Cops Are Heroes

3rd in the series

1st book in the Riverboat Mysteries



2nd in the series

 

Author, Sandra K. Marshall is the author of The Riverboat Mysteries set in the Midwest.

 

Author's like to write stories using cops as heroes.  It is a very dangerous job, but they have been in the news in a very negative way lately.  Police officers go through extensive training, and it's ongoing.  They have to get so many hours in every year, and there are classes that are mandatory for all law enforcement.

 

Officers in class

For instance, police officers are required to take classes on recognizing an autistic person and learning what to do when they meet them.  Another thing they're dealing with is mentally ill people who are committing suicide by cop.  This is something that happens more frequently than anyone hears about.  Not only that there are hundreds of cops who commit suicide because they can't deal with what they have done.  No one wants to kill someone especially a police officer.  Their job is to protect you. 

There are bad cops, too, and you don't often read about them in books.  Those who write stories using cops as heroes need to dig deeper because there are so many more layers to these men and women than usually appears in the media. 

These people suffer from their actions just like all of us. Have you ever read or written a story using a cop as a hero, or bad guy?

 

You may find me at these sites:

Twitter @AuthSKMarshall

http://goodreads.com/author/show/344821.Sandra_K_Marshall

https://www.facebook.com/sandra.marshall.98

http://www.amazon.com/author/sandramarshall

 

Light and Shadow ~ Rose Anderson

My son and I talk writing styles all the time, for he too is an author. When he was a boy, we studied Shakespeare hidden in movies together. He's a grown man now, and his tastes have changed.  It took him five years to convince me to watch Breaking Bad. I hadn't planned to watch this show. The topic of a meth-cooking, drug-riddled world of destroyed lives is hardly my choice for leisure entertainment. He says it's worth my time because of the “writing genius” involved and because he wanted me to see the anti-hero in action. Of course I have the whole hero thing nailed down in my mind, all of my novels have them. But an anti-hero? I had no clear picture in my head to go by, none that I was aware of anyway. 

The World English Dictionary defines the anti-hero as a central character in a novel, play, etc, who lacks the traditional heroic virtues. 

Oh, I knew that. I just didn't realize it had a name. It’s a character you find yourself rooting for regardless of their dubious qualities. Robert Louis Stevenson's Long John Silver is one of these anti-heroes. So are Scarlett O’Hara, Severus Snape, and Captain Jack Sparrow. They’re sort of nebulous-personality persons. You can't quite decide if they're good or bad, but somehow they strike a chord and you mysteriously end up cheering for them. 

Okay, if heroes are on one side of the character spectrum, and anti-heroes in that vague gray area, what about those not so nebulous persons? What about villains? My Exquisite Quills group recently had a discussion that peered into those dark cobwebby corners of our imagination where story villains linger. Very interesting.

I personally love crafting villains, especially sociopathic bad guys who create story conflict that must be overcome in the most interesting ways possible.  Sociopaths, by definition, are only interested in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others. I can write that!

As a reader, I find such characters fascinating. Scarlett O'Hara is far more complex than her southern belle persona suggests. She's obviously a sociopath as well as an anti-hero. That's one of the things I love about writing these types of characters -- their complexity. Super villain Professor Moriarty is an intellectual match for Sherlock Holmes, the greatest analytical mind in the Victorian world. Now combine that literary fact of Moriarty with the definition of sociopath and you can see how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created an unforgettable foe.

As a writer, I find complex bad guys allow for a deeper internal monologue, and I'll leave this door open just a crack to show the reader a glimpse into my villain's mind to see the whys. My goal is to inspire a smidge of sympathy. Here are three of my most complex villains. Readers occasionally tell me they almost feel sorry for them...almost. 

Loving Leonardo: Conte Acario Bruno is a man born to privilege and raised on the attitude that servants, and other "lesser" people around him,  were merely property on par with the horses in the stables. Through his thoughts, the reader gets to see how that life of imbalances made the obsessive man he became. He finds love, a fanatical one-sided love, but the reader can see it's genuine on his part.

