Although I am working on my second manuscript, and it has nothing to do with my forthcoming book, several thoughts of a sequel came to mind yesterday. Bill, my main character, spends twelve to fifteen years in Japan running a soapland, a Japanese brothel, before returning to the states. I cover this time span in a page or two. When I wrote the book, I had no plans for a sequel. However, as I continue to prepare for the book launch, and return to Bayou Cove more and more, a part of me wants to expand Bill’s journey to the Far East.
I know I can come up with some funny characters for Bill’s soapland, but less confident about being able to represent Kobe, Japan of the 1970s like I do the Lousiana swamp. It would involve a lot of research, maybe even a scouting trip to Kobe. I’m not against that, but it’s out of my budget right now. If Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is a huge success, then just maybe a trip to Kobe will be in my future. Who knows, it could become a best seller in Japan.
I feel you should go where your characters take you. If Bill leads me to Japan, I’ll find a way to get there. Let your characters tell their story. You’re just the fingers on the keyboard typing out what they say and do. It’s their history, let them tell it. After all, history doesn’t write itself.
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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody by Allen R. Hunt. My review is on Goodreads. I’m currently reading If the Creek Don’t Rise by Nancy Hartney. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.
My brother lived and taught at a university in Japan for 4 yrs. and my son-in-law lived with a family in Japan for a while. It is a fascinating place. Perhaps you could find someone online or locally who is from Japan that would converse with you about it until you could make a trip over yourself. People usually feel honored to have someone who wants to “pick their brain” about something they are experienced in.