Edward Kay

Tuesday is not usually a big day for me. Pleasant, but nothing special. An “in between” day, if you will. But today is an exception, not just because it’s the new season of the Rick Mercer Report, but also because Dark Secrets, the sequel to my first novel, STAR Academy, has officially been released. It has been an interesting process writing the sequel. When I began the first novel, I had no specific plans for another, though I thought the characters and the concept had legs for a series, and wondered about pitching it as such. When the manuscript for book one was finished, my literary agent, Marie Campbell, suggested that we suggest it as a one-off while “leaving the door open” for subsequent books. So I was thrilled when a contract offer came back from Random House/Doubleday, with the specific condition that they would sign the first book if I agreed to write a sequel. My first thought was, “Go ahead, twist my arm…”
But unlike with the first novel, I had no specific plot planned out for the sequel. So it required substantial woodshedding to sort out where I wanted the characters to go. I humbly felt that I had set the bar very high for the first novel, and there was (I can say now) that sophomore jinx fear. Plus, some of my favourite characters were gone. The plot of STAR Academy demanded that I dispatch three of the most colourful, iconic characters that I had created. I have to admit, I mourned their loss, just as much as I had delighted in the process of getting rid of them in book one. And where was there to go, since I had wrapped everything up rather neatly at the end of the first novel?
Well, almost…
There were some intentionally unresolved issues in STAR Academy, and these became the spinal column of the new book. And though I lost some of my favourite characters, the vacuum created by their absence gave me the chance to create some new ones, who, if they never became pals (they were too prickly for that), were certainly formidable frenemies. And as before, there was lots of opportunity to satirize contemporary culture and government. As for Amanda and Derek, I had huge fun developing them and their relationship. Enough said there. You’ll have to read the book to find out exactly what transpired between them. So… long story short, STAR Academy II, Dark Secrets, is done, and, dare I say it, I think it may actually be better than the first book…
But don’t take my word for it. You can read an excerpt here. And that’s just the first few sardonic pages. It gets… more complicated. Love to hear your thoughts.

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