I'm always chuffed when readers write to me about secondary characters in my books and ask when they are going to get there own happily-ever-after. It's lovely to know that readers connect with characters enough to care about what happens to them once the book is finished. I'm currently in the middle of writing my seventh book for Harlequin Special Edition and with each book, new characters emerge, and with new characters there are new and endless possibilities.
What's interesting is that the romance doesn't always turn out as I might have originally intended. That's certainly the case with my September release, Once Upon A Bride. When the heroine in this story first turned up briefly in the previous book, I'd had no intention of having her fall in love with a man who'd also made a brief appearance in book two and four. But, over the course of several books it was almost as if planets were aligning and I had very little say in the matter. They were going to fall in love...with or without me!
Do you ever read a book and think, "I wonder who she/he is going to end up with?"
Sometimes it seems obvious...other times, not so much. And I've always liked the idea of two completely opposite people being drawn to one another and finding their happy-ever-after. Or perhaps it's two people who have been just friends who suddenly find themselves regarding each other differently. Or old loves who rekindle their feelings.
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Whatever the situation, if it's unexpected it can make the journey a wonderful ride of discovery.
Have you ever read a book and wondered about the secondary characters and then found them with own romance down the track? Or are there any secondary characters from books you've read and loved and who you'd like to see with a romance/happy ending of their own?
Leave a comment to go into the draw to win a copy of my September release from Harlequin Special Edition, Once Upon A Bride.
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I do love romances between secondary characters, especially if they're from a book that I've really enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you have two secondary characters who have been determined to get together all this time regardless of your intentions.
Hi Claire - I agree, when I know the characters from a previous book I always feel just a little more invested in them. :)
DeleteHi Helen
ReplyDeleteOh yes I often feel this way I love that the secondary characters in stories add so much and when you get to know them you want them to have a HEA as well love it authors write their stories
Have Fun
Helen
Hi Helen - exactly....we feel we know them and want them to get their happy ending. Thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteOh, this is exactly why I ended up writing a duet, Helen. I suddenly realised a secondary character had to have a story of his own (and luckily my editor agreed). :-)
ReplyDeleteI recently read one of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series and found myself wondering if certain characters would get their own stories (I went and read the blurbs of her books to find out). I love the sense of community that is built when secondary characters get their own books and we get to revisit with past characters. It's so very satisfying.
Hi Michelle - I love Robyn Carr, but haven't read anything of hers for a while. Must try the Virgin River series....thanks for the tip :)
DeleteI HAVE realized/recognized that there could be stories for secondary characters, so I've gone online to that author's web site to find out if I've missed a previous book or if there is an upcoming one. Quite often, it is part of a series, so that encourages me to read the rest of the books in the series. (That's the whole idea, isn't it?)
ReplyDeleteHi Laney - isn't it great how we can go and check so easily these days and see what we've missed. I love reading series where characters all end up getting a happy ending :)
DeleteSince I love series/related books I'm always looking at the secondary characters and wondering where they'll end up and with whom.
ReplyDeleteI recently wrote to another SE author to ask if there was/would be a story for a secondary character (a sister of the h). Sadly, she told me that she'd planned a book, but her idea wasn't picked up. I still want to know her story. *sigh*
Marcy Shuler
Hi Marcy - like you, I look for other characters in books and wonder if they'll get their happy ending. Thanks for dropping by :)
DeleteI like when secondary characters get their own story and HEA!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy - me too! Thanks for dropping by :)
DeleteHelen, I love secondary characters but even more than that I love characters who appear in a number of different books. I love the sound of your couple in "Once Upon a Bride"!
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara - Yes, when they appear in a few books you can really get to know them. :)
DeleteI completely understand where you're coming from when you say that the love story sometimes turns over very different from what you expected. My characters always take me by surprise in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteLike you I smile when people ask about secondary characters. I've given in once so far and written the love story of the secondary characters.
I love the idea of opposites attracting. Good luck with this one. Sounds interesting.
I love the sound of Once Upon A Bride, Helen, and how great that the heroine is a character you'd met in another story. She and the hero are obviously very determined, insisting on their relationship like that! Was it fun to write?
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I love to find out the full story behind appealing secondary characters. Fabulous cover too, BTW!