When I was a teenager
way back around 1980, my mom belonged to the Harlequin Readers Service and she
would receive a box of romance books every month. She would pour over those books with a hunger
only another book lover would understand. Sometimes I'd sneak a book and hide in
the basement to discover the adventures that lie within the pages.
Mom’s favorites
depicted historical with brawny manly men such as cowboys and damsels in
distress or rich educated hunks such as doctors with an established woman in
search of a man accepting of her liberation.
As I grew as a reader
then became a writer, I came to appreciate the variety of characters behind well
written romance stories. Personally, I don’t care for the wimpy gal who can’t
tie her shoe without help. However, a gal does have the right to be doted on by
a loving man…as long as she tends to her own footwear, unless he’s taking off
said footwear to give her peds some undivided attention. After all, who doesn’t love a good foot
massage?
Anyways…..back to my
original trail of thought.
Creating characters is
actually pretty fun. (That is until they take over a writer’s mind and keep thus
writer up all night until a scene or story is finished.) Let’s take the overly confident guy who helps
a meek gal find her inner sensuality and eventually turns the table on him. He
becomes empty and she is the only one who can fill him. This is much like my
characters in Crow Magic. The hero in this story is the first of several Native American shifters I create; this one is a Crow shaman.
Let me tease you with a
couple characters….
how about a dominating hot cop and a submissive lawyer? Sounds hot! In Handcuffs & Silk, the rough, tough female cop learns a bit about herself when she has a one night
stand with a hot male big-city lawyer who’s a
bit submissive and passive.
The hero in Eagle Dance is a huge man with wild hair who is a big softie inside. He is looking for a woman to appreciate the simple things with him. He's the second Native American shifter, a sexy eagle and retired Marine. His leading lady is chasing a ghost but slows down for pizza and a hot shower scene.
I’m a sucker for a good
romance story with well built characters.
(Not referring to muscular build…well
maybe. Duh!) Nonetheless,
I believe heroes can have weakness and leading ladies
can be strong. They are certainly fun to create!
What kinds of characters in leading roles do you prefer?
