Brother of Interest Release: Sculpting a Sequel

After months—actually years—of build-up, Brother of Interest comes out TODAY, courtesy of The Wild Rose Press! As I shared in The Power of Perseverance in Publishing, I fought long and hard for this release, and at times, I truly doubted I’d meet with success. Thus, I’m thrilled to finally unleash it from its stale file in my hard-drive into my fantastic readers’ hands.

Funnily enough, I didn’t plan to write a sequel to Husband in Hiding. I’d only written standalone stories up to the time when I finished it in 2013, and I really didn’t have any interest in writing a series. I ended it with a very air-tight conclusion—which you can read here—where Minka joins Wes in witness protection and starts a whole new life.

From the little I allowed her to read, my mom encouraged me to continue Wes and Minka’s story, but I didn’t take her biased input too seriously. A month or so later, however, my writing coach finished reviewing my first draft, and without knowing my mom’s appeal to me, she, too, encouraged me to write a follow-up. Granted, she’s not exactly unbiased, either, but since she’d never made such a suggestion with my other stories, I decided to take the recommendation a bit more seriously.

I toyed around with the idea for a few days and slowed down in finalizing the manuscript. I knew the ending may well need to be revised to permit a sequel. I considered continuing the mafia storyline and having them find Wes and Minka in their hideaway, but I didn’t want to belabor that plot. I feared my audience—if I ever secured one—would be disappointed just to have all the loose ends Husband in Hiding that tied up unravel all over again.

I put the specifics on ice for a while, but I changed the ending at least, figuring it’d be best to keep Minka and Wes in Orlando in case I explored this sequel idea. I didn’t hurry to start it, especially given the fact that Husband in Hiding needed to be published before a sequel to it would be entertained by anyone. Still, I pondered if the first novel had any gaps in in that I could exploit and open up further in a second installment.

Before long, I identified Minka’s brother, Robin, as that gap. I’d revealed some details about their relationship as children but nothing about it in the present. As I mulled that over, a cluster of experiences close to home began to generate the premise. I can’t say they were exceptionally pleasant ones, mind you, but they inspired me, nonetheless.

So here’s the gist of the plot: For the past fourteen months, Minka’s been basking in the joys of new motherhood, a far cry from the life she had as a deaf police detective. She sometimes misses the rush of chasing criminals, but she finds more excitement than she ever wanted when Robin ends up at the top of the list of suspects in a high-profile assault investigation.

She may not have a badge anymore, but the sister and law enforcer in her impel her unofficially explore the matter on her own. Will she find her runaway brother? Will the evidence she unearths exonerate him…or point to his guilt?

To any of my new readers, I hope you enjoy getting to know Minka and the Avery clan! If you’d like to catch up with them before digging into Brother of Interest, download the Kindle edition of Husband in Hiding for free through Friday, February 18. The hardcover is also 25% off on KarinaBartow.com for a limited time.

And to my loyal past readers, thank you so much for your patience and ongoing encouragement for me not to give up on this pursuit! I hope Brother of Interest lives up to your expectations and gives you an entertaining escape for a few hours!

Excerpt:

“Could I talk to you about a case?”

It complimented her that Cael valued her insight, but Minka tried her best to repress her love for her former career. She didn’t want it to detract from her primary focus of caring for her baby. “Like I’ve said before, Cael, I can’t get involved. I’m out of all that now.”

“I know, but you’re going to have to make an exception this time.” His firm tone seized her attention. “A man named Perry Hamilton was found behind a bowling alley downtown last night, beaten like you wouldn’t believe. He’s president of Stags Technology, a rising software company. Anyways, we discovered he has a disgruntled employee, who’s suing him for not giving him a promotion. People overheard them arguing the afternoon of the assault.”

Minka’s fears began to materialize. “Why does this concern me?”

“Because the employee is your brother.”