RedHotRomance

I was walking the dog this morning, which is something I do every day. It gives me time to think about the work in progress and what I'll write on any particular day. Today I got sidetracked (not unusual) and started thinking about heroes in romance--what makes them not only hot and yummy, but unforgetable? What makes you, as a reader, sigh and wish the hero had his shoes parked under your bed? Because I'm most familiar with the men I write, I went back through my "men of Wolf Tales." In order of appearance, I've got Stefan Aragat--brash and cocky but with a soft heart and a powerful desire to please his packmates. There's Anton Cheval, the most powerful of all my Chanku. A wizard as well as a shapeshifter, he's also one of the older characters, and, in Chanku Journey (fall 07) becomes a father for the first time, something that scares him spitless. There's Lucien Stone from WTII, Mik and AJ, and Tinker McLintock--all alpha males, but each with a character trait -- call it a weakness, if you will -- that gives them a softer side. Do you see where I'm going with this? Even Jacob Trent, my Chanku "bad boy" has secrets that make him vulnerable, and that, I think, is the necessary ingredient in creating a perfect hero. It's not how handsome he is, or even how good in the sack. It's that vulnerability that tempers all the tough-guy traits. If he's always hard-edged, always the tough guy without a bit of softness, he doesn't need love, right? But, if he's vulnerable in some way, a vulnerability he shares with the heroine, it gives him a sense of humanity the uber-alpha male lacks. At least that's my opinion. I'm curious about what you think? Do you want your hero to have at least one small chink in his manly armor? I'd love to know what makes a hero unforgettable for you, and if you disagree with me, do your best to change my mind!