I’ve always been reluctant about writing a series of books, or even a sequel to one that came before. I always like to view my books as stand-alone stories. You get the whole package in one book rather than dragging a story out over a series.
For me, and the stories that I have wanted to tell up to now, that has worked. But now, more than ever, I find myself being drawn towards a series. The prospect of further growing characters that I have already established seems exciting to me, as well as trying to raise the bar further than the previous book(s) in terms of story and character development.
I’ve had a hard time letting go of the story and characters from my debut novel, Layla’s Song. It is still among my best work. It is just over 2 years since I self-published Layla’s Song on Amazon. In that time I have went on to write my new crime thriller, Where Crows Land, which I hope to release soon. Following it closely at the end of the year will be my third book, The Last Rains Of Winter. So it will have been a busy year by the end.
During this lockdown I have managed to achieve a lot of writing. I have finished Where Crows Land and plan to send it to an editor next week. I have also written the first chapter of my next book. This book will be called, ‘The Lost Nightingales (Layla’s Song Book 2)’. It will be the sequel to my debut novel, Layla’s Song.
I always had an idea for a part 2, but I didn’t want to write a follow-up unless there was a strong story to tell, unless the return of the brothers, Michael and Carl was justified. I finally settled on a story and convinced myself that their story wasn’t over.
This new story will follow Michael and Carl five years after the events of Layla’s Song. And without giving too much away too early, they will face new challenges posed by a new crime boss who has risen to prominence over the gang Michael and Carl has faced once before.
The story has a lot of potential and I have set the bar with the first book. In my eyes, I need to make the sequel as good, if not, better than the first. That is my ambition and goal during the duration of writing this follow-up.
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Paperback £7.99 Michael’s worst fears are realized when his criminal past catches up to him. His daughter is kidnapped by his old gang, who are intent on getting back what Michael owes to them. With the help of his estranged brother, Carl. They must find a way of coming up with the ransom within five days. Michael’s journey will take him the whole way from Belfast to Dublin.
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