So, I've started writing Aftershock, the third book in the One Man's Treasure series (which, by the way, wasn't even supposed to go any further than the first book), and what I've found is that I'm actually intimidated—by my own self! I know, it doesn't really make any sense. Lemme explain...
Before One Man's Treasure was released for the first time in 2007 (self-published), I had put a lock on that whole project. One book on those characters, that was it. I was happy with what I had done. Proud, even. I had moved on and started a couple of other books. But when people started asking me when the sequel to OMT was coming out, I was kinda thrown off. Not that I hadn't briefly considered doing one during the initial writing process, but it was very brief, and the ideas I had come up with weren't totally developed, though I will say I was tempted to move forward with one of the storylines. But once I was done writing OMT, I realized, or so I thought, that my characters had been through enough, and so had the story, and I should just nix the idea of a sequel. Again, I was totally happy with that idea. But for some reason, I couldn't get away from the sequel questions. Finally, after a series of events, and one very serious sequel conversation with a friend of mine, I decided to write one. And man, oh man, did I write it! I had no idea I could even come up with the stuff that's on the pages of And They'll Come Home. It was as if the story were truly meant to be told; during the writing process, it literally fell out of my soul and onto the computer screen with hardly any problems at all (barring a few obstacles I had to deal with in doing my research on some of the book's subject matter). From the moment I typed the last word of the manuscript till this very second, I've been on pins and needles in anticipation of its release. Um, yeah, I finished the book February 4, 2008, so, as you can probably guess, it's been a rough two years!
But here's the issue: after I finished that book, it occurred to me that there could be yet another story waiting in the wings. At first, I didn't give it too much thought, but, as time went on, it became clearer and clearer that there was definitely more on the menu. The thing is, I've been afraid to even approach it, because, honestly, I'm just not sure how I'm gonna top the sequel. Of course, I can't tell you why specifically; you'll need to read it to see for yourself, but suffice it to say that the amount of drama and surprise involved in it is making it difficult for me to come up with situations that are gonna be equally moving, or more so, in Aftershock. I'd like to say that after I get several chapters under my belt, that concern will fade.
For now, those of you who haven't read OMT, please do so, and then pick up And They'll Come Home (for release March 2nd, 2010; pre-order on Amazon.com). Feel free to hit me up and give me your opinions and comments. And once you're done with both books, I'd love to hear what you'd like to see happen in the third installment. I do have a good portion of the storylines in place, but I'm open for good, realistic suggestions that will help expand the story's appeal.
I'm only on chapter two of Aftershock, so we'll see how well I can outdo myself with this project. Hopefully, by the time it's all over, I'll be able to say I feel confident that I've beat myself at my own game.
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