White Witch is FREE today on Amazon. This novella offers a taste of things to come in my Texas Druids series. Reviewer Bev Harro says:

“I really enjoyed reading this prequel …This is where Jessie’s gift makes an appearance leading into Darlin’ Druid. Also Tye’s gift which leads to his story, Dashing Druid. These books are wonderful and I would highly recommend them to anyone.”

Come on y’all, grab it while it’s free!

Romance novels generally focus on the hero and heroine – the main characters – but as a rule the two are advised, protected or threatened by secondary characters. These members of the supporting cast are, in one sense, plot devices intended to move the story along. However, they should not be treated as wooden props. They need to be fleshed out. By that, I mean they should have their own personalities, problems and motivations. They should be real.

Darlin’ Druid, book one in my Texas Druids trilogy, is as much a western saga as it is a romance shaded with paranormal touches. It’s a fast moving adventure that takes the main characters, Jessie and David, across prairies and mountains, from one setting to another. In each new local they meet secondary characters, some kind and helpful, others nasty or downright evil. All have a role to play in the story, and no matter how small that role may be, each must to some extent reveal their inner selves in order to be convincing.

For example, in the early portion of the book, a train conductor named Higgins has a small but vital function. Other than sketching out his physical traits, I didn’t spend a lot of time describing him, but his actions reveal a lot about his character. He shows himself to be quite brave in the face of danger. Later, he also helps the main characters by exerting his authority, not because he has to but because he feels responsible for something that happens to them. By so doing, he proves himself a decent man.

Other secondary characters play larger parts, acting as guides or teachers for Jessie, helping her learn from her mistakes and mature throughout the book. David, who is several years older than her and much more experienced, still needs to learn a few lessons about trust and the nature of love. Jessie serves as his teacher to a large degree, but her brother Tye also influences David. Other characters help him see deeper into Jessie’s character and force him to admit how important she has become to him. In some cases these people demonstrate kindly motives; others draw Jessie and David closer together by threatening to harm one or the other. Bad guys are almost as indispensible as the main characters, but again, they must be fully formed.

Each secondary character exhibits a unique personality through interaction with Jessie and/or David. For the most important of these characters, I included glimpses into their past – their back stories – explaining why they act as they do. Giving them reasons for their joy, sadness, anger, compassion, etc., makes them three dimensional rather than flat, cardboard figures.

Often, a secondary character from one book appears as a main character in another book, especially in the case of a series. Two secondary characters from Darlin’ Druid are the hero and heroine in the sequel, Dashing Druid. Two secondary characters from Dashing D. will, in turn, be the main characters in the third Texas Druids book. Keep in mind that this trilogy focuses on a trio of psychically gifted siblings who all end up in Texas, so naturally each book focuses on one of the three together with their partner in romance.

In her review of Dashing Druid on Amazon, mesadallas says, “One of this book’s strengths is the way the supporting characters from the first novel transfer into the main characters of the second, while the main characters of the first novel shift into the supporting characters in order for Tye and Lil’s story to emerge. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds and Lyn Horner does it flawlessly.”

I appreciate this reviewer’s compliment. I’m also glad she recognizes how important secondary characters are. They need to be respected and carefully developed because without them there wouldn’t be much of a story.

Hey gang, I just read a very insightful analysis of how Amazon’s KDP Select program helps raise book ranking in the paid Kindle store. Written by Phoenix Sullivan, this post presents some little know benefits of the controversial program, which requires any books enrolled in the KDP ranks to be exclusively sold on Amazon. I highly recommend her blog.

http://phoenixsullivan.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/kdp-select-amazon-rank-and-secret-of.html

Hi everyone. I’ve been absent a while. Just too much going on. Plotting new books, promoting current books, joining new writers’ groups, and trying to keep up with home and family. You know, the usual stuff.

Are you looking for something quick and fast paced to read? My novella White Witch fits that description and it’s free today on Amazon. Yes, I checked. It really is free this time, no glitches on my end or Big A’s. The free period ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. PST.

This book gives an account of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, through the eyes of Jessie Devlin – who “sees” the catastrophic fire weeks before it actually happens. She also experiences her first prophetic dream of the man she will set out to find in Darlin’ Druid.

Sorry this wasn’t posted earlier. I ran into a computer problem. It’s fixed now, thank goodness. I hope you’ll go grab White Witch while it’s still free.

Hi everyone. I have a little favor to ask. If you have a moment, please go to my retail page for Darlin’ Druid and vote Big Al’s review as helpful. You’ll find it on top over to the right Under “Most Recent Customer Reviews.” I’d like Al’s review to be on top in the main reviews area. Votes for Todd Fonseca’s review would also be appreciated.

BTW I’m hard at work formatting Darlin’ D. for uploading to CreateSpace, Amazon’s print on demand service. I’ve put off doing this for many months because I had a feeling the process would cause me headaches. I was right! Nevertheless, I ‘d like to offer my books in print form, so I’m biting the bullet to get it done.