Author of one surprise success starts again with ‘Sourdough’

Before Robin Sloan begins writing, he lets himself experience other things, allowing inspirations to come from outside of the pages. That meant, before his new book, “Sourdough,” even began to take form, learning how to bake bread.

Following the unexpected smash success of his debut novel, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” Sloan was in a daze, without a plan for what was next.

“Imagine walking off an amusement park ride or something,” Sloan says by phone from his Berkeley home. “You’re pleasantly dizzy, and just, ‘Uh, OK!’ You have to find your bearing again.