Most writers and readers of popular fiction already know this – but for me it took a couple of books to drive the point home: the best way to write a series is the family approach. What that means is just give your main character in book 1 a big family and you have story lines for years to come.
I just finished reading my first complete Harlequin Silhouette Desire novel. “Quade’s Babies” by Brenda Jackson (who will be honored at this year’s RWA Nationals with the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award). So if you’re going – or not – go read one of her books now – and then you can get going with the other 89 that are in print:)…
I really enjoyed it. A quick sexy read with a predictable plot and two people with LOTS of family (Steeles and Westmorelands:), it was published in 2008, a lifetime ago in the world of romance (and she’s published plenty of books since then of course). Powerful sex scenes that didn’t use ‘naughty’ sex words and only a few tropes – the scenes were wonderfully written and did that thing we’re supposed to do when writing a sexy romance – have the sex scenes enhance the character arc and give the reader a character who ‘changes’ from one scene to the next (not a lot of change in this book, but enough to keep the reader intrigued and turning the page). I’m going to grab her new book, Courting Justice, (and likely a few more titles about the Steele’s and Westmoreland’s when I’m looking for family, brothers and good story lines in a well written contemporary romance novel).
On the other end of the coin – in terms of what you can do with brothers and a series – I am reading J.R. Ward’s Dark Lover, the first book in the multi-series Black Dagger Brotherhood series. (LOVE THIS BOOK!)…and yes, I’m late to the party here. I know it, but hey, I’m reading, so I’m thrilled. Not ready for a review on it yet, but I am recommending it (me and a few zillion other readers and fans of the ‘brotherhood’).
And hey, I do have a WIP with three brothers…so I’m thinking series, and cousins!:).
What trope do you like to use for your series? And yes, I’m calling the ‘brothers’ angle a trope because seriously – there are just too many authors that use it:)!