The book industry loves a debut novelist; the thrill in finding that fresh new voice. But what happens when the sheen of first fiction wears off and the pressure is on to draft a novel to rival, or even better, the first? Broadcaster Pat Kenny talks to Kathleen MacMahon, Liz McManus and Donal Ryan about the challenges of publishing that second manuscript. Kathleen MacMahon’s second novel, her follow-up to This is How it Ends, is being released this summer; 23 years have passed between Liz McManus’ first and second novels; and award-winning author Donal Ryan famously had his second manuscript published ahead of his first.