Surviving a Sequel in a Series by Debut Author Kaylie Smith and A Ruinous Fate Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday and Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope you had a great holiday season. Today I’m excited to have debut author Kaylie Smith here to share about her YA fantasy A Ruinous Fate. It sounds like a real page turner with great world building that makes me excited to read it.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Fate does not choose the weak. Fate chooses the ready.

Calliope Rosewood is a witch with a long streak of bad luck. Like all witches in Illustros, her fate is directly tied to Witch’s Dice—powerful artifacts that have blessed her kind with limitless magic but also set them on a path toward destruction. Cursed with unspeakable powers that terrify even the most dangerous witches and fae, Calla deserted her coven four years ago and has been in hiding with her two best friends since. But Calla is also hiding a grave secret: She is only three Rolls away from becoming the last Blood Warrior and starting the Final War that will decimate her people and eradicate their magic.

After a betrayal from her ex leads her one step closer to fulfilling that age-old prophecy, Calla is desperate to do whatever it takes to reset her fate . . . even if that means journeying into the deadly Neverending Forest with said ex and his enticing, yet enigmatic older brother to find the one being who can help her forge her own path. As Calla ventures farther into the enchanted woods, she finds her heart torn between her past desires and the alluring new possibilities of her future and learns that choosing your own destiny may come with deadly consequences.

Featuring a charming and chaotic ensemble cast of characters, this first book in a planned series by debut author Kaylie Smith will sweep readers away with its utterly immersive world building, swoon-worthy romance, and action-packed storytelling.

Before I get to Kalie’s guest post, I have my IWSG Post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts this month with me are Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, and T. Powell Coltrin!

Optional Question: Do you have a word for the year? Why?

I’d never thought of having a word for the year. But it’s a great idea. My word for 2023 would be hope. Here’s what I have hope for:

·       Hope for happy new beginnings in my life

·       Hope for a year with less work and volunteering so I can focus my energy on what really brings meaning to my life

·       Hope for wonderful experiences with my daughter as we get ready for and enjoy her wedding

·       Hope that I will finish my final revisions to this manuscript

What’s your word for the day?

Now here's Kaylie! 

The Second Book Curse: My Advice for Surviving Sequels in a Series

By Kaylie Smith

 I’m currently working in my office, the only light in my house during this late witching-hour is from the glow of my laptop screen. I just finished the last round of developmental edits for the follow up to my debut fantasy novel, A Ruinous Fate, after five grueling weeks of pouring over these words until they all began to blur together. It is finally my turn to learn the lesson I’ve been warned about from so many writers who have come before me—sequels are difficult.

            Over the process of crafting the sophomore book in this series I feel like I’ve finally begun to scratch the surface and pinpoint exactly why sequels are so hard to write. Is it the pressure of following up the first book with something better? Is it that the first book has left me creatively drained? Is it that this book is just filler to a more exciting later installment of the series? Truthfully, it’s the fear that it’s a little bit of all of that. It really took deciding to ignore the heavy imposter syndrome that weaseled its way into my mind after finishing book one to come up with a process that worked to overcome my fear of the second book curse. Now, I’m going to share a snapshot of my process with you, though I urge you to remember what worked for me may not work for everyone and my motto as a writer and author is forever: there is no wrong way to write a book!                                                         

How I write sequels:

1. Map out how your characters are different from book one and what their new goals are—both emotionally and in relation to the plot.

Your characters are most likely very different people from who they were at the beginning of your first book, which is why sequels can be so hard to navigate. Their motivations need to change according to the new situations the plot has dragged them into, but they still need to act in-character so your audience can recognize the heroes and heroines (and even villains) they’ve come to know and love. A way I like to do this is making sure each character’s mannerisms and voice stay consistent and grounded even when their emotional states and relationships shift.

2. Make sure the plot of your sequel is accomplishing a main task or goal that is unique to this particular book.

I found it really helped to make sure I wasn’t writing filler by asking myself if the characters’ arcs throughout book two advanced them to a new place of growth the same way book one did and if something in the plot was accomplished that would lead them closer to the final solution of the overarching goal of the series. Making sure my sequel isn’t just a bridge for them to walk across unscathed to get to the action of the next installment is what led to certain plot decisions I hadn’t originally intended, but definitely made the book, and therefore the overall series, better as a whole. Always thinking of a series as having one major overall goal and each installment having different individual ones that build upon each other to create the Final Solution has helped me outline my series immensely.

3. Expand the world-building and build up from the foundation you’ve already laid down.

I found what really helped me get through my second book creatively was exploring more places in the world I had begun to build in book one. Not only the physical places and settings, but the magic system and beings that lived within the book as well. It’s so hard to include every little detail in a first book when you have fewer pages and word counts to work with, not to mention making sure you keep the pace up enough that the reader doesn’t get too board or overloaded with information. Sequels are where you can start to include all the little facts that make the world unique and interesting that you didn’t necessarily have room for before.

4. Advance your character’s relationships and resist the urge to include fan service.

A big part of the reason I choose not to read reviews (aside from the millions of other reasons) is because I want to make sure I tell the story most authentic to the characters and not get influenced with what the readers think they may want. This doesn’t just apply to romance either! As an avid reader myself I can’t tell you how many times I wished an author would’ve just ‘let go’ of a character or two that I loathed. In the end, however, you have to follow your gut, not to mention so many different readers will have completely opposite opinions and you cannot possibly please everyone so you might as well please yourself! As for advancing your character’s relationships—relationships are messy and the bonds between two people are constantly ebbing and flowing. Making sure my characters aren’t trapped in the same cycles with other characters, but are constantly growing and morphing, in goods ways and bad, is always my goal. I want to make sure the relationships in my second books are building on where they ended in the first book and the characters are constantly asking themselves if the people they’re surrounding themselves with are who they want to be around and that they aren’t just there because the plot is forcing them to be, or because they have no other options.

Above all, these four tasks are what really pushed me to write the best possible story for my characters and their journeys. Whether readers will respond the same way to the sequel as they did the first book or agree with all of my choices is out of my hands. The satisfaction I’ve gotten from writing a book I’m proud of and the excitement I feel to share the next part of this series, however, is firmly in my grasp.

You can find me on social media as @kaylsmoon (Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok are my favorite) or on my website at kayliesmithbooks.com!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kaylie.

Giveaway Details

Kaylie has generously offered an ARC of A Ruinous Fate for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by January 21st. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Kaylie on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This ARC giveaway is U.S.

Upcoming Interviews and Guest Posts

Monday, January 9 I have an interview with debut author Tamika Burgess and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Sincerely Sicily

Monday, January 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Kortney Price and a query critique giveaway and am participating in the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop

Monday, January 23 I have an interview with debut author Megan Reyes and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Heroes of Havensong

Wednesday, February 1 I have an agent/debut author guest post with Claire Friedman and M.K. Lobb and a giveaway of M.K.’s YA fantasy/mystery Seven Faceless Saints

Monday, February 6 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lori Steel and a query critique giveaway

Hope to see you on Monday!