Saturday, March 22, 2014

Around and Around We Go!

When I first started writing, I would write a great little story and then move onto the next fascinating tale. It would be easy and fun. I’d find the new names, the new setting, and the new conflict with the next couple.

But then my brain expanded and did something strange. It started soft whispers that I might like writing a series. Huh. It was an idea I hadn’t thought of before. Why not give it a chance? So, I wrote a 4 couple novella series. The stories weren’t well written yet (we’re talking back in 1999), but I enjoyed having a band of characters who interacted. They showed up in their friends’ stories and we got to see what happened to them after their own happily-ever-after. From that point, I toyed with the idea of writing series on a more regular basis.

Time went on, I got better as a writer, and then Decadent Publishing offered me my first contract. Of course I was over the moon, but…I soon had brilliant ideas about how to make the first story one of at least three, if not more. What emerged, after many months, was my Scottish contemporary and my Scottish romantic suspense novellas. Yes, all are individual stories and they do not have to be read in one specific order to understand (I’m not a fan of those), but they are all connected in at least one way. Readers, so far, have enjoyed that. So what did I do? I wrote another book for Decadent, which eventually became Liar, Liar. The full-length romantic suspense book that stood alone…until…

I met the hero, Grady Cooper, of Liar, Liar and his hot brother. As I wrote Grady’s story, I found his brother, Scotty, played a bigger role than I’d originally planned. By the time the book was finished and for sale, I’d already accepted both Grady and Scott’s plea for the younger brother to get his own book.

Lately I’ve started taking notes about how Scotty finds love. You’d think that would be enough for now, right? Nope! While I’ve been jotting down little details on my brainstorming notebook (yes, I still write longhand), Scotty has been subtly pushing for me to give his partner a woman, too.

{{Sigh}} I guess I’ll be busy for a while!

What about you? Do you enjoy series? If so, do you like the ones that are just connected but each story is its own or do you like the type that must be read in order?

Today is DAY 3 of my Liar, Liar Blog Tour! Come follow me on this path, tweet about the tour and share the details on Facebook. For each comment you make (or tweet or Facebook post) along the way, you’ll move closer to winning one of three great prizes!


Blurb:
Unable to protect her mother from her father as a child, Devin McQueen has made it her mission as an adult to protect as many abused women and children as she can. The rare moments she’s not consumed with work as a victims’ advocate, she limits her involvements to safe, predictable men….until she meets bounty hunter Grady Cooper. He is big, bold, brash, and has no problem speaking his mind.
Growing up in a broken home, Grady realized early on that good deeds had a price.  To survive, he learned to weigh every decision by what he could gain. Unfortunately, the successful, solitary life he’s worked so hard to create spins out of control when demons from his past shake his confidence. His boss has given him one last chance—bring in Devin’s latest client quickly, and quietly and maybe he’ll still have a job. It didn’t sound unreasonable until he met Devin.

 Suddenly, Grady must make a decision: save his career or follow his heart?

Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day and a romance writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance and is thrilled to have the chance to share her stories with readers everywhere.
When she’s not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV, and thinking about exercising. Okay, she also spends way too much time interacting with readers and writers on social media sites. But don’t tell her editors! Find out more about her and her books on her website, www.alexabourne.com.

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