Are you tired of the perfect "alpha" heroes who look and act the same? Tall, dark and handsome gets old after a while, so my new hero, Frederick Blakeney, is different. How? He's missing his left hand, which was wounded in the War of 1812. Unfortunately, our handsome Frederick is also a musical prodigy, so his injury has left him emotionally battered. Enter shy, withdrawn Ella, whose love of music helps Frederick find what he's been missing in life.
I haven't read many novels beyond Jane Eyre where the hero is scarred with something more than superficial, and it was challenging to create a hero who is both sexy and troubled, intriguing and unique.
What gave me the idea to write what I hope will be a new breed of hero? I was at Busch Gardens a few years ago and saw a handsome, sexy man with blue eyes and that trademark shaved blonde hair that told me he was a soldier. He was missing both legs, but I could see from his smiles and laughter that he was enjoying life. I realized it's not having all one's limbs that makes a man a man. And the same should go for literary heroes, too.
It's especially poignant that I'm posting this on the 4th of July. Won't you thank a soldier today? And remember all of the real heroes, abroad and at home, who fight for us every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment