Kassie O’Callaghan’s meticulous plans to divorce her emotionally abusive husband, Mike, and move in with Chris, a younger man she met five years ago on a solo vacation in Venice, are disrupted when she finds out Mike has chronic kidney disease—something he’s concealed from her for years
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Author Guest Post
Being Second Doesn’t Mean Second Best
By Valerie Taylor
Author of What’s Not Said (She Writes Press, 2020) and What’s Not True (She Writes Press, August 2021)
Every novel has a protagonist (the hero, the mover and shaker of the story) and an antagonist (the villain, who obstructs the hero’s success). Most often these are characters that avid readers, like you and me, either love or love to hate.
Occasionally, we discover the protagonist is not the main character. Sometimes the antagonist is so central to the story, they step into that role. Consider The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith or Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
And sometimes the antagonist is nature (setting). Think Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Into Thin Air or Thoreau’s Walden.
No matter the role of the protagonist or antagonist, usually they are the most memorable characters in the story—we either root for them to win or pray they’ll lose. Oftentimes, we assign actors to them in our minds, as if we are the casting director when the book goes to the big screen (cinema) or streams into our homes or devices.
But what of the rest of the cast—those secondary characters, or sidekicks—that authors throw into the plot for good measure?
What is their purpose? And can we, or the main characters, live without them?
Since secondary characters rarely have anything to hide, they are often the most honest players in the story. As such, here are five roles, I think, secondary characters play:
- As a foil, providing contrast to the protagonist
- Giving the main character someone to talk to, one-on-one
- Creating a mirror into which the protagonist’s soul can be revealed
- Helping to weave in backstory with minimal narration
- Allowing the author to embed breadcrumbs ahead of the climax/conclusion
It’s not unusual for readers to love secondary characters. Take Hermione Granger in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Or Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein.
Sometimes they become as popular as the main character; so much so, they spin-off into their own book. A prime example is Gregory Maguires, Wicked, where he provides a prequel and alternative narrative to Dorothy’s three infamous companions, as well as to other secondary and lesser characters depicted originally in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Secondary characters play critical roles in my books, as well. In What’s Not Said, one such character is Kassie’s BFF, Annie, who keeps her honest in her beliefs and cares for Kassie when she’s down and out. I was startled when readers asked for more of Annie and the Kassie/Annie friendship in a separate novel.
And then there’s Topher, a cat who offers his own opinions of the humans around him.
While both Annie and Topher continue their roles in the sequel, What’s Not True, I was tickled when one reviewer said she was dismayed that Topher didn’t have as big a role in the second book as he seemed to have in the first where “he stole the show at times.” She went on to suggest, “He needs his own book (or at least a short story).”
I can report that both Annie and Topher are cast in the third book of the trilogy, but as to whether I’ll spin either or both into separate books remains to be seen. Bottom line, I better get writing. The entire cast is waiting!
About the Books
What’s Not Said
What’s Not Book One
by Valerie Taylor
Published 15 September 2020
She Writes Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit
Page Count: 316
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
What’s Not Said is a story about Kassie O’Callaghan, a middle-aged woman on a mission to divorce her emotionally abusive husband and start a new life with a younger man she met while on a solo vacation in Venice. When she learns her husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans collapse until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits.
Then again, Kassie is no angel. The separate lives they lead collide head-on into a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. As she helps her husband find an organ donor, Kassie uncovers a secret, forcing her to decide whose life to save: her husband’s or her own.
Currently on sale in Kindle eBook format for $1.99 USD!
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | BD | Indie Bound | Bookshop.org | B&N | Google
2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Women’s Fiction
2020 Canadian Book Club Awards Finalist in Fiction
Chosen as an August 2021 Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection
Featured by the international NoMo Book Club in May 2021
“Taylor’s dialogue is snappy and contemporary . . . A witty and often amusing marriage drama.”
―Kirkus Reviews
What’s Not True
What’s Not Book Two
by Valerie Taylor
Publishing 24 August 2021
She Writes Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit
Page Count: 321
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
With her court date set for her divorce and her plans with the younger man in the rearview mirror, Kassie O’Callaghan shifts attention to reviving her stalled career. But things get complicated when she unexpectedly rendezvous with her former lover in Paris. After a chance meeting there with a colleague and a stroll along Pont Neuf, Kassie receives two compelling proposals. Can she accept them both?
But Kassie’s decision process screeches to a halt when her soon-to-be ex-husband has a heart attack, forcing her to fly home to Boston. There, she confronts his conniving and deceitful fiancée—a woman who wants not just a ring on her finger but everything that belongs to Kassie. In the ensuing battle to protect what’s legally and rightfully hers, Kassie discovers that sometimes it’s what’s not true that can set you free.
Though a standalone novel, What’s Not True is the sequel to What’s Not Said (September 15, 2020).
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | B&N | Indie Bound | BD
“What’s Not True…is an enthralling, character-driven story that will appeal irresistibly to fans of women’s fiction…Taylor’s prose is crystalline…she does not waste words, rather using them to create a tense, nerve-shredder that offers full entertainment to readers.” — Readers’ Favorite 5-star review
About the Author
Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a B.S. Marketing degree and an MBA from Sacred Heart University, as well as a graduate certificate in health care administration from Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. Valerie is a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of Westport Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator.
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Giveaway Alert!
Enter to win 1 of 5 print, or 1 of 5 ebook, or a $20 Amazon Gift Card! (11 winners/USA only) (ends Sep 3)
WHAT’S NOT SAID Spotlight Book Tour Giveaway| Aug 9 | Cover Lover Book Review | Aug 10 | A Mama’s Corner of the World |
| Aug 11 | Locks, Hooks and Books | Aug 12 | @twilight_reader |
| Aug 13 | Westveil Publishing | Aug 13 | Sefina Hawke’s Books |
| Aug 16 | ajbookreads | Aug 17 | Kam’s Place |
| Aug 18 | Celticlady’s Reviews | Aug 19 | Gina Rae Mitchell |
| Aug 20 | StoreyBook Reviews | Aug 20 | Books for Books |
| Aug 23 | Jazzy Book Reviews | Aug 24 | Pine Enshrined Reviews |
| Aug 25 | Sadie’s Spotlight | Aug 26 | Stephanie Jane |
| Aug 27 | Gold Dust Editing & Book Reviews |
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Jenna,
Thank you for posting my blog post, “Being Second Doesn’t Mean Second Best.” I hope you and your followers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I appreciate your boost of WHAT’S NOT SAID and WHAT’S NOT TRUE!
Valerie
Sounds like a good read.
I definitely need to check this out! Thanks for sharing!