Why the Sequel?

Over the last couple weeks I've been asked, "Will, why the sequel?" and "Is this a trilogy?"

I figured I'd go ahead and answer this for anyone curious. Originally, I had only intended to write one book. That was only because of the way the idea had come to me and how quickly the idea grew in my head. But I was only halfway through writing it when the idea of the sequel came to me. And just like the first, it quickly grew in my head until I found myself mapping out chapters before I'd even finished writing Of Humanity Lost. Because of this I was able to intricately intertwine the stories of both books. If you've read the first one and the preview of the second, you may not think so, but I kept with the same style of flashbacks and I'm excited for how they work together.

As for a trilogy... The answer is no. I have some characters that I really like and would love to explore further but I don't feel it's fair to write a third for the sake of making a trilogy if I don't have a good idea or a way of tying them all together. That's not to say that an idea won't come to me. The first book follows Ben, the second follows another person, and there are two other characters that are heavily involved in both, so much so that one could be a prequel and the other a sequel. If you can't tell, I've actually given it a lot of thought, but as of right now I have to say that I don't have a story-line for either that I feel is worth sharing.

This doesn't mean my passion for writing will end here though. Before all this I was working on a massive 6-part series of novels. I still add notes and ideas to that series but have not completely formalized the whole thing to the point I'm ready to write. And during the last year I've had an idea for another story that I feel might be a short but could develop it into a full novel. As it stands, both are a ways down the road while I focus on this sequel that I hope you look forward to as much as me.