Writing My First Sequel

This is a mostly spoiler-free summary of how I felt when I was asked to write a sequel for Falling in the Blue Hour. If you want to go into the story completely blind, come back here after you've read Every Wave After.

When I wrote Falling in the Blue Hour, it was never my intention for it to be anything but a standalone novel. After all, that was all I'd ever written prior, so I assumed I'd finish it and then begin an entirely different story with all new characters, setting, and storyline. That was, until the ARC readers asked for more. More? Did I have it in me to write an entire second story with the same group of characters? Could I make their story captivating enough that it matched the feedback I got from Falling in the Blue Hour? It was a daunting, to say the least. I would have to create a new problem for my characters, let them fall down a few times, have one throw the classic Hail Mary, and then give a satisfying conclusion. All while incorporating my "trademark" of making people feel ALL the emotions. (The word trademark was what one reader used to describe the way I write after having read Falling in the Blue Hour and Nev.)

Yet...it was exactly what I'd hoped for as an author - that people loved my story so much they wanted more of my writing. And not just past books I'd written. They wanted more from characters they became fully invested in. They wanted to return to the setting I described so vividly that they were called to step back into that world. They even wanted the comforting humor of the tipsy moms, to my delight. (They upgraded their movie nights - Pinterest drink recipes and gourmet popcorn. I want to be their friend too at this point.)

So, I went in with both feet. While the title evaded me for Falling in the Blue Hour until nearly the end of the story, Every Wave After came to me before I even had the first word written. The storyline unfolded as I typed, and I could only attribute that to how well I already knew the characters. I not only knew them, but I still loved them. None of them ever grated on my nerves. I was never bored with any of the scenes. Sure, a certain character made my blood boil, but I knew he had more to him than what he was showing. He had a backstory that was deeper than anyone could imagine, one with a narcissistic father and pressures that no boy/young man should have to endure. Not only that, he had current scholastic hardships, expectations to become someone he was not, and forced to deal with pressures that were more powerful than him. All this after feeling like he lost something special in South Carolina. He had a right (even if it was wrong) to be moody and mouth off in the first book. Everyone hated him at that point, some even wanting to throat-punch him. One thing I knew for certain, he also had a redemption arc that was louder than anything else in the story.

Ledger basically held my hand while I wrote Every Wave After. He led me to what he tried to hide, what caused him to test people's limits, and what made him finally snap. He coaxed me to follow him back to a place where he felt comfortable, and where he allowed himself to be vulnerable. He slowly peeled away the layers of dented armor to expose the tender flesh and bone that housed his heart. A heart that beat with past pain, renewed purpose, and limitless potential. I didn't want to wring his neck anymore; I wanted to embrace him and let him speak his truth with words that came from his shattered soul. Allow him to whisper in my ear the dreams he finally allowed himself to imagine while also encouraging him to be the man he was always meant to be.

By this time, I'd already forgiven Ledger. He was battling demons that readers couldn't see in Falling in the Blue Hour, not to mention secretive as he fought them on his own, and therefore, wholly misunderstood. But could I make readers who hated him so passionately change their minds about him by the end of Every Wave After? It was a tall endeavor, and I had to do it with his words and actions. He had to dig out of the hole he created for himself.

As Ledger inwardly reeled after a certain traumatic event, Sam found herself floundering again from something that made her feel like she didn't belong in South Carolina, and like the first time, Ledger was there to be her rock. Only now, he did it in a more mature way. It was my goal to make all my characters exude a certain amount of maturity, though unfortunately, one did fall from grace for a short time.

Where Ledger had flaws in Falling in the Blue Hour, Noah, the boy who strived to make Sam feel comfortable and secure in her new place of residence, was now the one who had flaws. I feel that flaws make a character more human, and it's what you do with those flaws that makes a reader feel a fine line between distaste or empathy for that character. I wanted readers to feel both for Noah.

The hero in the story was likely unexpected, but I feel that character was the best one to "save the day." I won't say too much about her scenes other than she was intentionally chosen.

For each month I was writing this book, I was wracked with anxiety - worried I wasn't going to meet the expectations of my readers. What if I didn't deliver the story they hoped? What if it made them not want to read any more of my books? What if people stated in reviews the first book was great but the second was lacking? Even with the nagging voice in my mind telling me I may not be able to pull this off, I kept writing, and it was my mission to give readers something that would keep them turning pages late into the night.

The ARC reviews started to come in and that was when I could finally breathe. They were having the best time with the story! They were feeling all the emotions that I had strategically directed them to feel through my writing. Basking in the familiarity of the entire cast of characters, plus meeting new ones. Living in the world I'd created in the made-up coastal beach town set in South Carolina. And best of all, they couldn't tell which direction the story was going to take, therefore keeping them glued to the pages so they could see what happened next. I did it. I did it!

I am not one who writes without intentional forethought, and I despise needless filler, so those two things won't be found in any of my books, and it seems to be appreciated by the readers. I write for myself because it brings me pure joy, and I write for readers because it makes my heart happy to entertain with words.

I hope you continue to stick around and read the upcoming novels I have planned. (I have quite a few to keep me busy for years to come.) Thank you for giving this indie author a chance and making her dreams come true.

Warmly,

Kristi Ayers