Sequel insanity

So for those of you who don’t know the sequel to Explicit Instruction is called Explicit Detail and it’s out in a few weeks. It’s release date is October 10th – four weeks tomorrow!
I loved writing Rushe and Flick in Explicit Instruction and I was overwhelmed by how well they were received. Readers really enjoyed their adventure together and the heat between them certainly raised some eyebrows. Going into Explicit Detail I was full of gusto, brimming with ideas, and desperate to get on with their next adventure.
The process of writing is arduous but it is fun, you have to enjoy it, you have to love it, or you’d never get to “The End”. But I got there with Explicit Detail and after rounds and rounds and rounds of edits, there it was, ready for pre-order. Exciting, right? Yes! Absolutely! There it is, it’s ready for the readers who enjoyed Rushe and Flick the first time around and for those who can discover them for the very first time.
You might ask that that why with all this positivity I labeled the blog “Sequel insanity”, so let me tell you why. I’ve written sequels for my novels before but never with the intention of them being published and enjoyed by the public, so this is a first for me. As release day creeps nearer and nearer, I am increasingly aware of reader expectation.
When publishing a new book, a standalone, there is always a level of apprehension about how it will be received by readers. But Explicit Detail is different. Readers have already had a positive experience with Rushe and Flick, they enjoyed Explicit Instruction, now they want more.
Writers will (or should) always strive to create the best product that they can to induce the most satisfying reader experience, it’s our job. Explicit Instruction was enjoyable to a great number of people, what if Explicit Detail doesn’t match that experience?
Explicit Detail sees our couple on a new adventure, quite unlike the first. There is still danger and plenty of dirty talk, but our couple are together now, giving the dynamic between them a slightly different feel – it’s important to allow them to progress as individuals and together.
Not knowing what readers expect yet trying to fulfill those expectations is tough. For the most part we write blind, crafting the best possible story that we can in the best possible way. You can ask all the questions that you want, and do all the research that you want, but at the end of the day the story must be woven by the writer. We have to engage with the readers. Rushe and Flick managed it the first time around, but can they do it again?

Good luck on your adventures,

xSx