Saturday, August 11, 2007

Secondary characters

Thank you, Jacquelyn Frank for your gracious invitation to guest blog here today. It looks like such a warm, welcoming place, and I look forward to meeting your friends. Speaking of friends, where would we be without them? They are of vital importance in all our lives. Without them, we'd be one dimensional. That's why, as a reader, it's the secondary characters in a great book that help make it great.

Of course, the books on my keeper shelf are there because of a great plot, a certain writing style, sexy, imperfect heroes, and heroines with a bit of hellfire in their hips. Theses are all components in what makes a book a favorite of mine. Among them, are unforgettable secondary characters. It is the hero's friend and enemies who add depth to his character.

Where would Harry Potter be without Hermione and Ron?

As an author, one of my favorite things to write about are the close relationships my hero or heroine share with their friends. In my first book, Lord Of Desire, the hero's best friend is William of Normandy (before he was king). William was an arrogant, domineering, ruthless...well, bastard. It took a confident, ruthless bastard to earn his respect and friendship. William helped show me the hero's strengths, while Dante, the hero's younger brother, paved his carefree, devilish way to his own book.










In Lord Of Temptation, it was the heroine who was wounded. In her world of servitude, everything was harsh and unforgiving, forcing her to thicken her skin. But it was her dearest friend Casey who brought out her kindness, and who revealed to me (and to the hero )a part of the heroine's heart she kept hidden from her masters.













Without Madoc, Prince Gareth's commander and friend from my third book, Lord Of Seduction, there would have been no story. A detached warrior with dark, brooding good looks and an unknown past, Madoc helped set the course for Cymru's future. And he also caused quite a stir in my mailbox with readers asking for his story.




Another great thing about secondary characters is that they also make wonderful heroes.



In my December 2007 release, Laird Of The Mist, the chieftain of the MacGregor clan has a handful of rough, rowdy companions who add fun and camaraderie to the tale. One of them is his first in command, Graham Grant, a gorgeous, golden Highlander whose passion for battle is equaled only to his passion for wenches. Though his heart proves to be even less accessible than the hero's when it comes to women, his loyalty to his laird is unmatched.

"Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee what thou art."- Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616) Spanish novelist.

Do you have any favorite secondary characters who have helped make a book great for you? Tell me about them. I will choose a winner from the replies and send her or him a signed ARC of Laird Of The Mist. Check out my video trailer YouTube - Laird of the Mist book trailer

Good luck!

Paula Quinn

Find out more about my books at PaulaQuinn.com.
You can also visit me on http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/paulaquinn
Or come say hello on my message board at http://p201.ezboard.com/bpaulaquinnromance2009

18 comments:

Amy C said...

Hi Paula! Thanks for stopping by. One of my favorite secondary characters is Simon from Master of Desire. He just had this air about him. Funny, charming, very likable. I was very happy to see when he got his own story even though it was only a short. :)

Amy C said...

I just watched the trailer for Laird of the Mist! The music and the background pictures...It was good, very good!! :)

Stephanie*magic* said...

Hello and tahnks for coming by!
Hmmmm,so many good secondary characters out there,lol.
But I love John from the BDB books.
He is so sweet and wants to fit in so much.He's hurt and confussed.I cant wait for him to become a "man" and comes into his own and learns his own worth.:)

Sue A. said...

I enjoyed Anne Rice's Vampire books with Lestat as the lead. And found that her secondary characters Louis and David Talbot were crucial in making Lestat a more dimensional character. Lestat was more likeable because of the stong emotions he drew from his companions. We got to Lestat through their eyes.

Samantha said...

Hello Paula, I sometimes love the secondary characters more then the main characters only because my interest is piqued. Right now my favorite secondary character would have to be Rehvenge from the JR Ward series the BDB because he is simply "other" he's bad, he's good has lots of issues and I am swept away with all his possibilities. Another great Author at secondary characters is Suzanne Brockmann I love Jules and I can't wait for her to tell his story because damn he needs a HEA! Jacquelyn Frank, Rene Lyons, Amelia Elias, Lora Leigh, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrain (can't wait for Tegan's story there is a tortured soul) just to name a few have a talent to draw me in and make me beg for more =)

Stephanie*magic* said...

I just watched the trailer too.Very,very nice!!
Sounds like a fantastic book!
Cant wait to read it.:)

Sarah said...
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Sarah said...

I really liked Madoc from Lord of Seduction. It was the first time in a long time that I ever got really mad at a character when I thought he had betrayed Gareth by taking Tanon. I remember when she asked about a wound, and said next time she'd aim lower, and when he thought 'Gareth is a fortunate bastard' I just sighed. I just really liked him a lot.

Wow, I don't use blogger but it wont let me use my own blog. so here is my url www.kissedbymidnight.com

Jacquelyn Frank said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jacquelyn Frank said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paula Quinn said...

Hi Amy,
I'm so glad you like the trailer. It was the first time I've attempted to make something like that. I had fun making it.

Paula Quinn said...

Stephanie, I love watching characters grow. And I'm so glad you enjoyed the trailer too!

Paula Quinn said...

Sue,
Oh, Louis from Interview with a vampire. He's still one of my favorites.

Samantha,
OMG, I really need to read JR Ward!

Paula Quinn said...

Hi Sarah,
So many people have asked for Madoc's story that I'm giving it serious thought.
I read your review of LOS on your blog and it's one of my all time favorites. Thank you :)

Paula Quinn said...

And the winner is...(picked randomly by my husband) Samantha
Samantha, send your snail mail address to me at paula@paulaquinn.com.

Amy C said...

Congratulations Samantha!!! :)

Samantha said...

WOO HOO !!! I never win anything Thank You Paula and husband and Amy =) YES!!!!!

Gaby said...

Great blog, and yes yes yes to secondary characters! You are so right about Harry not going much furter than 100 pages without Ron and Hermione and omg where would Brant have been without William or Dante?

As for this new sexxxxy secondary character of yours, Graham; can't wait to see more (where he's wearing less) of him :)

Big love!

 

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