I just surprised myself when I created an entry for a sequel to Bound on Goodreads. What? Bound was always intended to be a standalone. And when I publish the next book, likely in Feb. or March, I will credit you guys – my amazing readers – for making it happen.

***If you don’t like spoilers and haven’t read Bound, you may not want to read on. *** For those of you who have read it, first of all, THANK YOU. It’s been my most rewarding book in so many ways. Initially, I didn’t plan on sharing that this book is deeply personal to me. Like Kate Camden, I lost a baby about halfway into the pregnancy. But in the first days of publication, when I started getting emails from women saying they’d been in tears while they read because they’d lost a baby, something made me write back to them – me, too. I’ve been there. I know how people who mean well can minimize the depth of a miscarriage or stillborn baby by either saying nothing or telling you that you can try again. From the time we find out we’re expecting them, every baby is already our baby in our hearts. And the loss of one is incredibly painful.

I’ve seen reviews from readers who said they were disappointed by Bound’s ending. They wanted more. The book’s ending was deliberate on my part. Some women choose to try again after the loss of a baby, and others don’t. It was very important to me to honor both choices. I wanted to show that it’s possible to heal and move forward either way.

But it turns out my readers knew better. I thought about this a lot, and spoke to The Three, my trusted writing advisors. Initially, two of them were like me – no second book. But then when I told them I’d been up at night because a storyline had taken hold in my head, they listened. (This is why I love them.) And then they agreed that yes, there was a full book there with a powerful message that would only add to Bound Book One.

The outlining process is nearly complete. I can hardly wait to begin writing this book. I’ve never been as nervous as I was when I hit publish on Bound. I wanted so badly for it to resonate with readers and be a voice for something that’s often not discussed openly. I know I’ll feel every bit as nervous about publishing the second book. But knowing that it’s what my readers overwhelmingly want gives me a confidence I didn’t have before.

We’re not done with Ryke and Kate yet. And if you think Book Two will be a shinier, happier story, well . . . I’ve cried while outlining it. I can promise you it will be real, it will make you feel and when you’re finished with it you’ll have the sense of completion a lot of you were missing at the end of Bound. I can’t wait to share it with you.