A Sequel?

One of the cooler parts of being a writer and actually publishing your work, in my opinion at least, is the feedback that you get from readers and fans.  I know there are some of my brother and sister scribblers out there that truly loathe hearing from anyone about their work, but I am the complete opposite.  Strangely enough, I sort of even geek out a bit when someone so vehemently despises something I write that they send me hateful emails.  To me, just the sheer fact that my creations generated an emotional response whatsoever is beyond awesome.

 

I received a review for By Design today from a reader that had a really unique idea.  She mentioned in her notes that she wanted more of David and Stephanie's story and that possibly a sequel would be in order to complete the tale.

 

A sequel?  Really?  I can honestly say that the idea had never crossed my mind and now that it has I'm having a hard time getting away from it.

 

The great thing about the two already published books and the third that I'm currently writing, Hurricane Carolina, is that they all exist within the same "universe" and have some crossover of characters.  Given that existing framework, I started thinking about that possibility for a "sequel" project.  For those of you curious as to how a writer's brain works, here's a little window into a thought process or two.  Mind the cobwebs...

 

1) By Design has currently outsold Bounce at a rate of almost 2:1.

 

2) David Bartello is, to date, the second most commented on character I've created. Usually when someone asks me questions about the books the first thing they ask is about the inspiration for Dina then they begin to tell me how much they like David (and then they tell me how much they hated Mack from Bounce).

 

3) I cut a fairly sizable amount of David and Stephanie material during the editing process because it either was a force fit or moved the story off track (or worse was just too long).  A few of those scenes were reduced to mentions or background info in the final edit of the book that in earlier drafts were fully fleshed out.

 

4) There is an opportunity to further flesh out Nick and David's relationship by continuing the story.  Personally, I found that dynamic a lot of fun to write as I have a lot of source material to work with.

 

5) Do well received characters deserve a spotlight of their own? Are David and Stephanie strong enough to carry their own story?

 

Since this idea came from a fan submission, I'm really interested to hear what more of you think.  Would you be interested in a sequel story to By Design that featured David and Stephanie? Are there other elements to the story you'd like to see fleshed out more?  Should this be another novel? A novella? Should I back away slowly from the keyboard and go back to my other projects?  Please leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section or send them to thecynicalsarcastic@gmail.com.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments and ideas. Have a great weekend!