Third time’s a charm?
I recently got a brainstorm for a third novel in the series that begins with A FALSE DAWN. I need a new project to get me through the winter. More important, I like the idea of continuing the series with new characters because I have a theme I need to explore, and it will take another book and new characters to complete that exploration.
One advantage of this new third book is that it’s self-contained; that is, readers can start with this book, without having to read the first two (A FALSE DAWN and the still-unpublished SUNRISING). Despite these changes, I firmly believe that our country’s history from the late 1700s is still largely unknown and is fascinating, besides, so I’m sticking with it. This history will make a terrific background for my latest novel.
Writing “historical page turners” (my own name for the genre I follow) has been tremendously satisfying for me as a writer. If perhaps this third, self-contained book someday finds an audience, I’m hoping that happy readers will then want to find my first two novels and enjoy them as well.
In the novel-writing business, it helps to think long-term and play the long game.
About The Author
Jeff Heller
I'm a historical novelist who focuses on Colonial America, particularly the French-Canadians who settled North America in the 1600s and 1700s. My first novel, A FALSE DAWN, features Louise, a young wife and mother who must search for her son and her husband when the English invade their home in French-held Montreal and torch the city.