Well, I’ve reached the end of the draft of the second book in the Red Sun series. It’s now ready to be mailed off to Julie at Pan Macmillan, where no doubt her red pen will hack into it vigorously, and she’ll return it with a note asking me to kindly give up writing.
I’ve not got a definite title for the book yet. I know I’ve said I have before, but it turns out I was lying.
But the focus of this novel is on another city entirely. The book is darker, more full on, weird as hell and with a death count that would make Tarantino proud.
And there may or may not be a giant shape-shifting spider.
Update!
Julie twittered me to say that I’m exaggerating, and that she will in fact merely be using a pencil, not a red pen. (She didn’t say anything concerning the note about my writing. I’m guessing that will be written in the blood of the last writer who passed the offices of Pan Macmillan. Beware of the editor.)
I seriously can’t wait for book 2. Just reviewed the Nights and loved it!
Hey, hagelrat. Thanks for dropping by. I’ve just read the review – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ll link to it when I get a moment soon.
“The book is darker, more full on, weird as hell and with a death count that would make Tarantino proud”
It’s a shame you can’t have your own quotes on the back cover as that would have been a corker.
As for a giant shape shifting spider, how does one of those maybe appear in the book? Is this something that “the pencil of death” Julie could remove, or is it a case that it will be present but may not be revealed as a giant shape shifting spider until book 3?
Good to hear that the sequel is coming along nicely and i hope you get a chance to relax before the rewrites start.
Yeah, that’d be great – although it could get way over the top if we wrote them for ourselves.
Well, it was a tease, you see, but yeah, the pencil of death can take anything out. Even me.
Darker is good, as for spiders *shudder* remind me to keep the cats close when I read it. I am comforted by their renfield tendencies. 🙂
If you decide fantasy isn’t working out for you, I think you have the seeds of a great thriller in the pencil of death. It may be hard to get it past an editor though.
Thinking about it you’ve already tested the waters with a paintbrush…
I can’t wait for book two. Another town. Forme it seems impossible to top the description of Villjamur. Hopefully we meet some characters again…
And I like it when it is getting darker.
Having read bits of book 2, I’ll say this – it’s damn good. Even as (or perhaps, particularly as?) a total arachnophobe.
Is the “shape shifting” of the spider more a metafictional thing, as in it may not still be a spider by the time of going to print?
Book two sounds great – dark and weird just so happen to be two of my favourite adjectives!
Neil – I’m sure there’s a scary editor thriller waiting to be written! I’ll see if I can sneak it in.
edifanob – thanks. I like to think I’ve tried my best to top Villjamur in the new one. And yes, some characters will be there, and some new ones.
Thank you, Kate. 🙂
Alex – It may yet be metafictional – though I don’t want to tempt fate…