“Everyone is a protagonist of their own life,” my longtime friend, co-author and book editor had said to me back when I was working on the first book of my Close Enough to Kill, series. We were working on creating strong supporting characters at the time. Since I write in the third person and shift character point of view, as the series goes on, quite a few of the supporting characters have significant back stories and conflicts of their own which beg for resolution. I like subplots and story complexity. It’s the way I see life: rich, complex, filled with interwoven stories, people’s lives touching and affecting one another’s, sometimes in ways unbeknownst to them. I like writing stories where we can see how all of these invisible tangles between people lead to stunning twists and starling occurrences. This is life.
Anyway, I digressed.
Perhaps it’s because my background is in clinical psychology that I have a hard time resisting elaboration on most of my characters. As much as readers want more, I want more, too. I want to peel back layer upon layer and see what makes them tick. I want to know each character’s story because in their hearts, they are “a protagonist of their own life.”
It is for this reason that I chose to write a series of spinoff novellas for some of the supporting characters. The first of these is in the final stages of editing and is called, What He Didn’t See. This is a story from the point of view of Jacob Temple, the murder victim in Circle of Trust – a dark love story with twists. As many of you know, I fell in love with him while I was working on Circle of Trust. That love persisted through Circle of Truth, (the third book in the series, due to be released in a few months).
I love all of my characters, even my villains, as nefarious as they may be. But Jacob really tugged at my heart strings. Sigh. I think it’s because he is profoundly wounded. I have always had an affinity for wounded male characters, both in books and films. And Jacob, well… he is the epitome of the wounded male character. Scars from his childhood as well as conflicts into his adulthood, remain obstacles for him. His sensitive nature doesn’t make it any easier, either.
Jacob is very alive through flashbacks in Circle of Trust, but the book starts out with his murder. So we never get to hear his side of the story. I wanted him to have a voice and an opportunity to share with readers what really happened between Jane and him. I wanted Jacob to have the chance to be the protagonist.
The book will be released in November and I will be giving out free copies. To be entered to win a free copy of What He Didn’t See as well as other releases, please sign up for my newsletter. Don’t worry; I won’t bombard you with lots of email. It’s just a way for me to stay connected with my readers and to announce releases and giveaways.
Thank you. And always feel free to write to me with comments and questions about the stories. As I mentioned before, it was through reader feedback that I decided to write a novella about Noah Donovan – a dark story, which will be out sometime next year. If there is more you want to know, I would love to hear.
