Funny you should ask…
Five years ago I wrote the first novel of a planned young adult steampunk Australia trilogy.
Last year I discovered IF (via Choice of Games) and wrote “Attack of the Clockwork Army” (and various others, including another IF set in the same world).
Now I’m caught in an epic tangle of plotlines across a variety of art forms.
The best way to read things is:
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The novel “Heart of Brass” in which British girl Emmeline Muchamore is transported as a convict to Australia where she escapes and ultimately joins in a particular historical event (which is altered into steampunk fantasy in the novel).
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“After the Flag Fell” - which is “on paper” IF for the Windhammer Prize (why yes, I won first place thankyouverymuch) which tells the story of a specific character from the final chapter of #1 until his death.
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“Attack of the Clockwork Army” at Hosted Games, which begins when one of Emmeline’s siblings discovers she’s been transported (rather than executed, as he/she was told) and goes to Australia to join her. - The player needs to choose to play as a Muchamore sibling, or the game is altered into a slightly different story.
#2 and #3 both follow the character/s basically to the end of their life, so they effectively happen simultaneously. (A right mess for a reader trying to be chronological - not to mention the fact that all the above were published in reverse chronological order!)
I have a “canon” version of #2 and #3 in my head (which probably weakens them as IF). I also have a blog category just for updates on the ever-expanding “series”. felicitybanks.wordpress.com/cat … a-stories/
#3 is heavy with the weight of past grief (from the novel), which I think is a significant flaw. I wrote it partly because I thought it would be SO AWESOME as a reader to read a novel and then “join in” by having an interactive sequel. I also thought the two markets would cross-pollinate - IF fans would be more likely to read the book, and people ignorant of IF would be sucked in by the gateway drug of the novel (cue evil laughter). I still think there’s some value there.
To try and ameliorate the effect of spoilers, I had two versions of each character in “Attack of the Clockwork Army”. Players who choose “Muchamore” characters get the book version (and everyone else gets a slightly different version of the tale). I think this was a band-aid solution, AND it caused a bunch of confusion. Fundamentally, people + non-intuitive instructions = chaos. But the three people who get everything right are gonna love it.
I’m lucky enough in my choice of publisher for “Heart of Brass” (OdysseyBooks.com.au) to have someone who enjoys author contributions - so “After the Flag Fell” will actually be included with the novel. (I have the necessary permissions, and I’ve already been paid money for it too, so I’m pretty pleased with that.)
Things I’ve learned:
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The publication process for books averages about ten times as long as that for IF (5 years for novels compared to 1/2 year for IF after the product is finished and polished). This makes chronological stuff super tricky - much better to share a setting but NOT overlap characters or plot at all.
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They are most certainly different industries, and each work REALLY needs to stand alone.
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There will probably be a handful of people who enjoy hopping in and out of novels/IF… but most people would find it seriously disorienting.
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On the other hand, people who love IF also love fiction. They are, fundamentally, readers. Readers are always attracted to something that they trust to be good (an author name, a character name, or a setting). Readers are awesome. Always.
I happen to be writing an IF prequel right now (in a completely different engine yet again), with no overlapping characters or plot (although I tell myself the PC is Emmeline’s ancestor because it amuses me). So clearly I’ve learned nothing (except that I like my steampunk magic world and I want to keep writing stuff in that setting). At least it doesn’t have any backstory that needs to be shoehorned in!
When my publisher innocently asks me, “So, about the second novel?” my head will most likely explode.
PS What’s that you say? You want to know more about the novel? It’s coming out very soon (a month or so) and it has a draft book trailer (the cover isn’t finished yet!) at youtube.com/watch?v=ylRS7hOaZws
It’ll be available in print and digital forms when it comes out.