Lately, a fair number of people have asked me whether I plan to write stories for some of the peripheral characters in my debut trilogy. First, let me say that I love those questions! I love it that people want to read more about them.

Just in case anyone else out there is wondering the same thing, let me answer here on the blog. And I should probably add this to the FAQ, too.

Joss
Before A Lady of Persuasion came out, lots of people were asking whether I’d write a Joss book. I tried to reply with coy “we’ll see” comments. And even after reading A Lady of Persuasion, some of them are still asking for a Joss book! (If you haven’t yet read ALOP, the following is a spoiler. Highlight the empty space to read it.)

I loved writing Joss and really wanted to give him a happy ending. Because I only had three books on this contract, I didn’t know that I’d ever have a chance to write him a book of his own, so I wrote his romance with Hetta as a secondary romance, and I was really happy with how it turned out. But even so, a lot of readers seem to want more of them. I’m considering writing a novella. At the end of ALOP, they are on their way to marry…but they haven’t tied the knot yet! Who knows what could happen… *wink* However, I can’t even think about writing such a story until I finish the third book of the new trilogy.

Davy
I do adore Davy, the fifteen-year-old green hand from Surrender of a Siren. Some people (some of them my very close friends) insist that he would make a wonderful hero, and I’m not opposed to the idea. Some even want him marrying one of Sophia and Gray’s daughters, which to me would seem rather awkward…but then, awkwardness makes for great story! Who knows. In my opinion, to make Davy into a hero who could carry his own novel, I would need to put him through a lot of hardship. And I’m not sure I want to do that to dear, sweet Davy! I haven’t ruled it out, but I have no plans to write such a story now.

The kidlets: Tommy, Lyddie, and all the other children at the end
This was a question I just got asked for the first time. I’d never even thought of it before! Aside from the few readers angling for a Davy/Miss Grayson romance, no one had asked about the other kids yet. There are a lot of them! And it might be fun to write about them…but then again, the same problem rears its head. It’s difficult to write a character-driven romance between two happy, well-adjusted people with parents who are living and loving, not to mention this entire circle of friendship and support they’ve developed. If I wanted to write a Tommy/Lyddie romance, for example, I would probably have to let something awful happen to at least one of them, and that would perhaps call into question the “Happy Ever After” ending of the original trilogy. So I don’t know.

In all cases, I would never say never! But aside from a continuation of Joss’s story, I don’t have specific plans to write any of them at this time.

Any other characters I forgot?

In other news…
Over at The Season, Surrender of a Siren was voted the readers’ Favorite Historical Romance for the month September! How exciting, and what an honor! Thanks to any of you who voted.

Oh, and tomorrow I’m signing books at the Fullerton Reads book festival in Fullerton, CA – from 11 AM to noon. This is a big event with fun for the whole family, so if you’re nearby, please drop in!