Lori Brighton made me love historical romances all over again with her book Wild Passions, and I am so happy she is here today to talk about Secondary Characters, because hers are all lovable! She is giving away the Demon Hunter & The Mind Thieves-the details are at the end of the post!
“You’ve Got a Friend
in Me”
I still remember quite clearly the first romance novel I
read…Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood.
I’d never read anything like it before. Anne
of Green Gables was the closest thing I’d read to a romance. But the
passion in that Julie Garwood book blew me away. I was mesmerized. I adored the
characters, and like a druggie looking for a fix, I wanted more.
I read romances because I adore the Happily Ever After endings.
But when you love certain characters and everything ends so neatly, there is no
need for a second book. So how do authors feed that need? Bring on the spinoffs
with secondary characters! It’s a fact, when you write a series of books with
interconnecting characters, you sell more. Readers invest into the “family” and
they aren’t ready to let them go so quickly.
Writing secondary characters isn’t just the perfect
opportunity for an author to sell more books. It’s a chance for the reader to
extend that fix. Fortunately for me the hero and heroine in Guardian Angel each had a brother. Of
course I immediately went out and bought their books. Not only did I love Julie
Garwood’s storytelling, but I also wanted that opportunity to reconnect with
the hero and heroine from Guardian Angel,
even if it was only for a brief moment.
Let’s face it most people who read romance novels are female.
And there is nothing more important to a woman than those close relationships
we have with other women. We need to vent. We need to discuss our problems. And
we need someone to take along when we shop! From early on we listen to our
mothers gossip with friends and sisters, and we grow up craving that bond. As a
child one of my favorite books was Anne of
Green Gables, it’s also one of the best examples (imo) of that perfect female
friendship between Anne and secondary character, Diana. Anne’s stunts just
wouldn’t have been as amusing without the more serious Diana to keep her
grounded.
But females aren’t the only ones who need friends. A hunky
hero is much more attractive when he has hunky male friends. They beat each
other up, they taunt each other, and they’ve got each other’s back. For a woman
there’s nothing sexier than a man who is popular with other men. Recently, I
picked up some Johanna Lindsey books for my kindle. If you haven’t read any of
her Malory historicals and want to see hunky, bickering hero-friends in action,
I highly suggest giving her books a try. Yes, her heroes are actually related,
but that only makes it better!
Who would Harry Potter be without Hermione and Ron? Buffy
would have been awfully dry without her Scooby Gang. Those secondary best
friends provide us with the comic relief we so need. A confidant for the hero
or heroine. The person who says what we want to say, and the person who sees
the character for who he/she truly is. It’s the secondary character who often
knows before the hero or heroine that he/she is in love but too afraid to admit
it.
But more importantly, those best friends give us the hope of
a spinoff after our main characters are living happily ever after. The problem
becomes when the secondary character overtakes the primary, and we’ve all read
books like that. Heck, according to some readers I’ve even written them! Thank
God, there’s always room for a spinoff!
How about you…Has there ever been a secondary character you
couldn’t get enough of?
Just to let you all know book one in my Hunter Series, The Ghost Hunter, is free for Amazon
Kindle, Nook and Itunes! That’s not all… book one in my YA series, The Mind Readers, is also free right now
for Kindle and Nook! To add to the pot, I’ll be giving away a coupon for a free
download (Ebook) of The Demon Hunter
(book 2 in the hunter series) and The Mind Thieves (book 2 in my Mind Readers series) to 3 people who leave a
comment!
Rules: Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you in case you are the winner & answer the question Lori asked. :) Giveaway is open until May 21, 2012 @ 11pm est.
When Ashley Hunter inherits the Inn where her father mysteriously vanished years ago, she jumps at the chance to finally uncover the truth about his disappearance. But soon after taking ownership of the decrepit building, Ashley realizes she’s in for far more than she bargained. Not only has she inherited answers to many sought-after questions, she’s also inherited spirits, demons and even fallen angels! Then Cristian arrives, a gorgeous man who insists he merely needs a room to rent. She believes him, until one by one her ghosts start disappearing...As a fallen angel destined for a life of servitude, Cristian Lucius is relegated to protecting earth from unwanted spirits. But he can’t accomplish this daunting task alone. He requires assistance from the very woman who frustrates him as much as she intrigues him. Cristian is determined to ignore his intense attraction for Ashley, and focus on his mission. If they don’t work together, they won’t have a chance in hell of defeating the demon threatening their lives. The problem is getting Ashley to trust him. No easy task, considering Cristian is the very man responsible for her father’s disappearance
Ellie has always been different, from playing with fairies as a child to fighting demons as an adult. She grew up wondering why no one else seemed to notice the oddities of the world that she came into contact with on a daily basis. When she is the only witness of a demon attack and the police suspect her, Ellie skips the country heading to England where she plans to keep a low profile. Everything is going fine, until Devon appears, stumbling around her garden like a drunken fool, and completely naked no less.Six months ago Devon sacrificed himself to bind the soul of a demon and save the world from certain destruction. Thanks to a spell gone awry, Devon is back. But Devon hasn’t come alone. The very demon he tried to destroy has returned and is wreaking havoc on earth. When Devon meets Ellie, he instantly recognizes another supernatural being. Ellie may just be the only person who is strong enough to destroy the demon, if the demon doesn’t destroy her first.
Cameron
Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows the
truth... that Cameron can read minds. For years Cameron has hidden
behind a facade of normalcy, warned that there are those who would do
her harm. When gorgeous and mysterious Lewis Douglas arrives he destroys
everything Cameron has ever believed and tempts her with possibilities
of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a
secret haven with Lewis; a place where she meets others like her, Mind
Readers. ut
as Cameron soon finds out some things are too good to be true. When the
Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to
use her powers for their own needs. Cameron suddenly finds herself
involved in a war in which her idea of what is right and wrong is
greatly tested. In the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that will
not only threaten her relationship with Lewis, but her very life.
