posted on August 12, 2019 by Nina Crespo

Author Life with Nina Crespo: The Lessons I’ve Learned From My Characters

As a writer, I spend many solitary hours at my desk with my characters. With each new story, I receive an opportunity to explore life through their experiences on the page.

One of my first series involved my heroines helping each other to face their fears through the fun dares they challenged each other to take. At the time, I had just decided to write romance, a far departure from my career at the time in the wellness sector. My husband was supportive, as always, along with a few close friends and family, while others raised their eyebrows and wondered about my new ambitions. Even I wondered what I’d gotten myself into at times, but writing about characters taking wonderful, necessary, sometimes scary risks to move forward actually made it a little less daunting.

Another series unexpectedly helped me to face a relative’s diagnosis of early onset dementia. As my heroines dealt with the reality of no longer being remembered, their fantasy/paranormal adventures allowed me to work through the pain of not being remembered by my loved one. As the characters in those books fought to save the world, their bravery helped me grieve what was beyond my power to change. As my characters found love and happiness, it was a reminder that my happy memories with my relative mattered, and I learned to treasure them even more, along with the love.

The Breakup Bash series is fun and flirty. It has strong heroines who are willing to go for what they want in life, and sexy heroes who aren’t afraid to love them, challenge them in the best ways, and support them.

Here are few lessons I learned writing about my heroes and heroines in The Breakup Bash series:

Natalie (Rules of a Rebound) – Resilience is one of the keys to moving on.

Hardships are a part of life, and Natalie had experienced her share of them, but she was determined to not let challenges stop her from achieving her dreams. Her relationship with Rome uncovered issues she needed to resolve, but she faced her fears and made the decision to keep growing and accept help when needed along the way.

Rome (Rules of the Rebound) – Preparation is important.

As a security expert, Rome always looked at the broader landscape to support strengths and minimize or eliminate weaknesses. We can’t always stop the things we don’t want from happening, but we can set ourselves up for the best outcome possible.

Alexa (The First Rule of Hook-Ups) – Don’t overlook the good that’s right in front of you. Raphael wasn’t like any guy Alexa had dated in the past. Their backgrounds were different, but they found common ground in the things they valued and wanted for their lives apart and with each other. If she had kept looking for the guy she “should” have been with based on expectation, she would have missed out on true love.

Raphael (The First Rule of Hook-Ups) – Be true to yourself.

My husband sent me an inspirational quote the other day that said, “Genuine always wins.” It definitely fits Raphael. He wasn’t ashamed of his choices, and he didn’t strive to be anyone but himself. Instead of trying to navigate other people’s expectations of him, he could focus on growing, learning, and being the best he could be.

Overall, the Breakup Bash books are also about the friendship between the heroines featured in each story. Writing about them made me smile as I thought about the she-roes, besties, and mother-sister-friends that have supported and challenged me to grow, and who were and still are the first to cheer me on when I take bigger steps, still scary steps, toward more as a published author. A few of our antics have ended up on the page, but there are not enough words to express the fierce love, respect, and appreciation I have for them.

I’m finishing Cori’s story now (Breakup Bash, Book 3), and I look forward to the takeaways I’ll learn from her and her hero. But the reason I write romance will always remain the same. I believe in hope and the power of true love.

Have you learned anything interesting from the romance books you’ve read? I’d love to hear about it.

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Nina Crespo

Nina Crespo

Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after.

https://ninacrespo.com

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2 thoughts on “Author Life with Nina Crespo: The Lessons I’ve Learned From My Characters”

  1. bn100 says:

    interesting

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