought I'd lay out here what I've learned so far:

• Write it as quickly as possible
• I'll admit: I took a bit of a summer break last year. Once I finished ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (edits and all) I was a bit burnt-out--I'd been teaching full-time as well as working on the book, and I thought I deserved a break. Looking back, I wish I'd taken a shorter one and spent more time getting ready for Book 2
• Listen to critique buddies
• When will I ever learn this one?! I guess I'll add: you might feel crunched for time (I certainly do) but when you're working on a sequel, keep in mind that it's better to do it right and take a little more time, than do it wrong and have to start over again.
• Do as much non-book necessities as soon as you can
• Did you know it was tax day today? I ain't gonna lie: taxes were another reason why this post was late! Boy, I wish I'd finished them off in February!
• Don't be afraid to let the house go
• I've not done dishes in...awhile. And the yard hasn't been mowed this year. I'm sure my neighbors think we're a bunch of lazy rednecks, but the grass can grow another week until I can finish this book!
• The Crockpot and frozen dinners are your friend
• But perhaps not the friend of my husband, who's getting sick of them.

As you can probably guess, I'm a bit frazzled with edits and everything else (namely: life) right now. Let me show you what's been going on lately:

• Summer 2010: Begin rough draft of A MILLION SUNS, but (honestly) I'm taking it slower than usual
• September 2010: Finish first draft of AMS and send it to critique buds with a desperate and hypocritical plea for a fast read so I can edit before it's due.
• October 2010: Get crits back. Realize that the story is completely wrong.
• November 2010: Write a completely new draft with a different mystery, different plot, different bad guy.
• December 2010: After some feedback from a new set of readers, get the new draft to agent and editor
• February 2011: Get feedback from editor. Realize the story is completely wrong (again). Scrap 90% of the draft and start over.
• March 2011: Mail in new version of AMS to editor. Get more feedback realize that the story's not completely wrong, but that it still requires a lot of work to get it up to par.
• April 2011: Rewrite (again). 
• April 18, 2011: *dies*

OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. But for those of you in the wings keeping track, I'm on draft four of Book 2. The short answer: sequels are tough to write. It's not just about keeping readers up to date with what happened in Book 1 and leading into Book 3...it's about visualizing the book as both a story-arc of it's own, and also a part of a larger story arc of the whole series.

I'm sure the rest of the League is going to lay down some serious advice this week. As for me, all I can say is: if this doesn't kill me, I'll be actively seeking a time-turner, TARDIS, or flux capacitor for the next book!

Introducing SJ Kincaid!

About THE BOOK:

The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less:
INSIGNIA is the story of a teenage video gamer who becomes a government weapon in a futuristic world at war. It’s coming out in the summer of 2012 (Katherine Tegen Books).

What else are you working on? Secrets? Inside scoops? Give us the juicy stuff!
Regrettably, nothing so juicy. Right now I’m revising INSIGNIA, and brainstorming for two and three—probably getting going on two sometime soon. I’m always writing other things, too, but never seriously. Usually the bulk of my energy goes into just one project at a time.

About THE AUTHOR:

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always loved writing, but I never seriously considered it as a primary career. I knew even as a teenager that the vast majority of writers can’t pay their bills just by writing alone—and that’s even after publication. I wrote INSIGNIA while I was in an intensive training program for another job. I probably should have been studying or doing homework, but instead I was writing. Thanks to my editor, Molly O’Neill, this became the first time in my life that procrastination actually paid off.

What made you decide to go that “extra step” and seek publication?
I always wrote stories as a kid. I wrote this long one in fourth grade, wrote a prequel to that in fifth grade, and then a prequel to that prequel in sixth grade. The sixth grade one was a pretty epic story, actually. It was about this Prince who goes hunting in the forest, and gets attacked by a bear. He slays it. He finds its bear cub, adopts it, and raises it. When the Prince gets older, his parents decide to kill him (I clearly had little understanding of primogeniture back then), but instead, they accidentally kill his pet grizzly bear. He beheads both of his parents to get revenge, and then stands up in the rising sun holding a head in each hand to announce, “NOW I AM KING!” And that was just chapter one.

My parents found it and read it, and I remember they kind of looked at each other dubiously… Those were great times. They’ve always encouraged me to write, though. I’ve been into writing ever since.

After college, I started writing a YA story on my own. I got about halfway through it, and then decided, “I should just be realistic. There’s no chance I’ll ever finish this.” I abandoned it after that. (It didn’t help that, yes, I was halfway through it… At 95k. I had no idea how long that was!)

A little while later, I was in a bookstore with a friend of mine, and I think we were looking over some YA books. She mentioned an idea for a story. We brainstormed, and figured it would be hilarious to write it as a love story between a really unpleasant, unlikeable girl with no redeeming qualities and an incredibly idealized, dreamy guy. We started writing it as a joke, and then we ended up getting into it, and eventually finishing it. That made me realize, "Hey, finishing a story is possible!" There was no going back after that.

