Today, I'm happy to welcome Megan Crewe, author of the Fallen Word trilogy and the YA standalone Give Up the Ghost, to Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. I've been a big fan of Megan's since the release of her first book, and with her newest one (The Lives We Lost), I'm happy to say that this is still very much true. Anyhow, here's her thoughts on writing sequels, specifically involving the Fallen Word Trilogy.
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Writing the second book in my trilogy was actually a big first for me: the first time I've ever written a sequel. You might not think that should make much of a difference--that it's just more story with the same characters--but in many ways it does. And the biggest difference I encountered was in considering you, the readers.
I think every author tries to take into consideration how readers will relate to and be affected by a book while they're writing it, wanting as many people as possible to enjoy the story. Certainly that's the case for me. It's always challenging, because there's no way of knowing for sure how people will respond. And when the book in question is a sequel, the challenge becomes twice as complicated. So it's a good thing that I enjoy being challenged by my work!
First, I had to take into account that readers would be coming to THE LIVES WE LOST from a wide range of places. Some of you might have just finished reading THE WAY WE FALL and have the events and character dynamics fresh in your minds. Some might have read the first book months ago, and remember things more vaguely. And some might be picking up the book without having read the one before, diving in with no pre-knowledge whatsoever.
When writing a first book or a standalone novel, I can assume that everyone is starting the story from approximately the same place, and that you won't know anything about the backstory and characters until I tell you. With the sequel, I had to find a balance between avoiding confusing new readers and avoiding boring the readers who remember the previous book quite well. I ended up thinking of it as including little reminders, the same way I might add brief reminders within the same book about events that had happened in earlier chapters but not been mentioned for a while.
What was more intimidating was knowing that the readers who had read THE WAY WE FALL would be coming to THE LIVES WE LOST with all sorts of expectations and hopes. Again, with a first book or a standalone, I know readers may make some assumptions based on what you've heard about the book, but those are probably pretty general, and you're not likely to be really invested in the events turning out any specific way. With the sequel, I'm guessing most of you who pick it up are doing so because you already read and liked the first book. So of course you'll have ideas about which way things might go and which ways you *want* them to go.
Unfortunately I can't give every reader what they want, because some readers want the story to go in completely opposite directions! The best I could do was tell the story that felt most powerful and right to me, though I did try to make sure that every major question that's come up would be answered one way or another (if not in this book, then in book 3). After that, I can only hope that even those who didn't get the outcome they wanted will find the story satisfying all the same.
Thankfully, even though existing series readers makes writing a sequel more challenging, it also makes it more rewarding. It's amazing to know that I have readers who loved THE WAY WE FALL and are eagerly looking forward to continuing this journey with my characters. I think I've written the best possible book I could for the story I wanted to tell. Now it's in your hands.
Enjoy! And thank you so much for your support!
I think every author tries to take into consideration how readers will relate to and be affected by a book while they're writing it, wanting as many people as possible to enjoy the story. Certainly that's the case for me. It's always challenging, because there's no way of knowing for sure how people will respond. And when the book in question is a sequel, the challenge becomes twice as complicated. So it's a good thing that I enjoy being challenged by my work!
First, I had to take into account that readers would be coming to THE LIVES WE LOST from a wide range of places. Some of you might have just finished reading THE WAY WE FALL and have the events and character dynamics fresh in your minds. Some might have read the first book months ago, and remember things more vaguely. And some might be picking up the book without having read the one before, diving in with no pre-knowledge whatsoever.
When writing a first book or a standalone novel, I can assume that everyone is starting the story from approximately the same place, and that you won't know anything about the backstory and characters until I tell you. With the sequel, I had to find a balance between avoiding confusing new readers and avoiding boring the readers who remember the previous book quite well. I ended up thinking of it as including little reminders, the same way I might add brief reminders within the same book about events that had happened in earlier chapters but not been mentioned for a while.
What was more intimidating was knowing that the readers who had read THE WAY WE FALL would be coming to THE LIVES WE LOST with all sorts of expectations and hopes. Again, with a first book or a standalone, I know readers may make some assumptions based on what you've heard about the book, but those are probably pretty general, and you're not likely to be really invested in the events turning out any specific way. With the sequel, I'm guessing most of you who pick it up are doing so because you already read and liked the first book. So of course you'll have ideas about which way things might go and which ways you *want* them to go.
Unfortunately I can't give every reader what they want, because some readers want the story to go in completely opposite directions! The best I could do was tell the story that felt most powerful and right to me, though I did try to make sure that every major question that's come up would be answered one way or another (if not in this book, then in book 3). After that, I can only hope that even those who didn't get the outcome they wanted will find the story satisfying all the same.
Thankfully, even though existing series readers makes writing a sequel more challenging, it also makes it more rewarding. It's amazing to know that I have readers who loved THE WAY WE FALL and are eagerly looking forward to continuing this journey with my characters. I think I've written the best possible book I could for the story I wanted to tell. Now it's in your hands.
Enjoy! And thank you so much for your support!
~~~
The Way We Fall (Book #1):
It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.
And then you're dead.
When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?
Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.
The Lives We Lost (Book #2):
First, the virus took Kaelyn’s friends. Then, her family. Now it’s taken away her home.
But she can't look back—the life she once had is gone forever.
A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it. As Kaelyn and her friends head to the mainland, they encounter a world beyond recognition. It’s not only the “friendly flu” that’s a killer—there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine. How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race?
Megan Crewe's second volume in the Fallen World trilogy is an action-packed journey that explores the resilience of friendship, the ache of lost love, and Kaelyn’s enduring hope in the face of the sacrifices she must make to stay alive.
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