Author Rochelle Alers on Her Long-Running Hideaway Series

by Rochelle Alers, author of Breakaway, the latest novel in the Hideaway series

Most of us remember our firsts: kiss, lover, marriage – for those who have had more than one – child or grandchild.  But, for me I have to add another milestone to my list: blogging.  I’m truly a virgin when it comes to blogging and I can hear Mr. T whisper my ear. ‘Rochelle, I pity the fool.’  Well, Mr. T I’m going to prove you wrong, because I’m more than ready to give up my blogging virginity!

As a romance writer I have to add another first to the list.  Although Hideaway wasn’t my first published title it holds the distinction of being my first attempt at writing a romance.  What had begun as a short story of 5,000 words, written on an electric typewriter – made virtually obsolete by word processors and today’s desktop, note and netbook computers, was expanded to 85,000 words and wasn’t published until 1995 – ten years after I’d completed the first draft.

I knew in my heart of hearts that I had a special baby even before Hideaway appeared on bookstore shelves, because like our human children, I’d believed in my literary newborn.  What I hadn’t known at that time was that other people would also like the characters that would make up the Hideaway Legacy.

Fast-forward nine years.  Readers now read about the second-generation of Coles, Kirklands and Sterlings. The fervor over the characters swelled until a Hideaway Retreat in Orlando, Florida drew more than 125 readers and writers from more than twenty states.   We borrowed the New Orleans’ motto: Laissez le bon temps rouler – “Let the good times roll,” and over four days and nights we ate drank, danced and talked about characters we knew were not real, but loved nonetheless.

Fans of the Hideaway series at the retreat

Go to www.rochellealersbooks.com to check out the photo gallery from the retreat.

Whenever I’m asked about another retreat I’m reminded of the warmth and camaraderie from that wonderful gathering.  With the assistance of my publicist, we are brainstorming hosting one for 2015.  The date is significant, because it will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the debut of the first title.

I knew I had plots for the first four books in the series: Hideaway, Hidden Agenda, Vows and Heaven Sent, but I could not have imagined fifteen years later that I would’ve been able to develop plotlines for ten more titles.  Are there more plots? Of course.  After all, the series has to come of age when it celebrates its quinceañera and sweet sixteen.

Breakaway (Kimani Arabesque) debuts May 2010 and continues the tradition with sexy, sophisticated men and women who dare risk everything for love.  The heroes are modern-day gladiators and their female counterpart is feisty and independent, but never forgets that she is a woman.  The characters work hard but love even harder.

When I was asked to contribute an original story inspired by real women who’ve made a difference for Harlequin’s More Than Words, Volume 6, I decided characters from the Hideaway Legacy series would fit perfectly because the heroine in Breakaway moves into their Miami-based oceanfront home.

 

You ask who are these people and why do I continue to write about them?  The answer is simple.  They are family – and good, bad or indifferent you can’t get rid of them.  I have my personal favorites, and others I would love, if given the opportunity, to rewrite and/or revise.  What is so endearing about this series is every new title garners new readers.  For readers who are new to the series, the backlist is now available, beginning with Hideaway, October 2009.

And those who want to know why I decided on multiracial, cultural and bilingual characters with roots in Florida, about my ongoing and new miniseries and single titles I ask, “Can we blog about it?”

When E.R. doctor Celia Cole-Thomas is wounded and her fiancé killed in a shootout at the hospital, the only way she can heal her body and her heart is to spend time at her mountain retreat. In her remote cabin on the Tennessee border, she isolates herself from the world—until Gavin Faulkner moves into a nearby lodge. And as hard as Celia tries to stay away, Gavin’s friendship and sensuality are slowly bringing her back to life.

An FBI special agent, Gavin has been ordered to apprehend a fugitive in the area. The moment he meets Celia, he knows he can’t pass up the chance to show this vibrant woman all the passion she’s been missing. But his dangerous assignment could shatter the fragile trust they’ve built, unless he can convince her that love’s rewards are worth the risks….