Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley. Willow and Oz. Betty and Barney Rubble.
You've probably figured out by now what the couples from the book Pride and
Prejudice, the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the cartoon The
Flintstones have in common: They're involved in secondary romances.
Now here's my shameless confession: I adore secondary romances, often
considerably more than the main event. In
THE HERO'S SIN, my
February release from Superromance that starts a new series, the secondary hero
relentlessly -- and, I hope, charmingly -- pursues his ex-wife. Part of the
reason their marriage broke up was because his favorite pasttime was getting
drunk with his buddies. I wouldn't give the primary hero that flaw unless there
was a deep, dark reason he was drinking.
In the second book in the
RETURN TO INDIGO SPRINGS series --
THE STRANGER'S SIN, coming
out in May -- the secondary couple is in their sixties. They were great fun to
write but I wouldn't have put their romance front and center.
I've heard some readers prefer books containing a single romance, and I've
certainly written some books that qualify. If the execution is right, though, I
believe the secondary romance can enhance the primary. To this romance-loving
author, it's a double dose of goodness. So what do you think about secondary
romances? Do you love them? Or can you leave them?
Darlene Gardner
www.darlenegardner.com
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