Horror Author Aidan Lucid: Writing the Dreaded Sequel + giveaway

Writing the Dreaded Sequel

After months or years of editing, picking the correct artist to do the cover, building up followers on social media, and planning the launch party, that long-awaited novel is finally released. Now all that’s left is bask in all the praise and relish the fact that you have managed to achieve something many don’t, you’ve written a book. When all the excitement dies down, however, there’s one daunting realisation: you have to do it all over again.

Writing a novel is bloody hard but following up with a sequel can seem like a mammoth task. If it’s a series and book one has garnered a lot of good reviews and gained a following, the second entry might seem impossible for some to work on when the bar has been set so high. Fret not, my friend. We’ve all been there and wondered whether we’d achieve the same level of success as the first. I’m currently working on the sequel to my horror novella, The Scavenger, which received great praise so I know the anxiety one feels. Like everything with life, there are ways to combat those fears, allowing an author to do what they do best: write.

1) Make a plan: Usually, when working on a series, it helps to have an overall plan for every book. This can be a simple one-page or ten-paged synopsis per novel. Some new writers, who only intended on writing one book, now have to work on another because of demand and may wonder how to follow it up. Read through book one again, making notes on where you can expand on certain themes or explore new avenues with some characters. Sometimes characters can take on a life of their own, taking the author on a journey they never originally intended.

2) Create A Routine and Stick to It! It takes some discipline being a writer because let’s face it, there are many distractions out there like videogames, chatting with friends on Facebook, looking at cat videos on YouTube. The list goes on. However, you managed to write the first entry so now it’s time to do it all over again. Go into a quiet room, unplug or switch off the phone and disconnect the internet from the laptop. All researching can be done later. The main thing is not to be disturbed and get writing.

3) Make a Website and Create an Online Presence: Now that people have bought your first book and are bonafide fans, it’s time to start taking this writing lark seriously. To succeed in today’s world, talent only takes one so far. Having an online presence is imperative. One way of doing this is to hire a web designer and have him/her create a website that fans can go to for news on all your works. Sign up to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (they’re the big three for social media). Post a few times per week with regards to how that second novel is progressing. One word of caution: steer clear of posting any political or religious views. Trust me, nobody wants to read them. They’re only interested in your characters and what happens in their next adventure.

4) Have a Cover Designed: When close to finishing the first draft, hire a designer to do a few covers. By waiting until the manuscript is nearly finished, one has an overall idea of how the story will end. Thus this allows you to have a good image of what the cover should be. It does help to have the same designer who worked on book one’s cover. This is all down to branding. That’s important too to develop a branding or look that’s unique to you. Once all the covers have been done, a competition can be run to have fans vote for which one they think is the best. That keeps them interested and informed. Later a cover reveal of the winner can be carried out on some blog tour websites and even on your own.

5) Plan an Online Launch Party: Once the final edit has been completed, it’s time to start thinking of a release date and launch party. Ideally, this should have been done prior to beginning the book but sometimes life can take over and it’s not possible. Settle on a date that feels realistic for you and is suitable for others if there’s any final work to be done on the cover or organising blog tours.

6) Have Fun: With all the commotion that goes into working on a sequel, as authors we sometimes forget this very important detail. Just have fun doing it and not get bogged down on details or deadlines. Of course, meet any deadlines that are set but just don’t get too obsessed. Being a writer, although tough, is one of the coolest things in the world. Relax, let the story flow and enjoy the process.

The Scavenger (The Hopps Town Series Book One)
by Aidan Lucid
January 10th, 2021
Genre: Horror
ISBN: 979-8593579034
ASIN: B08SPZFVLX
Number of pages: 146
Word Count: Approx. 37000
Cover Artist: SmStudioinc
Three Separate Wishes. One Twisted Nightmare!

Just like Hopps Town, their humble home, Jessica Barlow, Jared Duval, and Adrian Cole are fostering dark secrets. Plagued by loss, cruelty, and physical abuse, these friends are kindred spirits, bound by anguish and elusive dreams. They’re soon to find the key to change, but any happy future will demand they face a haunting past and brave a lethal present.

