I hope you find the next three weeks treat you better than your last three. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through a rough time. If my mother was here she’d tell you that ‘what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger’ but I sometimes wonder where it is she finds her wisdom!
Yes, wide ranging definitely covers the one word question I posed and I’ll tack that along with the others to my notice board above my lap top. (notice board that is currently falling down beneath the weight of hints and tips you girls are so generously sharing).

Thanks,
Aideen.

Aideen – one word. Now that’s a toughie. Can I do a compound word and say ‘wide-ranging’? Because ours are all so very different. (That’s one of the strengths of the line, in my view.) Just as all of us came up with different words to describe the line… and it’s all of them! All the best with your comp entry.

Alice – why wouldn’t Cinders work now? It’s hard to put my finger on it, but the line has moved much more towards the Presents hero – so I’d say that Max wouldn’t be quite alpha enough nowadays. (And thanks, Nat, for the compliment!)

Jennie – thanks for the compliment!

Lidia – thank you. And I hope you enjoy One Night, One Baby

I have “One Night, One Baby” in my TBR pile and hope to read it soon.

I’ve really enjoyed this conversation about Modern Heat and some of the nuances that make it a little different from the classic Modern line–as well as the similarities, since they’re both Presents! Great discussion. Thanks!!

Yes Natalie, aspirational is definitely another word that applies to this series. I’ve yet to read a Modern Heat where I didn’t want the heroine for my best friend. No, I’m lying, I’ve yet to read one where I didn’t want to be the heroine myself!! They absolutely rock. They’re funky, fun, flirty and contagious. Which brings me to say to Nicola, I’m dedicated to this line only because ye write it so magically, it’s 100% addictive.
And Anna, secondary characters are so important to me when I read a book. Regardless of the genre I’m reading in, I have to have a connection of some sort with these people. They allow us, the readers, to see into the world of the H/h without rose tinted glasses. I love how they drive the story and I adore watching the H/h interract with each other’s friends/associates/family members. I think Modern Heat offers excellent scope in this regard and is just one of the many reasons it’s so hot right now.
Heidi, I love the sound of your Elvis impersonator, maybe you can work him into another story at some point? And your get out clause is brilliant. Because more often than not when you do get to meet a friend of the H/h, you end up wanting to know their story too.
Then I’m back on Eason’s doorstep waiting for their book!!! Oh, the fun never stops.
So, go on, all of you, write some more stories please.

Aideen.

I had to just pip in on the secondary characters thing. I love writing them myself, I think they give the stories texture and context and lots and lots of believability but you have to be so careful not to let them run away with your story. I had an Elvis impersonator who popped up in The Tycoon’s Very Personal Assistant and pushed the whole story completely out of whack (turns out he was the Devil in Disguise) – suffice it to say he got the boot at the revision stage. Another thing I’ve been told to watch out for (in no uncertain terms by my editor) is cute-kid-syndrome. You have been warned.

I think the rule of thumb with secondary characters is that they have to be there for a purpose, ie they should be impacting on the central relationship when they appear. That’s not to say that they shouldn’t be individual, fully rounded personalities, just that they shouldn’t have their own agenda or take the focus away from the H and h. That said, the heroine’s best friend in my RITA nominated book The Mile High Club became such a nuisance I did just what Nat suggested and gave her her own story. So that’s your get-out clause, if need be.

Nat, loved your comments about the direction of the line. It’s definitely true that our heroes have become more alpha and aspirational, but not in an unbelievable or autocratic or humourless way (I hope).

And Anna, all the secondary characters of yours I’ve read have been 100 percent successful. The formidable Irene included.

Heidi

THE TYCOON’S VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT, out now in the UK, Sept in the US

And Nat. I definitely agree with you about not allowing your secondary characters to take over. Don’t know what others think, but in the books I remember best, even the supporting characters have unique personalities, within the limitations, of course. I suspect the trick is to somehow, in as brief a way as possible, paint even them as individuals.
I think this contributes to the authenticity of the entire story, and that enhances the ‘reality’ of the heroine’s world.

I’m not sure if I can always do this absolutely successfully myself, but I’m striving for it.

I have to admit I was thoroughly chuffed a few days ago when I read a comment in a chat room from a reader about my first book, ‘My Tall Dark Greek Boss.’
She said she loved Irene, (the hero’s clever, devious mother), and wished she could have someone like Irene in her life!

Wow. Baby, that gave me a boost! That sure suggests a reader totally absorbed in the world created by little old moi! So from now on, for me, Irene is the way to go!

What do you think yourself, Aideen?

anna.

I’m so glad you enjoyed Hot Nights with a Playboy.
Judd and Abby are favourites of mine

I’m smiling at you sitting on Eason’s doorstep waiting for the next batch of Mod Heats to be released…now that’s dedication to a series

Nicola

Thanks so much to all of you for responding to my ‘one word’ question. Ye have given me some fabulous insight into how these books are brought to life and I’m so grateful.
And yes to every single one of the descriptions posted. These are exactly why this line is so appealing to me, I love Modern Heat.
The stories are wonderfully possible and the characters are so real that I feel I personally know them. My only problem with reading these books is that they end!!! I have no patience waiting for new releases, I’m practically sitting on the doorstep of Eason’s come release date and the girls on the tills even know me by name now.
I can’t wait for follow up blogs (that’s my way of asking politely for you gals to inspire us with your dazzling minds) and look so forward to attempting this competition.
Its such a fantastic opportunity to be given this chance, regardless of the outcome.

Much thanks again,
Aideen.