Good Things Come in Threes
Welcome Sam Cheever to Romance Beckons.
Sam writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 40+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.
The Trilogy – Good
Things Always come in Threes?
Writers use The
rule of three to great effect in our work. This writing principle is based
on the concept that things are funnier or more effective in threes. For example,
the following excerpt from my book, ‘Tween
Heaven and Hell, uses a list of three things to create humor:
When the laser guns
and plasma bombs finished smashing a geographic area comprising about 70% of
the surface of the Earth into smithereens, something eminently evil used the
resulting chaos to slither its way into the world. This evil something hadn’t
been seen before by human eyes, but had always been there, in a parallel
dimension, watching the show and waiting for its turn to join in the fun. And
every once in a while, when Earth’s defenses were particularly low, this
something would reach across that barrier and tweak us a little. Which explains things like Hitler, fruitcake and the IRS.
The most successful slogans generally contain three
words, they’re simpler to chant and easier to remember. Many fairytales are
based on the number three: Three Little Pigs, Three Billy Goats Gruff,
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_three_(writing)
and within these tales the characters must often perform three tasks. (The
Christmas Carol’s three ghostly visitations on Christmas Eve is a good example.)
When you take all of this into consideration, it makes
sense for writers to break their series’ up into trilogies. All stories have a
beginning, a middle, and an end. A trilogy within a larger series allows an
author to follow that formula while keeping her characters and storylines fresh
and interesting. Readers are less likely to get bored or confused with a storyline
provided in three volumes, and the author can explore different avenues, even
making fairly extensive changes to the series with the use of different
trilogies.
For example, in my Dancin’
With the Devil series, the first three books were written at a sensual heat
level and followed the storyline of Astra learning to use her powers and her
growing relationship with sexy Prince Dialle of the Royal Devil court on Earth.
In the ‘Tween trilogy (‘Tween Heaven and Hell, ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place,
and ‘Tween
Heart’s Fire and Devil’s Delight) a parallel plot line was the
movement of Dialle from uber bad boy to possible uniter of the good and bad
worlds.
When I moved the series into the Settling trilogy (The Devil You Know, The Devil You Want, and The Devil You Need) I upped
the heat level on it considerably and the storyline became more Astra-centric.
While the books are still based on Astra saving the world, she’s doing so while
dealing with her Settling, a
difficult time in Tweeners’ (part angel, part devil) lives, when they must choose
either the dark side of their natures or the light. In the course of this
change, Astra undergoes massive swings in temper and sexuality, moving back and
forth between her devilish side and her more angelic nature. These fluctuations
make doing her job extremely difficult and create some fun and interesting
situations.
Did this strategy work? I think so. Reader feedback has
been strongly positive. If I’d made the change in the middle of an ongoing
series sans the trilogy parameters, the results might not have been as
positive. But, what the heck, I’ll let you be the judge. #:0) The Devil You Need will release on May
24th.
Answer the following
question in a comment, for a chance to win The Devil You Need…
What is your favorite thing that comes in threes?
The Devil You Need –
May 24th!
Astra Q. Phelps was
stripped of her magic and the experience has understandably changed her life.
While she’s no longer a slave to the constant sexual demands of her Settling,
she’s now powerless and emotionally bereft.
The uber-sexy Dialle, king of the Royal Devils, is also in
trouble. He’s lost his anchor to the light and dark forces are threatening to
pull him under.
Through it all, deadly forces battle to keep the two lovers
apart, plaguing them with doubts of their future. Is Dialle really the devil
she needs? Is Astra the devilish miss he wants? They’ll have to decide if their
love is worth the risks…or if they’d be better off letting it slip away.
Praise for other
books in the trilogy:
The Devil You Want:
"Sam Cheever never ceases to amaze
with the stories she weaves. They continue to be intense, very hot and filled
with enough twists and turns to keep the reader amazed and intrigued. The
ending is electrifying and you know we have not seen the last of this couple. Beautifully
done – The Devil You Want by Sam Cheever. I know he is the devil I want."
~ 5 stars from Elise at SensualReads.com
The Devil You Know:
"This is one sensual and spirited
read. It is the entire cast of colorful characters, both good and bad and the
in-between, that make this such an unforgettable story. I loved the tone of
this book, while keeping up a fast-paced action it balances the catastrophes
with a lightheartedness that kept me chuckling throughout. If you are looking
for a steamy paranormal this is it and it proves just why this author has a
spot on my must-read list." The
Romance Studio
A Quick, Sexy Taste…
The air beside my chair shimmered and a delectable scent tickled my nose. Despite my dire thoughts, the sight of a long, leanly muscled form dressed in tight, black leather pants tucked into high black boots, and a swashbucklingly sexy white shirt made me smile.
As the air stopped shimmering a beautiful pair of clear-blue eyes, rimmed in midnight lashes scoured me with heat. A perfect pair of lips tipped up in the corners and the overhead light silvered the smooth length of thick black hair hanging just past a square, bristled jaw.
Dialle.
“Hello, my love.”
With those simple words, need slammed through me. Breath stalled in my lungs. My thighs tightened and my nipples peaked. “Hey, yourself.”
He leaned close, placing a hand on either side of me. Long, elegant fingers wrapped around the arms of my chair and lowered his lips to mine. As soon as we touched an inferno flared between us, built from the embers of an always-smoldering fire that needed only the merest encouragement to rage unchecked. The soft kiss quickly turned to a frenzied mating of lips. My hands lifted, twined in the heavy silk of his hair, and he reached beneath my thighs to lift me out of the chair.
The heat of his body called to mine, creating an answering lust that coiled hotly in my lower belly. My hands slipped down his throat, reveling in the bristled warmth beneath my questing fingers, and flattened over his smooth, golden chest. I pressed my palms into the hard buds of his nipples, enjoying the soft growl of encouragement my touch incurred.
With a thought, he removed his clothing and mine, leaving only the thinnest wisp of air between our straining flesh. He settled my butt on the edge of my desk and stepped between my splayed thighs, nestling the rigid heat of his thick cock at my entrance.
My sexual core pulsed with anticipation, my belly tightening under the building need. Dialle’s hands slid from my knees up my thighs, and branded my hips with his scalding touch. His mouth slanted over mine, our tongues tangling with desperate need.
I groaned as he bit my lower lip, just hard enough to draw blood, and sucked the coppery essence away. “I need you, my queen. My body craves your touch.”
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