I didn’t set out
to write a series when I had my first book for Harlequin Romance, The
Summer They Never Forgot (February 2014) accepted. It is a deeply
emotional reunion romance between Sandy Adam and her first love Ben Morgan and set
in the fictional coastal town of Dolphin Bay.
But Ben has a
good friend, Kate Parker, who is determined that Ben won’t get hurt again by
the city interloper, Sandy. I really liked Kate and thought she needed a story
of her own. Kate meets gorgeous Sam Lancaster when she’s organizing Sandy and
Ben’s wedding in The
Tycoon and The Wedding Planner (July 2014), my second Dolphin Bay book.
Sandy from the
first book has a feisty sister Lizzie Dumont and Ben has a movie-star handsome
brother Jesse Morgan with a reputation as a heartbreaker—they’re secondary
characters in both books. I was determined to get Lizzie and Jesse together—against
all odds. I really loved writing this story, Lizzie and Jesse are so right for
each other but they have some real problems to overcome. You can read their
story in my upcoming December release for Harlequin Romance, A
Diamond In Her Stocking.
So three books
set in Dolphin Bay among a community of people linked to each other in some
way. The books are completely independent but share some characters and, of
course, the setting. I guess I wrote a series!
Here’s the blurb
for A Diamond In Her Stocking:
"Everyone
loves a Christmas wedding!
Chef
and single mom Lizzie Dumont is moving on. Returning to Dolphin Bay to make her
new restaurant a success, she has no time at all for jaw-droppingly handsome
Jesse Morgan—even if she can't forget that incredible kiss they once
shared!
Jesse
can't forget their kiss, either. But the betrayal in Lizzie's past has made her
wary of him, and he hates the fact that she can't see past his reputation as a
heartbreaker. Now he's on a mission to change her mind—and luckily it's the
most romantic season of the year: Christmas!"
Do you enjoy reading a linked series? Do you like
Christmas-themed stories? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ll soon be
getting author copies of A Diamond In Her
Stocking and I’ll be giving away a signed copy—you could be among the first
to read this new story! Please include your email address in your comment if
you want to be included in the draw.
Kandy’s third Dolphin Bay story for Harlequin Romance, A Diamond in Her
Stocking, goes on sale on December 1, 2014 and is available for
pre-order now.
Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and
women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney,
Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.
Visit Kandy at her website
13 comments:
I always enjoy Christmas stories. I feel like there's a touch of magic to them. Add in a wedding and ... must read.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
There is magic about Christmas, isn't there Mary? I love Christmas stories--I especially like reading wintry ones as Christmas falls in summer in Australia!
I love a good Christmas story. This is a wonderful series.
Best
Cathleen Ross
Thank you Cathleen, thanks for calling by!
Kandy, I love linked stories. They give such a sense of community, and that's even more important in this day and age when there are not many large families and everyone is spread throughout the world. And if there's a Christmas story in there too, well, that's a bonus. It looks a fantastic series!
Hi Maxine, that's a really good point about the sense of community. Romance novels are about fantasy, after all, so not only do the hero and heroine find each other but also a place in a supportive community. Thanks for such a thoughtful comment and your kind words about the series!
Thank you, Kandy. I'm a stand-alone novel type, but I'm well aware that the romance market nowadays is geared toward series. So I read them, but naturally I prefer those in which the titles can be read in any order.
Christmas romances? Well, I don't celebrate this holiday. But I don't mind it in a story. As always, what matters most to me is the main theme.
Good luck with the release of "A Diamond in Her Stocking"!
maryannelanders at centurytel dot net
I loved their love in your first book noted. Felt everything was realistic and believable.
I appreciated their sense of responsibility/duty/caring, yet they were still fallible, in the second book. Appreciated how their flaws/weaknesses were not quick fixes for either of them.
Bottom line? I loved both stories and can hardly wait to read your third in this series. Thanks so much for sharing the love.
seytype at Hotmail dot com
I love Christmas stories!!
Thanks Mary Anne Landers for your thoughtful comments on series. I think my three books can be read independently while readers who enjoy a series get to see what happens to the secondary characters too!
Hi Laney, thank you so much for your insightful feedback on the first two books - much appreciated. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the third book.
Me too, girlygirl!
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