Friday Features’
Guest
Confessions of a Serial Writer
by
D.R. Grady
The Trouble with Nerds is my newest contemporary romance release. This is Clay Morrison and Sara Newton’s story and is book eleven of The Morrison Family Series. Throughout this series, I’ve made an observation about my career. I’m a serial writer.
I’ve tried with all five of the series I’ve written thus far to write a single, standalone book. I was certain The Nerd and the Marine (book one of The Morrison Family Series) would be a standalone book, as I was already in the middle of writing a romantic suspense series. (The Me Series – comprises five books.)
Imagine my surprise when book one’s heroine’s brother obviously needed his own book, and their cousin needed one, and pretty soon I have eleven books in that series. (And more coming!)
The cousin mentioned above had a long lost sister he didn’t know about, but who found him in the second book, and her story is book five. Now, she and her husband are major secondary characters in The Trouble with Nerds.
I marvel at how favorite characters from preceding books keep popping up in the newer ones. Perhaps I’m just nosy, but I love new opportunities to interact with beloved characters from earlier stories. And wanting to know more about them after their story ends must be the basis of my serial writer tendencies.
I adore knowing how the characters from previous books are doing. Are they still in love? Do they have kids? Are they happy?
I believe we human beings were made to be interested in other people’s lives. This is why we enjoy books, movies, and hearing about the lives of royalty and celebrities. (Perhaps I’m trying to justify my nosiness here…) Yet I take comfort in knowing my favorite characters are content and continuing with their promised happily-ever-after.
The Trouble with Nerds has been especially gratifying because I’ve been able to introduce new characters, while also bringing in some favorites from prior books. Again, the main characters from book five (and seven) help the heroine in book eleven. Book eleven’s hero, Clay, is a cousin to the heroine in book five, Janine, and he’s worked extensively with her husband throughout his career.
I’m happy to report that the characters from book five (and book seven) are still happily in love. And they’re still the amazing people we fell in love with then. Now, they’ve helped us get to know the newest characters, Clay and Sara, who we met in books nine and ten.
By the way, yes, book twelve, The Nerd Who Spied Me, is already written. (I told you I’m nosy, and I couldn’t wait until I finished edits on The Trouble with Nerds before writing the next book.) This is the curse of serial writers. I’m not unhappy about that…
Pick up your copy of The Trouble with Nerds today!
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XJ3CK1G
Blurb:
Odd things keep happening to Dr. Sara Newton. She’s a soon-to-be-unemployed pediatrician with an alleged stalker, a hot cop on her heels breathing dire warnings, and way too much student debt.
It doesn’t help that the hot cop is Clay Morrison, her best friend’s older brother. The man has made her heart pound and her palms sweaty since puberty. The trouble is, he only interacts with her when he’s expounding on new security measures. He sees threats everywhere.
Clay Morrison is frustrated. He hates his new job, misses his Army Ranger days, loves his well-meaning, pushy family—and when did sweet Sara Newton grow up? She won’t admit she has a stalker, and she won’t keep out of his thoughts. He can only protect someone in denial for so long. No matter how attractive she is…
Clay and Sara are circling each other, trying to meet in the middle. Then a brand new threat sends them in a completely different direction.
EXCERPT:
The man in front of her grinned. In a twisted parody of a grin as he reached for her. She eluded with a slick move from Janine, but the man flowed with her. As though he had anticipated her action. This time she thrust forward to jab him in the knee, then followed through with a shot to the crotch. He dropped to the floor, grabbing at his damaged goods as she stepped over him to flee the small room.
And slammed into a solid object. The hard hands circling her arms weren’t friendly. This man’s gold tooth gleamed in the dimmed light, and the flash made her heart sink. To the catacombs. She spun, trying to break his grasp, as Greg had taught her.
His grip didn’t falter. Instead, he used his hold on her upper arms to sweep her off the rug and over the men all around them. She shrieked. Just because they wanted to keep quiet didn’t mean she had any intention.
Especially with fear now clouding her thoughts, because her heart thumped and sweat coated her top lip. She knocked her head into his chin and let out another scream. Putting as much volume into it as possible. He countered with a fist to her chin.
The blow snapped her head back, and blanked her mind as pain ratcheted up her jaw into her head. Everything blurred before she yanked up a hand and thrust two fingers into his eyes. Greg had warned there was no need to play fair in battle, so she jabbed at his eyes and used her aching head to free herself, head butting him whenever the opportunity arose.
Her feet were free so she aimed for his knees. Desperation and pain fueled her actions, no matter how cliche. The man laughed at her efforts. Red slashed across her vision as she thrust away her aches and the nasty taste in her mouth. At the clamoring of her common sense, yelling at her to shrivel into a sack of pleading.
She wiped blood off her lip as the images in front of her narrowed to this leering man with his ugly golden tooth. Maybe she wouldn’t win this, but she’d do her best to make Clay proud.
This time when she jabbed him, she did so with her medical expertise. She hit him in the solar plexus and then followed through with a blow to the nose. Next, the money shot. A swift knee to the groin. It was gratifying when he cried out, and crumpled.
Her success surged to her head. Triumphantly, she spun, right into the chest of the largest man she’d ever seen. This might be a gorilla pretending to be a man. He was hairy and needed to bathe, and he leered at her just like the idiot she’d just toppled.
Sara’s bravado faltered and scuttled away with a whimper as she stared at this person so much bigger than her. This is why guns had been invented. Because there was no way . . .
“Sara, run,” Clay bellowed.
Not about to disobey, she darted between the gorilla’s legs and slid across the rug. Her sweater caused drag, but she scrambled to her feet, and sprinted down the hallway. Away from the terror behind her. Her heart pounded in tune with her fleeing footsteps as her breath came in short, staccato gasps.
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XJ3CK1G
D.R. Grady lives with her husband near Hershey, PA. She adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags, books, and shoes, and writing stories that resonate with others.
Website: http://www.drgradybooks.com/
Twitter: @drgradybooks https://twitter.com/drgradybooks
Facebook Page: D.R. Grady
Google+: D.R. Gradybooks
Other works by D.R. Grady
The Morrison Family Series:
The Nerd who Spied Me
Free Short Stories:
The Me Series:
The Dragon Chronicles Series:
The Dragon Chronicles Book 1: Learning
The Dragon Chronicles Book 2: Shifting
The Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Healing
For additional buying options and updates, please visit D.R. Grady’s website
Thank you so much for inviting me back on your blog!
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Happy to have you back anytime.
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Thank you! (:
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Glad to know your experience with the Morrison family. After the second in my own series was published, a number of readers asked if I would write more about their favorite character in the third book. Problem is, their favorites were all different! Sounds like you’re having fun with your creations, but I’m still figuring out how to make everyone happy an still write the book I’ve planned! Thanks, D.R. for the post, and C.D., for hosting.
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Thank you, Gay! Good luck with your series. Maybe you should plan to write a fourth and fifth book? (: Isn’t it amazing how readers connect with different characters?! I love that.
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Very nice excerpt!
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Hi Petie! Thank you. It’s always a little nerve-racking to choose the best excerpts, isn’t it? (:
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