After Life, Book 2, coming soon!
In a lot of ways, having a second book come out is weirder than having a first one.
I wanted to write. I detailed how it got started back in October, but regardless, I always wanted to write. Did I always want to write about zombies? No, not really. Until I was about 20, I hadn’t really considered zombies that closely in any form. And then Shaun of the Dead came out and showed me what the genre could be, and then I went back to other movies and saw what the genre actually was, and I was sold. I put together After Life over the course of several years (not working only on that). Eventually, it got published.
(If you don’t need to read me talk about myself for nearly a thousand words, you can go ahead and click here and pre-order.)
And that, I figured, was that. I had other stories I wanted to tell. I had other manuscripts I wanted to sell. Would that work? Who knows. But I had more ideas.
But my (first) publisher called me one day. Over the course of a long-ish conversation, he said, “And hey, if you do write a sequel, we’re ready for it.”
A sequel? I hadn’t really thought about that. To be fair, the ending of After Life was less settled than I originally intended. Things happened in the writing process, people weren’t left where I intended them to be left, I had to change. So it was technically open for a sequel if I wanted to write it. And then … here was an offer. My other stories either weren’t finished or weren’t selling. So why not? I had an idea. I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote.
And then my publisher went out of business.
Happens all the time! It’s a cutthroat world. But it just so happened to occur approximately the same day I finished the sequel.
Through some roundabout “exploiting connections” machinations, though, I found my way to Three Furies Press, who (a) wanted to republish Book 1, (b) wanted to contract Book 2, and (and!) (c) suggested I then write Book 3, because trilogies are easier to sell than duologies (is that a word?).
Okay, so that was a problem. Because whereas I left Book 1 open for a sequel (inadvertently or not), Book 2 was … fairly wrapped-up-y. Epilogue and everything. But once I heard the suggestion, I pondered the suggestion, and I realized there was in fact story to tell. So Book 3 will exist. (I mean, eventually. Right now it’s only about 30% written, so give me time.)
But this is about Book 2, and how weird it is that there even will be a Book 2.
(Again, if you’re tired of my rambling, you can go ahead and click here and pre-order.)
So getting a book published is a big deal. And yes, there’s something to be said for being in the club, that getting a second book out there is easier once there’s one. But on the flip side … I don’t know, this is irrational. But there’s a part of me that says, “Anyone can write one book. Writing two is actually something.” I can’t very well explain it, but the fact that I have one book I wrote sitting on the shelf in front of me and another live on Amazon for pre-order just feels so damn crazy in ways I clearly can’t put into words well.
Listen, it’s weird okay?
Now, as to the specific book. The sequel is called Life After Life (Book 3, if it ever gets finished — it will — will be called Life After for a nice little threesome). It’s about … you know what?
(ALERT: SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 BELOW.)
At the end of Book 1, our survivors — Celia, Stacy, Simon, Michelle and Brandon — are holed up in an abandoned building while the zombie apocalypse rages outside. But there are problems. One of the doors to access the building is damaged and cannot be locked. Celia’s dad’s dead body is in there with them. And most importantly, they (a) know what has to happen to end the zombie apocalypse, and (b) know that they are likely the only ones who know what they know.
Meanwhile, Mickey Lewis, an old man in Maine, lost his granddaughter when the zombies returned. He and his son are at a loss for what to do and how to go on … until they get an idea.
The last book hit on religion and love and technology. This one revisits those a bit, but there is also an examination on hope, overpopulation, family, what we live for, and of course zombies again. There’s also a surprise plot point that relates to one of my own interests that (if I do say so myself) works really well, but that’s a “buy the book to find out” situation.
Regardless, please buy Life After Life. You can preorder now! If you haven’t bought After Life, buy that one too. Sometime next year (date isn’t set yet), you’ll be able to buy Life After. And of course, Or Consequences — a non-zombie book — should be out in 2022 as well. My same deal from last year applies: If you buy a Daniel book, let Daniel know, and I will send you a prequel ebook. Bonus enticement!
Either way, I’ve been a published author for a little while now (crazy), and in a little less than two months, I will be a published author of multiple books, and let me just say, that’s the craziest damn thing I’ve ever written. And I write about zombies.