We are so fortunate today to have NYTimes and USAToday bestselling author, Catherine Bybee as our guest. Catherine has sold over a million books and is now published by Montlake Publishing. Catherine is a versatile writer who has written across genres. Her latest series is the Weekday Brides. Please welcome her to Smart Girls Read Romance.
The Weekday Bride Series: The Inspiration & Writing Of
By Catherine Bybee, Guest Author
First, thanks for having me here today.
I’m asked all the time what inspired the Weekday Brides
Series and I have to tell you… what may have started as a small adventure for
me to write my first contemporary ended up being much more.
Wife by Wednesday was quite honestly slated as a
Harlequin novel. Hence the reason Wife by Wednesday is the shortest book
in the Bride Series. I wanted to try and develop a new twist on a well-loved
romance trope…a rich hero and a needy heroine. Only in Wife by Wednesday,
we have two very honest characters with very real needs. A marriage of
convenience between two smart people trying hard not to fall in love turned out
to be quite a ride for me as a writer.
I always assumed there would be a second book in the series
but really hadn’t planned who would be next when writing the first book. Carter
and Eliza in Married by Monday were a surprise. Had I known they were
going to be the next two in the series while writing Wife by Wednesday,
I might have added a chapter or two in the first book to let my readers get a
taste of them. Now I leave very little questions in my reader’s heads as to who
will be the next hero or heroine in the series.
The idea of people getting married as an arrangement isn’t a
new concept in romance, but I hope that with each novel I deliver the ‘reason’
my characters get married, or are married, is unique enough to capture my
readers attention and keep them reading.
Every character in the Weekday Bride Series has their own set
of problems and background that drive them to accept a temporary marriage. I’m
inspired by the human ability to adapt and come out ahead of the game in life.
Some of my readers are shocked to find some of the novels more suspenseful than
the others. To that I will simply say, no two people are going to fall in love
in quite the same way. Neil, the hero in Fiancé by Friday, is a former
Marine with a darkness inside him that keeps him from loving Gwen. By nature of
Neil’s former profession, this book had to have suspense in order to drive the
story. Now take Single by Saturday and you’ve done a one eighty on
suspense. Yes there is some sprinkled in but this story is driven by family and
the relationships within. And then we see a glimpse of Rick and Judy and my
readers simply know that I’m going to make darn sure those two hook up.
The Weekday Brides Series might have started out as a simple
experiment in making a typical trope work and feel fresh, but has twisted into
a complex and entertaining series where no two books are the same.
 |
| Catherine Bybee |
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned novels Wife by Wednesday, Married by Monday, and Not Quite Dating. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.
Learn more about Catherine here:
I have just been introduced to a new author! The tidbits you shared were enough to "hook" me! Look forward to reading your series! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them, Karren.
DeleteCatherine, thanks for visiting today. Best wishes for continued success.
ReplyDelete*waving* Hi Caroline. Thanks for having me today.
DeleteHi Catherine! *Beth waving. So good to have you with us. And I can say I knew you when. You are absolutely awesome and an inspiration to us all and one of the nicest authors I know.
ReplyDelete*waving back* I see lots of familiar faces here, Beth. And yeah... it's been a while since all this started, hasn't it?
DeleteI've always loved the "marriage of convenience" trope. It's old, but with the right writer to breathe life into it, the trope can dance in the wind, captivating us all. I adore your series. Can we come up with more days of the week? Romaceday, Kissday, Hugsday....
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Vonnie. Who knows what will happen after 7 books. Time will tell.
DeleteThank you for visiting with us Catherine. A quote from Stephen King, "Each book is boss." And that's the way I feel when writing a trilogy or a series. You have to go with what works for the characters. Fun learning about your series.
ReplyDeleteHi Paty, I agree with Stephen. The books rule the books. I'm just the hands on the keyboard.
DeleteI've loved the Weekday Bride Series. Thank you so much for visiting our blog
ReplyDeleteHi Geri, Thanks for reading.
DeleteThanks for visiting SGRR today, Catherine! I love your books. MOC is one of my very favorite tropes, when done well, and you certainly do it well!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jacquie. I'm glad you're enjoying the books. And thanks for having me.
ReplyDelete