Thanks to Book Reviews and More by Kathy for hosting me today on my first official Riptide Books tour for Catch A Ghost!!! Catch A Ghost is the first in the Hell or High Water series, featuring operatives Prophet and Tommy. They’re two hardheaded men who are perfect for each other…but getting them to admit hasn’t been easy.
But today, I want to talk about what can truly make a series—the secondary characters. Because, as the world revolves around our two heroes, there are always those characters who make appearances, sometimes small appearances, that seem to leave readers wanting more. And I’ve already heard from many readers about two such characters in my series—Mal and Cillian.
So today, here’s my ponderings on why I think secondary characters end up being so beloved—aka, how they tend to evolve into their own series.
If you get a group of writers together, I can pretty much guarantee that if you mention secondary characters, they’ll all smile about that first meeting. I’ve talked about why secondary characters are so much fun to write with a couple of writer friends, and here’s what I’ve come up with.
So, look you start a book, you fall in love with your characters. And even though you want to love them all the way through, they begin to get stubborn (well, mine do…) and while I can’t force them into doing what I want, sometimes the stand-offs can be tough.
So it’s like, you’re halfway through and you want to strangle your main character and suddenly this beautiful, perfect, new shiny character shows up and he’s FUN and NEW and did I mention SHINY? He courts you. He makes you laugh. There’s no pressure, so he’s so easy to write because there are zero expectations. There are all the possibilities with said character. You want to cheat on your main character with your secondary character.
Bottom line—sometimes they steal the show, and it’s hard not to let them. But I think they steal the show because, at heart, we don’t want things to end. We want books upon books in the universes we love, and secondary characters are a way for a reader to hook in and go, ‘yes, this series will go on and on with new blood!’
I’m having a contest that will run through the end of this blog tour on my website. In order to be eligible, you just need to leave a comment here! Actually, you can comment on my blog and any other blogs along this tour and you’ll be entered separately for a chance to win with each comment 🙂
So, talk me about a favorite secondary character you’ve come across in your books (or on TV!) – leave a here comment to be entered!
Author Bio
SE Jakes writes m/m romance. She believes in happy endings and fighting for what you want in both fiction and real life. She lives in New York with her family and most days, she can be found happily writing (in bed). No really…
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Truth be told, the best way to contact her is by email or in blog comments. She spends most of her time writing but she loves to hear from readers!
Title: Catch a Ghost by SE Jakes
Hell or High Water Series Book One
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Thriller
Length: 293 pages/Word Count: 70,600
Summary:
Everyone knows that Prophet—former Navy SEAL, former CIA spook, full-time pain in the ass—works alone. But his boss at Extreme Escapes, Ltd. has just assigned Proph a new partner and a case haunted by ghosts from Proph’s past. Suddenly, he has to confront both head-on.
Tom Boudreaux—failed FBI agent, failed sheriff, full-time believer in bad luck—is wondering why the head of a private contracting firm has hunted him down to offer him a job. Still, he’s determined to succeed this time, despite being partnered with Prophet, EE’s most successful, lethal, and annoying operative, on a case that resurrects his own painful past.
Together, Prophet and Tom must find a way to take down killers in the dangerous world of underground cage matches while fighting their own dangerous attraction. When they find themselves caught in the crossfire, these two loners must trust each other and work together to escape their ghosts . . . or pay the price.
Read my review HERE.
You can read and excerpt and purchase at Riptide books! Book 2 in the series, Long Time Gone, is also up for preorder from Riptide here.
Contest
Ms. Jakes is giving away three prizes:
Grand Prize: A Kindle Paperwhite
Second Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate
Third Prize: $10 Amazon Gift
So, talk to Ms. Jakes about a favorite secondary character you’ve come across in your books (or on TV!) – leave a here comment to be entered! And check out the post on Ms. Jakes blog for the scoop on how to earn extra entries!
Follow the rest of the blog tour HERE.
Favorite secondary character from TV has to be Elliot from Leverage or Sam from Burn Notice.
I love love love secondary characters! They create for a deeper and more amazing story and gives something to the plot – and you might be lucky and *force* the author into writing a book about them. 😉
As I have recently read your “Catch a Ghost”, I have to say I adore Cillian, Mal and Doc. Natasha, too, even though she had only a minor part, but the three males were something else and I as excited to hear about them, as I am to be able to follow Tommy’s and Prophet’s journey. 🙂
Otherwise, Nick, Kelly, Digger and Owen from Abigail Roux’s “Cut & Run” universe captured my heart a looooong time ago.
I love the secondary characters in Catch a Ghost, I don’t think that there was one of them that I didn’t want to get to know better. I have to say that a few intrigued me more than others though.
