Falling in love with the hero...over and over again!

Susan’s blog about her love affair with books has had me thinking about my love affairs (yep, that IS plural) with heroes through the years. Whether it was Little Joe on that gorgeous black and white pinto pony in Bonanza or Mr. Spock on Star Trek, I went from one crush to another with every new TV star who came along. Of course, in Little Joe’s case, it was a toss up which one I wanted more—the horse or the man, but a young Michael Landon was the ultimate heart throb.

Once I discovered romances, though, my world of heroes truly opened up. I mentioned one of my favorite books when I left a comment on Susan’s post—Freckles, by Gene Stratton Porter. I loved Freckles—what wasn’t there to love in that scrappy Irish orphan with only one arm, up against thieves and bad guys while protecting the valuable timber in the Limberlost? I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read that book, and I fall for Freckles all over again, every time I read it. Another favorite is Simon Zebriskie in Anne Stuart’s 1988 Harlequin American, Cry For The Moon. Simon is the perfect tortured hero—too old, jaded and flawed for the heroine, which, of course, makes him perfect.

Noah Harper in Lori Foster’s Too Much Temptation is another guy who makes me sigh, but then Lori’s heroes are always just about perfect, mainly because they’re so often flawed and they make mistakes, but they always come through and prove themselves worthy of the women they love. That’s important to me in a hero—that no matter how flawed he might be, he’s got the personal integrity, the honor and the strength of character to do the right thing in the end.

I could go on for hours about favorite guys, but when I made the leap from reader to author, I learned something I never realized—that I’d fall in love with the heroes of my own creation, over and over again.

Anton Cheval, my uber-alpha shapeshifter from Wolf Tales is so real to me I find myself thinking of things I want to discuss with him about the books! I can see him as clearly as I can see my own spouse, but if my guy had dark hair instead of gray and shaved off the beard, he could easily be Anton. The build is right, the voice, and even a lot of the personality—definitely the sense of humor. I don’t think there’s anyone who can compare to Anton’s arrogance, but he’s still a hero I never grow tired of writing.

I just finished DemonFire, the first book in my Demon Slayers series. Generally I don’t need a photo to keep the hero in mind, but for this book, because I wrote a hero who was tall and muscular, not tall and lean like all my Chanku shapeshifters, I printed out a photo of a model who I think is the same guy who’s on my Sexy Beast V cover. He’s absolutely perfect for Dax, my demon turned hero. By the time I got near the end of the story, I realized I’d fallen head over heels for Dax—with this poor innocent model’s face filling my fantasies!

Wolf Tales IV was another book where I used a photo. Tinker McClintock was my first African American hero. I really got interested in him when he showed up in Wolf Tales II, and by the time he got this own book, I wanted more of this guy. I knew what he looked like—he was so clear to me I didn’t need a picture to see him as I wrote, but then one day I stumbled across a photo on the Internet, and it was, literally, the man of my dreams. I’d found Tinker! I printed the picture out and kept him by my computer while I finished the book. I have no idea what name he goes by, but I know he’s really Martin “Tinker” McClintock!

As romance readers, we all have something we look for in a hero. What is it you like?
Who’s your favorite? Is there one hero who stands out for you? A guy you compare other heroes by other authors to? Do you know what it is that makes him special? C’mon...here’s you chance to let six romance authors know exactly what it is that makes a hero memorable. We’re all waiting and watching to see what you have to say!