Guest Post & Giveaway: Writing A Sequel by Jena Wade

Writing a Sequel. Why it’s tons of fun… and a pain in the butt

So, when I started thinking about Shoes & Ties, Ashten was a triplet and he had two older brothers. For a total of five kids in the family. Once I put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) for the story I realized that Ashten was actually just a twin and he only had one older brother.

Once I really got into the story, Jesse started creeping into my head and writing his own love story. The rest they say is history… only it’s not because writing a sequel is hard work.

First of all – you have to ask yourself how much do you show of the previous characters? This isn’t so much of a sequel as it is a continuation of this “world,” where this family exists. How much screen time do Trent and Ashten get?

Trent and Ashten make an appearance in three scenes, and they get mentioned because they are obviously a big part of how Troy and Jesse met, but I tried to keep them in the background. As a reader I love to read about after the HEA, but as a writer I wanted Jesse to have the limelight. Luckily, that wasn’t hard because Jesse pretty much steals the show anywhere he goes.

Sequels are also a pain in the butt because you open yourself up for continuity errors. Which, as a reader, if you catch one of them it can really throw you out of the story. So I did a lot of re-reading of Shoes & Ties in order to make sure that the two stories were in sync. It helped a lot that my crit group had read both stories. Both S&T and L&L were critted by my super awesome critique group, all of whom can spot a continuity error a mile away. Cause they rock like that.

Would I do it again? Oh hell yeah. I love Jesse and I’m so glad he got his own story. And as a reader I’m a big sucker for sequels :D

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Giveaway

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Blurb:
A few months after his brother’s accident, Jesse Brody can’t stop thinking about Troy Evans, the police office that helped solve the case. Even though Troy almost had to arrest him, Jesse is sure he has a shot at a date.

The two meet by chance and share a nice dinner at Jesse’s apartment, which ends with Jesse all over Troy’s lap. Though he isn’t out at work, Troy agrees to give a relationship with Jesse a chance. Everything is fine, until the two are seen in public together by some of Troy’s coworkers. 

Out of panic, Troy ends the relationship. Of course he regrets his decision, but it will take more than just an apology to win Jesse back.




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