Secrets Uncovered
Raven McAllan writes exclusively for Female First upon the release of her new e book Secrets Uncovered.
How lucky am I? The day I was able to put 'author' in the little box that asks for your status on a form was a red letter day for me. I swear my hand shook as I wrote the word.
I'm an author. I write romance. All sorts of romance.
Not only do I decide what my characters are like, but in theory I get to tell you, the readers, their story. I say in theory because I'm one of those people known as a ‘pantster’. I start off with an idea, know where I want it to go and then sit back and enjoy… or not… the ride. Whether I get to where I thought I was going is in the lap of the gods…or the characters.
Okay, that is way too simplistic, but as much as I like an outline of a plot, and intend to stick to it, my characters have a mind of their own, and I write what they tell me.
Before you send for men in white coats, let me explain a little.
If you ask ten people what they think a romance book should be; you'll get twenty different answers all correct in their own way. Some people want angst and high drama, others might ask for a gentle wooing. We're all individuals and have our own likes and dislikes. Which is great. Let's face it; life would be so boring if we all liked the same thing. For a writer, that is perfect, because it gives so much scope. Romance can mean so many things, and this is where it is so fantastic. Because as I sit at my laptop and listen to my characters talk to me, I realise just how many facets romance has.
Of course I want love and a happy ever after, don't we all? But in a book, as well as in 'real life' it's not all hearts and flowers straight away.
I want to be part of the character’s lives as they learn about each other, find out what attracts—or sometimes repels—them, and whether they can actually be a perfect couple. They don't always agree. That's the day when I drink too much coffee, read magazines, and if I'm forced to, actually disturb the dust bunnies.
Mind you is there any such thing as a perfect couple? I don't think so, no-one is perfect. Let's face it we all have flaws and things that irritate others. But then, that's part of loving someone, you do it flaws and all.
So that's what I try to convey. I try to write people you can believe in, and hopefully empathise with. Accept their flaws and understand them. Get involved with their lives and celebrate and commiserate with them as necessary.
Believe me it's not always easy.
My characters are always strong willed, have minds of their own, and often their story goes off at a tangent to where I'd thought we go. Rightly or wrongly, I let them.
With one proviso.
It's a romance, a happy ever after; or at least for now.
Sometimes I admit I wonder if we'll ever get there.
Take Kath and Jeff, the heroine and hero of my latest book, Secrets Uncovered.
Jeff is very much the dominant, and usually Kath is happy to do as he says. (Yes, this is a very mild BDSM story, set in a Scottish Castle, which hosts a BDSM club.)
However when Kath discovers she's pregnant we see a whole new side to both of them. The dynamics get slewed and you see how their love for each other works, in a totally different way that either of them expected.
Boy did they make me work for their happy ever after…
Convincing a Dom that pregnancy doesn’t mean the end of all play can take some doing. Kath is horny and determined, but what does Jeff think?
Pregnancy should be the happiest time of your life. What’s a sub to do, however, when her Dom won’t touch her? Kath can’t understand why Jeff is being so difficult. After all, she’s pregnant, not ill, and she’ll combust with sexual frustration if she can’t seduce Jeff into play.
Jeff can’t help but worry over Kath’s health. It doesn’t matter what anyone, including the doctor, says about sex being okay, his mind tells him otherwise. It’s his duty to protect his sub, even if he’s giving himself blue balls in the process. He’ll do anything to keep her and their baby safe.
With the two of them at an impasse, tension runs high, especially when the future of Diomhair is threatened by an unknown enemy.
As they pull together to secure their home, and their workplace, can they also resolve their personal problems, or does pregnancy spell the end of their Dom/sub relationship?