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Let us introduce YA Author Rendezvous – a group of independent Young Adult, Middle Grade and Children’s Book authors who have banded together to bring their stories to as wide an audience as possible. Visit them online and find some great reads!

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Today we’re featuring YA Author Rendezvous author, Bethany Wicker!

Favorite YAAR Supporting Characters

Everyone gets to know and fall in love with the MC, or Main Character. I, however, tend to fall for supporting characters. In our group YAAR, short for Young Adult Author Rendezvous, there are several great characters to choose from, but I’d like to talk about a few of my favorites.

We’ll start with Unexpected Alpha, by Bethany Wicker (yours truly.) I’m in love with Marie, the best friend of the MC. She provides comedic relief. I may be biased because she’s based off my best friend in real life, Mariah, but her bubbliness is hard to hate. She also becomes a badass werewolf when necessary.

Next up, The Institute Series by Kayla Howarth. I’m SO IN LOVE WITH DREW! Sorry, went a little fan girl. He betrays Allira in the beginning, but fights so hard to make things right throughout the series that Kayla made it had to not fall for him. Who doesn’t love a bad guy who tries to make things right in the end?

Then, there’s Joshua’s Island by Patrick Hodges. Who doesn’t love Kelsey? Sure, she gets her own novel in Ethan’s Secret, but before
that she was a supporting character. She was so hardcore, stood up to the bullies, and stood for what’s right. She helps Joshua in so many ways to develop the courage he needs to stand up for himself.

The Awaken Series, by Michelle Bryan has several intriguing characters: Finn, Po, Tater, and my favorite, Jax. He’s SO ATTRACTIVE, hold on, need to shift away from fan girl mode. He comes to Tara’s aid when you least expect it and continues to help her on her journey. His snide comments are a bonus and there’s no instant love between them, which always ruins a good story.

Dawn of the Rebellion, by Michelle Lynn is up next with Drew. Yes, another Drew. I swear it isn’t the name! Drew’s originally Gabby’s boyfriend, but when she’s taken, Dawn and Drew set out to rescue her. Their relationship blossoms slowly and you see his true character come to life, and it’s very desirable. I’m not going to spoil anything but I cried at the end… read and see why.

Lastly, there’s Rise of the Shadow Seekers, by Korey Ward. My favorite of the trio is Nelson. I loved him from the moment he was introduced. He defended Alex from the bullies, but his looks scream otherwise. He’s broad and intimidating, but doesn’t use it for his own gain. Instead, he helps Alex in his quest and quickly becomes one of his first friends. A friend that anyone would want.

There are plenty characters out there that I didn’t have enough room to give credit to, but check them out in the YAAR library and be on the lookout for those enchanting supporting characters.

Author Bio:

Bethany Wicker resides in Louisiana and is a pediatric nurse who loves to read and write any chance she gets. Her sun conure, Apollo, green cheek conure, Rocket, and her two dogs, Jasper and Drake, usually keep her company while she writes, throwing in ideas of their own. She has a loving husband, Lucien, and an amazing family who support her passion for writing. Her inspiration comes from her friend Mariah and the support from her fellow authors from YA Author Rendezvous. She loves young adult fiction of all sorts and thanks God for giving her the strength to finish novels of her own. She is obsessed with Disney, Cherry Coke, and White Chocolate Mochas, especially from Starbucks. She also loves food and is always excited to try new things.

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Enjoy this guest post from Kirby Howell

It Takes a Village

People always associate writers with a solitary life… the shut-in surrounded by dusty old books, pecking away on a typewriter. But modern day writing couldn’t be more different, especially for “Kirby Howell.” Kirby Howell is a pen name that Jessica “Kirby” Alexander and Dana “Howell” Melton publish under. Already you’re seeing a difference here – two writers, not one. While a writing partnership isn’t necessarily the norm for novelists, it’s becoming more and more commonplace, and most importantly it lets us work with our best friend.

But the work only BEGINS with the two of us. While we first break the stories together, work on outlines and trade chapters back and forth, our next step is to bring in more folks to make sure we haven’t gotten lost down the rabbit hole. (It happens – trust us!) We work with nearly 30 beta readers, from all walks of life, who read our polished draft and give us notes – that we then apply in the final draft. We’re up to about 32 brains helping us with our stories now… but we’re not done yet.

Writers need other writers. Not just for notes and beta readings, but for trading ideas and yes, a little psychological support. We met the folks at Young Adult Author Rendezvous (YAAR) when we were working on the third and final book in the Autumn Series, and we remember one time very specifically where we were having some trouble with the layout process for the last book cover. That darn spine just wasn’t lining up! After nearing a breaking point, we turned to our group. We got great advice, but we also got the support we needed to push through. And finally in September of 2015, the book (and the series!) was finished. As of this writing, there are about 80 members of YAAR. That brings the grand total of brains needed to bring our Autumn Series to a close to about 112… a village indeed.

For more YA Author Rendezvous Authors, visit their website!

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