The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo saga: Eluwilussit, aka Eli, is one of the story's ancient Native American shaman. As a true "I want what I want" sociopath, he just kept digging a deeper hole for himself with every evil deed and made himself the monster he came to be. The deeds meant nothing to him, and always, the end justified the means. Though there are far too many poor choices to possibly make amends for, his greatest desire is to return to the spirit world to say he's sorry things happened the way they did. You can see his sociopath's mind in this statement. He's not sorry HE did something. He's sorry things happened the way they did. His apology would sound like, "I'm sorry you made me do this." 

In my 5-book, 500k, as yet unnamed magnum opus (or MO for short), I’ve written an evil genius named Adrian Doyle. I don't know how it happened, but this guy ended up with such a depth of personality he surprised me. When the time comes, Adrian should meet his end in the MO’s own version of Reichenbach Falls the way Professor Moriarty did when he wrestled Sherlock Holmes and both went over the cateract. After emotionally investing in Adrian Doyle as a supreme villain, I’m sure my readers would expect nothing less.
 
I'm currently writing my first female villain. She too has her issues!

I believe these characters are necessary if one is writing true heroes. They're the other side of the coin...the dark side, the shadow. Example: Diana Gabaldon, one of my favorite authors, wrote such a villain in Black Jack Randall of the Outlander story. Each scene with the man is both repellant and fascinating. From A to Z, no matter what that man inflicted on the other characters, I couldn't look away. Some things were truly revolting. Oddly, I saw the point of this extreme because Diana’s Jamie Frasier is, in my opinion, an example of the perfect hero – self-sacrificing, loyal, courageous, noble, intelligent, wise etc. The truly good character needs the truly bad character to create a counterbalance. In other words, there is no light if the dark doesn't exist to make a distinction.

Rose is multi-published award-winning author and dilettante who loves great conversation and learning interesting things to weave into stories. She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper mid-west.  
 
Main Blog:
Subscribe on the Main blog for interesting posts, updates & more. http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/

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Today’s post is brought to you by the letter J -- J for Jungian Archetypes.

Several years ago, long before I dove head-first into writing romance, I wrote a 5-book, 500,000 word brain child affectionately referred to as my Magnum Opus -- the unnamed MO for short. My tome-to-be is heavy in more than just wordage. It's steeped in philosophy, theology, theosophy, physics/quantum physics, metaphysics, energy medicine, and above all, it's a timeless love story. The MO is filled with historical vignettes starting 38,000 years ago in what is now France to Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. As with all of my novels, I also make a social statement with it. (I'm naturally compelled!). The story was one all authors wish for -- the kind where someone flips a switch inside your head and it  writes itself.

The concept came to me after reading Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces. His book discusses the journey of archetypal heroes found in world mythologies. Hero quests are the stuff of literature and we love them from Homer's Odyssey to Harry Potter.

It got me thinking...why do we love the hero quest? I suspect it's because we can so easily see ourselves in them. Be it Odysseus escaping Calypso's island or Harry Potter ridding the wizarding world of Voldemort, it's very appealing when heroes and heroines win the day. Campbell’s book got me interested in the notion of opposites -- good/evil, light/dark, right/wrong because these are recurring themes in humanity. I was unknowingly tapping into common hero and villain  traits when creating the characters for my stories. These traits are called Jungian Archetypes after Swiss psychotherapist and psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung studied and named the personality traits we all know today – the outgoing extravert and the quiet introvert, for example.

After splitting from his colleague Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung founded analytical psychology. He discovered there were more facets to human personality than just being outgoing vs. reserved. Along with his study of prehistoric artworks, it was his interest in world folklore and literature spanning thousands of years that led him to categorize everyone. Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts of all time, one of which was the archetype. 

