Once in a while, a supporting character steals the show. They don’t mean to, but they can’t help themselves. A dynamic personality, hysterical dialogue, or a memorable backstory can grab onto a reader and make them crave more.
After receiving lots of comments from readers about one such character, I knew she had to be the main character in her own love story. Penny is the quirky, flirty, and funny best friend of Leah, the heroine in my novel Say It’s For Good. Even while I was writing, I knew she was one of the favorite characters I’d ever written. I wanted to be her friend! Readers agreed and wanted to see more of her.
So, I’m excited to be writing a new book with Penny at the center of her own love story! I can’t wait to give you more of her hilarious shenanigans and dig in deep to what makes her tick—and what her heart desires most. Loving Penny will release this summer under a special promotion, so keep an eye out!
I’m in in good company with other Inspy Romance authors who have listened to their readers and crafted stories about some of their most loved supporting characters!
Other Promoted Supporting CCR Characters
Jalissa in An Unlikely Alliance by Toni Shiloh
“Jalissa first showed up in An Unlikely Proposal. Not only did my editor want her story but so did readers,” Toni said.
Felicity in Persuaded by Andrea Boyd
Andrea explained that, “The other two books in that series are sisters and I felt like a series needed at least 3 books, so I gave one to Felicity who was a friend in the first book.”
Sylvie in The Love Penalty by Carolyn Miller
“She first made an appearance as a side character in The Breakup Project, and a reader wanted a book about her,” said Carolyn. Ryan, the hero, had also made appearances in previous books.
Gemma in Hero Debut by Angela Ruth Strong
“Gemma was a roommate in Husband Auditions, and everyone loved her,” Angela shared. “I had so many requests for her story that I first wrote it as a flash fiction piece for Spark Magazine before my publisher offered me another contract.”
Sheryl and Winton in Time for Me by Jan Thompson
Jan told me, “I hadn’t planned on giving these particular two people any book, especially together in the same story. So I surprised myself!”
Chris in A Heart to Redeem by Judith McNees
“The character most commonly asked for by my readers and reviewers was my hero Chris in A Heart to Redeem. I talked about him in books 1 and 2, but readers didn’t “meet” him until he got his own story.”
CJ in Now and Forever Christmas and Cindy in Not Another Christmas, the 2nd and 3rd books in the Sinclair Sisters Trilogy by Jaycee Weaver
“I only planned the first book until I got feedback, then I did the other two,” Jaycee explained.
Daphne in Kiss Me Like You Mean It, Cowboy by Valerie Comer
“I had always planned to wrap up my community-set Urban Farm Fresh Romance series at 12 books,” Valerie told me. “I got in with a large family of cousins and began to realize I was going to run out of ‘room’ before I’d told all their stories. When readers also began noticing that, I heard about it!” So, Valerie decided to spin one cousin, Dafne, who’d started as a pregnant teen in book 4, into a different series when her son was six years old—the book mentioned here.
What do you think?
Which supporting characters would you most love to see get their own story? Have you read a book that promoted one of your favorite supporting characters?
Teresa Tysinger is an author of Southern contemporary romance inspired by grace. She writes on the fringes of being a wife, mom, and full-time communications professional. Teresa is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the Association for Women in Communications, and the Religion Communicators Council. She’s an introverted Enneagram 4 (if you know, you know) and loves coffee, traveling, and almost every genre of music. Born in Hawaii, raised in Florida, and educated in North Carolina, she now resides in Texas with her husband, daughter, and dog.
In my own series, Pawleys Island Paradise, Hank and Leslie were the featured couple. They were “senior” age so they both had adult children who we met in Book 1. Hank’s son Jeremy had not only a rich backstory but also big goals to redeem himself after a past mistake that he needed his own novel to play it out. Jeremy is one of my favorite heroes I ever wrote!
I have read some series where the supporting characters were the main characters in the next book. It was fun to catch up with them and sad to say goodbye.
I’m glad Brielle Adabayo’s friend Iris got her own story in To Win a Prince by Toni Shiloh!
I think it worked out well with Chris. He’s now my favorite hero from one of my books! 🙂 Thanks for including us!
Oh, I love that!
Yes, it does often feel like “catching up.” Love that!
Same! Love her.
There are books by one author where she has taken some of her supporting characters and spun them off into their own series and/or given them cameos in lots of her other books.
That’s so fun!
Oh, yes! One of the authors I edit for wrote a book that was supposed to be a total stand alone. When I read it, I fell in love with one of the male characters and told her he HAD to have his own story with a HEA, so she wrote a book for him. I’d kind of like Irene Hannon to give Charley from her Hope Harbor series a HEA, though it’d break my heart for him to marry! She did write more about him in one of the books, though, so that made me happy!
Lots of authors seem to introduce supporting characters in the first book of a series and they become the lead characters in subsequent books. It’s kind of like the characters are a family and eventually they end up with their own time in a story spotlight. One author I know even writes about the next generation’s lives and families. It’s a nice way to stay in their world and for the author brings a captive (not quite the appropriate word, but I can’t think of a better one) audience with them and the readership usually comes more than willingly.
Your post presents it in a way I hadn’t considered before, it’s an interesting way to think about it and broaden my horizons. Thanks.
I love it when series continue with the same characters, I love to see them all grown up and with little families of their own.
Look at you influencing a whole new book!!
Thanks for reading!
So fun!
Ohh, this is such a fun question. I love when authors give side characters their own stories. Carol Moncado’s books are so fun because it seems like everyone you meet gets their own story. You also get to see old characters in the newer books
I really like it when supporting characters get their own book, it’s great to find out what happens with them and catch up with characters from the original book.
Elizabeth Maddrey does this really well in her Easter in Gilead book, Her Billionaie Benefactor – the heroine Wendy is the sister of the heroine from the first of the billionaire next door series. Wendy had such a tragic part in that book, so it’s lovely to see her journey through her grief and God’s grace working for her, it’s written in a really sensitive way.
I love it when supporting characters get their own books! Gemma from Husband Auditions is probably one of my favorites to get her own book.
I love when supporting characters get their own story! You already love them so it’s a joy to follow them more.
I have enjoyed it when supporting characters have gotten their own story. It is fun to revisit with favorite characters.
I love it when authors do that! I like it when it’s either friends or siblings getting their stories. I know many authors have done this, but Liwen Ho was the first that came to mind. So excited about yours!
There are so many. I read ARC’s. Most of the time, the authors that I have read are already finding that the characters that I have in mind need their own stories. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
a lot should
In Joan Embola’s Sovereign Love series this happens too, some supporting characters get their own stories. I love when they do, because then we get to know them better and still stay in the same world and get cameos from the previous characters :)
Exactly! Love it.
Oh that’s a great example!
Oh good one!
Exactly!
Thanks for reading!
Thanks, me too!
I love books in a series where the next book features other characters in the world the author is building and that they also keep the other people in it too.
As you read each book you’re getting to know more people in the town. These are my favorite kind.
I love when supporting characters get their own books! Makes it easier to relate!
Beautiful covers
Sounds fun! Good characters do become “friends” you want to read more about in their own book. One series my husband and I loved reading was Poppy Creek, where the characters all were well developed and each book was about a different main character/couple and we got to know the whole little community of friends.
I love when side characters get their own story!