Sequels
Guest Post by Colette Freedman
Let’s be honest. We all love sequels, and we live in an age of serials and sequels: episodic television, graphic novels and of course, movies.
If we fall in love with a character or world, we want to visit it again and again. This can be a mixed blessing. The world or characters we fell in love with in the first book or the first movie, may or may not turn out as we imagined in the sequels. I preferred Empire Strikes Back to Star Wars, especially that fabulous image of a carbonite frozen Han Solo. I loved Superman II more than Superman I, mostly because of the the devilishly camp criminals General Zod, Uras and Non who are banished into the Phantom Zone, and later break out to wreak havoc on humankind. My all time favorite movie sequel is Terminator II. I love the bold, brash, fierce Sarah Connor who gives a needed jolt of feminism and humanity to the series.
But for every cool filmic sequel, there are plenty that miss the boat.
Similarly, novel sequels are quite difficult to pull off. Still, if I’m invested in a series, I generally go along for the ride. While I didn’t like Insurgent as much as Divergent, I stuck with the series and felt satisfied by Allegiant. I had a similar experience with Catching Fire, which I didn’t find as masterful as Hunger Games, although I devoured Mockingjay.
Why do writers write sequels? Leaving aside publishers demands – if a book is successful, they will look for a follow-up. The real reason we write sequels is exactly the same reason the readers read them. It is because we want to know more about the world and the characters.
The Affair is the story of an affair told through the three voices of the three principals: the wife, the husband and the mistress. While the story had a definite conclusion, there was still plenty more to explore. And what happens when someone has an affair? There are definitive consequences.
It’s daunting to write a sequel because sometimes you are setting yourself up to fail. Luckily, with The Consequences it is more of a continuation than a sequel as it starts, literally, ten minutes after The Affair leaves off. The breathing space between the two novels gives Robert, the husband, just enough time to leave the house where he witnessed the confrontation between his wife and his mistress, defrost the windshield, turn on the car heater and drive off.
Keeping the same three part structure, The Consequences continues exploring the love triangle. Whereas The Affair looked at the revelation and discovery of the titular affair, The Consequences examines what happens after an affair is revealed. Each party is now armed with new information which dictates his/her next step in the journey.
And of course, now that the second book is finished, readers have been asking what happens next. Do I know what happens to Kathy, Robert and Stephanie? I do. Or at least, I think I do.
But I am going to have to write that story just to find out.
Her play Sister Cities was the hit of the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe and earned five star reviews: It has been produced around the country and internationally, fourteen times including Paris (Une Ville, Une Soeur) and Rome (Le Quattro Sorelle). The film version has been optioned and is in pre production.She has co-written, with International bestselling novelist Jackie Collins, the play Jackie Collins Hollywood Lies, which is gearing up for a National Tour.
In collaboration with The New York Times best selling author Michael Scott, she wrote the thriller The Thirteen Hallows (Tor/Macmillan). Her novel The Affair (Kensington) came out January 29, 2013. The play of the novel earned both critical and commercial success as it toured Italy February through May 2013.
Her novel The Consequences (Kensington) comes out January 28, 2014
The Consequences by Colette Freeman
Add it to your Goodreads list / Amazon wishlist / B&N
“Freedman demonstrates a keen understanding of relationships.” —Publishers WeeklyIn the riveting follow-up to her acclaimed debut novel, Colette Freedman explores the aftermath of infidelity from three different perspectives–husband, wife, and mistress.The end of an affair may be only the beginning. . .Over the course of one tumultuous Christmas Eve, Kathy Walker confirmed her suspicions about her husband’s affair, confronted his mistress, Stephanie, and saved her marriage. She and Robert have eighteen years, two teenagers, and a film production business between them–plus a bond that Kathy has no intention of giving up on. Yet though Robert is contrite, Kathy can’t quite silence her doubts.
While Robert reels from his wife’s ultimatum and his mistress’s rejection, Stephanie makes a discovery: she’s pregnant. Her resolve to stay away from Robert wavers now that they could make a real family together. And in the days that follow, Stephanie, Robert, and Kathy must each reckon with the intricate realities of desire, the repercussions of betrayal, and the secrets that, once revealed, ripple through lives and relationships in thoroughly unexpected ways.
Praise for The Affair by Colette Freedman
“Skillfully explores the complex and nuanced landscape of a troubled marriage.” –Kristin Hannah
“An addictive page-turner, as three ordinary people are caught in an extraordinary triangle of love, sex, and commitment.” –Jackie Collins
“Exceptionally engaging. . .the final pages will leave readers pondering exactly what it means to love.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“One of the twelve best books to get you through the winter.” –MSN.com