What are Archetypes exactly? To begin, the origin of the word archetype comes from the Greek archétypon, which means first-molded. In essence, this is the original model of a person – a prototype which others emulate. In psychology, an archetype is a model of personality or behavior universally recognizable by all. In works of fiction, these personality traits are the platform we build our heroes and heroines upon.

Here’s what Jung came up with. See how many make instant connections in your mind.

I'll start with the ego and its four functions: Sensation, Thinking, Feeling, and Intuition. From there we have:

• The Self: the regulating center of the psyche. The whole, unified consciousness and unconscious of a person.
• The Shadow: the opposite of the ego image. Contains qualities the ego does not identify with but still possesses. The part of the unconscious mind consisting of instincts, repressed weaknesses, and shortcomings.
• The Anima: the feminine image in a man's psyche, aka, the unconscious feminine qualities that a male possesses.
• The Animus: the masculine image in a woman's psyche, aka the unconscious masculine qualities that a woman possesses.
• The Persona: how we present ourselves to the world.

Within these, Jung determined the archetypes were limitless. Here are a few recurring ones:

• The Child: or innocent, is more likely to suffer at the hands of others
• The Hero: comes from a position of weakness, but in the face of danger or adversity will display courage and self-sacrifice for some greater good.
• The Great Mother: the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. Refers to any mothering goddess associated with motherhood, fertility, or creation.
• The Wise Old Man: usually a profound philosopher, who uses personal knowledge of the world to teach wisdom and sound judgment.
• The Trickster: intentionally breaks the rules but unintentionally gets positive effects out of it.
• The Devil: displays characteristics of pure evil. Typically self-centered and power-hungry, only interested in achieving personal goals.
• The Scarecrow: Mysteriously knows everything about the world, yet has had no interaction with the world to gain that knowledge.
• The Mentor: Are often imaginative people who are more intrigued by future possibilities than concerned with the here and now. A great source of inspiration to the people around them.

I've used most of these and I've also combined traits to add depth to the circumstances of my characters' personal histories. With them I create intelligent characters. The heroines in all of my stories are strong competent women. All of my equally sharp heroes walk through their world confident and unashamed to be tender and kind-hearted. Their anima/animus duality is what makes both interesting and loveable. The best thing about them is they both know how lucky they are to have the other person in their lives – twin flames, two halves of the one. 

Sample my archetypes for yourself with Amazon's Look Inside feature. http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Anderson/e/eBOO4XDGWL6/

Here's an intriguing clip to explain the Anima and Animus.

 

What's your type? Take the test and find out!
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

Rose is multi-published author and dilettante who loves great conversation and learning interesting things to weave into stories. She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper mid-west.  
Main Blog:
Subscribe on the Main blog for interesting posts, updates & more. http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/


My Links Page -- oh so many.
http://caliopesritingtablet.com/links-links-more-links/

Heroes

When I'm writing a romance, I always make certain that the L-word - 'love' - isn't used too frequently or inappropriately. It loses its magic, its meaning, its specialness.

Another word that is overused, not in romance, but in everyday life is 'hero'. Take the most recent case of hero worship gone wrong. Oscar Pistorious.

(Image credit)

I don't know whether he's innocent or guilty, though his story does seem incredibly suspect to me. What has always puzzled me is how the public attaches the word 'hero' to sports stars. True, Oscar did overcome incredible odds to compete in the Olympics. However, so did a lot of other individuals. That makes them admirable, but not necessarily heroes.

I remember when the OJ Simpson case was raging in Los Angeles. Being in California, there was no way I could avoid coverage. The trial was on every freaking channel, 24/7. The word hero was attached to Simpson's name quite frequently. Again, I wondered why. He was great at football, but that didn't make him a hero. Not in my eyes.

So, who is a hero? In my mind, it's someone who does something difficult or nearly impossible, not for themselves or for glory, but to help others. What they gain from their actions isn't what matters - it's how they'll change the world for the better.

