Romance Writer’s Weekly #lovechatwrite

I hope everyone had a wonderful, long holiday weekend. My was nice, with a couple of barbeques fit it and a little time at our swimming pool when it opened. However, in writer world, we really never get holidays, so much of my weekend was spent working on my next book.

This week we have been asked to write about this topic: The secondary characters (friends, family, colleagues, etc) in a romance novel can greatly influence the story. Describe a secondary character you’ve written that you can’t forget. So, as an author most of my secondary characters are thought out before I begin to write a story. They are strategically placed in a story to either introduce characters who will star in an upcoming book (since I write series) or characters who will either help or hinder the romance such as a character’s child, best friend, former lover, etc. Then there are incidental characters, think a waitress or a store clerk, who a character interacts with. They are not planned and usually play a bit part in one scene. That’s how my favorite secondary character, Marissa came to be. In my novel, Colorado Cabin in the Pines, the third book in my Peakview Series, my heroine needed a reason to stay in the small mountain town of Peakview other than falling in love with the hero. She was a school teacher on summer break, so I created a mountain adventure camp for disadvantaged youth were she could work. Her first day on the job, she was supposed to help get the new campers up on their horses. To put some life into the scene, I had her reassure a small girl sitting off by herself who was afraid of the horses. During the conversation, she asked her name, and she said Marissa. She was only intended to be in that one scene. But I instantly fell in love with her, and she ended up taking on a larger role and even helping to get the hero and heroine together. At the end of the summer when my characters fell in love and started their happily ever after, Marissa, like the other campers, went back home to her not-so-great foster home. Boy, did I get unhappy emails from readers, although my main characters fell in love at the end, as always, everyone wanted to know what happened to Marissa. So, in my next book, Colorado Wrangler, my heroine becomes her foster mom and the hero and heroine end up adopting her after they get married. She developed such a great personality that she appears somewhere in all remaining 7 books in the series 🙂 She’s my favorite because she was so unexpected, even to me, the author. You never know where characters will take you.

Now hop on over to Jenna Da Sie’s blog and learn about one of her secondary characters at https://jennadasie.com

In case you missed it, my latest novel, Montana Pines Spring Forward, was released late last week. Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4K33CWS

Free Ebook

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that book 4 in the Peakview Series, Colorado Wrangler, is free today and tomorrow for your kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDJLYCW

Download to find out if a foster child and a rescue pup help two lonely people find true love and family. You don’t want to miss this heartwarming story of overcoming fears.

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Free Ebook

Hi Everyone. MY book, Colorado Wrangler, is free February 22-25, 2017 at Amazon.com

If you haven’t read this one yet, you don’t want to miss this story. Can Melanie Gentry and Hank Dalton find their way to love in beautiful Peakview, Colorado, high in the Rocky Mountains? When a foster child and a rescue dog get added to their lives, will they help them find love or keep them apart? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDJLYCW

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Colorado Wrangler

Last day to get your copy of Colorado Wrangler for only .99 cents. Enjoy this heartwarming story of two people finding a second chance at love in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains. When a foster child and a rescue dog are added to the mix, will there be plenty of love to go around? You don’t want to miss this one. A feel good story in the true spirit of the holiday season. http://www.amazon. com/dp/B01MDJLYCW

CW COVER FRONT3 - Cassie