Sequels

One of my novel MONSTER’s fans chimed in on the Amazon discussion board a fan started. It is a terrific compliment I am very appreciative of:

Benny D says:
Mr. DeLeo - I am a big big fan of your work. Practicing law keeps me from being able to read them every night (although when I do 2:00 AM bed times are very common). Quick question sir, do you think we will see a sequel to Monster anytime soon? That book has got to be one of the best books written in the genre. I'm a big fan of Clancy, Thor, Flynn, Jack Murphy, etc. but I must say, you are a master at creating such fantastic dialogue!! Just wanted to let you know I would be one of many to jump on purchasing a sequel to Monster - I would hit the "Purchase" button no matter what the release date was! Thank you for the entertainment - simply fantastic!

His comment is only one of many advocating a sequel for some of my stand alone novels I receive, like The Protectors, PEACE, MONSTER, SOTELLO, and ARCHANGEL. I wrote them some time ago, but more than a few events in reality have come to pass resembling many of the plot threads in those novels. They also strike a chord with readers who enjoy the violent justice dispensed in them. When I read a comment like Benny’s, it fires me up to launch into whatever is suggested. At sixty-four, I keep getting the feeling I’m running out of time. Last year RJ and I published six of my novels, none less than 90,000 words. When we publish the third book in my Rick Cantelli, P.I. series in August, it will mark the third new novel of mine published this year, none under a 100,000 words. I’m also committed to a third book in my COLDBLOODED series right after with Nick McCarty, Gus, Rachel, Jean, and Deke the dog returning in early December. Also very soon I will have to produce the fifth novel in my HARD CASE series, or risk disappointing readers who have made it my bestselling set.

No… I’m not complaining or whining because I have a marketplace like Amazon, who provided a venue where my partner RJ Parker and I can bypass the mainstream publishing barriers to market our wares. I’m a storyteller, and when I read something like Benny D wrote, I wish I could write a 100,000 words a week. At some point next year, I am going to pick out one of my popular standalone novels, and write a sequel to it. I wish I could write sequels to all of them, but by the time I finished, I’d probably fall off the radar of readers following my more recent novels. I don’t want this wild streak to end, and I plan to ride the wave all the way into the rocks.

In new writing news, I reached 62,000 words in my third Rick Cantelli, P.I. series: Into The Darkness. I introduce a new young character, and the novel brings back Rick’s first high school love, Stacy Alden. Yep… it’s pulp fiction all the way, with violence, humor, and over the top heroes. I’m sure I’ll be receiving a review stating it’s not believable. In response I would point out the novel takes place in Cantelli-land, not reality land. :)