Romance readers look for the 'whoa' moment

Claudia Y. Burgoa, author of Unlike Any Other, shares how she went about creating the "whoa" moment in her new release.

Claudia: For some, reading is an essential part of their everyday life. I digest books like popcorn during a movie, or chips and salsa during happy hour. Discovering my love of books happened out of boredom at my grandparents' home. You see, they weren't the most entertaining people, but they did have an array of classics including volumes of fairy tales.

I read as often as I could, but it was at the age of 11 that I fell head over heels in love with the Nancy Drew series. That's when I became an avid reader, and my favorite thing to do was predicting the outcome of the book within the first few pages. I have to confess that I continue to do this and have even included movies to test my detective skills. There is nothing like that feeling of discovering my sleuthing was correct and I hit the nail right on the head.

Most books have the tendency to follow a straight line, just like an arrow gliding toward its target, with a well-versed prose we enjoy. This includes love stories where you expect the protagonist to fall in love with the beautiful heroine in order to reach their happily ever after. Or a nail-biting mystery where the hero finds the Holy Grail while defeating the resident villain without breaking a sweat, among other genres.

Those types of stories are highly enjoyable to me. Hell, on occasion, I even indulge in a game of pretend by escaping reality by becoming the main character. Wow, did I really just admit that out loud?

However, take a moment to flip the coin when it comes to the plot of these straight-and-narrow books. Instead, focus on the stories, which include unexpected turns that toy with our emotions. Or the books that have hidden gems that create a "whoa" moment. These novels crank my adrenaline or release the waterworks without warning. I'm talking about the unique books where the author keeps me constantly guessing which way they are heading. Then it happens. I arrive at the point of no return where I find the treasure chest and discover the hidden gem.

I could continue to discuss how much I love to have my ground shaken by an author, but instead, I'll tell you about setting that gem underneath the prose.

A complicated task. My writing process begins with the question "what if." Next, the idea of a story surges from within my mind. In those stories, I like to invent three-dimensional characters who at first glance appear normal, but behind closed doors their struggles consume them.

With Unlike Any Other, I combined the need we have as humans to find our happily ever after with the internal battle of keeping the public eye away from the characters' everyday lives.

It wasn't difficult to come up with the base storyline. The twist, the imaginary rug that I'd pull from under the reader's feet, which would drop the big "whoa" moment, was also within an easy reach. It was setting up the clues, I found to be the trickiest part.

Once I completed casting my characters, I added the obvious paths and outcomes to my first draft. Later, I scrapped the most predictable moments. This being a hard job as clues had already been bared and in turn needed to find a new path so the reader wouldn't learn the outcome too soon.

Afterward, I began to fill the prose with deep layers that would not only entertain the audience, but also make sense of the whole to my readers. The latter being such an important piece — if mixed the right way — the reader will end up reminiscing about the story for a long time to come.

Here's the blurb about Unlike Any Other:

AJ

The name AJ Colthurst may not have any meaning to the public eye, but it should, as I'm the daughter of two famous celebrities. Like any superstar, they crave privacy; so much of it, they built a house in the middle of nowhere for us children. As we grew older, we discovered the lies they built as a fort to protect us from the media, ended up causing emotional damage along the way.

I carry a portion of the guilt on my shoulders; the other part I discovered is the separation of my parents. Their unorthodox ways may have driven me bonkers, but knowing they are no longer together is unacceptable.

That's why I decided to rattle their cage by reminding at least one of my parents of the past and the reason they belong together. They need to remember why their love is so perfect and why they have to fight to keep it alive. Even if it means I have to dredge up some of my own painful memories along the way.

Gabe

Back in the early eighties, I set myself to succeed in the financial world. The first step had been moving to New York City to become a stockbroker, but things didn't work out the way I had hoped. Instead, I ended up making movies and by the end of the decade, Gabe Colt had become a famous name. The downside to my career of choice: the paparazzi. In order to protect my family and our privacy, I maintained my family away from the circus. It had been for their own good; a decision we had made before we started our family.

However, those past decisions ended up chasing my entire family away and now I'm trying to put the pieces back together along with my little girl.

Note: This book may contain high levels of testosterone. A Hot Actor, Hot musicians and A Hottie who believes he's a hero.

Find out more about Claudia and her books at www.claudiayburgoa.com.