Life doesn’t always give us second chances, but when it does, the results can be magical! Hopefully (before the second chance comes along), we’ve learned and grown and gained a better idea of our purpose…what makes us happy and fulfilled.
Like many of you, I was sad when the Desire line went away. One of the challenges I faced in writing the shorter series romances (50-55K) was creating characters who were fleshed out and real. Even harder is building a love story that proceeds at a good pace and convinces the reader that this relationship will last.
That’s one reason I love creating books where the hero and heroine already know each other. There’s a level of trust. You’ve known that person a long time and (for better or worse) you see their strengths and faults clearly.
Even in a longer book like my newest release, The Southern Charmer, the previous relationship was a ship bobbing offshore, waiting to be plundered for treasure.
But here’s the pitfall… beware the info dump. We’ve all done it. We’re so eager to tell the reader everything they need to know—we rush to give backstory in huge clunky paragraphs.
Editors will see it every time and often request a lighter touch.
So there you have it. Characters who already know each other are wonderfully complex and can make a book fascinating. But all that backstory needs to unfold bit by bit. You want to be Hansel and Gretel—doling out nuggets of bread (or in your case literary gold) so the reader is compelled to keep reading.
As an aside, I’ll mention italicized “flashbacks”: these are typically very short paragraphs that offer a glimpse into the backstory. If the line you are writing for and the editor you are working with are okay with it, you can occasionally drop in a dramatic snippet from the past.
But handle with care.
Now let’s get back to second chances. In hashtag terminology, these might be called #secondchanceromance. This subgenre is very popular. It can also overlap with #friendstolovers.
In other words, your hero and heroine might have been acquaintances in the past…or actual lovers…or friends who never made the jump to intimacy. Many routes to take…
My most recent release is the third book in a trilogy. The hero was an important part of book one, and he was talked about in book two. But what about new readers who buy a book never having read the first two? Not only do you have to explain where your main characters are coming from, but you must include enough of the trilogy details to keep them from feeling lost.
I’m no guru, believe me, but my best advice is to insert bits of backstory here and there and pay attention to where you space them out. Some in chapter one, of course, but you want to continue sprinkling them along deep into the book. The reader will be excited to discover each “reveal”.
In closing, I’ll share an example. Jason and Gabby have run into each other in a coffee shop. This is from Chapter One, page two.
“I’m glad to see you, Gabriella. It’s been a long time.”
They both knew how long. Eighteen months. Tomorrow would be exactly a year and a half since that infamous June 7. The day Jason had stood at the altar and changed his mind about marrying Gabby’s best friend, Cate Penland.
That’s it. That’s all I said about the pivotal wedding that didn’t happen. A day that had ripple effects in the lives of a lot of people. Neither Jason nor Gabby acknowledges that painful day at this point. Eventually, they will talk about what he did, of course.
But for now, we hope the reader will be intrigued and will flip pages faster and faster to find the answers.
Happy writing!!!
Second time’s the charm.
When a guy leaves your best friend at the altar, you should hate him. Avoid him. You definitely shouldn’t fall for him…right? But when Gabby Nolan runs into her BFF’s ex, Jason Brightman, eighteen months after the wedding that wasn’t, one thing is certain: the secret crush she had on him in college—the one Gabby worked hard to bury—is still very much alive and kicking.
What’s worse is that Jason is no longer the immature, privileged boy he once was. The man who stands before Gabby now is thoughtful, self-aware and somehow more handsome than ever. But none of that changes the fact that Gabby shouldn’t be looking in the first place. Unlike Jason, Gabby has worked hard to climb to where she is, something he could never understand. The last thing she wants is to derail everything she’s accomplished for a guy.
Except Gabby isn’t the only one who’s been carrying a torch, and Jason’s efforts to make her smile are working entirely too well. Maybe yesterday’s mistakes can lead to a promising future—as long as the baggage they’re both carrying isn’t too much to bear.
Janice Maynard’s The Southern Charmer is out now! Check out this title and the rest of the Blossom Branch books on Harlequin.com.
