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Responding to: 2. If there was a sequel or prequel, what would it be about?
@Logan, I’m guessing if GRK keeps a list of all the questions and comments he gets from fans, “You should write a sequel” would be in the top 5. So, good pick for today’s discussion topic!
I tend to be skeptical about sequels. When you find a new favorite book, of course you want to find out everything about the characters and what becomes of them. A “part two” sounds really appealing. But unless they planned the book as part of a series, most authors tell the story they want to tell and end where they want to end. Picking up the same characters and settings but having to create a new storyline isn’t easy, and most readers will complain that the sequel wasn’t as good as the original. Not much incentive for the author if that’s the most likely outcome.
In the spirit of the day’s question, though: My initial thought about a sequel would be to refocus on Logan and follow his family after they depart Boxelder. Trey might make a token appearance (maybe Logan calls him for advice or runs away and briefly reconnects with Trey at some point) but the story would really need a new protagonist. The problem: How does Logan’s story differ from Trey’s? If Logan has a similar journey to ethical enlightenment as Trey did, it would feel kind of repetitive. And if he doesn’t have a similar story arc, it probably means he doesn’t reform—and it’s hard to get excited about a kid who unrepentingly follows in his parents’ criminal footsteps.
@Logan: You do present a pretty compelling new story arc. I bet you could repurpose some of those ideas in a story of your own, with new characters you imagine and bring to life.
@E.W.: Your comment that “FAKER is a little bit too short of a book” echoes other comments about the length. I’m not sure about word count, but looking back at page count of other recent GRK books, it appears FAKER is about 10 percent shorter. I actually noticed the smaller number of chapters more than the overall length. I am just guessing based on genre information online, but I’d guess FAKER’s page count just above 200 is a more traditional length for a middle grade novel than something like MASTERMINDS or NOTORIOUS or UNPLUGGED, which are well into the 300s.