By M.Q. Barber (Guest Blogger)
We
call them “characters,” as if the book were a stage and the
author an actor in the wings, donning the new persona for the length
of the scene and discarding it afterward.
But
we know that’s not true. A book is a cultivated narrative. Bits and
pieces chosen for their combined effect. The author tries to include
the meaningful pieces and discard the rest.
Sometimes,
stray bits creep in. Those little lines that allude to the lives
characters lead when they aren’t onstage. They aren’t meaningless
so much as they aren’t relevant to the current tale.
They’re
side stories. Back stories. Road-not-taken stories.
And
I’m addicted to them.
As
a reader, I love glimpsing the edges of untold stories and imagining
how they played out. Naturally, I hate it, too. Those offhand
references to offstage events become challenging puzzles with no one
true answer. They expand the world. They remind me that these
“characters” have lives I’m not seeing.
Detective
stories are lousy with references to other cases. Sherlock Holmes,
anyone? And fantasy stories make references to historical events to
firmly plant their imagined worlds in their own realities.
But
enjoying the richness and depth as a reader never quite prepares one
for the experience as an author. The writing’s going well, the
words are flowing, the scene is almost—
“This
is like that time my sister got hit by a line drive and fractured her
collarbone.”
Wait,
what? Where did that come from?
Sometimes
I think the characters like to wrest control away from the author
just to prove they can. They drop a surprise in the center of the
writing headspace and watch the dominos fall.
The
Neighborly Affection series focuses on the growing relationship
between single, independent gal Alice and her neighbors Henry and
Jay. In the first book, Playing the Game, Henry offers her a
chance for sexual adventure – an intro course in dominance and
submission, more or less.
Because the story is from Alice’s point of view, it could have had long stretches without interaction between the main characters. Her “classtime” is only every other Friday. Following every minute of her life would’ve meant chapter after chapter of Alice at her day job. And while mechanical engineering is an interesting discipline, watching Alice work through computer-aided modeling, testing metal thickness and angles and curves, doesn’t add meaning to the romance going on in her personal life.
Deciding
not to include that part of her life in the book, or to show it only
in glimpses, was easy.
But
then Alice went and made an offhand remark about Jay, and I had a
tough decision to make. I don’t doubt that she’s correct when
she says she and Jay have lunch every Tuesday. The character is
always right, even when the author doesn’t know why yet. The
problem was whether to make those lunches part of the main stage
production.
Ultimately,
they ended up becoming one of those things mentioned but never shown.
Not because they aren’t meaningful, but because they aren’t
Alice’s story to tell. The changes in her, the strides she is
making in her romantic life, are all shown through her nights with
Henry and Jay.
The
lunches? Those belong to Jay. They’re a central piece of his
story, not hers. Eventually, he started opening up and sharing
what they meant to him. They don’t graduate to the main stage until
the third book, Healing the Wounds, when Alice needs to ask
Jay a question away from Henry’s dominating presence.
Until then, those secrets are Jay’s to keep. He’s told me a few – including one I’m sharing with newsletter subscribers this month -- and held some others close to the vest, but that’s all right. The characters don’t have to share everything with me. I’m only the author, after all. The life is theirs.
Crossing
the Lines (Neighborly Affection #2) by M.Q. Barber
A
safeword won’t save her from love.
After
six months of cavorting in her neighbors’ bed, Alice admits signing
the contract to be Henry’s sexual submissive is the best decision
she’s ever made. He delivers on his promise to give her sexual
satisfaction. But submitting to his dominance alongside his long-term
lover shows her the sharp line between sex and love. Henry loves
goofy, eager-to-please Jay. Neither man has promised to love her.
Hiding
her feelings grows harder every night she spends with them. As they
struggle with wounds old and new, her emotional turmoil threatens to
shred their arrangement. Is it time to bow out before they show her
the door? Or can a triangle be the shape of true love?
Crossing
the Lines (Neighborly Affection #2) excerpt
Silver
metal attachment points dangled from brown leather straps dark as a
liver chestnut and loose-wrapped in deep green silk. Green like the
cloth peeking out of Henry’s pocket. Green like Jay’s ring. She
bounced on the balls of her feet, giddy with relief. These cuffs were
hers. She belonged.
“Do
you remember your safeword, Alice?”
“Yes,
Henry.” Yes, yes, I know it, please put those on me.
“Tell
it to me now, please.”
“Pistachio.”
I won’t need it.
“Good
girl.”
She
struggled to restrain her impatience under his thoughtful gaze.