I grabbed the first story with its monstrous 95k first half, cut that down to size, and then finished it, too. From there, writing essentially became my primary hobby while I moved to various places, held various jobs, and eventually returned to school. And then I got my fantastic agent, David Dunton, and the rest is history.

Tell us something about yourself we don’t know.
As soon as I finished INSIGNIA, I was pretty sure this was the best thing I’d ever written—maybe the best thing I could write. I was about to graduate and pursue a real-world career, so I figured that this was it. If this one couldn’t get published, nothing I wrote ever could. I was going to wait and see what happened with INSIGNIA, and then stick everything I’d written in the last four years online, and just be done with the publishing thing. This manuscript was make-or-break for me—glad it wasn’t "break"!

About WRITING:

Best writing advice?
On writing itself: Read. I can’t imagine being a writer without also being a reader. I think it must engage the same parts of the brain or something, because reading binges and writing binges always go hand-in-hand for me. Those times when I don’t have the patience for a book (I know, blasphemy!) seem to be the same periods when I simply can’t put two words together.

As for publishing: Have a thick skin and a lot of patience. Query widely, because agent rejections don’t necessarily mean your story is terrible. My firm suspicion, after doing far too many of those agent searches, is that your premise either does, or does not, resonate with an agent—and if it doesn’t, there’s no compelling query letter in the world that will change his or her mind. Just IMHO.

What’s your schedule like? How do you manage the insanity of writing among your real life?
My writing schedule’s pretty erratic. I tried out the word count per day thing a few manuscripts ago, and I found that I could force myself to write when I needed to—but the stuff that came out just wasn’t as interesting or as inspired as the writing I produce when I’m really into a manuscript. Now my writing schedule consists of writing binges, sometimes a few days in a row, sometimes a bit more erratic, and only when I’m inspired. I’ve heard that inspiration doesn’t last forever in a writing career, so it’s not something you can count on in the long run. That may be true, but I figure I still have it now—so I take advantage of it and try only to write when I am eager to do it.

Ironically, by confining my writing only to periods when I’m inspired to write, I seem to have a much greater output than I ever did writing to a word count per day.

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Wow, I can't wait for INSIGNIA to hit the shelves! You can learn more and/or stalk SJ on her blog or twitter.

Introducing Susanne Winnacker

You may have noticed we had a guest blogger a few weeks ago. That was Susanne Winnacker, the author of the upcoming YA dystopian debut called THE OTHER LIFE.  I'm excited to have her here on the League blog today because not only does her book sound amazing, but she's also a pub sister. Her book will be coming out from Marshall Cavendish in the US and Canada and from Usborne in the UK in Spring 2012.

A little about Susanne. She studied law and is reluctantly preparing for her second state exam. She lives with her husband, a dog and four bunnies in the Ruhrgebiet, Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals.

A little about the book (from Goodreads): 

Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today! Would you tell us a little about your road to publication.

I started writing last year in January. The Other Life was my first novel and I finished the first draft in four weeks (crazy, I know). I revised and then started querying at the end of March. In July I heard from Julia Churchill of Greenhouse Literary Agency who was one of the first agents I'd queried. She'd read my full and asked me to work exclusively with her on revisions. I agreed and when I was done with revisions, she offered representation and I accepted. In September The Other Life went on submission in the UK and sold in October. In November it went on sub in the US and sold in December. It went all very fast. Sometimes I think my mind hasn't yet caught up with everything that happened.  

What inspired you to write the Other Life?

I've always loved watching post-apocalyptic and dystopian movies, so I knew I wanted to write a book with those themes. But when I started working on The Other Life I wasn't sure what it was at first. Numbers and counting play an important role in the book. The main character Sherry counts the days since she's done something - seen daylight or eaten an apple for example - because, after three years in a bunker, those are the things she misses the most about her other life, the time before the rabies. The counting and the oppressing atmosphere in the bunker came to me first, the rest of the story presented itself to me as I wrote.


English isn't your first language, right? Why did you decide to write in English rather than German? 


German is my first language. I learned English in school and over time developed a fierce love for it. I prefer reading books in the language they were written in and often that is English. The same goes for movies. When I started writing, I wasn't sure which language to use. The logical answer would have been German but I just didn't enjoy it. So I decided to give it a try and write in English and suddenly the words flowed and it felt right. After that I never tried to write in German again. It's funny how the brain works because when I think about my books and about new ideas, my thoughts are in English. Sometimes when I tell my husband about publishing he looks at me funny and then I realize it's because I'm using English words. I guess I'm a bit odd.

Who are some of your favorite writers and/or books? Is there one you wished you'd written?


I admire J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter books are so amazing that even my husband loves them. I adore the world she created. I think her books are one of the reasons why Children's publishing is doing so well. Suddenly it was okay to read children's books in public. I saw grown men read Harry Potter in the bus and nobody frowned upon it. Who doesn't wish they had written the Harry Potter books? Another writer I admire is Suzanne Collins. Her Hunger Games books kept me up late at night and made me love dystopian concepts even more.

Are you planning a sequel? What else are you working on?

