Love to love those heroes

Romance fiction needs a hero for the heroine to fall in love with. It also needs a hero that each reader wants for the heroine and maybe for herself.

But what makes a hero heroic?

For me it’s two things:

• How he interacts with the heroine; and
• The journey he takes in the course of the story to become the person the heroine can love.

When the hero interacts with the heroine he should respect her and respect the role of women in society. He can be arrogant and aggressive in his approach to life and other characters – never the heroine. It goes without saying that physical and emotional violence or the threat of either is never heroic.

The journey of the hero has been well described by Campbell and Vogler. I like to see the hero struggle and change and earn the heroine’s love. My favourite part of the journey is the ‘Refusal of the Call’. No matter how short the hesitation, I like to see the hero question his ability to change and then decide that the love of the heroine is worth the risk.

Love to love those heroes.

Falling for character

I never thought I had a type—you know TDH, blue eyes or brown, muscled or lean. While I might love an actor in one TV show it’s very easy for me to dislike him in something else. I realised then it was all about the character they were portraying.

And I do have a type. But it’s all about what they do. Take a look at my current favourites list:


Jim Shannon on Terra Nova (Jason O’Mara)—family guy, ex-cop, protecting the colony
 

Dean Winchester on Supernatural (Jensen Ackles)—risk taker, out to save the world.

The Doctor on Doctor Who (#10 David Tennant)—smart, out to save the universe.

They all have one thing in common, they are doing the right thing at any cost and not expecting reward at the end. Now that’s a hero.

Can't help it - love me some Alpha Hero!

A large number of people hate the overbearing alpha male in romance books. Not me, I love the strong alpha male. He may appear to taunt or control or demand. But the love of a good woman will bring him to his knees - and I LOVE when that happens.

There is nothing better than reading a book and seeing the growth of a male character, especially our Alpha hero. I melt when I see him towards the end realise that without his heroine, his life really is an empty shell. When in a time of need she is there to give him the strength he needs.

Of course, his heroine will have to be someone who can stand up to him, a strong woman but not too strong. Someone who will question him and bring out that sensitive male that is lurking deep below. He'll only show it to her and I think that is the most romantic thing.

With the love of a good woman, he can let himself lean on someone when he needs to. He can make mistakes and not be ridiculed. He can ultimately be himself. In his business world he'll still be the arrogant, overbearing man and that's fine, in the cut-throat world of business he needs to be. But the moment he walks through that door, he relinquishes that part of him and shares his real self with the love of his life.

I love romance books!

So tell do you love an Alpha male?

Nicki

Split by Tara Moss

© 2002 by Tara Moss

ISBN 0-8439-5643-7

Dorchester Publishing, New York

Reviewed by Lesley Ann Smith, January 2011.

This is the second book by Tara Moss and the second of the Makedde Vanderwall books.

Recently returned to Canada from Australia, Mak is continuing her studies in forensic psychology. She is plagued by nightmares of her encounter with a serial killer in the first book, Fetish. Several girls go missing from the university where Mak is studying and their bodies are discovered in a nearby forest. Mak seems to have an inbuilt attraction to danger that she can’t escape.

She’s also attracted to Detective Andy Flynn who rescued her from the serial killer in Fetish. Andy is in Canada for training with the FBI and is assigned to case of the murdered students. Andy tries to warn Mak but she avoids him and her feelings for him and is plunged into danger.

Split is a pacy psychological thriller with a satisfying romance subplot. The characters are authentic and the emotional pathologies ring true. The protagonists are empathetic and keep the reader’s interest. The danger and suspense are vivid and sustained to the end of the story.

Split was shortlisted for the 2003 Davitt Award for Best Australian Crime Novel.

Tara Moss is a multi-published author and information on her other books can be found at her website. http://www.taramoss.com/novels/index.php

This review has been written as part of WInk Girl’s commitment to the 2012 Australian Women Writers Challenge. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Australian-Women-Writers/176862202396763

http://www.australianwomenwriters.com/p/australian-women-writers-book-challenge_25.html

Turbocharge Your Writing

Continuing our goal setting theme for January, I thought I'd move on to the practical question of how to deliver on all those words that we've promised ourselves for 2012.

