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Shana Galen | When Characters Surprise Authors
March 6, 2014
What happens when a supporting character in a book gains a following? Lily was
always going to get her own book, as she is one of The Three Diamonds, glamorous
courtesans and the heroines in my Jewels of the Ton series.
What I did not expect was how popular she was going to be with readers before
her book, SAPPHIRES ARE
AN EARL'S BEST FRIEND was even released. Readers definitely let me know they were ready for Lily's story in emails,
Facebook posts, and tweets. When are you going to write Lily's book? I can't wait for Lily's story! Lily is my favorite character. Andrew is dreamy. What do you mean March of 2013? It's the third book? I could sense readers' impatience that Fallon's book IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A
RUBY was released before Lily's. Even my friend emailed me, "I have
wanted to read Lily's book since before it was written." No pressure!
Especially considering it still hadn't been written! I was really a little perplexed over the Lily-mania. Lily had a handful of
scenes in WHEN YOU GIVE A
DUKE A DIAMOND, and Andrew had even fewer. They only had one scene
together before SAPPHIRES, and yet, my
readers knew that they were perfect for each other. Perfect for each other,
even though Andrew, Lord Darlington, fancied himself in love with Juliette the
heroine of WHEN YOU GIVE
A DUKE A DIAMOND. Try writing yourself out of that plot twist. Plus, I
killed off Andrew's mother in DIAMOND, and he was off
in the country dealing with his grief. That's not exactly a state conducive to
falling in love. As the writer, you would think I would know right away that there was magic
between those characters, but usually I'm too close to the work to see it. When
people fell in love with the idea of Lily and Andrew, I hadn't really thought
about Lily's book, much less written a word of it. I had an idea for the book,
but an idea is a long way from reality. I hope their story lives up to readers'
expectations. I know it turned out to be one of the most fun books of the
series. And it's gratifying to know so many people loved Lily and Andrew before
their story was told. I'm thrilled to share a snippet now.
She'd dreamed about the kiss, of course. She was exceedingly weak-willed in
her dreams. She'd dreamed of Darlington's mouth on hers, his hands moving over
her flesh, the delicious weight of his body hard and solid on top of hers... Lily drank more chocolate. How had Fallon known Darlington would be such an
impediment? He'd never so much as looked at her before! And now he would not
leave her alone. It pained her to treat him so coldly, but she had no other
choice. Her mission was paramount. And perhaps she hadn't needed to be quite so
cold. But it galled that when she was finally over her infatuation with him,
that was the moment he chose to kiss her. How she would have killed for that kiss months ago. She lay back on her pillows and searched for something in her room to
distract her. She'd had her room done in white lace and robin's egg blue.
Compared to Juliette and Fallon's bedchambers, hers was a little girl's room,
but she sometimes felt her childhood had ended too soon. Her innocence taken
before she was ready. She wondered what the gallants of the ton would think if
she actually admitted a few to her bedchamber. Would they be surprised it was
not exotic and lush as Fallon's was or full of silk and splendor as Juliette's? Not that she suspected Fallon or Juliette had admitted many, if any, men to
their bedchambers. Once all three girls had lived under the Earl of Sinclair's
roof. She'd missed that closeness when they had moved into separate town houses.
She'd always been part of a large family, and it felt strange to live alone. Now
she was the only one still living alone. Once she had dreamed of sharing, if not her life, at least her bed with
Darlington. She remembered when she first met him. He'd taken her breath
away—and not simply because he frequently wore extremely tight breeches.
He had curly brown hair she had never seen tamed into any sort of proper style.
It was the kind of hair that made a woman want to run her hands through it,
watch the curls twine about her fingers. He had thick eyebrows that offset
large, dark eyes. His eyes were heavy-lidded and almost always looked as though
he'd just been wakened. He had a sleepy quality about him that made Lily think
of tousled beds and twisted sheets. But his mouth was his best feature. It was
full and pouty and boyish. He had lips made for kissing. She could have feasted
on those lips. And if his good looks hadn't been enough, he had the best taste in fashion
save for Beau Brummell—better than Brummell to Lily's mind. She felt that
icon of fashion too plain. Darlington added a bit of flair to his choices.
