A Second Book about a Second Sister by a Second Daughter

By Catherine Matthews

In preparation for writing my second novel, Roadside Sisters, I brushed up on the common characteristics of siblings by birth order. While certainly not preordained or immutable, there is some validity to the theories and logical reasons they play out in the way they do. I, like the character Molly, am a second born. I can attest to a textbook adherence to most of the typical qualities. I suspect my parents demonstrated a commensurate textbook shift in parenting strategies when I came along that led to that. A second book is like a second child for many of the same reasons. 

 

The second book-baby does not get your undivided attention. 

Writing my first book was a challenge. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to make mistakes and learn from them. After all, writing Releasing the Reins was the sole focus of my writing life then.  

 By the time I started plotting my second book, Roadside Sisters, I was fully engaged in publishing and marketing my first book. My headspace for creative contemplation was now partially occupied with setting up an LLC, hiring editors, designing a cover, marketing, and producing an audiobook. With a haphazardly packed briefcase on my shoulder and Roadside Sisters on my hip, I dragged them along to all the Releasing the Rein’s events.  My first book was written at carefully curated times and serene spaces. With Roadside Sisters, no place was too loud or busy. I wrote in airports, coffee shops, and my husband’s truck. I wedged writing between creating ads and book club meetings. A five-minute window was all I needed. 

 

 What you lack in time, you make up for in experience and knowledge. 

Fortunately, I had more experience and knowledge after my debut novel, which gave me more confidence. From the time I typed Chapter One on Releasing the Reins until I sent my manuscript to the formatter, I was filled with self-doubt. Can I keep this book alive to see it published? Have I nurtured it properly? I questioned every decision. I took classes and read craft books. I considered the readers’ experience and future reviews. I wanted it to be perfect as defined by everyone else.  

 When I started the second book, I had a body of strong reviews. I pulled those out when self-doubt reared its ugly head. I had a sense of my voice and a compass for the story. By then, I embraced the idea that success did not mean every reader loved my book but that it deeply touched the hearts of my readers. Perfect was defined by me. 

 There’s no modeling for the first born. 

Early on, I remember having coffee with some writer friends who asked me if I was a pantzer or a plotter. I had to look that up. That’s how little I knew. After a quick Google search (my go-to strategy as a first-time parent), I replied, “I am a pant-plot-tze-ter.” I had no strategy. I tried everything until something worked. After chapter seven, I realized that I started the book at the wrong place. I started over. After chapter forty-seven, I decided I was using the wrong POV and had to rewrite the prior chapters. I had no model for writing a novel.  

 With Roadside Sisters, I had a plan and strategies to carry it out, thanks to the successes and failures of my first book. With confidence that I could produce a quality novel, I knew what to let go of and what to worry about. Before that first word was written, I had a detailed outline. I poked around for plot holes and filled them. I thought about all the peripheral elements that quickly become central when forgotten. Who’s going to tell this story?  Where does this story begin? What’s the underlying question I am exploring? I let go of the need for a quiet and spotless space to write in. I quit worrying about perfectly formed sentences in first drafts.  

Books are resilient. 

Perfection is seductive. Who doesn’t want to produce a debut breakaway bestseller? When I typed THE END, I naively thought I was done. I was so proud of my creation. The truth is no first draft is perfect no matter how good the writer is. The first draft has little to do with the final success. Still, criticism is hard to swallow. After all, I took classes, did research, and wrote my very best words. Every writer must learn to seek and accept feedback. With my debut novel, I came to that conclusion with the anxiety of a first-time parent at their first Christmas dinner where every aunt has helpful parenting advice. 

I learned throughout that process that feedback was essential to improving my novel. When I finished my first draft of Roadside Sisters, I sought feedback. I added a developmental edit when I had a sense I hadn’t gone deep enough. Handing it off for that level of comprehensive feedback can be overwhelming but I took a step back and breathed. I knew I needed feedback to make the story the best it could be. I also had the confidence, knowledge, and experience to let some suggestions go when they did not feel right for my story.  

Second place has its advantages.

As a second born, I’ve always been a competitive person. First always seemed best. First place. First in show. First on the bestseller list. Just as a parent grows with each child and adapts to the demands of an expanding family, a writer and their writing life grows with each book. Every subsequent book should be better as I gain skills and experience. As my backlist of novels increases, so should my strategies. Not better or worse but different. The key is to be aware and to give each new novel the time and attention it needs to be the best that it can be while attending to the post-publication needs of your other novels. Don’t be surprised if your second novel is a bit rebellious, though. Research says that’s normal. 

—

Catherine Matthews is a Pacific Northwest author. Through her novels, she tells the stories of strong women finding the courage to face the storm and live their dreams—usually in the company of a faithful hound.

Catherine’s debut novel, Releasing the Reins, earned the 2024 Fall Pencraft Award Best Book for Women’s Fiction. It is a finalist for the 2024 BookLife Prize for Mystery and Suspense and was a 2022 Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) Literary Contest Finalist. Her essay, Deeper Than Social Connections, is featured in the anthology Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 (Jennifer Haupt, Ed.), winner of the 2021 Washington State Book Award for general nonfiction.

Catherine serves as a board member and the Vice President of Technology for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs.

Catherine is up before dawn to start her day writing—always in the company of her two favorite hounds, Delta and Buttercup. When she’s not writing, she funnels her creative energy into breadmaking and photography.

 ROADSIDE SISTERS 

Four states, three sisters, two dogs, one disappointing roadside attraction, and far too many secrets . . .

When Molly Casey asks her sisters to drive her home from Reno to Seattle, they’re reluctant—until they learn she has cancer. Recreating the last road trip their family took before everything fell apart, she hopes to heal the rift between them. Instead, misunderstandings and repressed grievances explode across state lines.

As painful revelations spill out like dirty laundry from an overstuffed suitcase—an accident, a withheld letter, a lineage laced with lies—their fragile connection threatens to break irreparably. Clinging to their scars, the sisters refuse to own the wounds they’ve caused, leading them to question if forgiveness can prevail when the deepest wounds are inflicted by those we love.

As tensions mount, Molly’s plan to bridge the chasm between them seems doomed. But when Molly’s condition worsens, the sisters are forced to confront their unresolved feelings and decide if it’s possible to release their grip on the past before it’s too late.

Told through heartache, laughter, and moments of unexpected tenderness, Roadside Sisters is a powerful story about family, forgiveness, and the secrets that divide us—unless we choose to set them free.

BUY HERE

 

Category: How To and Tips