Late last year I went to a seminar delivered by Hugo Kearns. He travels the world helping academics to get their work down on paper and I thought many of his techniques were also relevant for writing popular romance fiction. His seminar was a lot of fun and as he described the many excuses and avoidance behaviors that writers employ I felt he’d been watching me.

He gave some great advice.

Work out where you are with the various writing projects and decide on the next thing that has to be done and do it. Make the writing goal specific and small.

• Writing is a creative process and your thinking will become clearer as you write.
• Don’t wait to be motivated. Sit down to write and don’t do anything else but write. Practice doing this every day and the words will come.
• Snack write – write little and often and before you finish decide on the next important thing that has to be written.
• Set specific times to write.

Hugo said that anxiety stops people from writing and that the best way to deal with the anxiety is exposure. Write for at least 45 minutes each day even if at first you produce very little. Keep at it and don’t do anything but write in that 45 minutes and the words will come. This ties in neatly with the snack writing concept.

All of this advice is contained in more detail in his book Turbocharge Your Writing which is available from his website http://www.ithinkwell.com.au. The book is written for an academic audience but the tone is humorous and engaging and it’s an easy read.

Let's get moving on all those words we've promised ourselves in 2012.

My goals for 2012

I’ve always made a list of goals. Some short term some long term. Since Wink began as a crit group I’ve tried to put work out to each meeting. When my kids were little getting out and talking to adults about something other than sleep cycles and nappies was a blessing.

This year that goal of putting work out to every meeting hasn’t changed.

My other goals have. It’s not about submissions any more so much as about juggling edits with new work ( this seems obvious but realising how much time edits can take was a learning curve) and promo commitments.

I’d like two write two novels this year (depending on contracts I might have to write 2 novels)

I also still love novellas. They are short and fun—I like it when reviewers say they wished they were longer as it means they were drawn in and loved the characters. So I’d like to write a couple of them. I’m sure my Ed at Ellora’s Cave will be happy to hear that J

I have several stories that need to be polished before I can submit them. They are my short term goal as I’d like to send them out before I go to RT in April.

My special challenge for the year is to write a Christmas themed story. I realised in December I’d never done one. NEVER. Not even a hint of a plot or a whiff of an idea. Actually looking at my list of goals I’d be happy just to come up with an idea.

So this year I shall be writing, lots!

Shona

Good, better, best

Like some of the other Winkettes this year my only resolution has nothing to do with goals. Nope, not a one. Ready for this? Here it is;

I will do the best I can.

That's it. End of New Year's resolution. I already feel better. No guilt. Here I am completing Tuesday's to do list on Thursday night and that's okay. It was the best I could manage this week.

That's not to say that I don't have goals, I do. They're the usual, start new contemporary manuscript, lose weight, finish the paranormal, exercise more, be a better Winkette, eat more healthily etc.

What's more, thanks to Bob Mayer's fantastic workshop at conference last year I have a better idea of how to set up my goals in a practical way for working day to day. If you ever get the chance to go to one of Bob's workshops GO! Even if you have to give up chocolate for a year to save up for it. (Yep, that good.) (And yes, I do eat that much chocolate.)

Now, I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I get away with all sorts of stuff because I'm "creative". Lateness, procrastinating, vagueness and generally being a bit dippy. I know I'm not the only one. A certain fashion designer I know is late for everything and makes me look like a model of having it togetherness. However I come from a creative family, we have a couple of photographers, an actor, an artist and numerous artisans and musicians. Not many of us actually manage to make our livings from our chosen areas. In my family being creative is no excuse for anything.

So, if I'm to do the best I can, I have to stop using my creative left brainedness as an excuse for not getting stuff done.

I'll do the best I can.

H! :)