Writing a Sequel

The Unforgiving Town

Sometimes a story is too good to have only one book. That’s how I felt about The Sacred Dog, one of my hill town thrillers. Specifically, I wanted to know what happens to Al Kitchen, the book’s bad guy, after he gets out of prison. That’s the plot in The Unforgiving Town, my latest.

Okay, I’m going to be careful here and not reveal too much about The Sacred Dog in case you haven’t read it. Basically, the book is about bad blood between two men and that feud’s ultimate climax. Like most of my novels, it is set in the fictional hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. So is its sequel.

The Unforgiving Town focuses on Al, who returns home after serving seventeen years for manslaughter. But to be expected there were no welcome homes when he does. In fact, people preferred he died in prison because he was responsible for the death of a likable guy.

Al’s cranky grandmother, Jenny Kitchen, stood by him all those years, getting him a good lawyer and visiting him in prison. But she died before Al’s release.

His only ally is a cousin, Bernie Tucker, who helped Jenny towards the end and then moved into her home. Being a gay woman, Bernie understands what it is like to be an outcast in a small town. She visited Al in prison and continues to live in the house when he gets out, which is helpful since he doesn’t have a way to get around.

I decided to make Al change for the better when he was in prison. He stayed out of trouble and got jobs. He spent much of his time reading books from the prison library. Al had plenty of time to feel authentic remorse for not only killing a man but a dark secret he shares with a woman.

However, nobody in the town believes that could have happened. (Actually, one of the publishers I queried felt the same way.) Al would still be the reckless punk who has no boundaries.

I brought along many of other characters from The Sacred Dog to the sequel — now 17 years older. Then there are new characters like the next generation, who are dangerously curious about Al’s return, and a police chief with integrity.

One of the challenges of writing a sequel or a series is giving readers just enough details from the previous book or books. I want those who haven’t read the original to understand what is going on, and for those who have, not to be bogged down. And, yes, The Unforgiving Town stands on its own, so you don’t have to read the first although I hope you do.

I will be writing more leading up to the release of The Unforgiving Town on April 7. Here’s the link again to pre-order the Kindle version for only 99 cents. Paperback readers will have to be a little patient.

Interested in reading The Sacred Dog, here’s that book’s link.

Thank you all.