Consider what Malala Yousafzai has done to further girls' education in her native Pakistan. For that

(Image source)

'crime' she was shot by the Taliban. Men who had no qualms in trying to murder a young girl. No doubt they were hailed as heroes by other men in their village. Despite her injuries, Malala hasn't stopped fighting. She is a hero and so is her father who instilled in her the courage to go after what she wanted, not to be ashamed of being a female, but proud of the fact.

And then there's Jaycee Dugard. Kidnapped at 11 by a pedophile who was released from prison all too soon. Kept prisoner for 18 years. Forced to bear two children with him when she was a child herself.

(Image source)

On her own, and with nothing more than a 5th grade education, Jaycee educated her two daughters. She endured to keep them safe. And once she was freed, she didn't exploit them as so many parents do with reality shows - she's protected them. When the State of California awarded her millions of dollars for their failure to protect her from her kidnapper, there were many people who said she was a gold digger. She had no right to any money. She could have run away. IMO, California didn't give her enough. No child should be made to go through what she suffered. Her youth was taken away. Instead of being bitter, she's survived. She's a hero.

In the 80s, a young mother named Diane Downs gunned down her own children so she could be with her boyfriend - a guy who didn't want kids. One of the children died. One was paralyzed from the waist down. The oldest suffered a stroke from so much blood loss. 

(Image source)

The prosecutor at Downs' trial not only sought justice for the murdered child, but for the two who were left so damaged, so betrayed. He and his wife adopted them and gave those kids the first normal life they've ever had. He didn't do it for publicity or money.He did it because it was the right thing to do. He's a hero.

When I write, I don't make my male leads perfect, though I do want them to be honorable. To do the right thing by the woman they love and those they're supposed to protect. That's my version of a real hero.

My newest release Shameless Desire is available for pre-order from Samhain. It releases April 23. :)

Love the cover - it is sooooo freaking sexy!

Here's the blurb:

Passion without limit. Carnal hunger that knows no bounds.

Outlawed Realm, Book 3

Within Earth’s five dimensions, nothing is as it seems…and desire is never far away.

In E4’s jungle, Kuma’s the Alpha werewolf, bent on revenge against the hated guards. Swept with them from that dimension to E1, he prowls Seattle at night, stopping the thugs from abducting women for use as sex slaves in E4’s Pleasure Palace.

On her way home from her nursing job, Gwen senses danger in the night’s shadows. A stranger attacks. Clinging to consciousness, she watches the impossible, a wolf fighting him off…protecting her. She wakes in her own bed, convinced it must have been a dream until she sees Kuma in human form. Virile, intense. A man like no other. 

Within his powerful embrace, Gwen experiences rapture she didn’t believe existed. His unrestrained lust and burning need ends her loneliness, though not the menace they face. The guards are a constant threat in their hunt for women and their determination to see Kuma dead. Together, he and Gwen must fight—for his life, her freedom, their future.

Warning: Out-of-this-world sex and a romance to die for. Features a hunk whose inner beast won’t be tamed, and the woman who craves his most shameless desire. 

See you next month!

Tina

Tina Donahue

“Heat with Heart”

LOSING CONTROL (available now) 

COME FILL ME (4 STARS - The Jeep Diva) 

ILLICIT DESIRE (4 STARS - ROMANTIC TIMES)

SENSUAL STRANGER (BOOK OF THE YEAR 2010)

DEEP, DARK, DELICIOUS (HOLT MEDALLION AWARD OF MERIT)

Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/ 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tina.donahue.75

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Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/tinadonahue

How Close to Reality Should You Get in Fiction?

First, I must apologize in case I've used this blog before.  We have company coming, and I have been cleaning house all week.  Yes, it was that dirty, she says while shaking her head.

 

I write about real life, so I believe its okay to make your situations real, and have your characters act like genuine people.  We have heroes, heroine's, villains and people like you and me in our stories, so an author has to make them realistic.  A hero or heroine may not be heroic in there everyday life, but they can become courageous under certain situations.

