Friday, August 17, 2012

Comments and Heroes

First: since I get emails from people asking, "How can I comment?", I turned the comment feature on. It's down there at the bottom by the time the post appeared. So feel free to use it.

Today I have heroes on my mind. I'm getting ready to write a proposal for a new Harlequin Copper Lake book -- an outlne and a chapter -- and then I'll jump back into Book 2 of the Tuesday Night Margarita Club. I know who both heroes (actually all three, since there's a secondary romance in TNMC 2)

They used to say that for a successful romance novel, the reader needs to relate to the heroine and fall in love with the hero. Since I've got a fair number of male readers, I don't like to limit myself. :-)

My rules for a hero: He's got to be strong even if he doesn't want to be and brave when needs to be. He has to love puppers or other small critters and children have to melt their hearts. He has to be decent, fair, willing to admit his mistakes and weaknesses and have true sense of justice. And one other thing: he doesn't wear his machoness on his shoulder like a chip.

That's just me. There are a lot of popular heroes out there who are totally alpha: bossy, forceful, in your face, rude and crude -- just like real guys. I've got tons of friends who love those kind of heroes. But you won't find them in my books. You know, we live with reality. I don't want that much of it in my heroes. I want them to be guys you can take home to Mom, guys who have a sense of when "being a guy" is appropriate and when it's better to act somewhat civilized. I don't want them to be perfect -- God forbid! -- but almost real, with a hint of fantasy, is perfect for me.

19 comments:

  1. oooo I can comment now! ;)

    You know me, I like my heros alpha, but we all know I'm a lil weird. hehe That being said, I do like your heros too. Different strokes and all that.

    Don't forget to take a break before you next book!

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    1. Nah, Ash, lots of people like those alphas. I like them, too, though I always find myself thinking, "I'd have to take a 2X4 to his head!"

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  2. I'm not sure which I prefer. A couple of my hero's have definitely been alpha (that had to be brought down a bit before the end of the book - i.e. your 2x4), and the others have been 'nice guys' with problems. For me, so far, I've let the characters themselves tell me who they are. Does that make sense?

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    1. Oh, of course it does, Linda. Ash and I were talking Saturday about how you can't force a story to be something it's not. It's the same with characters. In the HRS I just finished, Stephen knows that the best help he'd be in a dangerous situation is calling 911. Even the thought of me trying to make him an alpha would have him cowering in the office with his Star Trek posters. :)

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  3. I think you've hit it on the nose hero-wise in many of your books. I like that they're wounded by something in the past. Do you remember all your heroes? Think of any of them fondly? I remember hearing one author say that when her book is finished, she moves on to the next and never thinks of her hero again...In your case, Marilyn, the reader remembers...that's what makes your books keepers.

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    1. Thanks, Ann. So sweet. (I remember your Luke fondly!)

      I do love wounded heroes -- and, yes, I remember them fondly, some more than others. Daniel from Somebody's Baby, Josiah from Sweet Annie's Pass, John from Passion and Chance from A Little Bit Dangerous are among my personal favorites. Oh, and Jack from Murphy's Law. I loved his dedication (and he did a pretty good job of groveling!)

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    2. Easy will always be my fav! *sigh*

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    3. Just the name alone: Easy Rafferty. It doesn't scream hero; it sighs it . . .

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  4. Keep up the great work with your heroes, Marilyn. I love the fabulous male characters you create because they are always swoon-worthy!

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    1. Thanks, Melissa! No matter how different everything else is, my heroes always share a lot in common with the men in my life -- Bob, Brandon, my dad. Good men.

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  5. I like the diversity of your heroes, and they are all people I would like to have in my life.
    You always do such a wonderful job with your characters. Usually takes me a couple weeks before I don't think about them after I've finished reading one of your books.

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    1. Thanks, Meg. I wish I could claim more credit for them, but beyond some very basics, they come to me pretty much as they are. I love hearing that they stick with you a while. Memorable is A Good Thing!

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  6. I'm so glad you turned on your comments. I hate it when I can't talk back. ;)

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    1. I know. Just be ready to talk to me now that they're on. :-)

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  7. Late to the party here. Sorry. I agree your heroes are right on point. I like characters I can relate to and empathize. I don't care for the billionaires and rock stars. Those situations are not the norm. An alpha male with a wounded psyche in need of a good woman. It helps if he looks good naked, too. Oops.

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    1. I've done some rich heroes/heroines, but only because they come with that aspect when I think of them. (I know it sounds weird to talk like I don't have any control over them, but seriously that's the way it is on most books for me.) While money may not solve all the problems of life, it certainly negates a great many of them. I've never been rich, though I'd like to give it a try. :-)

      LOL about your "oops." I totally agree!

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  8. And you know, I love Reese and Luke.

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