Tuesday, June 7, 2022

UNEXPECTED #OnSale at Amazon

 Secondary Characters in UNEXPECTED



When you write a story set in a small town, the people who inhabit that town naturally become part of the story. I like to think they make Masonville feel like a real place.

But these secondary characters must have a purpose in the story, or they’re simply window dressing. For instance, I made Morley Walker, Ben’s law partner, his conscience and his voice of reason. Morley was Ben’s grandfather’s best friend, and he may be up in years, but he’s as sharp as ever. He guesses that Ben is considering running away with his stepdaughters to keep their grandparents from gaining custody. In this scene, Morley tells Ben about a new client and a new opportunity. It’s meaningful work Morley knows Ben enjoys, so he’s suspicious when Ben seems uninterested:

Ben nodded. It was exactly what he was looking for. But if he had to run, he’d be leaving his client in the lurch. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to begin a job he might not be able to finish. After the weekend visit with the Doyles, running looked more and more inevitable.

The thought of running, of leaving Jamie, caused a knot in his gut.

“Let me think it over for a couple of days.” Ben turned his attention back to his work, or at least tried to. Morley remained seated, his gaze focused on him.

“What do you have to think about?” he asked.

“The work you’re proposing is all-consuming. I have to weigh helping the reservation against the time I’ll be away from my family.”

Morley’s gaze drilled into his, making Ben fidget. “Is there anything else you’re concerned with?”

Ben tried to think of a reasonable objection. “I’m not sure the job’s a good fit for me.”

Morley folded his arms across his chest. “This is exactly the sort of work you did in Chicago. You told me you loved it.”

“This is different.”

“Is it?”

“I’m thinking about moving back to Chicago.” The lie tasted bitter.

“How does Jamie feel about moving?”

“She…” Ben turned away from Morley’s intense scrutiny. “She doesn’t know.”

“She doesn’t know? Are you thinking about leaving without her?” Morley’s eyes widened as comprehension dawned. “You’re thinking about running away with the girls, aren’t you?”

Ben didn’t know how he’d guessed his plans, but for Morley’s sake, he had to deny it. “No, of course not.”

Morley ignored him. “How far do you think you’d get? What kind of life could you make for your children?”

“I told you, I have no plans to run away.” The words sounded empty even to his own ears.

“Maybe, if you were on your own, you could disappear. But with two small girls? Not so easy.” Morley gave a disgusted snort. “When you’re caught— and you will be caught—you’ll never see your children again. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not!” Ben jumped to his feet, and his chair crashed against the wall behind him. “I only want to save my family. Is that so wrong?”

“Wanting to preserve your family is commendable. But to do it by running won’t get you what you need. In the end, you’ll lose everything.”

Later, when everything falls apart and the children’s’ grandparents, the Doyles, renew their custody suit, Morley again acts as Ben’s conscience:

“Ben, for God’s sake, can’t you bend a little? This fight could get ugly. They’ll bring up your alcoholism, dig up every drunken incident they can find and splash it all over the court. You’ll be humiliated. And do you really want to expose your children to a battle like this? They’re the ones who’ll get hurt.”

If they hadn’t all conspired against him, maybe he’d be willing to talk. But not anymore. “I can’t let them take them away. They belong with me.”

Morley shook his head. “Do you hear yourself? It’s all about you and what you want. When are you going to think about what’s best for the children?”

A secondary character has an important role to play. Sometimes they can act as comic relief, and sometimes they provide a shoulder to cry on. In Morley Walker’s case, he’s there to tell Ben the truth.


UNEXPECTED is #onsale for #99cents on Amazon from June 3-17, 2022!

 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CG2MVS7

 

Blurb:

A marriage of convenience. An unexpected love.

Single dad Ben Greyson wants only to retain custody of his two stepdaughters. A dysfunctional childhood has made family the most important thing in his life. When his late wife's parents sue for custody, a desperate Ben is left with two choices – run away with his girls or marry his next-door neighbor.

Jamie Garven wants to be a mother. She's intrigued by her handsome new neighbor and falls in love with his little girls. Then Ben is faced with losing his children, and Jamie agrees to marry him for a chance at motherhood. They're determined to show the world, and the girls' grandparents, two loving parents.

Their marriage of convenience turns into unexpected love. But Ben interprets Jamie's efforts to save their family as betrayal—they could lose everything, including each other.

 Excerpt:

The ceremony itself was mercifully short, less than ten minutes. Ben barely heard the Recorder’s words. He stared into Jamie’s eyes and clung to her hands.

“You may now exchange rings,” the Recorder said.

Jamie turned to Blair who opened a jeweler’s box and passed her a ring. Jamie slipped it on his ring finger and looked up at him with a shy smile. The gold band was beautiful and classic, much like the woman who gave it to him.

He pulled the ring box from his pocket and removed the ring. His hand trembled as he slid it on her finger. Once again nerves jangled. There was so much riding on this marriage. They couldn’t fail. What if they failed?

Her gaze met his. “Four diamonds. For us.”

He relaxed and smiled, pleased she understood what the ring meant to him. Four diamonds for the four of them and the family they were trying to create.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Ben brushed a kiss across Jamie’s soft lips. He lingered there, drinking in her sweet scent. They’d only talked briefly about intimacy and sex. He didn’t know if she was interested in him in a sexual way. He could only pray she was. It had been a long time for him…

Damon let out a whoop and Blair clapped. “Congratulations!”

Ben looked into the eyes of the woman who had just become his wife and prayed he could make her happy.

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/Unexpected-by-Jana-Richards

 


STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville Series, Coming Soon!

STRONG ENOUGH is available for pre-order now. The book releases June 22, 2022!

 Love can make you strong enough. If you let it.

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/Strong-Enough-by-Jana-Richards

 

Author Bio:

Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length contemporary romance, paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side.  She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

 

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