Comments on: A Hard Man is Good to Find – Fear of the Alpha

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:05:10 +0000

Madeline – I didn’t think you were making generalisations at all – sorry if I did. 🙂 The heroes for those lines ARE different. I do think Presents heroes are, as a rule, harder. But it can be a tone thing. Difficult to articulate actually.
Ha re Mr Rough on the shelves. I wish. 🙂

By: Madeline Ash

Madeline Ash — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:07:15 +0000

I withdraw my comment 🙂 I’ve made it obvious I don’t read enough Presents to make generalisations! There are definitely authors whose Presents I read, and when Mr Rough hits the shelves, yours will be another. Perhaps you’ll convert me!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:16:09 +0000

Madeline – hehe. I quite like Riva heroes too but actually, the Presents hero can be relaxed as well. I’ve read some very easy-going (at least on the surface) Presents heroes. It’s all in the character I reckon. Poor old Mr Rough isn’t that bad. He’s pretty wounded though.

By: Madeline Ash

Madeline Ash — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:57:08 +0000

I lean more towards the RIVA heroes. Although technically alpha, they're allowed to be relaxed with outward senses of humour, so not nearly as hardcore Alpha as Presents! I don't mind a beta man either, to be honest (although I may be in the wrong place to admit that!)

It's great that you're really letting your hero loose. He'll become a much more believable character if he just acts how he wants. As Jill said, readers always pick up a romance wanting to like the hero. We can spot redeeming qualities a mile off, no matter how small they are to start with :)

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:50:45 +0000

Jill - what fabulous advice!! Thank you so much. You're so right! I do tie myself up knots hoping people will understand him like I do. But yes, it's all in the details isn't it? The tiny clues he's a good man under all the gruff. I hope I've done that.

But yeah, he is what he is and things go wrong with the story when I soften him up.
I might have to put Popeye up on my monitor so I remember!

And go you with your alpha-ing up!

By: Jill

Jill — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:46:00 +0000

I think you have to write the hero that rings true to you. Let it rip and the editor can tell you if you need to dial it down. The beauty of Presents is that intense alpha male and the emotion that brings to the page. Romance readers are very good at looking at the tiny clues that show you who the hero really is as a person. If YOU understand him and love him and let the reader get inside his head and see him as an individual, the reader will work from the insight and the tiny clues, understand him and see him as sympathetic.

And don't spend too much energy worrying about people who might not like super alpha. Those readers probably won't pick up a Presents and besides for every person that doesn't like that type of hero, there are many that do!
It's kind of like being in high school and tying yourself into knots trying to change to get other kids to like you (or maybe that's more common in
America than New Zealand?).
In high school, I accepted the wisdom of the great philosopher, Popeye. "I yam what I yam."
You are who you are a writer and your hero is who he is as hero.

I enjoy Presents, but I could never write a super intense Alpha like that. It's just not in my toolbox, at least not yet. I start out with a a hero who is very Beta and have to "alpha him up" along the way. So I say if you've got that gift, embrace it!