I'm going to include a synopsis of my novel and asked questions below. I think it will be easier if I do it that way.
Ships That Don't Come In is about a Vietnam veteran, Max Harris, who returns home after two tours of duty. His best friend, John, has lost a leg saving Max's life. Max hopes his family has changed but finds out his mother is just as controlling as before. He is forced into a loveless marriage, when the girl he had been seeing, Debbie, becomes pregnant.
His first child is born premature and dies after a few hours. Because of this, he and his wife drift apart. She becomes pregnant again, and he takes a job several hours away. He lives with his friend John for several years and away from his wife, before he decides to get a divorce. Debbie does not want to give him the divorce he seeks.
Max meets another woman, Sarah, and falls in love with her. She becomes pregnant by him. Before he finds out Sarah is pregnant, Max is seduced by Debbie. She says if he will sleep with her one more time, she will sign the papers for the divorce. Max goes to court, believing he will be granted a divorce, and will be able to marry Sarah. Instead, Debbie announces she is pregnant, and the divorce can't be granted.
For the next several years, Sarah and Max keep up with their relationship. She goes on to have another child. Max realizes Debbie will never give him a divorce, and his mother will never accept his other family as her own. He decides to break up with Sarah.
Later, he regrets his decision. He calls Sarah, and she tells him it is too late. She says he can be a father to the children, Blythe and Matthew, but the two of them can't have a relationship. Max makes the decision not to see his children anymore.
Max has been drinking heavily the entire time, but his drinking worsens. He is involved in a terrible accident, where he becomes permanently disabled. He continues to live with John and John's wife, Suzanne. One morning, Max awakens to find John dead from an aneurysm. Since Max can't take care of himself because of the accident, he moves back in with Debbie.
When Debbie finds out Sarah has married someone else, she grants Max his divorce. He has to move back in with his parents.
The second half of the book starts with Blythe, Max's child with Sarah, meeting Max for the first time in 12 years, and her grandparents, Max's parents, for the first time ever. It goes into how she develops a relationship with Max and how her grandparents treat her.
Max dies at the end of the story, with nothing resolved between Blythe and the rest of her family. Max always told Blythe he would be a father to her when his ship came in, but Blythe realizes that some ships don't ever come in.
So, here are my questions. First, do publishers like sequels? I have two or three other novels I can get from this book. I guess it wouldn't necessarily be a sequel but maybe a spin-off.
Secondly, Max's story covers the first 28 chapters. I feel that it is better written than the last 12 chapters, Blythe's story. For some reason, when writing the first draft, I felt hemmed in with her story, like I had to keep the book at 40 chapters. Her story could be fleshed out into a novel on its own. Would it better to be split the two and have two novels? Ending with Max's story leaves a lot hanging though.
Ok, last question. Max is an ***, pure and simple. He doesn't start out that way, but it is what he evolves into. Do you think it's Ok to have a main character who people will hate? He has his good points, and there are other good people in this novel. He just isn't always likeable.
Ships That Don't Come In is about a Vietnam veteran, Max Harris, who returns home after two tours of duty. His best friend, John, has lost a leg saving Max's life. Max hopes his family has changed but finds out his mother is just as controlling as before. He is forced into a loveless marriage, when the girl he had been seeing, Debbie, becomes pregnant.
His first child is born premature and dies after a few hours. Because of this, he and his wife drift apart. She becomes pregnant again, and he takes a job several hours away. He lives with his friend John for several years and away from his wife, before he decides to get a divorce. Debbie does not want to give him the divorce he seeks.
Max meets another woman, Sarah, and falls in love with her. She becomes pregnant by him. Before he finds out Sarah is pregnant, Max is seduced by Debbie. She says if he will sleep with her one more time, she will sign the papers for the divorce. Max goes to court, believing he will be granted a divorce, and will be able to marry Sarah. Instead, Debbie announces she is pregnant, and the divorce can't be granted.
For the next several years, Sarah and Max keep up with their relationship. She goes on to have another child. Max realizes Debbie will never give him a divorce, and his mother will never accept his other family as her own. He decides to break up with Sarah.
Later, he regrets his decision. He calls Sarah, and she tells him it is too late. She says he can be a father to the children, Blythe and Matthew, but the two of them can't have a relationship. Max makes the decision not to see his children anymore.
Max has been drinking heavily the entire time, but his drinking worsens. He is involved in a terrible accident, where he becomes permanently disabled. He continues to live with John and John's wife, Suzanne. One morning, Max awakens to find John dead from an aneurysm. Since Max can't take care of himself because of the accident, he moves back in with Debbie.
When Debbie finds out Sarah has married someone else, she grants Max his divorce. He has to move back in with his parents.
The second half of the book starts with Blythe, Max's child with Sarah, meeting Max for the first time in 12 years, and her grandparents, Max's parents, for the first time ever. It goes into how she develops a relationship with Max and how her grandparents treat her.
Max dies at the end of the story, with nothing resolved between Blythe and the rest of her family. Max always told Blythe he would be a father to her when his ship came in, but Blythe realizes that some ships don't ever come in.
So, here are my questions. First, do publishers like sequels? I have two or three other novels I can get from this book. I guess it wouldn't necessarily be a sequel but maybe a spin-off.
Secondly, Max's story covers the first 28 chapters. I feel that it is better written than the last 12 chapters, Blythe's story. For some reason, when writing the first draft, I felt hemmed in with her story, like I had to keep the book at 40 chapters. Her story could be fleshed out into a novel on its own. Would it better to be split the two and have two novels? Ending with Max's story leaves a lot hanging though.
Ok, last question. Max is an ***, pure and simple. He doesn't start out that way, but it is what he evolves into. Do you think it's Ok to have a main character who people will hate? He has his good points, and there are other good people in this novel. He just isn't always likeable.