If I had to choose a supporting cast that’s made a huge impression in another series it would have to be Gin’s ‘family’ in Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. I can’t even pick just one of them. They’re all strong, well-rounded characters with personality and depth and I can’t get enough of them when I read the books. *sigh*
Sawyer Wells from The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst. I think we readers demanded he get his own story so luckily for us, he also captured Jennifer’s heart too and we got to read an awesome story with The Marriage Merger. Then of course, she did it again and now we want Wolf’s story too. LOL!
I don’t know that favorite is the right word, but the secondary character that had the most impact on me was Marlin from Jordan Castillo Price’s Turbulence series. I judged him more harshly in the first scene of the series than I have ever judged a character (and that includes Snape!!!), and Marlin’s character was so much more than my snap judgement gave him credit for. In fact, I really liked Marlin by the end of the series even though I resisted his appeal as best I could.
It reminded me that I still bring bias with me when I open a story and that a good author can get me to see beyond my bias.
I adore Catch A Ghost, and I’m so glad Prophet and Tommy will have a series of books. Thank you for such a wonderfully broken pair of characters to love.
i really don’t have any faves
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
I have read some books that I actually liked the secondary characters more than the main characters. Myah from AJ Rose’s Power Exchange books, Crash from JCP’s Psycop…I could probably keep listing characters for awhile! Thank you for the giveaway.
I totally agree. Secondary characters can be a great addition to a story. Many become so popular with the readers that they get their own book. I love Rhys Ford’s Cole McGinnis Mysteries. Bobby is one of those secondary characters that always stands out. He’s getting his own story and his love interest is Cole’s younger brother. Can’t wait for that one. 🙂 Another great example is Nick and Kelly from Abi Roux’s Cut & Run series. Their story is coming out soon.
I’m bad, I always want more books so I think every secondary character needs their own book! 🙂
Laurie P
goaliemom0049(at)gmail(dot)com
I always loved Lane Kim on GILMORE GIRLS, and thought that Amy Sherman-Palladino and her writing staff gave her a bum shake a lot of the time, especially near the end of the series. (For that matter, I could say the exact same thing about the show’s Luke Danes.) Book-wise, I’ve loved Jazz in Erica Pike’s Boston Boys series (he finally has his own story, can’t wait!), Stammer and Sarah in Isa K’s HOW TO QUIT PLAYING HOCKEY, Mary Beth in Tara Lain’s HEARTS AND FLOUR…
Thanks for hosting me today, Kathy!!!
*waves to everyone* I see lots of familiar faces here 🙂 And hi to some new ones too! I’m glad to see I’m not alone in loving secondary characters! And now you guys have given me some new books for my already out of control TBR pile….
I just finished reading Bending the Iron by Libby Drew. I have to say I love the secondary character, Pete. With his support, the ending was made into a HEA.
Thanks for the giveaway and congrats on the release.
Some of my favorite secondary characters ended up having their own books, but they are still very much part of the worlds in other books the author may write. Gwen, Livvie, Sissy Mae, and Dee Ann from Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series. Regin, Nix, and Mari from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. uh I have more, but my brain is being mean to me right now. 😉
Bobbie
Secondary characters are the best!! Okay, first I love Mal and Cillian…it’s hard for me to pick faves because with any luck they always get a story…and they they are fave main characters…but let’s see…Have you read JL Langley’s Sci-Regency series? I ADORE Jeremy and Rexley and Steven and Raleigh…some of my all time faves those four…then there’s her With or Without series…I heart Sterling and Rhys…I’m also looking forward to Bambi’s story. Hmmm…I heart Cardeno C’s Home series…one of my favorite secondary characters ever was Ben and when he finally got his story *sigh* I love it. Umm…Is that enough? I’m sure I’ve got more in me… 🙂
Bobby Singer from Supernatural and Bonnie from Vampire Diaries are two of my fave secondary characters!
Yes! (Currently getting side-tracked by one of my own secondaries who’s pretty much ensured his own book by now, damn him.) I second Nick and Kelly from the Cut&Run series. Can’t remember the last time I wanted secondaries to have their story told so badly.
Happy Release Week.
Nick and Kelly from Abigail Roux Cut & Run series are two of my most favorite secondary characters. They will be getting their story and I am very excited about it. I also like Sterling and Rhys from JL Langley With and Without Series as well as Rexley and Jeremy from her sci-fi series. I so wish those two couples will get their books soon. Sissy Mae and Mitch from Shelley Laurenstone series. There quite a few more. But these are some of my all time faves.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Hmm… My favorite secondary character… I’ve never really thought about it before. I love Simon in the Mortal Instruments series 🙂
Please enter me into the giveaway!
I would say Faramir in Lord of the Rings would be my favorite secondary character.
I adore Digger from the C&R books. I just love him. In TV, my favorite secondary characters would have to be Giles from BtVS or Mrs. Kim from Gilmore Girls.