Friday, October 22, 2010

Dealing With A Demanding Secondary Character--Hello Series


My guest today is Romance author, Wendy Ely. Wendy tells me she never intended to write a series. Along came a larger than life character demanding her own story.

So, what's an author to do then? My curiosity was aroused and so I asked her about it.


The second book in my Desert Secret Series has recently been released. Its title is Midnight Secrets. When I started the first book (Confessions) in the series I had no idea that I would have four books planned out within a month of the contract for Confessions being offered. Actually, I never wanted to do a series at all. So how did this all come about?

I started writing Confessions with only one sentence of an idea. The characters in the book seemed to bloom rapidly and I became absorbed in every part of the story. I had recently moved to Arizona when I had started writing Confessions so everything was so new and wonderful. I had decided that Confessions needed to take place in a small town for it to ring true and then came the fictional town Wilson, Arizona. I had a blast researching the small desert towns around here and even more fun making up the shops in Wilson. I was hooked on the location from the start.

While writing Confessions, Chelsea’s sister ended up being such a strong character, it was hard to keep her in the background while Chelsea was living out her story. As soon as I started editing Confessions, I knew Allison had to have her own book. Instead of doing only a sequel, I decided at that point that I wanted to base a series around Wilson, Arizona. Readers would have the chance to watch the lives unfold of the beloved characters around the town.

I knew that Allison’s story would be next and Miguel made a wonderful hero for her. His confidence provided an excellent balance to her self-doubt. I had a great time mixing Allison’s larger than life attitude with Miguel’s respectful personality. The combination made for some steamy scenes and awesome chemistry between the couple.

The next two books planned in the series is Lost and Found with the best friend, Lisa Palmer. The series wraps up with the Montgomery sister’s enemy, Bailey Roan.

  • Writers:  Have you written a story that ended up being a series when you had no intention of it being one?
  • Readers: Have you read a book you wished was a part of a series?

Midnight Secrets

Will Miguel’s whispered midnight promises ever see the light of day?


Content with her job as small town waitress and roll of single mom, Allison believes she's better off without a man. In her opinion, all they bring is chaos - and that includes the father of her child. So why has Miguel’s arrival shaken her so badly?
It's not easy for Allison to keep Miguel a secret with someone set on shutting down her bakery and the local sheriff believing she harbors a vendetta against the town because of her tormented past.


Keeping her secrets and clearing her name just might be harder than Allison ever imagined. Excerpt

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Wendy has been interested in romance for a long time. She began her first romance novel when she was just thirteen-years-old. It certainly wasn't anything great but sparked the passion for writing romance novels.

When she’s not writing, she's usually busy taking care of her two children in Phoenix, Arizona. Wendy keeps busy with her small business and going to college. During her free time, Wendy enjoys traveling and being outdoors.


Visit Wendy Ely at http://www.wendyely.info/ or Facebook