RWA conference

» Posted on Jul 16, 2007 in Blog | Comments Off on RWA conference


Christy is the winner of DiAnn Mills’ book, Lightning and Lace. Congratulations!!!

I’m excited to announce that When Dreams Come True, my Love Inspired March 2006, won the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest for best short contemporary in 2006. I was surprise and unprepared. The picture is of me receiving the heart shaped silver box from Mindy at the mini-conference during RWA in Dallas last week.

I had a great time at the conference. I love seeing friends from around the country. This year the LI authors has grown and it was so nice to see new faces among the ranks. I also got to hear from wonderful speakers, especially at the mini-conference that FHL held on Wednesday before the main conference began. The market seems to be picking up. I was told that the historical is making a comeback. Steeple Hill will be starting a historical line in February 2008 with Jillian Hart and Catherine Palmer as the first two books.

What struck me the most was what Debra Clopton said about secondary characters. When she watches movies and TV shows, she focuses on the secondary characters. There are some that the secondary character makes the show. When I think about Frasier, I think about Niles, his brother. He carried the show for me (well, that and Eddie, the dog). Secondary characters add a richness to a book. Often a reader will want that character to have his/her own story. I think having fully developed secondary characters round out your story and will cause it to stick in your readers’ minds even more. The only caution I would give when you develop a compelling secondary character is to make sure he/she doesn’t totally overshadowed your hero and heroine. After all, in a romance they are still the most important characters and why a reader should be reading your story.

Think about some secondary characters you’ve read or seen in shows. Where would Lucy be without Ethel or Scarlett without Melanie? Who are your favorite secondary characters you’ve read or seen on a show/movie?