Multiple Books, Same Couple
I’ve been thinking about this a lot as I delve into book 3 in the series. I think it’s more common for a series to have one couple per book. Christine Feehan, Nora Roberts, Nalini Singh come to mind off the top of my head. I love that, but most of the time, if I love the couple, I want more.
I wrote 3 books and a novella for Lyla & Gavin. That was the first time I stayed with a couple and watched them evolve. I must have done something right because readers still want more of them. And you will because G & L get one more book in the Crime Lord Series.
But, I digress.
I read Bitter Heat and Bitter Secrets to refresh my daydreamy writer’s brain, and then brainstormed for books 3 & 4. This led to me listing out story and character arcs to make sure there’s development and resolutions by book 4. I can’t believe we’re halfway through the series. I’m fucking ecstatic. I can actually see a finish line and… ahhh! I’m stoked. I have a feeling books 3 & 4 will be written back to back (don’t hold me to it if I do need a break from them), but already I’m switching between books because they’re so tightly intertwined. Currently, I’m dealing with something in book 3, which prompted me to write a scene for book 4.
If anyone’s wondering why writers are absentminded, quiet, or strange, it’s not because they’re thinking about one book—they have multiple dimensions going on in their minds. I fucking hate small talk. I think it’s a waste of time. I’d rather be writing something interesting rather than listening to someone talk about their toenails, this rash under their arm, an irritating co-worker, etc. Actually, that could just be me being grumpy and not applicable to other writers.
Again, I digress.
Usually, the main reason writers don’t do series is that it’s hard to maintain tension between the couple. That’s why shows like Grey's Anatomy constantly have characters switching partners. It’s all about the build up and once the couple agrees to be together, the storyline loses its zing. And also, having a clear-cut beginning and ending makes it easier to write a book, but a series with one couple… How much conflict can you actually have?
Uh, I have a long fucking list of things I need to touch on, and it scares me. I prefer couples who have history because you have the conflicts from their previous relationship, and you’re piling on new drama from their current interactions/relationship. LOL. I also love showing contrasts, so seeing couples as they were before vs now. In Bitter Secrets, the flashbacks were my favorite parts.
There’s something to be said about staying with one couple, though. As I write in books 3-5, there’s an ease to the dialogue and scenes because I know Roth & Jasmine and all the secondary characters so well. And, honestly, I think their sex scenes are getting hotter because they have history with one another. They aren’t embarrassed or tentative. They’re open to anything and, in my opinion, don’t give a fuck in this book. I think it’s kind of funny in one scene I wrote recently, people suspect they were getting it on somewhere they shouldn’t have and Jasmine has this, “So what? He’s my husband. Who cares what we were doing?” kind of mindset, which is worlds away from what you usually read in romance novels. Usually, it’s a one-night stand or this married dude or… I don’t know. Fill in the blank. But you rarely read about married couples, since that’s not as titillating.
I don’t know. I’m just enjoying the writing process. I can feel years of notes and ideas coming to fruition. It makes me feel like I have my own little sun that wants to burst out of my chest. I just love this couple—their fights, their makeups… The quiet interactions where they’re sizing each other up, gauging the other, and never being too sure that their suspicions about them are right or not. I love seeing the growth in this couple from book to book and can’t wait to show you the next part of their journey! Ahhh!