I just completed the first draft of the sequel to The Other Life. I'll start revising it soon and then I'll send it to my lovely editor who'll hopefully love it.

I'm also working on a new project, a YA thriller, and I'm almost done with the first draft. I've been writing a lot recently and it feels wonderful after working on edits for The Other Life for so long.

Thanks again, Susanne!

If you want to learn more about Susanne and THE OTHER LIFE, you can connect with her on

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SusanneWrites
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001628149738 
• Website: www.susannewinnacker.com
• Blog: http://susannewritesfiction.blogspot.com/

The Post I was Supposed to do Last Week: Imaginary Girls

Oops! It's just become clear to me that I kinda messed up the order of this and last week's posts. As you can see this is the big week of interviews and since I did my interview with Andy Marino last week I'll highlight a book I'm really looking forward to this week (which is what I was meant to do last week)

Anyway! The book I'm most looking forward to these days is one I think alot of you may have already become familiar with, Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls.

First off, kickass cover, the Goodreads summary only makes it sound better:

"Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about."

Sounds awesome, right? You should also check out her starred review in Publisher's Weekly which makes the eerie magic realist tone of the book even clearer. 

I know I can't wait! How about you guys? Got any other upcoming releases we should all be aware of?

Introducing Sara Grant!

It is my distinct pleasure to interview the amazing Sara Grant! Her novel, DARK PARTIES published by Little, Brown comes out in the US in August of this year. Woo Hoo!

Where did the idea for DARK PARTIES come from?

DARK PARTIES was the result of my move to the UK. Both the US and UK are struggling with immigration issues. I believe that diversity makes us stronger. So I said: what if we closed our borders to people and ideas? DARK PARTIES is my answer.

Is it a stand alone or part of a series?

I have ideas for a sequel and have planted a few seeds in DARK PARTIES for a follow up, but no plans yet for publication.

Was writing dystopia a conscious decision or did the story evolve into dystopian lit?
I didn’t set out to write a dystopian novel. I wanted to explore issues of identity – both personal and national. I built my world and developed my characters to enhance my ability to examine this theme. But in the writing, the world, characters and plot evolved and influenced each other in a way that, I hope, ties them inextricably together. 

I still find it amazing that I’m drawn to write dystopian novels. I’m the biggest optimist. I believe the best in people and have great hope for the future of the planet and humankind. 

What are some of the things you love about writing dystopian novels?

The best part of writing a dystopian novel is the freedom. Anything is possible in a world completely of your own making. With dystopian fiction, you can really shine a light on a particular aspect of society or human nature. You whittle away the parts of the real world that don’t serve your story.

Who are some of your favorite authors? (dystopian or not!)

I read To Kill A Mocking Bird for the first time last year and was absolutely blown away. I have read and re-read A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly. I think Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech is darn near perfect. I recently discovered Libba Bray and you can’t go wrong with a John Green novel. I could go on and on. 

Have you always been a writer?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve created stories since I was a little girl, imagining epic dramas for my Barbie dolls. I remember writing my first story when I was eight years old. It was hand-written in pencil and bound with three pieces of string. It was titled “A Dream I Wish Was True” and was a complete rip-off of a sketch on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. And I’ve been writing ever since. 

I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and psychology. After graduation I worked in public relations for seventeen years. When I moved to London in 2003, I went back to school and earned my master’s in creative and life writing. I changed professions and now am a senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a company that creates series fiction for children. 

What is your favorite genre to read? Write?

I LOVE to read. I am always reading at least one book. Sometimes I like to mix reading one fiction and one non-fiction book – usually research for the next book. I have a pile of about forty books that I have purchased and are waiting – begging – to be read. I read a lot of young adult novels from chick lit to dystopian fiction and everything in between. Not only do I want to research the genre and age group I write, but also there are some really amazing young adult books being published. I try to read 50 books a year. Earlier this year I read Nothing by Janne Teller. It was disturbing and powerful and I can’t stop thinking about it. I also recommend Going Bovine by Libba Bray. It was this manic, crazy-brilliant quest that I couldn’t put down. 

At Working Partners, I create fiction for children of all ages – from early chapter books to young adult. But when I write for myself, I focus exclusively on novels for young adults. At the moment, I’m focused on edgy futuristic fiction, but I’d love to write a funny contemporary novel at some point in the future. 

What other projects do you have in the works?

My second book will come out in the fall of 2012. It’s another dystopian novel. Its working title is Half Lives. It’s very much a work in progress, but here’s what I know so far:

Half Lives chronicles the journey of two unlikely heroes – Icie and Beckett. Both struggle to keep themselves alive and protect future generations from the terrible fate that awaits any who dare to climb the mountain. Even though they live hundreds of years apart, Icie and Beckett’s lives are mysteriously linked. 

Half Lives is a race against time and the battle to save future generations. It’s about the nature of faith and power of miscommunication – and above all the strength of the human spirit to adapt and survive.

Sara - thanks so much for visiting with us here at the League! Best of luck with DARK PARTIES and HALF LIVES! They both sound fascinating!