Darlington was too good-natured, too witty to wear sober garb. And yet he always
dressed in a manner that befitted an earl who would one day be a powerful duke.
Except, of course, for those sinfully snug breeches. Lily had loved him—or at least lusted after him—from the moment
she saw him. But he'd never looked twice at her. He'd walked right past her, his
gaze fastened on Juliette and never wavering. Even when Juliette had introduced
her, he hadn't taken his eyes from the Duchess of Dalliance. Over the years,
Lily had tried to tell Darlington that Juliette was a lost cause. She'd hinted
and even been quite bold on one occasion when she'd had too many glasses of
champagne. But Darlington had never listened. And while other men flocked around
her, offering her jewels, houses, thoroughbreds—anything for access to her
bedchamber—Darlington, the only man she wanted, had happily ignored her. Until last night. © Shana Galen, 2014 Have you ever fallen in love with the secondary characters in a book or TV
show or movie? I remember loving the storyline between Agnes DiPesto and Herbert
Viola in Moonlighting more than I enjoyed Maddie and David's love affair.
She Wants Him...She Wants Him Not... Lily Dawson, dubbed the Countess of Charm by the Prince Regent himself, plays
the role of the courtesan flawlessly while her real purpose is spying in the
service of the Crown. Her mission now is to seduce a duke to test his true
loyalties. She'll do it, even though the man she really wants is Andrew
Booth-Payne, Earl of Darlington—the duke's son. Andrew is furious when he finds himself rivaling his father for Lily's
attention. When he uncovers Lily's mission, Andrew is faced with impossible
choices. It seems he is destined to betray either his family, his country, or
the longings of his own heart...
"One of Galen's most adventurous tales yet. This wild ride of a spy thriller
sparkles with banter and radiates passion." —RT Book Reviews, 4 ½
Stars, Top Pick of the Month "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun."
—Kirkus Reviews "Courage, honor and strength are the qualities which will continue to bring you
back to Galen's series and keep you in anticipation of what's next. Order early
and happy reading!" —Gourmande Girl ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shana Galen is the
national bestselling author of fast-paced adventurous Regency historicals,
including the RT Reviewers' Choice The Making of a Gentleman. She taught
English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of
those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full
time. She's happily married to a man she calls Ultimate Sportsfan and has a
daughter, Princess Galen, who is most definitely a romance heroine in the
making. Shana loves to hear from readers: visit her website at www.shanagalen.com,
download her free author app for exclusive content and first looks, or see what
she's up to daily on Facebook and Twitter. To purchase SAPPHIRES ARE AN
EARL'S BEST FRIEND: Amazon |
Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million
| Chapters/Indigo | IndieBound | iBooks
| Sourcebooks One commenter will win a copy of SAPPHIRES ARE AN EARL'S BEST
FRIEND US / Canada only
Comments
46 comments posted.
Re: Shana Galen | When Characters Surprise Authors
I love when secondary characters get their own books. Well...some secondary
characters! I haven't read any of your books yet but I'm about to go over to
Goodreads and find some :)!
(Kalynn Dresser 4:41pm March 1, 2014)
I love historicals and SAPPHIRES ARE AN EARL'S BEST FRIEND sounds like a great read!
(Kelly Powell 5:22pm March 2, 2014)
Dying to read this book!
(Mary Jurgielski 12:08pm March 6, 2014)
yeah, in vampire academy i really did not like Dimitri and i
would have loved to see Adrian in his place. And in the tv
series Lost girl i love Kenzy that is the human friend of
the protagonist Bo more than i liked Bo, and this last
series made me also cry.
I totally understand the feeling
Will be amazing to win this book, thank you for posting this
giveaway
(Sarah Hansrote 3:31am March 6, 2014)
I do enjoy it when secondary characters get their own book. That's one reason why I like to read books in a series. I have been looking forward to Lily's book!
(Cheryl Castings 7:01am March 6, 2014)
i love the historical romances i have been wasnting to read
this book sounds really good
(Denise Smith 7:07am March 6, 2014)
I enjoy reading historicals and yours are always a treat...
Thanks for the contest!
