Anson Record editor Abby Cavenaugh released “After the Fall,” the sequel to her debut romance novel, online last week.
“After the Fall” features the same familiar characters from “Going Home Again,” but from a different perspective. While “Going Home Again” is told in three parts alternating between rock star Michael Day and journalist Alyssa Jones’ points of view, “After the Fall” focuses on Michael’s ex-wife Tina’s perspective.
In “Going Home Again,” Michael and Alyssa begin a romance even as Michael’s marriage is failing. This sequel follows Tina as she struggles to find her own identity and move on after the divorce, meeting sexy but younger bartender Josh along the way.
Josh is a struggling musician — too similar to her ex-husband’s career for Tina’s comfort. Tina is forced to choose between pursuing a romance with Josh or breaking it off to focus on herself and her own career.
Cavenaugh said that unlike her first novel, this book was quickly completed. “I started on it in early 2014 and finished it in the fall of 2014, which is a lot less time than the four years it took for me to write and rewrite and write and rewrite and finally publish my first novel,” she said.
Even she wasn’t expecting to write a sequel. “I thought I would end up writing a completely different kind of story, but I have a friend in Japan, who used to be a pen pal, and she was the first to say, ‘Why don’t you write a chapter or two from Tina’s point-of-view?’” Cavenaugh said.
But putting Tina’s perspective in “Going Home Again” didn’t happen. “I tried to figure out a way to fit a few chapters from Tina’s POV in ‘Going Home Again,’ but I couldn’t make it work,” Cavenaugh said. “And then I just gave up on the idea. But last spring, I found myself writing from Tina’s POV and the story just flowed out of me. It was really fun to write, and I hope that people will enjoy reading it!”
Since the story is told from the perspective of the divorced wife, readers may not be able to see Michael and Alyssa from “Going Home Again” in quite the same way after reading this sequel. “In GHA, you love them to death (or at least I hope you do), and in this book, you see them completely differently,” Cavenaugh said. “Alyssa isn’t so cute or likable… you look at her the way you would if she stole your husband away. And Michael isn’t such a stud muffin to you anymore. I kind of liked looking at my characters in a new light.”
The author also enjoyed the interactions between Tina and her best friend, Roz. “When I first created Roz for a few scenes in GHA, I really did not like her, so it’s interesting that her scenes became some of my favorites to write!” she said. “It just goes to show you should always be open to new experiences.”
Cavenaugh also enjoys the scenes with Tina’s new crush, Josh. “He’s easy on the eyes, and I tried to make him somewhat funny and dorky and lovable, too,” she said. “I hope that readers will see him as a new ‘book boyfriend!’”
What’s next for Cavenaugh?
She isn’t sure. “I haven’t decided yet,” she said. “I am under contract to provide one more story in this series, if I so choose, and I’ve been throwing around some ideas, maybe focusing on Michael and Alyssa again. Or I might come up with something completely different, like a story about Roz, or maybe one of Alyssa’s friends.”
“Going Home Again” has over 4 stars on the websites of Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Good Reads. Both books are available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com in eBook form. “Going Home Again” is also available on both websites in paperback, and is available to check out from the Hampton B. Allen Library.