Tags
authors, BDSM, characters, e-books, giveaway, guest blogger, Joely Sue Burkhart, menage a trois, Raelyn Barclay, Yours to Take, zombies
I met Joely Sue Burkhart through one of Lynn Viehl’s Left Behind and Loving It ‘online conferences’ and began stalking reading everything she wrote. Over the years we became friends: cheering, crying, supporting, and giving the occasional kick in the arse to each other. It is with extreme pleasure I welcome Joely here today.
Take it away Joely!
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Surprises
It never matters how much plotting I do — the characters still manage to surprise me before I hit “the end.” When I started planning and writing Yours to Take, all I really knew up front was that Vicki wanted a menage. I didn’t know who the men were or what brought them together at first. So here are a few surprises that she sprung on me as I started writing…
- Vicki’s a switch. I suspected, given her family history (Victor, Conn, and Mama Connagher are all dominants) that she’d be dominant too. But until Elias walked in, I didn’t know that she’d also play a more submissive role. Granted, she makes him work for it…
- Jesse’s so submissive he’s scary. He’s willing to do absolutely anything Vicki tells him, which petrifies her (and me!).
- But Jesse’s also got a very strong core. I knew he was a survivor and he’s certainly seen a lot in his life, but it surprised me when he stood up to Rodgers and even Elias when it came to Vicki’s welfare. Jesse may be putty in Vicki’s hands, but if she’s ever threatened or upset, he’s a strong shoulder for her to lean on.
- Elias can be an alphahole. I love alpha men, don’t get me wrong, but he can be a jerk too. His pride is a problem that gets in the way of him reconciling with Vicki after they separated three months before. He recognizes when he’s being a jerk, but he’s not a warm and fuzzy sort of guy. He’s certainly not going to quote poetry like Conn! Luckily Vicki doesn’t take any of Elias’s shit. She’s more than strong enough to smack him down when he’s being too arrogant.
- Vicki’s favorite pastime (other than designing her own line or loving her men)… zombie movies. I love zombie stories, don’t get me wrong, but I haven’t seen too many zombie movies that I could watch more than once. She loves them all, from the old black and white Night of the Living Dead
to Zombieland.
If you’re a writer, what’s the biggest shocker your characters have pulled on you?
Readers, what has surprised you in a favorite book?
One commenter will win a free eCopy of Yours to Take: The Connaghers, Book 3
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All fire and gunpowder need is a stray spark…
The day one of her old clients gunned down a cop, former defense attorney Vicki Connagher lost everything—her passion for justice, and her lover, Detective Elias Reyes. The dead cop’s partner.
Even though she’s following her dream to start her own fashion line, it’s tough with heartache as her only companion. Until she brings Jesse, a wandering street artist, in from a freak Texas snowstorm. His submissive flirting brings out dominant tendencies she never knew she possessed, yet she hesitates to let him take her as far and as hard as she wants to go.
Some homeless junkie in Vicki’s house? Not on Elias’s watch. Pride kept him away, but as long as Jesse is staying in Vicki’s downstairs shop, he’s staying with Vicki. On the couch, but it’s a start.
As the days go by, the three work out an uneasy alliance. But Vicki’s joy at having Elias back in her life is tempered with a growing desire to have it all. Elias in her bed, and Jesse under her command. The only question remaining is if her tough alpha cop is willing to embrace all that she is…
Bio: Joely always has her nose buried in a book, especially one with mythology, fairy tales, and romance. You can find her on her website, Twitter, and Facebook. Be sure to check out her free reads!
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Raelyn Barclay 
Yikes. I don’t think my characters ever shocked me with anything. But I have had plot twists come up that weren’t on my outline. They almost always occur due to some nifty piece of research I uncovered.
Congrats on your latest, Joely!! You’re a powerhouse!
I’d asked her what surprised her most while writing the story. I bet there’s a blog post lurking in the subject of research sending you for a loop 🙂
Maria, you’re lucky then! It doesn’t matter how much work I do on character backgrounds and motivations, they always manage to spring something on me. I hear you on the research too — I’ve had to throw some plot points out after finding out it just wouldn’t work in real life. But I’ve gotten some whoppers too. Especially researching spider silk! *rubs hands with glee*
No freaking way?!?! LOL!! I haven’t written enough yet to experience this but I keep hearing about characters truly taking on a life of their own and that definitely showcases it. LOL!! Amazing…
LOL, you should check out her blog Natalie and see what Lady B has been putting her through!
No kidding, Raelyn. Lady B has been whipping me to death. *snickers*
Natalie, it’s definitely a surprise when it happens! It’s like woo-woo music starts playing in my head. 🙂 Sometimes it gives me chills when the magic starts happening. Good luck with your own writing!
During my current edit, my heroine totally went off on her family and now has some anger issues that suddenly popped up that weren’t in the previous drafts. Definitely making her more interesting to write.
So does that mean the hero will have to soothe the savage beast? 😀
Melanie, exactly! All the sudden new emotion bubbles up and it makes things so much more believable and deep. Good luck with your edits!
Very interesting, Joely! I’m not a writer, so thankfully (?) I haven’t had any writing/character surprises, but hmm… it is interesting when an author introduces a character in one story who doesn’t quite turn out the way you expect when you finally read their story later on… I bet maybe some of them were because they pulled the same kind of tricks on their authors that Vicki pulled on you 🙂 It must make it so much more interesting at times when the characters hijack the direction you’d originally thought they’d take 😉
It definitely makes the characters stand out when they hijack a story 🙂 And as a reader, I know I gravitate to those stories. Thanks for stopping by and I hope we’ll see you again.
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I love those character surprises! Yesterday a woman character told me she’s make. Surgery here I come. Fun post!
Characters DO make our lives interesting 😀