Bestselling author Barbara Freethy has just released That Summer Night, book 6 in her Callaway Family contemporary romance series.  The author of of over two dozen series and stand alone women’s fiction and contemporary romance novels (many of them bestsellers!), Barbara took time from her busy writing schedule to share how she developed this bestselling series:

Two years ago I started writing a series about an Irish-American family who are born to “serve and protect”, many as San Francisco firefighters. I wanted my family to be blended, a “yours, mine and ours” situation. So the patriarch of the family, Jack Callaway, a widower with four sons, meets Lynda Kane, a divorcee with two daughters, and together they have twins. Now the eight siblings range in age between mid twenties and mid thirties and each is featured in their own book!

Building a series world was a fun and challenging process. I started by making a notebook file on my computer with tabs for each character and book and general family information. As I’ve moved through the series, that file has gotten really long. I try to make note of the places they go, the secondary characters that appear, and the various story threads that continue on throughout the series. While it’s been a challenging process, I love being able to connect the books and have some of the central characters appear in more than one story. I think readers love it too. There’s nothing more fun than getting to go back and visit favorite characters and their favorite places.

I also enjoy writing romances that include an emotional love story with a little mystery and suspense added in, so each of my books takes the characters on an adventure. In my newest book in the series, THAT SUMMER NIGHT (#6), that was released this month, the youngest Callaway, Shayla, a brilliant young doctor gets caught up in a medical mystery that requires the help of a moody but sexy ex-soldier, Reid Becker, who has his own demons to vanquish. When this brainy beauty meets that brawny guy, both their lives are turned upside down.

After this book, I’ll be working on WHEN SHADOWS FALL (#7) coming out in September! And that book will also unravel the grandparents’ story, which a lot of readers have been asking for.

Many people have asked me if series books are more popular now, and I believe they are. We live in a culture where binge reading of book series and binge watching of TV series has become the rage. I know that I’ve wasted a couple of weekends on House of Cards, one of my favorite shows. Now that digital books never leave the virtual shelves, it is easier for readers to get hooked on a book series, because they never have to worry that they won’t be able to get all of the books. So if you’ve ever wanted to try a family series that has an intriguing blend of love and mystery, I hope you’ll check out the Callaways on your Nook!