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Nothing else really to say. Except maybe this:

Heroes - Jerks or Nice Guys?

I was posting out on Twitter and Facebook tonight, bemoaning the fact that yet another set of characters has reared their heads and demanded to be written. This book will take some research, like they all do, but even so, the words are flowing out of my fingers at a pace I don't dare interrupt. When I'm inspired like that, I tend to write like gangbusters, getting as many as 25K words down in a week. Problem is, I have a book I REALLY want (and need) to finish, but it's just not calling to me. The reason being is that my hero is too nice.

Yup, you heard that right. My hero is too nice. He's basically a good guy. Nothing wrong with that, but when I write, a good guy is not who I'm looking for. If you've read any of my books, you know that my heroes tend to be, well, assholes. At least that's how they come off to the heroine. Yet, somehow, she sees behind the jerkface façade to the man underneath. And basically, he's an honorable guy. So why am I having such trouble with the hero who's the honorable guy from the start?

Couple things I suppose. The fantasy of "taming the bad boy" lurks in many women's hearts. Because who doesn't want to be the one who makes him fall in love to the point he'd risk everything he is and has to make her happy? Make him see being the honorable guy in himself is acceptable. Isn't that what romance is all about?

But here's the other issue – this nice hero is boring me. He was fun at first, but he quickly became bland to me. I've gone back and tried to make him darker, but it's simply not working. Even when he's being dominating (cause ALL my heroes are), he's not daunting enough. I don't necessarily want him to be evil, or innately cruel, but he has to have something in his past that makes him behave somewhat "un-heroically" at times. He has what he believes is a reason to behave the way he does.  Because if he doesn't have that reason, and realize at some point that reason may no longer be valid, how can he learn from his mistakes and be redeemed? Right?

My heroes, for all of their meanness, always feel some sort of remorse for their actions, even if they stubbornly refuse to let that regret guide them at whatever moment. The heroine is the one who ensures he learns what he needs to. She teaches him that it's all right to forgive, accept, admit mistakes. And sometimes, she encourages him, or helps him, take brutal action against his enemies. Showing him that sometimes, being a jerk is perfectly acceptable!

What do you think? Jerks or nice guys? 

My Stab at Reviewing

In an effort to keep this blog from fading into obscurity, I may have mentioned some things I am planning to do with it. I have some author interviews coming up and thought I'd also start including reviews for books I've recently read. So to start off, I've got a few books I'm going to talk about. 

First, I wanted to give a review of some recent books by Kat Attalla. If you haven't read any of her books, you really should. Kat writes some of the best dialogue I've ever read, and she nails the chemistry between her characters with absolute perfection. In the Married to a Prince series, she has created a Middle Eastern world that I think many of us would like to see actually exist. Book One, A Marriage of Convenience, involves a secret baby and misunderstandings between Honor and Yusef. But even through all that, there is no doubt that these two are deeply in love. I laughed through a lot of this book, and was sorry to see it end. Book Two, An Inconvenient Marriage, Lila learns she was married as a baby to Sami, the heir in line to the throne of Nadiar. She plans to end the marriage, but finds herself falling for the husband she never met or knew existed. Some really tense moments in this one, but as usual the chemistry of the couple just sweeps you off your feet. Book Three, The Prodigal Prince, also involves a lot of secrets. Mona, being the daughter of Nadiar's emir, needs protection while she studies in Boston. Rashid is the man hired to protect her, without her knowledge. Not to mention, he's a prince in his own right, even though he's cut himself off from his father's family. Mona's innocence is endearing (and humorous at times) and Rashid's determination to resist his growing feelings makes for some really comical moments. There are more in the series to come, and I am salivating while waiting for them.

Next up is J.J. Rose's Shell Game, Volume One and Two (book one is Learning the Ropes and book two is Breaking the Rules) Sarah and Michael are a really intense couple, but they are written so realistically, with lots of human flaws, that I felt as if they were real people I actually knew. I found myself immersed in both books and hated for them to end. I highly recommend reading them for those who enjoy BDSM romance. That aspect is also done very realistically and true to people in the lifestyle, and smoking hot, as well! The supporting characters are also very well-written, and spurred lots of intense reactions on my part. These are two more books that I had trouble putting down until the very end, and was still left wanting more.