Deep in the forest on the outskirts of town, aging and nearly forgotten, there stands a well from another time. Happening upon this relic, Adrian goads his companions to join him in making a wish. Soon, difficult though it is to admit, their luckless lives do seem to shift. The only problem is, the changes aren’t at all as they’d imagined. Seemingly, they’ve only left the pan to face the fire.

Should they hope to both survive and thrive, they’ll need to pool their wits and draw on mystic inner-power. Solving Hopps Town’s greatest mystery now means life or death.

Amazon

Excerpt
After drying herself off, Jessica watched some TV in her room. As she flicked through the channels, she heard footsteps in the hallway.

“Is that you, mom?” There was no response. “Mom?” she called out again, but there was no answer.

Sighing, she got up and opened her bedroom door. Looking left and right, there was nobody around. “Mom?” Bertha didn’t respond. “Guess I must be hearing things.”

Laying back down on the bed, she picked up the remote.

Jessica rubbed her arms, now feeling cold. She felt a sudden chill in the room. She glanced at the window. It was closed and locked.

“Why is it so cold?”

As she stood up to get a warmer sweater, Jessica stopped. The girl swallowed hard and her heart thundered as her chair beside the door moved two inches...by itself.

“O...kay. That’s weird.” Approaching the chair cautiously, she pushed it back.

Opening the wardrobe door, she rummaged through all her sweaters. Jessica paused, hearing the wooden chair creak. Again her heart beat faster. Slowly, she half-closed the wardrobe door to take a look, even though every fiber in her being said not to. Shutting her eyes, the girl rattled off a quick prayer.

Turning around to face the chair, Jessica opened her eyes. She screamed as it now leaned forward, its two back legs high in the air. Tears threatened to drown her eyes as she jumped on the bed. Something dragged the chair across the room, stopping at the foot of her bed. It now fell back, resting on its four legs again.

Seizing her chance, Jessica bolted for the door. Just as she was about to make her exit, an invisible force slammed it shut. Jessica pulled at the handle, trying hard to open it.

“Come on, come on,” she said with a shaky breath, tears continuing to stream down her face. “Open, damn it!” When that didn’t work, Jessica banged on the door in desperation. “Mom, mom. Help!”

Her banging came to an abrupt halt when someone grabbed her ponytail, yanking it hard, pulling her to the ground. She cried out in pain as her back hit the ground hard. Ice cold fingers pulled up her sweater and t-shirt. Now they stroked and caressed her stomach.

“No, please, no!” The malevolent force ignored her pleas, continuing to crawl down towards her underwear.

Jessica wriggled and flailed her arms about to break free. Once more, she felt the acrid stench of a hot breath against her left ear.

“Get away from me, you sick bastard!”

She almost leaped off the floor when she heard his menacing Southern drawl, “You want me to leave you alone? Then forget about the well.” His ice-cold fingers no longer tugged at the waistband of her pajama bottoms.

The tight grip on her ponytail was gone. She waited a few seconds to see if Caleb had gone too. When the eerie icy atmosphere had lifted, she scrambled to her feet and ran to the bathroom.

About the Author:
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Since 2004, Aidan Lucid’s work has been published in national and international magazines, as well as various poetry anthologies. For a period of nine months in 2007, he was a film reviewer for the award-winning Irish newspaper, The Kerryman. From 2009 to 2017, Aidan was an assistant editor for Bewildering Stories e-zine. Lucid began critiquing novels and short stories in 2018 and continues to do so. In October 2019, his debut YA fantasy novel, The Lost Son, was released.

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When three teenagers find an old abandoned well, they make a wish. Little do they know, however, that their wishes would come through but in cruel and twisted ways. Soon they’ll find themselves fighting for their very survival in a battle against an ancient evil force. #Horror https://amzn.to/3pODWIr

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2 ebook copies The Scavenger

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