 

For instance, a neighbor could pull you or a child from a burning house, or they see someone breaking into your house and run over with a gun or a ball bat to help fight off the robbers.  Is that a hero/heroine, or a stupid move on their part?  It all depends on what kind of capabilities you gave them.  Usually, there is something in their background that makes them capable of acting the way they do.

 

To make a story that your readers won't find fault with, you research the skills you give them.  Their skills should be accurate and as realistic as you can make them.  Some people can just have natural instincts to survive, but you must be in their head to show this. 

 

Have a great Memorial Day everyone.  Remember our loved ones and those wonderful men and women who fight for us. 

 

I hope this makes sense, as I have rewritten a bit of this. 

 

Best,

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.amazon.com/author/sandramarshall

How Do You Define a Hero?

So who doesn't love a hunky, take charge guy in a romance novel? Well, it turns out ... I don't. Well, I mean I thought I did, but then writers and readers started talking about the alpha heroes they love and it occurred to me, that's not really who I write.

I thought all my guys were alpha heroes. Not that they steamroll over the heroine or completely wall off their emotions, but they do step up to the plate when the time comes. The problem was they didn't seem to have that pushy, never-give-an-inch attitude many people associate with alphas. But they definitely didn't fit into the wimpy sidekick beta hero either.

Okay, I know technically (especially in stories with shifters) there is only one alpha leader. Therefore if you write a story about the other guys, like I do, they would be considered beta. But I just can't go there. In my opinion, the beta hero is a pushover. He wouldn't come to the heroine's rescue. He'd send in his best friend, the alpha, who would save her. He'd be the one to comfort her when the hero's been a jerk, but then turn her over to him when the guy showed up at the front door. But no one writes characters like that. I'm always looking to write the next story so even my "best friend" characters offer more than a supporting role.

So maybe I have the definition all wrong.

In my confusion I checked out THIS POST by Suzanne Brockman who writes all things alpha. But I still didn't get a good feel for this alpha hero. But I found this OTHER POST at The Road to Romance. But this post describes not alpha, not beta, but a gamma hero? Wai...whaaaat?

Yeah, the GAMMA hero pulls the best from both the alpha and the beta heroes. He's a man with all the chutzpah of an alpha but the emotions of a beta. In other words ... the strong male who doesn't run roughshod over the heroine in his quest to bring down the bad guy, but works with her to find the key and discover the lost treasure or slay the dragon or free her world or ... well, you get my drift. This is the guy of romance stories in my opinion. The hero who could don the pages of any GQ magazine, but knows how to BBQ a mean steak for his lady and draw her a bubble bath. *sigh* Yeah, that's the ticket.

So I guess I'm aiming to write gamma heroes. Who knew?

The reality is. It doesn't matter what we call them. It's their heart and soul that draws us into the story over and over again. We need to connect to the hero. Believe he's real. Believe he's the only one for the heroine. Believe in their love story.

What about you? Do you like your guys all alpha in stories and keep your betas for real life or are you a combo kind of gal like me ... enjoying a gamma between the pages?

My recent romantic suspense series, “Tilling Passions” has three very handsome gamma heroes who know how to take care of their women! BLIND HER WITH BLISS, DECEIVE HER WITH DESIRE and CHEAT HER WITH CHARM are all available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Can A Hero Be TSTL?

We’ve all heard about the Too Stupid to Live heroine.

You know the one I’m talking about. The foot-stamping, thirty-something contemporary heroine who has no excuse to behave this way except that she’s always exhibited this behavior to get what she wants—and she never changes. Her character never sees the light and somewhere near the end of the book, the hero gives a knowing nod or some signal that basically conveys his acceptance of the situation because he wants her. My question is—why?

I ask the same question of a heroine who accepts being treated abominably through the entire book by a hero that doesn’t give any indication he sees a reason to change. There is a danger when writing a hero of making them over-the-top alpha's and so disagreeable that the reader will wonder what kind of “happily ever after” these people are actually going to get. And although it doesn’t speak well of the heroine for accepting or excusing his behavior, presumably for the same reason as above—because she wants him, I tend to lose respect for them both.

