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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