Tricky Plot Points: Or Amy Knupp's Book is my Next Research Project

Have any of you ever had an idea for a book or read the blurb for one and thought, "How can that possibly work?" I have this problem a lot. As a romance author, I feel the need to protect my characters so that they stay lovable. Nothing is worse (in my opinion) than a romance where I can't root for the hero or heroine. The problem for me is that I am sometimes too protective, never letting anyone do anything that causes tension. Another way to say this is that my story gets boring.

I love it when an author takes what seems to be an impossible character or situation and handles it with skill. I watched my friend, Diana Holquist, do this with the heroine of the last book in her One True Love trilogy. In the first two books, Amy Burns was less than honorable. She was a deliciously self-centered, egotistical, and slightly sketchy wild child. A very fun character, but could she be a heroine? In Hungry for More, Diana redeemed Amy and made me believe it. I love when that happens. 

I've enjoyed Amy Knupp's Salinger Sisters series so far. The characters are realistic and completely believable. The final book in the trilogy, The Secret She Kept, came out today. This is Savannah's story, and a discerning reader can guess from the title and the back blurb that Savannah has an issue. She's been keeping secrets.

Delightful! But tricky!

Here's part of the blurb:

She never ever thought Jake Barnes would know the truth. When he left town without any warning, Savannah couldn’t tell him she was pregnant. He didn’t give her the chance. So now—years later—because he’s back and finds out he has a child, suddenly she’s the villain….How is that fair?

I can't wait to see how Amy handles this situation. I have faith in her and in Savannah--I know the character a little bit from the earlier books in the series. But I'm already feeling the tension. 

My May book, The Boyfriend's Back, has what I call a modified secret baby plot. I wasn't ready to tackle the full-on secret baby yet. I'm going to read The Secret She Kept, though, and just possibly take careful notes. I'm eager to learn how to handle these tricky situations because the tension, oh the tension! It's making me squirm and I haven't even started the book. That's what I want to be able to do with my writing.

What authors have redeemed characters or written their way out of sticky situations in a way you found believable and honest? I'm curious to do some more research on this ticklish subject. 

Cheers,

Ellen

www.ellenhartman.com
Blog: www.romancenovelsblog.blogspot.com
Calling the Shots Superromance October 2010
Plan B: Boyfriend Superromance December 2009