A first impression, a second chance, and something definitely worth waiting for...

The thing about debuts is they’re a bit like that old saying: ‘You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.'

Well…sometimes you do.

Take my debut crime novel, A Time for Dying, or instance.

It’s barely out of nappies.

It’s not long out of the cradle.

And already it has a following as long as a packed queue for the overnight express from Edinburgh to London.

Or vice versa.Which is nice.

Some would say very nice.

It's full of great first impressions.

(And, hopefully, excellent second impressions, too).

But that’s the thing...

Once you’ve got your debut up and running, what happens then?

Do you write something different?

Do you create something similar?

Do you give birth to a sequel?

Or even a threequel?

One thing’s as sure as death and taxes…

Once you’ve written your first crime novel…how can you not write another one?

That would almost be a sin.

There might even be a law against it.

It would have to be kind of the same…but completely different.

It would have to be something like the original…but absolutely one of a kind.

Or two.

It would have to be another exciting adventure with DI Tom McHale and his team of clever-as-hell serial-killer hunters.

And it would have to be definitely, positively worth waiting for…