Here's my hero looking out to sea. When Mel and I first started dating, and especially after he started reading all my manuscripts, I realized he had the qualities I thought were most important in the romances I wrote, so I changed all the characteristics of my male leads to fit Mel's qualities of intelligence, tenderness, kindness and sense of fun.
Recently I've been looking for hero-type qualities in male leads of movies and television in order to give the reader a comparison with a name. I've discovered that there really aren't that many actors today who fill the role. Perhaps it's my age, or perhaps it's just the fact that I don't see enough of Mel in those men. People change, and my idea of a truly heroic hero has definitely changed. I'm drawn to more calm, ethically courageous, fair-minded men who don't mistreat women, and who give all for that one special woman. If I pick up a romance and the hero and heroine immediately hate each other and get nasty with one another, I put the book down. Of course, if they agree on everything all the time, the necessary conflict flies out the window, so something has to set them against each other.
How does one go about doing that without having the hero and heroine at each other's throats throughout the book? That's where creativity come in.
How about you? Who are some of your favorite male leads, both in novels and in movies? What is it about them that you like? What conflicts work for you?
Labels: Heros, Inspirational Romance, male leads
WHOOOHOOOO!!!!! It's been a year-and-a-half since my last baby arrived. My new "baby" came this week! My July release, "Hometown Courtship," with Love Inspired, that is. Here's the back cover copy:
"His matchmaking brother is sending another single gal Brad Sharp's way. Under the guise of community service! The Make a Home project--building houses for the needy--is Brad's life. He fully expects hair stylist Callie Easton to show up for "work" with a pink hammer and not even use it. Hardly a match for him!
With a heart of gold and a talent for transformation, Callie works hard. Still, Brad won't notice her. His grief over a tragic loss has hardened his heart. Well, Callie knows all about loss. And thanks to Brad, she knows even more about making a home--for them."
And here's an excerpt:
"Brad's gaze landed on her nails. He stared. And stared.
"Coral."
Callie's comment visibly jarred him.
"The polish." She wiggled her fingers. "You like it?"
With a blank stare, he said, "As you can see, we serve coffee and donuts here, so if you skip going to the bakery, you might actually get here on time."
Her happy day paled a bit.
"Is it the nail polish? Admittedly not a great color for me."
He said nothing.
"I'll skip my trip to the bakery in the morning," Callie said.
"So you'll be here by eight-thirty tomorrow morning, right? Noticeable edge to his voice there.
"Right."
"Good."
He then explained the program to her, but she didn't hear a word of it. She couldn't imagine how this rude, arrogant man was the same suave, debonair man she'd met at the bakery that morning. She couldn't believe she'd given up a perfectly good peach scone for this guy.
It wouldn't happen again.
I will send a free copy of the book to ten people who would be willing to read the book and write a review for Amazon and Christianbook.com. If you are interested, please send your snail mail address to diann@diannhunt.com. I'll draw 10 names and if I pull your name, I will send you a confirmation email.
Thanks for your encouragement and support! You all are the greatest!
Labels: Inspirational Romance, Love Inspired
Here's my hero looking out to sea. When Mel and I first started dating, and especially after he started reading all my manuscripts, I realized he had the qualities I thought were most important in the romances I wrote, so I changed all the characteristics of my male leads to fit Mel's qualities of intelligence, tenderness, kindness and sense of fun.
Delicious
