Welcome Dear Reader!
Some of you are regulars, some are hitting me up through the hop, which you can find the links for below. Today, and the rest of this week, I’m participating in the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop. I feel like this is rather appropriate since I returned from Author’s After Dark late last night. Please, forgive my typos and lack of caffine. There’s an update about the conference coming, I swear, but today I want to talk about the theme of the hop.
Heroes.
Last week I started watching a TNT science-fiction drama called Falling Skies. The basic premise is that aliens have invaded, killed billions of people, stolen our children and now small bands of survivors are fighting back. How many things have you read or watched with a similar plot? Yeah, I can name a few as well.
What sets Falling Skies apart for me is our nerdy, former professor hero. Now, he also has a military background, but whenever some set back or other occures with the invaders, he pulls from these lessons he would have taught his students. In the ending of season one in particular he delivers a moving speech about how through history a few, passionate people with everything to loose have defeated greater forces.
I like unusal heroes.
The former military turned professor turned resistance guy.
The low-man-on-the-totem werewolf.
The handicapped, unassuming hero who can do everything his able-bodied fellow men can do.
Those are the books that make my fingers itch to turn the page and figure out what happens! In a way all of romance features unusual heroes, big burly men who secretly like to cuddle, or the big bad alpha guy who also knows how to waltz. We’re attracted to these out of the box characteristics. Every time I sit down to write a new hero I ask myself, what sets him apart?
In my first book, Flirting with Rescue, Scott is the ultimate animal lover. In Personal Adventures, Carey is the kind of guy who leaves a comfortable life to do something that makes him happy. In Under His Skin, Brian sets out to take back his life after tragedy and spits in the face of those who tell him he’ll never walk again. In Dream Vacation, Luc has transformed himself and takes the chance to fly halfway across the world to meet the woman he thinks he’s in love with.
Think of your favorite books, what was unusual about the hero? What drew you to falling head over heels for him?
I’m offering one of my three Ellora’s Cave books (Flirting with Rescue, Personal Adventures or Under His Skin) and the winner’s choice of a gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble to one commentor. Simply answer my above questions. The contest is international, since this is an electronic delivery, and ends on the 19th.