No, I’m not anti-alpha hero. I love them as characters and there’s an alpha male on practically every book cover on my shelves and in my e-reader. What can I say; I’m a sucker for a ruggedly handsome face and a muscular bare chest. Throw in a five o’clock shadow and some dark eyes and you’ll get me to the blurb and probably whatever excerpt is available. All of this may get me to buy the book but a TSTL hero/heroine between its covers will get said book deleted or thrown into the donation pile quicker than you can say, “five o’clock shadow”.

A very smart critique partner once told me that as long as my character’s actions were believably motivated the reader would sympathize and even identify with that character. If I had an alpha who was stoic and brusque, I’d better show him casting longing gazes at the heroine and give him a background that explained his churlish behavior (I was writing historical romance at the time). Then I’d better show him struggling to change/grow. In other words, I could make the hero as rough as I wanted, but if I didn’t show his vulnerability and connect it to why he behaved the way he did, the reader wouldn’t believe his actions when he finally revealed his true feelings for the heroine.

How about you? What do you think would make a hero TSTL?

Until next month,

Paris

http://parisbrandon.com

Cross My Heart-NOR Top Pick

Head Over Heels-2^nd Place –Passionate Plume-Novella

Assassin’s Kiss—4 Stars Romantic Times Review

When you're out of touch with your characters...

Stopping and restarting a work in progress is a challenge for me and not something I can do as easily as I once could. When I have to a WIP on hold to edit, or judge a contest or work on a time-sensitive story, when I return to it the momentum I had going on has faltered. Going back a chapter or two, or picking random chapters to read often sparks a, Oh yeah, NOW I remember where I was going with this, but not always. Then I pick up where I left off, generally at a slug's pace until I "feel" the book again.

Because retrieving this feeling or momentum isn't always a given, I've taken to answering a list of questions about my characters, just to get to know them again, reintroduce myself in a way. Doing this has become a valuable tool to reestablishing a connection with my heroes and heroines, and quite often I learn something brand new about them that I didn't know when we first met.

My vocation is........ My mother taught me....

I laugh about........ I wish I could.........

My father taught me........ My view of men came from....

My view of women came from.... My favorite memory from my childhood is....

My worst memory from childhood is.... My greatest fault is..........

Men usually............ Work is my............

The place I've always wanted to visit is....because....

When I look at myself in the mirror I see....

I sleep when I'm........ My favorite holiday is....because....

I'm afraid that someday I will....... The greatest influence in my life is....

My mother............ My father..........

Women usually........ No one knows better than I do that....

My greatest weakness is that........ My worst fear is that........

I am happiest when....

And the list could go on and on. If you don't already have one and encounter the same roadblocks I do when you have to step away from one project to work on another, maybe this list will help you easily revisit your story and cast of characters.

The Flawed Hero

I was chatting with a good friend of mine the other day and she sent me some pictures in an email of a gorgeous male model as a suggestion for a future Wake-Me-Up Wednesday feature. I, or course, anxiously viewed the photos and I noticed the man had a considerable sized birthmark on his bicep.

Now while this does nothing to lower the appeal I have of him, I was surprised he had not removed it given his choice of career—a male model. I mean in this day and age, the idea and pursuit for the perfect human body has drastically increased over the years, and often times, people go to extremes to achieve it.

Now before I dig myself into a hole, let me make myself clear that I in no way, shape, or form, think this man (or anyone else for that matter) should have birthmarks, scars, or any other permanent blemishes removed. In fact, I loved the mark on the male model. It gave him character, depth, and when I looked past all the beautiful muscle and skin, my mind automatically thought he was the bigger man for not removing it—especially given the career he was in.

So, by now I’m sure you are all saying, “What is Renee’s point?”

Glad you asked.

