Friday, March 16, 2012

Shh, I Have a Secret! Guest Post By Shana Galen

One of my favorite things about little girls is how they love to tell secrets. There's nothing as much fun as lying around with a bunch of little girls, who whisper secrets in your ear with bubblegum-scented breath. The secret is usually something like, "Hi" or "You're nice," and of course these aren't secrets at all. I suppose that, even from a young age, something about secrets appeals to us, though. It's fun to have a secret no one but you knows.

Unless, of course, your life depends on keeping that secret.

When Brooklyn Ann invited me to blog, she mentioned secrets as a possible topic. I hadn't really thought about how often I write characters who keep secrets from one another, but when I started thinking about this blog, I realized it's almost a theme in my work. In The Making of a Duchess, Sarah is a spy masquerading as the fiancee of a duke in order to discover whether or not he's passing valuable information to the French. Getting caught could mean her life, but when the duke catches her, she realizes he has secrets as well.


In The Making of a Gentleman, the hero Armand has been in prison for 12 years. He doesn't speak, and Felicity is hired to tutor him. What she discovers is that Armand has a reason for keeping silent. He carries an dangerous secret inside him. Felicity has secrets of her own, and they prove equally dangerous.



In Lord and Lady Spy, Adrian and Sophia have been married for five years. They're also elite spies for the Barbican group, and their identities are so closely guarded they've kept their secret identities even from one another.



Finally, in my most recent release, The Rogue Pirate's Bride, Raeven's secret is that she is the daughter of a British admiral. Bastien is a pirate who has had more than his share of run-ins with the British navy, so when she ends up stranded on his ship, the revelation of her true identity is not welcome news.



Why do I keep coming back to characters who keep secrets from one another? Because secrets add suspense and keep the reader turning pages. Most of us want to read books that are fast-paced. One element that quickens the pace is when one or both characters have secrets from the other. The reader is left wondering, at the end of every chapter, when the secret will be revealed and what the reaction will be.

This strategy is only effective if the reader also knows the secret. Have you ever been reading a book where, out of nowhere, a character reveals some deep, dark secret? It stops you, may make you flip back in the book to look for clues, and makes you question the character's reliability. How is it he or she had this deep dark secret and you, the reader, who has been in his or her head for X number of pages never realized it? You feel tricked, and justifiably so.

So the first rule in writing a book where one or more characters have secrets is that you have to let the reader in on the secret. You don't have to do this on the first page. You can hint at it and build up to it, but the secret must be revealed to the reader reasonably early in the novel.

The second rule is that the character must have a good reason to keep the secret a secret. This rule becomes increasingly important the longer the character keeps the secret. Of course, if the writer doesn't reveal the secret until the end of the book, this means more and more suspense for the reader. But it also means the hero and heroine have been through a lot together and have, presumably, developed an intimacy. The intimacy will be questioned with the revelation of the big secret, so the reason for keeping it must be life-threatening.

In The Making of a Gentleman, Armand does not tell the heroine or his family why he has refused to speak for so long until the last quarter of the novel. Felicity reveals her secret even later, but both characters have extremely good reasons for keeping their secrets. Armand is trying to protect his family and Felicity from the evil men trying to get to him because he holds valuable information they want. Felicity is trying to protect Armand from the life-altering machinations of a man from her past. Note in both cases, the secrets are kept to protect others. And in both cases, the character fears for his or her life or the life of others he or she cares about. The less serious the secret, the sooner it needs to be revealed.

Finally, the last rule when writing about characters who have secrets is that the reaction when the secret is revealed must make sense. In The Rogue Pirate's Bride, the pirate Bastien wants Raeven off his ship as soon as he discovers who she is. It doesn't matter that he's attracted to her. The threat of the British navy is bigger than his attraction. In Lord and Lady Spy, Adrian and Sophia are married and more or less stuck with one another, despite their secrets. They have to learn to work out their trust issues and come to know one another in a new way. The reaction to the revelation of the secret, and the consequences of the secret, cannot be glossed over. The writer must deal with the fall-out from the secret in a way that satisfies the reader.