“Hold
out your arms for—”
Thrusting
her arms forward, she offered her hands side by side and loosely
fisted.
“—me.”
Henry
raised his hand until his palm brushed her fingers where they curled
under her hands. He bent at the waist and bestowed two gentle kisses,
one to the back of each hand. He revealed a slight smile as he
straightened. “Your eagerness pleases me. Perhaps it’s been too
long for us.”
Always.
Two weeks of waiting and wanting, and such a short time when
fulfilling her sexual desires became a joyful hobby for him. He’d
taken a year to make the decision, to agree to invite her into his
relationship with Jay. How hard had Jay pushed to make that happen?
Gratitude flooded her, both for Jay’s interest and Henry’s
willingness to play along.
Henry
slipped the cuffs on her and tightened the straps. The silk slid over
her skin. Two inches of chain separated her wrists. Henry lifted them
over her head, extending her arms until the stretch hurt before
lowering them a smidge. “Is this position comfortable, Alice? Be
truthful, or our time together will end early tonight.”
Jesus.
Was he trying to scare her? His voice held a sharp edge of command. A
safety reason, muscle strain, probably, had to be the cause, but to
threaten to end the night early… “It pulls a little on my
shoulders, but it doesn’t hurt.”
He
lowered her wrists another fraction of an inch. “Better?”
“Yes,
Henry.”
“Good.
Be still for me.”
She
complied while he made adjustments above her. Metal spun, whirring
like screw locks on carabiners.
Henry
backed away to the edge of the light. “Relax your shoulders,
Alice.”
She
lowered her shoulders as best she could and shivered at the secure
grip of the cuffs around her wrists.
“Rotate
your hands for me. Wiggle your fingers.”
She
obeyed without question. His safety concerns were for her benefit,
and she wouldn’t interfere no matter how desperate she grew to feel
his touch. Having the length of his body grazing hers as he’d held
her arms above her head hadn’t helped. Holding still had been
difficult when she’d wanted to rub herself against him like a cat.
He
circled her, always at the edge of the light, prowling. Jay stood
somewhere in the darkness, his role in this game as shrouded as his
body.
“You’re
a very good girl, Alice.” Henry spoke in conversational, relaxed
tones. He stepped in front of her, a foot away, and unbuttoned his
jacket. “I want you to understand that now, before we begin. You
haven’t displeased me in any way. Do you understand?”
He
held his coat out behind him, and Jay stepped from the darkness to
take it.
“Yes,
Henry. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Henry
unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled his sleeves to the elbow.
“Correct.”
He leaned in and kissed her, hard, one hand on her chin holding her
in place as he nipped at her lips. “This is not a punishment but a
pleasure.”
Giveaway!
Leave me a comment that includes your email address, and you could win an e-copy of each of the first two books in the series, Playing the Game and Crossing the Lines. In fact, I'll pick two winners!
About
M.Q. Barber and the Neighborly Affection series
Henry,
Alice, and Jay’s romance began in Playing the Game (Neighborly
Affection #1) and continued in Crossing the Lines (Neighborly
Affection #2). The trio will be back June 2 in Healing the
Wounds (Neighborly Affection #3).
The
series is available at Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/M.Q.-Barber/e/B00DKBBSMU),
Kobo
(http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Neighborly%20Affection&fcsearchfield=Series)
and other ebook retailers.
M.Q.
Barber likes to get lost in thought. She writes things down so she
can find herself again.
Often
found staring off into space or frantically scratching words on
sticky notes, M.Q. lives with one very tolerant, easily amused
husband and one very tolerant, easily amused puppy.
She
has a soft spot for romances that explore the inner workings of the
heart and mind alongside all that steamy physical exertion. She loves
memorable characters, witty banter, and heartfelt emotion in any
genre.
The
former Midwestern gal is the author of the Neighborly Affection
contemporary romance series. Pick a safeword, grab a partner or two,
and jump in.
Keep
up with the series via M.Q. Barber’s website
(http://www.mqbarber.com),
Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/mqbarber),
Goodreads profile (http://www.goodreads.com/mqbarber)
or Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/mqbarber).
4 comments:
Thank you, Lisabet, for letting me play in your sandbox today!
You are a new author for me... it was great to learn about you and your books today! Thanks for sharing!
greenshamrock at cox dot net
Hi, Colleen! I'm glad you enjoyed the post, and thanks for commenting. :-)
Enjoyed the post. This looks like a great series. Thanks for the giveaway.
turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com
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