(Linda Townsend 8:10am March 6, 2014)
Love the cover and historical romances are my favorite! Great giveaway!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 8:15am March 6, 2014)
Sometimes the secondary characters are the best part of the book. I think back to Jane Austen and how the books are made so much better by the secondary characters. That is where I think a lot of her messages about life then are made.
(Pam Howell 8:52am March 6, 2014)
I'm sitting here this morning, on medication, trying to get over a bout with the flu. Therefore, my thought process isn't working the way it should, and I can't come up with an answer to your question, however, after reading your posting, along with the excerpt that you gave in today's post, I was disappointed that I didn't have the book in front of me to continue on to the rest of the story!! I do have to agree that the show Moonlighting was a good show, and I enjoyed both couples immensely. I made sure that I was always home to watch every episode, and was disappointed when it was taken off the air. Your book is on my TBR list, and I'm really looking forward to reading it!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:08am March 6, 2014)
Many secondary characters light up the pages of the books I read. Perhaps because they are featured less, what they say (and often, how they say it) adds a lot of flavor to the book. Thanks for visiting, Shana.
(G S Moch 9:10am March 6, 2014)
Thanks for this new story!!!
(Cate Sparks 10:17am March 6, 2014)
I also love it when secondary characters get their own story. I also love to see the recurring characters from previous books (from any author) make an appearance, as I love to keep up with their lives too.
I recommend your books to everybody Shana, as you never fail to disappoint.
(Diane Diamond 10:18am March 6, 2014)
Cool cover-Cool giveaway!
(Richard Burr 10:18am March 6, 2014)
Kalynn, I hope you find something that appeals :-)
Thank you, Kelly.
Oh, thanks so much, Mary!
Thanks for stopping by, Sarah. Great answer, and good luck!
Thanks, Cheryl! I have been so excited for readers to finally get it.
(Shana Galen 10:58am March 6, 2014)
Thanks, Denise. Good luck!
Thank you so much, Linda!
I have been so lucky with covers,Bonnie.
That's a great point about Austen's books, Pam. I hadn't thought about that. Thank you!
Oh, Peggy, I'm so sorry you're ill. I hope you get better soon and good luck!
(Shana Galen 11:01am March 6, 2014)
G S Moch, that's true. I think because we don't have to develop them much, we can do fun things with them.
Thank you for stopping by, Cate!
Thank you, Diane. You're so sweet, and Amazon better get you the book soon!
Thanks, Richard. :-)
(Shana Galen 11:02am March 6, 2014)
My favorite characters in the Mercy Thompson series by
Patricia Briggs are Warren & Kyle!!! I absolutely love them
and would love to see a full-length story for them.
(Karin Anderson 11:04am March 6, 2014)
They sound like a great couple, Karin. I always like Peabody and Ian in JD Robb's books.
(Shana Galen 11:34am March 6, 2014)
I enjoy when secondary characters have their chance to share their own story... love historicals... congrats on this latest release!
(Colleen Conklin 12:40pm March 6, 2014)
Thank you, Colleen :-)
(Shana Galen 1:01pm March 6, 2014)
Yes, I love the secondary characters. They usually add some humor to everything.
(Sue Galuska 1:10pm March 6, 2014)
I love long, detailed stories. Having a secondary character
take a starring role in a later book is perfect, because then
you can see that character grow beyond the confines of a
single book. That's what's so great about reading a series!
(Kara Braden 3:43pm March 6, 2014)
I enjoy secondary characters in a book. They create a real
world for us to sink into. When they have their own books we
get to find out all about them & the story just keeps going
which keeps us coming back for more! :)
(Sharon Shearouse 4:20pm March 6, 2014)
Would love a chance to read this book!
(Denise Austin 6:09pm March 6, 2014)
I agree, Sue. They can be so funny.
That's why I like series too, Kara.
So true, Sharon! The secondary characters can show us more about the world and through different "eyes."
(Shana Galen 6:10pm March 6, 2014)
Love the cover! I enjoy it when secondary characters get
their own books. Love reading your books!