Gerard Butler as Erik in Phantom
of the Opera

I, as a writer and a romance fan, love to read about the flawed hero—the hero who is either scarred emotionally or physically, and feels they are forever haunted by their imperfections. There are many famous ones: Claude Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo, and of course, my favorite, Erik from Phantom of the Opera.

But I also have a flawed hero in my historical, Ræliksen. At the time, when I was writing it, I realized my Norse warrior hero, Dægan, was too perfect. He needed something to make him more “human”. And so I dabbled a bit in tarnishing his perfect facade.

In the story, Dægan Ræliksen has a large unsightly scar upon his right bicep, which he acquired long before the heroine, Mara, comes to know him. But later, I wrote in that he gains another wound, on his inner thigh, as he battles to save her. This scar, while it doesn’t necessarily haunt Dægan, is the one that convinces the reader he is indeed a mortal being with limits, and it also becomes the very thing to which Mara differentiates him from his twin brother.

But still, that was not enough for me.

Ræliksen: Book One
of the Emerald Isle Trilogy

Another “flaw” I gave to Dægan is that he kills a man—a man who is supposed to be a loyal follower but becomes a turncoat character—and this is the blemish which tortures Dægan the most because his vengeance gives him nothing but the desire to do it all over again. He cannot help but feel he is a wretched man and unworthy of Mara at this point, though she never fears him thereafter. In truth, she tries to comfort him as he deals with the betrayal and pain of it all.

That being said, I felt closer to Dægan than I ever have the moment I wrote his imperfections in. And I think many of us are that way. We sympathize with the tortured hero and, as nurturers, we want to console, heal, and mend their tormented soul to the best of our abilities. We can even look at scars, blemishes, and imperfections as items of interest when it comes to sex appeal—case and point, the male model with the noticeable birthmark.

So, what is your preference? Would you rather read about the ideal man who is almost godlike in appearance with flawless skin and perfect features, and never does anything wrong? Or would you prefer the hero who might have a troubled past, a slight scar on his muscled body, and/or a crooked tooth in his cute little smile? If so, who's your favorite tortured / flawed hero?

Visit Renee Vincent at http://www.reneevincent.com/

Ræliksen is available in both print and ebook formats at

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Turquoise Morning Press

WHY CHOCOLATE IS BETTER THAN SEX

Love is in the air as Valentine's Day is only two weeks away. Are you ready for love and romance? Whether it's with flowers, candy or some other special treat, enjoy the day with the one you love!
Photo: Flickr: toephotophotostream

 Below are 12 Reasons Why CHOCOLATE Is Better Than SEX:
from http://www.flowgo.com/funny/2099_chocolate-sex.html

12 Reasons Why CHOCOLATE
Is Better Than SEX!

1. You can have chocolate in front of your parents.

2. Nobody starts rumors about who you shared chocolate with.

3. People of the same sex can share chocolate without being called names.

4. The word "commitment" doesn't scare off chocolate.

5. Chocolate is satisfying even if it's gone soft.

6. No matter what kind of chocolate you like, it's legal.

7. You can have chocolate with a whole group of friends without being obscene.

8. If you have to pay for your chocolate, it's not too expensive.

9. Chocolate is just as attractive when you're sober.

10. A big piece of chocolate lasts longer, but even a small piece is satisfying.

11. You can have chocolate in the office without upsetting your co-workers.

12. It's easy to GET chocolate any time you want!!!

Do you agree? Now, I love chocolate and maybe sometimes it's just a wonderful, satisfying treat, but could anything replace sex in your life?

My romance books are all about love and sex, and none of my heroines would ever trade their heroes for chocolate...having both at the same time maybe, but not just chocolate without their men!
Visit www.mariannestephens.net for information about my mainstream romances. "Gone to the Dogs" is now available in print! "Anything You Can Do" releases 19 February from http://www.breathlesspress.com/.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSho7Mus4zo
Visit http://www.aprilash.net/ for information about my erotic romances.