K.A. Linde on The Robin on the Oak Throne not having the Second Book Syndrome
K.A. Linde chats why second books are her favourite to write, and why The Robin on the Oak Throne is her best work to date.
The Robin on the Oak Throne is the sequel to the bestselling The Wren in the Holly Library. Writing a second book could be daunting, especially with all the pressure from the first one’s success and the looming deadlines. However, K.A. Linde took the challenge like a champ and created a stunning sequel. To celebrate the release, we invited K.A. Linde to chat about how the “second book syndrome” didn’t faze her.
Guest post written by K.A. Linde, author of The Robin on the Oak Throne.
Second books are my absolute favorite to write.
This may be taboo. I hear so many authors and readers complain about second books. That they’re slow or nothing happens or that it just can’t compare to the first book. It’s bad enough that the industry has dubbed it “second book syndrome.”
Many people have talked about why it happens, but I can name a few: the author has never written a series before (it improves with experience), they had a vision for one book and now it’s a series, loss of novelty (ie you just loved the first book so much), success pressure, publishing expectations, etc. These are all absolutely valid reasons to struggle writing a second book. Sometimes authors just get the twisties. In gymnastics, even Olympic level athletes can get stuck in their head and it can be very dangerous. Authors luckily are not in actual physical danger but psychological danger.
It’s happened to me before where I was 50k words into the second book in a trilogy. I was talking to an author friend about the plot, because something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. When we finally figured it out, I had to frantically rewrite the book in a matter of weeks to reach my deadline in time. Do not recommend.
So how did I avoid this with The Robin on the Oak Throne? The first book, The Wren in the Holly Library, was a big success and there was a lot of publishing and personal pressure. I am a self-labeled perfectionist which can be good and bad in these situations. I cannot deny that I was stressed while writing it. I definitely felt someone looking over my shoulder with an inner voice asking if it was good enough. Thankfully I’m past that enough to say that I think it is my best work to date.
I had a few things going for me. First, I’ve written seven trilogies in both fantasy and contemporary. So I had experience and tricks to push through. Second, I have a great support network of authors who have also been there. Finally, I simply enjoy writing the middle books. To me, the middle book is where I get to blow everything up. I get to test the character development, test the relationship, put them through all the worst things they can imagine, and break them to see if they can make it through. No one has earned their happy ending unless they have been put through the gauntlet.
Come read my second book, The Robin on the Oak Throne, and earn your happily ever after.
