Without giving away any spoilers I wanted to write a post about the tropes I used for the romance element of The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse. It’s less than a week until publication day and I’ll be honest, I wanted to tease you with a bit more behind the scenes action!
Some people hate tropes. They think they’re corny or un-original, but the fact of the matter is that nearly every story has been told a million times before. For me, tropes such as friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, or second chance romance, give me as a writer a framework to work in. They let me know what the readers expectations are, and they’re expectations I want to meet. The last thing I want is for my readers to come away feeling cheated! So, here are three reasons why I chose second chance romance for Amelia and Adam in The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse.
1. It felt right!
I’m starting with the most intangible because I can’t really think of another way to say it! But as I was planning Amelia’s story, it was the type of romance that most easily lended itself to the plot. It just seemed to fit and I could already hear Amelia and Adam’s tense interactions in my head. That’s not to say it was easy to write because there was a BIG round of edits to get it perfect and my editor was instrumental in helping me find the balance in those tense, loaded exchanges.
She was right when she described it as ‘big Persuasion vibes’ and it worked brilliantly!
2. It fits with the series
When I plan a series, it would be so boring if all I did was write the same type of romance. If every book had a second chance romance it would be sooooo dull you’d soon get bored and that is not what I want for my lovely readers!
It’s important for me to mix it up and you can expect something different from the rest of the books in the series.
3. I hadn’t written it before!
I was really surprised when I went back through my previous books to see that I hadn’t actually written a second chance romance before. It was definitely time to rectify that and I probably had that in the back of my mind when I was plotting Amelia and Adam’s story.
But, the big question is…will Amelia be able to open her heart to Adam again, or will she return to Paris and flee Meadowbank forever? You’ll have to read The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse to find out!
Pre-order The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse now! It’s out on 17th March!
Ever since she left home Amelia’s been enjoying her new life in Paris and has lost contact with everyone in the small English village of Meadowbank. But with the surprise inheritance of her childhood home, Meadow Farmhouse, Amelia has no choice but to return home to discover the secrets of her great-aunt’s past and face her feelings for first love Adam again.
Can Amelia finally confront the past and find where her heart truly calls home?