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I cannot wait until this book comes out.  You ladies are such teasers!

Good Morning and Happy Fall to everyone!

I think that until recently I really did’nt care either way about secondary chararacters, I am finding authors are using secondary characters ,how do I say this more?, better? in more of an interesting part of their stories, so yes, I think because of great authors and their writing, they have the ability to bring out that, “what if ” for those secondary characters. Also for some reason secondary characters seem to be more likable, interesting and hold their own in the story now days. I don’t always feel this was the case. I will chalk it up to wonderful writers like all of you! LOL!

Thanks for having us here today, Angela!

Pam—Of course, we tease! It’s what writers do. I always tell my husband he married a hooker. (I’m talking about writing hooks. Where is your mind?)

Jane L—Secondary characters are a writer’s best friends. We use them to provide exposition, to carry the humor ball, to plant needed information in ways that don’t seem like plants, to provide a foil for the protagonists, the list goes on and on!

I think part of why you’re noticing them more now is that we typically have other POV characters besides the H/h. Romance used to be strictly the heroine, then perhaps a little from the hero. Now the sky’s the limit. If you get to live in someone’s head for even a page or two, they make more of an impression. I probably have 5 POV characters for my books on average.

Emily -

Do you have so many POV characters even in novellas, and was it a hard sell to do that?  Your comment was interesting, because you often hear to limit secondary characters, espec. in category romace.  Thanks for posting.  Sounds like a great book.  Why did they decide to launch in Sept?  (Or do you know?)  ; )

Emily,
You bring up some great points here. In thumbing through someold stories and now reading yours I see the huge difference in the way the secondary characters have been presented. I love your mix of characters in your books, that is probably why I love reading them, it keeps me interested and isn’t just the hero and heroines POV all the time. But I do find when I am writing, I have a hard time peppering in my secondary character to make them have a purpose and also be believable, does that make sense. I feel like I learned the old fashion way or picked it up in my reading, and have a harder time applying my secondary characters to my stories. It is coming, but a difficult thing for me.

Hello again to Emily, Alissa and Ashley!

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any secondary characters who I’d like to see get their own book…. but I just finished reading Anne Gracie’s His Captive Lady and was glad to see secondary characters Ethan and Tibby (from the first book in the series The Stolen Princess) continue their love story in His Captive Lady.  They remained secondary characters in the next novel but it felt good to see their love blossom and see them get married and have their own HEA!

Hi ladies,
I would like to see Anne Mallory’s Faye and St. John get their own book.  They’re strong characters and there’s a simmering attraction between these two.

I absolutely adore Christmas stories and have gathered quite a collection of them. I’d love to add this book!

Bobbi-My involvement in A CHRISTMAS BALL was one of those blessed “by invitation” contracts, so there was no selling involved. And I did used multiple POVs in MY LADY BELOW STAIRS (6 by my count!). There are several interconnected story threads on a collision course and no one character is involved in all of them until the end, so I needed all the different POV’s to tell the story.

As for why Dorchester decided to release the anthology at the end of September, I suspect it’s so it will sell for 3 months instead of one. Plus if it does well, there’s time for a second printing. (Crossing all fingers and toes!)

Jane L—POV has to serve the story. You tell the tale from the most engaging viewpoint, the one with the most at stake. Ask yourself which character in a scene will have the mostly lively observations, the most pithy thought life about what’s happening. There’s your POV character and it may not be your H/h.

Etirv—A secondary romance is always a good plot device because it creates a foil for the primary couple. When one is settling in, the other can be in upheaval, etc.

Jane—Must confess I haven’t read Ann Mallory, but any couple simmering always piques my interest!

LuAnn—We really had a great time putting this anthology together. Hope you love A CHRISTMAS BALL.

Ladies -

Thank you SO MUCH for dropping by! For me, secondary characters are sometimes even more important than the main characters. They offer humor, insight, drama… or whatever else an author needs to develop. There are some incredible plot devices utilizing secondary characters, and sometimes, they are so popular they are granted their own story.

I know a lot of folks who will do Christmas shopping early this year, so the release of the book in September is all good. It is a terrific stocking stuffer.

Take care! And thanks again for stopping by Book Addict! It is always lovely to host you.

Hi everyone!

Angela—Thanks so much for hosting us!

Jane L—Working in secondary characters in a way that feels natural can be tough for me too, but it’s a challenge I enjoy. . .Most of the time. : )

Etirv—The only thing better than having secondary characters be engaging is having them engaged in their own romance.  Two for the price of one.

LuAnn—I hope you get the chance to add A Christmas Ball to your collection.

Hi everyone, and thanks for having us, Angela!

I love well-rounded secondary characters, reading them as well as writing them. They make stories more “real.” I write a lot of series, so my most important secondaries usually get books of their own. I enjoy taking secondaries and making them primaries, because I can flesh them out and develop them to my heart’s content.

So it’s a challenge as Alissa says to write secondary characters well, but such fun!

Secondary characters can augment, enhance, reflect, and define secondary characters. None of us lives in a vacuum, and a good story’s hero/heroine doesn’t either. The leads’ personalities can be scoped out as they interact with the secondaries. And the secondaries can move the story along either through positive or negative interaction. My favorite books have rich characterizations of the “supporting cast”. I’m looking forward to reading A Christmas Ball. It’s never too early for Christmas!

Barbara—So true. You never see a character so clearly as when they are reflected in the eyes of those around them. Thanks for sharing.

If a book is really well written, then the characters are well developed.  As a result, there are often secondary characters that help make the story and need one of their own.  Julie Garwood had such characters in many of her books.  I just finished THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER.  It is planned to be the first of a series and needs to be.  Every one of the Guard needs their own story - a full book, not just a novella. 
Good luck with CHRISTMAS BALL.  We’ll be on vacation when it comes out, but I’ll be looking for it.

Thats some interesting Characters but I would have to know them better to pick one that sould have its own story.
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I love when secondary characters get there own story because then you get to revisit the world and check-in with the original couple. I can not think or anyone right now but I know i have written authors and asked what happens next.

I love seconfary character and it’s a good thing that in the land of romance they usualy get their own story.
I recently read Girls of Summer by Barbara Bretton. I loved all the characters but there was one particular couple that was facing some crises. The book ends with some loose ends and I wish BB would write their story *sigh*

Pat—I’ve heard nothing but good things about Miss Percy!

Stacey—Guess I wasn’t clear. I meant secondary characters in books you’ve already read. My bad.

Lindsey—Yes! I love cameos from past characters. That’s why my pirate hero reappears in VEXING THE VISCOUNT.

Emmanuelle—I’m not familiar with Barabara Bretton’s work. I’ll have to look for her. Thanks for the tip!

Derek Craven (Dreaming of You)and Nick Gentry(Worth any Price), who both started as secondary characters in other Kleypas novels.

Kimmy—You’re right! And now that I think on it, a group of Avon authors (including my friend Elizabeth Boyle) did an anthology a couple years ago called HERO COME BACK that featured secondary male characters from some of their other books as the hero in the novella for than anthology.

I usually love all secondary characters! Expecially the one’s in Gena Showalter’s books! Theres TONS I’d love to read about form her!

Chelsea—I agree. Gena’s work is brilliant!