Do you enjoy reading books where one or more characters has a secret? Have you ever read a book where the author handled a character's secret either very badly or very well? I'm offering two copies of my new release, The Rogue Pirate's Bride, to two people who comment (open internationally). Thanks again to Brooklyn Ann for hosting me today!





Shana Galen is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker. She loves to hear from readers: visit her website at www.shanagalen.com or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.

34 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me today, Brooklyn Ann! I'll be checking in all day :-)

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  2. For me reading a book where a character has a secret is sometimes frustrating and I sit there yelling at the book like i would the tv, but it big part of the suspense of the book and keeps you wanting to keep reading to see if they are ever going to tell the secret. I don't think I've ever read a book where there wasn't some kind of secret in it.

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    1. Sara, I know what you mean. I definitely try to avoid annoying the reader with the secret.

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  3. sure!! secrets are good extras on a book. most books in the suspense genre has at least one character who has a secret. but i don't know if the author handles the good or bad, i'll enjoy it either way :)

    sienny
    (smile_1773@yahoo.com)

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    1. Sienny, suspense authors are really good at writing secrets in their books. Great comment!

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  4. It depends on the secret, the level of suspense and how well the characters know each other. Sometimes authors draw it out way to far and that bugs me. If there is a good opportunity to reveal that secret and a character seems like they would take it (based on personality), but they don't...it reads as false. However if it fits that character's way of thinking, it works.
    You also have to take into account how well the characters know each other now/or have known each other in the past.

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    1. Oooh, totally! Judith McNaught did that all the time!!!

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    2. I completely agree, Aquarian Dancer. That's a really good observation. If the personality of the character dictates that they'd reveal the secret at a certain point, the author can't keep prolonging it.

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  5. Oh my word, secrets drive me nuts! I don't handle surprises well. That's the main reason I learned to read so fast. I couldn't "ethically" skip to the end of a book to find out the ending, I had to get there in sequential order, so I'd ram that book down my throat so fast, find out the juicy overall story and then come back and read slower. I know, I'm weird. Great post! Love the covers.

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    1. Bonnie, I don't think that's weird at all. I'm like that with movies. I want to know what's going to happen and hate not being able to fast forward.

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  6. Thanks so much for coming by today, Shana!

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    1. My pleasure. Sorry I couldn't check in earlier. My daughter has not been cooperating.

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  7. Great post. I never really payed attention to how many books I have read that have secrets in them. I definitely think that it makes the story more intriguing. I think most of the books/stories that I have read the authors did a great job with the secrets. I love mystery. I agree with you that the longer an author has the character hold the secret, the harder it will be to understand/agree with the character. I also love surprises as long as they are good ones. ;) My friends and family think that I am strange because of that. I don't think that I have ever even had a surprise birthday party. I would love one though! Lol. I got a surprise proposal at one of my birthday party from my husband. All of my family and friends kept it secret from me for like 2 months! It was so sweet! See, secrets can be good too! Thank you for the opportunity to read your story.

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    1. Tina, that's a great point. Secrets can be good. But in most books they aren't good. I should write a good secret at some point.

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  8. I read a lot of series, so I am accustomed to a secret being revealed in the fourth book. The drawn out suspense excites me and keeps me reading on, but does not drive me nuts wondering when it will come out. The one thing I loathe about secrets though is when they are random. No hints are given and suddenly the character does something that makes me go, "huh? WTH?" Especially if it is in a series I have loved and followed for six books and then WHAM in book six, randomness flies in. That drives me nuttier than a fruitcake (by the way, those things are kind of gross, but my mom still buys me one every Christmas).

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    1. Michel, I completely agree. You know why that happens, right? The author needs more conflict so he or she has to come up with something to keep the series going. A lot of times authors don't think the series will go past 3 books and when it's successful and they have to write more books, it's hard.