(Samatha Hodges 6:20pm March 6, 2014)
I, too, enjoy secondary characters becoming main characters - that is so cool and I really enjoy the other books that much better - I feel even more a part of their world!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 6:27pm March 6, 2014)
I agree... I like Agnes and Herbert too. :)
(May Pau 6:51pm March 6, 2014)
I love it when secondary characters are given their own book, it's like revisiting old friends! Thanks for the chance.
(Martha Lawson 6:51pm March 6, 2014)
Often the secondary characters are other gems of the story -
the have to make a good impression with less air time. I
loved Moonlighting - thanks for reviving that memory of Agnes
& Herbert.
(Diane Sallans 8:19pm March 6, 2014)
Sounds like my kinda read. Enjoyed your blog.
(Sheila True 8:48pm March 6, 2014)
I love it when the secondary characters add so much to the stories that they get their own story!
(Betty Hamilton 9:03pm March 6, 2014)
Wow, Congrats on your new book: SAPPHIRE'S ARE AN EARL'S BEST
FRIEND. I love the beautiful book cover too! Yes, it is
wonderful when book characters are given their own book and I
would love to win and read your books in the New Year 2014.
Thank You very much. Cecilia CECE
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 9:06pm March 6, 2014)
Of course--all the time; but, I can't think of a decent example at the moment.
(Denise Holcomb 10:18pm March 6, 2014)
I often fall in love with secondary characters and beg (in my
head!) the author to write that character's story and HEA.
(Janie McGaugh 10:37pm March 6, 2014)
I really wanted to know more about some of the supporting characters in Stargate SG1 tv series. I'm a big fan of JD Robb's Mavis & her family in the In Death series.
(Laura Gullickson 10:52pm March 6, 2014)
I have read so many books with secondary characters that I can't recall who they are. Knowing me, these characters are going to hit me when I'm not thinking too hard about them. I'm looking forward to reading Sapphire's are an Earl's Best Friend. Thanks
(Kai Wong 1:19am March 7, 2014)
This book sounds great. Would love to read it. Lily sounds like a great character.
(Carol Woodruff 7:08pm March 7, 2014)
Hi Shana!
I didn't realize that you had been looking over my shoulder while I've been reading your books! You wouldn't believe the times when I've finished a book and my favorite character has been a secondary character instead of just the hero and heroine! In fact I new as soon as I met them that Lily and Andrew were meant for each other in the first "scene" they met each other! Call it a mother's instinct since as soon as my first son was born I knew I was doomed to be the only female to grace our home! Fortunately at least I was gifted with one grand-daughter but with all the males in the family out numbering us it's a problem at times (since of course she and I are always right while they don't seem to know how to behave!).
I knew that Lily was up to putting Andrew in his place and can't wait to see it happen when I read Sapphires Are A Girl's Best Friend because I know that Lily's is up to the challenge!
(Jeanne Miro 9:29pm March 7, 2014)
Hi, Shana! I love your books and have been waiting patiently for Lily's story. I am really looking forward to reading it. Thanks so much for this giveaway! Good luck everyone!
(Cathy Phillips 10:13pm March 7, 2014)
I'm really looking forward to reading Lily and Darlington's story! I love when secondary characters gets their own books for their HEA, and when characters from previous books shows up to "visit". The most recent book I read from Celeste Bradley "When She Said I Do" featured cameos by members of her previous series (the Liars Club and The Royal Four). It sometimes feels like re-visiting old friends when that happens!
(Anita H 4:41am March 8, 2014)
Secondary characters do have a way of making you love
them.It's fabulous when they get their own stories.
(Mary Preston 5:14am March 8, 2014)
I have never read one of your books, would sure like to win one. Thank you for the chance
(Judy Ferguson 10:20am March 9, 2014)
Secondary characters have a way of making the primary ones
have something to anchor them to earth. They have a the
wherewithal to be the ones to bounce the ideas off of and see
what and where that lands you.
(Alyson Widen 5:04pm March 14, 2014)
The Jewels of the Ton is a fascinating series. I loved When You Give a Duke a Diamond and look forward to reading Sapphires Are an Earl's Best Friend. Thanks for sharing the great excerpt.
(Bonnie H 10:26pm March 26, 2014)
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