Also recently read is a romantic suspense by debut author Kelly Janicello. Remember Me is a spooky tale about two cops hunting a serial killer. Ryli has much more to do with this than either she or Brody realize, due to her repressed memories. The chemistry between the two left me squirming, and the humor throughout the story is so well-written, I literally laughed out loud many times. Since a lot of my reading lately has been done at the gym (thank you Kindle app for my phone), my reactions earn me a lot of strange looks from those on the treadmills beside me!

Lastly, for this post, is Elizabeth Shore's Hot Bayou Knights. Carla, a corporate consultant, has to complete a "fear assignment" in order to achieve her much-desired promotion. She never expected to be at a research facility deep in the Louisiana Bayou, one where King Cobras and their venom are studied for medicinal purposes. Luckily for her, Jackson, who runs the facility with intensity and drive, is smoking hot and shares her attraction. The realistic touches of life in the Bayou dragged me right into the story and didn't let me go until the end.

I have a few more recent reads I will be talking about, as soon as I get myself organized. Between my e-reader and the Kindle app on my phone I am getting caught up on my TBR list while I debate which story to tackle writing next. I have five options I am considering, and as usual, I will end up working on two at the same time, because why make it easy on myself?

So, go read some of these books. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Catching Up

Here we go again – if you follow this blog, by now, you know I'm probably one of the worst bloggers ever. The last several months have been incredibly busy, and what time I've had to devote toward writing (anything), has gone toward the projects I've been bouncing between for months, rather than this blog. One project is now complete, the other is thisclose to being done. Family issues have taken a chunk of time as well, and unfortunately, the blog was the sacrifice while I worked through it all. I still haven't figured out how I managed when I was working full time. While I now have more time available, I find it fills up much more quickly. And no matter how carefully I plan out my days and weeks, something pops up nearly every single day to trash that. However, I take great satisfaction in knowing several of my house projects are also done, though that list seems to grow way faster than I can keep up with.

 

I've decided to try some new things here – I'll be hosting some author interviews and the like, and I thought I would also do some brief reviews of some of my recent reading material. I've managed to read a few books while at the gym (thank you Kindle App!), it's a great way to make that 45 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical go much faster.

But before I get to all that, I figured I should share a little about the projects I've been working on. As I may have mentioned before, I am a HUGE fan of History Channel's original show, Vikings. I have long planned to write a series about Vikings, and the show inspired me to push that plan to the top of my ever-growing list of books I plan to write. I recently finished the first in what is currently a trilogy, though I may want to add to that. I had a lot of fun writing it, even through the dark moments of the story.  I'll share more info on the release of that book as I get it. In the meantime, I can't wait to get on to the next books. I already know that book 2 will be a deeply emotional book. The heroine is introduced in book 1, and at that point, she's not very likeable, so I have a tough road ahead of me to redeem her. But her story is a bit dark, she's suffered tremendously, and that's part of what drove her behavior in book 1. I'm looking forward to revisiting the gritty and bloody world of 9^th century Scandinavia.

The other project is the third in my Medieval Warriors series. I'm also enjoying this – these characters have been kicking around in my head for a very long time, though their story has changed drastically from its first incarnation. It's also a bit longer than the first two books in the series, and I am calling it a prequel, since it tells the story of Gillian and Royce, the parents of Marissa and Rowan from the first two books. I also have a fourth book planned in that series - and it's got a cool paranormal twist!

And lo and behold, just this last week I think I solved the huge plot dilemma I had for a shelved project. This one is a vampire tale, and incorporates several BDSM elements. I've combined both of my favorite genres with this one! This story also has some very dark moments, which I love to write. So that story is now back in the queue for finishing/polishing.

Last but not least, summer is finally here. I love summer – it is my absolute favorite season. That may have something to do with the fact I was born the day before the summer solstice. I have found over the years that people tend to prefer the season they were born in most of all. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally, most of the people I've discussed this theory with have agreed. So if you're a summer baby like me, enjoy! For those who prefer the colder climates, don't worry – they'll be here again before we know it.