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Over to Helen now...
What ever happened to…..
I get asked this question regularly - what
am I writing next for Harlequin Special Edition and will there be any more
books set in the small Australian beachside town of Crystal Point? Well, I’ve
just signed a new contract for three more books which will keep me busy for the
next eight months or so, and yes, they will be set in my favourite little
Downunder town that sits at the most southern point of The Great Barrier Reef
In my current release Date With Destiny,
readers get to meet the hero’s sister and she is the heroine in what will be my
fifth book for Harlequin Special Edition. After that there will be two
more….and who knows what will happen then…the more characters I meet in these
books the more inclined I am to want to give them their very own happy ending.
And readers seem to want this too. It’s wonderful getting a reader email where
they ask about a certain secondary character who has touched or resonated with
them in some way. And I get this question regularly about a character called
Mary-Jayne Preston…a free-spirited brunette who wears her heart on her sleeve
and who somehow seems to pop up in every book and is yet to find her own
happily-ever-after. But she will, I promise. Her story is planned for book
seven and I am so looking forward to watching this character meet her match and
fall in love.
Whenever I read a book and discover and
interesting secondary character I always look forward to discovering that this
character is the hero or heroine in this author’s next book. I enjoy the
familiarity, the sense of ‘coming home’ to people and places I’ve met before.
And I’m always happy to hear from readers if there is a character they would
like to read about in another book.
Have you every wondered what happened to a
certain character in a book you loved? Did they get their happy ending or
perhaps their comeuppance?
I have a copy of Date With Destiny to give
away to one commenter.
Financier Grace Preston did fourteen-hour days in New York City. She didn't do small towns in Australia. Not since she'd fled almost twenty years ago. But when a personal trauma sent her home-with a secret she couldn't reveal-the last person she needed was her first love.
Local cop Cameron Jakowski had loved Grace for most of his life. But he wanted marriage and family and she didn't. He was small town, while she was big city-and lived half a world away. But for now she was right here-a walking, talking temptation. One he managed to avoid...until he made one mistake. He kissed her. And reawakened the passion that could change their lives...forever.
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To celebrate the release of Date With Destiny I have a copy to give away to one commenter.
Watch this:
Congrats on your new contract, Helen!
ReplyDeleteLoved the trailer, ladies :)
Nas, see you back here in September.
Hi Carol - yes, Nas did a fabulous job on the trailer. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteWay to go, Helen! And yes, HEA for everyone! lol
ReplyDeleteHi Donna - definitely HEA's all round! Thanks for dropping by today :)
DeleteI really enjoy series where secondary characters get their own stories. It's like returning to visit with old friends :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new contract, Helen.
Hi Shelley - I think that's it exactly...thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteThat's awesome, Helen! Best of luck with your next few books :)
ReplyDeleteHi Maradeth - thanks for stopping by today and for your nice words :)
DeleteGood luck with your upcoming books... really enjoyed the trailer:)
ReplyDeleteHi T.F - I love the trailer - Nas is so clever. Thanks for dropping by to check it out :)
DeleteI love when authors take a character from one book and make him/her the MC of another. It's so much fun seeing more of a character you loved.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly - you're right, it's great seeing more and watching them get their own HEA. :)
DeleteCongratulations on the new contract, Helen! Yowza, you're planning to churn out three new books in the next eight months??? Holy hot tamale! Excuse me while I go jump off the roof...
ReplyDelete(Just kidding. It isn't your fault I write slower than a snail with arthritis.)
I like the idea of recurring characters and later books picking up on a minor character's story and running with it. It deepens the readers' connections to the story.
Hi Susan - thanks for the congrat's. I'm not that fast....really :) the books are plotted and partially written already. And yes, seeing old character's get their own story does make the reader feel connected. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteOh my, a town on a beach name Crystal Point? Yup. Have to visit there.
ReplyDeleteI love it when you get so wrapped up in secondary characters and then the author pens out a novella or short story just to appease us hungry readers.
Hi Crystal - yes, do visit! The town is actually modelled on the town where I live so I'm probably biased as to how lovely it is. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteInteresting secondary characters always add to the texture of a book. Congrats on that contract. That's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHi Clee - you're right...adding texture is a great way to describe it. Thank you for the Congrat's and thanks so much for dropping by and commenting :)
DeleteNice to meet you, Helen.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your question, I think it's a testament to the skill of the writer when a reader wonders if characters get a happy ending... or in the case of a not so likeable character, the comeuppance they so richly deserve.
Hi William - nice to meet you too :) And yes, the way a writer develops the story can make some characters come alive even if they're secondary characters. :)
DeleteI always enjoy learning more about secondary characters- it adds a new depth to the storyline.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new contract, Helen!
~Jess
Hi Jess - thanks for the congrat's :) And for stopping by today.
DeleteI want to read more about Grace and Cameron.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Helen.
Hi Medeia - thankyou. I hope you get to read their story too :)
Delete