      Sorry about the yearly fruitcake!

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  9. Hi shana , lately I read a fantasy book by Kylie griffin called vengeance born. Both the hero and heroine have secrets, though the hero' secret will be revealed in the middle toward the end of the book . Must agree with you , secrets are very compealing to readers:), arethazhenATrocketmailDotcom

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    1. Aretha, I haven't read that one, but it sounds like a great example. Thanks for posting.

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  10. i think that secrets in books help make the book intriguing....

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    1. Tamarack, I'm so glad you think so. Me, too!

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  11. Hi Shana, I do like reading a book where someone has a secret that they're trying ti hide, I think it gives a little mystery to the story. I haven't read a bad secret story yet.

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    1. Tina, I like adding a secret element in a story as well.

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  12. Everything you said about secrets' and the idea that it keep's people turning pages' is very correct for me! I'm always sitting on the edge of my couch (:P), wondering what's going to happen. That's one of the main reasons' why I enjoy reading so much! I can get lost in the secrets' and lives' of the characters' in the book. I'm always trying to guess how the secret is going to be revealed... I love how you've written your characters' in your books'! Great Blog, I'll keep watching out for more! :)

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    1. Shan, that's how I am when I read too. I get so involved in the story. Sometimes when I'm re-reading one of my books for revision, I feel that way because I don't always remember how I worked everything out before I've gone through it twenty times.

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  13. Thanks so much for hosting me today! I loved reading all the comments.

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  14. sometimes makes me frustrating, but the secret keep me on just one sitting to finish reading the book. I cant wait cz i hate waiting. Thts why i always finish reading in just one sitting. One of my fav series are Dead By by Beverly Barton. The books have unexpected secrets. I've all of her books. I think u must read all tht books to understand the entire of stories. I adore her. One of the best author. I was very sad when she died.

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    1. Ina, I haven't read Beverly Barton. I'm adding her to my shopping list. Thanks!

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  15. Secret is something that annoys you. You will be curious for a day or more to reveal the truth. Sometimes I can't keep on wondering what the secret is in the book. I just want to skip to the part where the truth is revealed, but it will ruin the interesting part. I just have to hold back my itchy hand and curiosity.
    I guess the writer uses secret to build the tension between the characters. Then, the character must use any other means to reveal the truth. I like this part. They usually use the seduction. That's the sweet part where he/she can't hold on anymore.

    Juliana
    Julianaekin@yahoo.com

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    1. Juliana, I think if a writer is making you want to turn pages that much, he/she is doing a good job. Thanks!

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  16. Yes! I love characters with secrets cause it gives everything an air of mystery and suspense! And it keeps me as nervous as the characters, keep having to second guess the actions and words of the other people. But I don't like it when it hinders the romance too much. For example in Eona by Alison Goodman, I loved it when the heroine and hero were together, but they only got together in the end (which is far too late) cause they don't trust each other, having to hide from each other and lie to each other. I'm an action/suspense-junky, but I'm a romance-junky before that, so if it hinders, then no I don't like it.

    CYP
    cypsays_hi[@]hotmail.com

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    1. CYP, I can totally understand what you're saying. You're reading a romance for the romance, so the secret shouldn't hinder that aspect of the story. Great point!

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  17. I think for me it really depends on why the character is keeping the secret, and what the secret is. The reason for silence must be justifiable, not just made up to create drama in the plot. And it must be something that the character truly believes in; a consequence that they foresee will definitely happen if they tell the secret.
    ericajmcfarland@gmail.com

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    1. Erica, I agree. I also like it when a character tells a secret and the consequence they feared is what happens. I like to see the author try to get the character out of that situation!

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  18. I can't imagine a good fiction book without some kind of secret being in it! If all the cards were on the table in a card game, it would not be fun at all. Thank you for a wonderful interview and giveaway!

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