A Sequel to The Secret Life of Bees – To Write It or Not to Write It

This might sound peculiar, but after I finished writing The Secret Life of Bees, I actually felt homesick for the pink house. I missed being with Lily, August, May, June, Rosaleen, and the Daughters of Mary. I moped around for a couple of weeks as if all my friends had moved away. I was sure that I would never revisit the story. I didn’t want to risk tampering with the world I’d created. I wanted to freeze Lily at this moment of her life, fourteen forever, living in the pink house. Then I went on book tour, and the most frequently asked question that I got from readers was: Will you write a sequel? I was surprised by how strongly readers wanted to know what would happen to the characters. I started off saying that a sequel was really not a possibility. Still the question kept coming, along with disappointed looks when I gave my answer. I began saying, well okay, it’s not likely, but I’ll think about. And that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m thinking.

Right now, though, I’m working on a second novel set in the Low Country of South Carolina. All I can say is that I’m immersed once again with characters, in a place apart, one that I will undoubtedly miss one day the way I missed the pink house.