Margie – yes, that’s true. The thing for my hero is that he has to discover he actually IS the man the heroine thinks he is and always has been.
And like I said before, I can forgive mostly anything in a hero as long as his motivations are understandable.

I’m wondering if maybe a crowd of them were all out, having drinks. He knew a friend was drinking too and did nothing to stop him driving home and the friend crashed car–your bad boy then feels guilty about this incident.

Or I like the idea someone else came up with. Maybe he hurt his father because he was beating up his mother? It’s possible he could have killed his father to stop him hurting his mother but then his mother turned against him because even though he was nasty she still loved her husband. He’d feel pretty bad about that, he’s killed his father but readers would prob feel it was justified.

Hmm, my solutions end up with someone dead. Wonder what that says about me? Probably that it’s time for bed and I should watch less Crime channel!

Lacey – indeed, lots of torment there. Maybe too much for MH. Might keep away from the death aspect, but his friend could have eventually gone to jail and that would make him feel pretty bad.

What can a bad boy get away with? For me, almost anything, but only if he’s kept his edge whilst becoming reformed. Because it all comes back to motivation, doesn’t it? I’m thinking more along the lines of films here now as opposed to books so clearly this is where I get shallow. If a man makes me sizzle in my seat then I can forgive him anything. I can, I can forgive Tim Daly’s character in The Outsider (he murdered men, cos he was good at it), but in his defence he only killed ‘bad’ people. The man’s hot, what can I say? Rach brings up a most excellent reference, Heidi’s debut hero, I could quite easily put aside everything in his past for one night with him, and yes, I know he’d redeemed himself but even if he hadn’t, I’d still want a bit of private time with him…

If a man lays his hands on a woman or a child there is absolutely no way possible to redeem him. NONE. Outside of that, it just doesn’t bother me if he’s got charisma and charm and some likeable qualities.

P.S. Useless piece of information for you. Did you know that after the movie ‘Deliberate Stranger’, based on the life of serial killer Ted Bundy, was released, that the real Ted Bundy’s fan club increased by literally thousands of women wanting to date him? Yep, it’s true, all these women wanted contact with that monster because they’d seen Mark Harmon play the lead role and had clearly been taken in my his good looks. A good lookin sweet talkin man can be locked up for life but can still charm from behind bars.

Ok, I’m done now. I’ve no idea what point I was trying to make but good luck with the ms!!!!

~Aideen.

Maisey – Wow, must have a look at Annie’s!

Caroline – thanks for the suggestions. My hero’s issues are responsibility and my current idea is along the lines of number 3. Though he will have steered clear of the drugs I think.

Rach – my poor bad boy as a teen has feelings that he’s not good enough. Always the outsider. Due not being wanted by his father, his mother is forced to take him when they divorce and then he doens’t get on with his new stepdad. And then his mother goes off and has kids so he feels like a cuckoo in the nest. Hence the rebellion – he’s not good enough, he knows he’s not, to hell with everyone! 🙂

Lucy – I was hoping to be non-specific but I think due to the hero feeling bad about it, he’s going to have to tell the heroine about what he did. Hence having to think of something for him to tell. I’m debating drug use – not for the hero but for someone associated with him.

Romy – I think it has to be more serious the vandalism. As to the witnesses something awful, that might be it. Or, he gets a friend in with a bad crowd and then is unable to get the friend away when the hero cleans himself up, or something! 🙂

Suzanne – think I will have to be specific, sadly.

Jane – I too don’t really care what it is as long as there is motivation. But it’s the fantasy factor I have to watch out for (as Lucy says) in Modern Heat. Then again, the bad stuff has already happened in the past so I don’t need to go into it in too much detail.

Julie – yeah, what’s acceptable is tricky depending on the reader. I guess that’s why you don’t have too much that’s bad in category romance. Still, I wanted to push the boundaries just a little.

Judy – I too love a bad boy. Though what I think of is bad, is someone’s else’s won’t-even-consider. I forgive a lot depending on the character and motivation. Wild girls and stunts would be good but I think I have to have something that’s worse than that. Still thinking of him dragging the friend into it and leaving him there – ie he either goes down with his friend or gets himself out.

Janette – cheers lovie! Though skipping school and smoking isn’t bad enough for me sadly.

Kaily – yep, that’s it in a nutshell. I think the bad thing must have happened to someone else but the hero feels he is responsible (whether he ACTUALLY was or not). It also can’t be too dark ’cause MH isn’t a dark line.

Julie – Lol!

I can just picture this bad boy crow in leathers and tattoos over it’s wings, with a fag hanging out of its beak cawing “you got a light, mate?” Tee hee! It did make me giggle!

Wonder what kind of rap sheet it would have! Can’t imagine what kind of previous it would have!

Julie xx

What a great question. It’s something I’ve thought a lot about because the last few stories I’ve written the boys have been oh so bad. I think the degree you can push it depends very much on the line and the associated readership. Whatever the bad deeds were the reader has to feel he will/can be redeemed and I think if that’s already happened and then you reveal the past, you’re probably OK. I’ve used an unfortunate past and circumstances for a ‘do what he needed to survive’ type bad boy story. I’ve also used the ‘screw everything in skirts’ scenario as well as a ‘do whatever it takes to succeed’ one. It’s a balance though. You don’t want to shock the reader so much that they disconnect from the character/story, but in your outline it has to obviously be something substantial, something weighty.