Sequels?

Yesterday was a rare lazy day for me, which to me is the best kind of Saturday. I caught Halloween: Resurrection on TV, and found it to be a pleasant waste of time. And, as it is the eighth film in the Halloween movie franchise, it got me thinking about the possibility of doing a sequel.

I used to love writing series, but my luck with them has not been all that good. Three small press magazines that printed short story follow-ups to previous works of mine ceased printing, two before the entire series could be told. Then there's Attack of the Intergalactic Soul Hunters, my first published novel and the first book in the Soul Hunters series. I'd written the second book by the time the first one was in print, and was halfway through the third one when the second book (and thus the continuing series) was rejected.

The world seems to want only stand-alones from me, and for the most part I've tried to oblige. Epoch and the upcoming Evil? were written without followups in mind (though the possibility isn't exactly ruled out), and my latest project, Apoca-Lynn, follows suit. And yet, I would love it if I could bring some characters back for a bit more fun.

I'm already more or less committed to one; my friend Monica (Burningeffigy Press) wants some more Section K stories. The plan is to release a few chapbooks featuring the main characters to attract new readers to the first book, then follow that with a full sequel. The second book would be shorter, and thus easier to publish on a small-press scale. I've got some fun ideas, and anticipate having some good fun with this. The concept of Section K is wide open for more stories, and in fact it practically begs for them.

However, Section K is a book for grownups, and the main bulk of my writing projects focus on the young adult market. I've had a few people asking me what happens after the end of Epoch, and I've actually got some ideas that might lead to an interesting second book. Should I go for that, or work on another stand-alone?

In the end, the decision to do a sequel will be determined by the story. Will it excite and entertain me enough to get me through the time it will take to write it? That, more than anything else, determines what I will write.

EVIL?

I have a special announcement to make...

The title for my upcoming book is:

EVIL?

Formerly named The Right Hand of Evil, it now has a title more in keeping with what the publisher (Flux) wants. Not exactly what I would have chosen, but I'm happy with it. It still gets at what the story is about, and it's another short 'E' title like Epoch. They tell me they even want to do a similar cover design.

While I'm happy with the change, it means I don't get to use my original tagline for the book...

This Summer, Things Are Gonna Get Out Of Hand!

No problem, I'll come up with something else soon enough. In the meantime, it's time to start creating buzz! Tell all your friends and family, EVIL? by Timothy Carter is coming!