Macy's Sunday Six -- Heroes

The Sunday Six this week is heroes. Any hero. Someday, maybe, we’ll do just romance heroes which would change some of my list. But for tonight, I’m glad it’s all heroes. My six will probably include some not on anyone else’s lists. However, everyone’s reading lists are different. Well, this is a bit of insight into me – 2 kids, a detective, a warrior king, and 2 romance heroes.

1. Harry Potter. As Alyson indicated, I’m not original in this. J.K. Rowling is one of the richest women in the world. We all love Harry. He is a wounded, self-sacrificing hero. Brave. Loyal. True. What’s not to love?

2. Ender Wiggin. Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game tells the story of Ender Wiggin, the childhood prodigy who defeats the buggers, an alien race planning to destroy the human race. It is his great intelligence and empathy that makes him the ultimate commander. However, his empathy is so great that he writes the bugger queen's story. His eloquent book changes the world's view of the buggers so that Ender is seen as the monster rather than the aliens. Throughout Card’s novels, Ender grows into an equally empathetic man. You can’t help but love him.

3. Alex Cross. James Patterson has written twelve novels starring Alex Cross, a Washington D.C. detective who gets the most heinous crimes to solve. His life, loves, and investigative prowess make for some great, fast-paced reading. If you haven’t read any Alex Cross, pick up one of Patterson’s novels. You won’t be disappointed.

4. Aragorn. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a multitude of fabulous characters into his Lord of the Rings books. My favorite. Aragorn. He is fated to one day take the throne and rule, but a great evil must be defeated first. He establishes himself over and over again as a virile warrior and leader. Of course, the books are great but Viggo Mortenson is oh so yummy as Aragon in the movie version. (See the picture above if you don't agree.)

5. Adam Black. Adam makes many appearances in Karen Marie Moning’s sexy highlander books. All of his initial appearances paint him as quite the villain and womanizer. He raises hell and reeks havoc on the lives of heroines and heroes in her early books. However, in The Immortal Highlander, The fairy queen has stripped Adam of his powers and rendered him invisible except to sidhe seers. In trying to manipulate the heroine into helping him regain the favor of his queen, he slips and falls in love, and it’s beautiful.

6. Zsadist. J.R. Ward writes fascinating vampire novels – not your typical vampire novels. These take on a whole new twist by introducing a brotherhood of vampire warriors charged with protecting their race. The most tragic of all her heroes in Zsadist. His scars are too deep, too painful to be healed. They make him dangerous to everyone, including himself. However, this dark hero’s journey finally reveals the real man, er, vampire, beneath the scars.

Samantha's Sunday Six: Heroes!

At first I thought this was going to be as hard as the list of heroines. But once I got going I realized I had a very long list of heroes – although very few of them are from the romance genre. I’m sure there are many romance heroes I loved while reading the book, but I figure that if I can’t remember their names off the top of my head, then I can’t really count them as “memorable”.

Another thing that became obvious to me as I made the list is just what qualities make a hero “heroic” in my eyes. It has nothing to do with broad shoulders, sinewy biceps, piercing gaze, etc. Sure, I love looking at the picture on the front of “Men’s Health” magazine as much as the next woman, but what makes a man heroic for me are qualities of character. And number one on my list is: a hero does the right thing, regardless of the consequences to him. Number two is competence: once they decide the right thing to do, they are generally capable of doing it.

If they are hunky, too, that’s a plus!

I did manage to narrow my list to six particular favoritesby doubling (or tripling) heroes by the same author. So here they are:

1. James Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
   
   I do have a couple of repeats from Alyson’s list and this is one of them. He is the only hero on this list who is from a series of what might, arguably, be called romance novels. He is probably the only fictional character that I am actually in love with. Jamie inevitably rises to a position of leadership in any situation he finds himself in, because everyone recognizes his strength, intelligence, loyalty, and confidence. If he loves someone, he will (and does) go through hell to protect them; if he is your enemy, watch out!
   

2. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   
   I don’t know if I would have named Atticus if I hadn’t seen him on Alyson’s list, which is strange, since “To Kill A Mockingbird” is one of my favorite books of all time. But having seen him there, I can't leave him off my own list. Atticus is unshakeable in following his own moral compass.
   
   
3. George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life”
   
   George is always deferring his own wishes to do what’s right. He turns his back on what we would normally consider “heroic” – pursuing adventure, something he has always longed for – and instead settles for what we would consider boring – marrying, raising a family, running a boring little business. It’s George’s brother who goes off to college and becomes an fighter pilot hero. What makes it so heroic that George settles for so much less than his dreams? He does it because people need him. He does it to keep the town bully from running roughshod over the townspeople. In a hundred ways, large and small, he sacrifices himself to contribute to the quality of life of those around him. Now there’s a real man.
   
   
4. Spenser and Hawk from the “Spenser” mystery series, and Jesse Stone from the “Paradise” mystery series, both by Robert B. Parker
   
   Spenser is a totally smartassed cop-turned-PI who lives in Boston and Hawk is his best friend and partner. Jesse is the chief of police in a small town near Boston. (While the two series are written separately, Parker plays the wonderful trick of having their lives intersect. Although the heros of the two series have never met each other, they know a lot of the same people, and have heard about each other. I’m assuming that eventually they’ll meet. This has nothing to do with what makes them heroic, but it’s great fun for readers who are fans of both series.) Spenser seems like your classic hardboiled PI who regularly faces down really scary villains with a combination of wit, courage, and skills. But he also enjoys poetry, cooks gourmet meals, protects the weak, and is irrevocably in love with and faithful to his woman, a brainy psychiatrist, despite the fact that other women are always throwing themselves at him.
   
   Hawk is a dark-side hero. He is the only guy in series who can outfight and outshoot Spenser, and women fall at his feet. But he sees laws as a set of entirely ignorable suggestions.
   
   Jesse Stone is more flawed. For one thing, he’s a recovering alcoholic. He is divorced but can’t get over his ex-wife even though she’s really bad for him. Personally I feel far more affection for Jesse than for Spenser or Hawk. But make no mistake, he’s heroic. Bad guys are constantly assuming he’s an incompetent hick cop and constantly learning otherwise when he kicks their asses. And now he’s heading into a romance with yet another Parker character, a woman PI named Sunny Randall, and it’s one of the best romance lines I’ve ever read – and it’s written by a man!
   
   
5. Ranger and Joe Morelli from the Stephanie Plum mystery series by Janet Evanovich
   
   I always think of these two as alter egos of each other; Ranger is the dark side (he reminds me of Parker's Hawk), and Morelli is the light. Ranger is cool and controlled, Morelli is fiery and passionate. Both are smart, courageous, great at what they do, and insanely sexy.
   
   The only thing I don’t get is why they both have a thing for Stephanie Plum. With apologies to Alyson, I don’t care much for Stephanie. She’s incompetent at what she does (she’s a bounty hunter) and constantly needs rescuing from one or both of the men in her life. She eats donuts constantly but never gets fat (a serious flaw in my book). She can’t decide which guy she wants to be with so she seems to be perpetually kind of cheating on one or the other of them. Yet she has these two unbelievably hot guys pursuing her; Morelli even wants to marry her.
   
   Okay, maybe I’m just jealous. But I don’t get it. Love those guys, though!
   
   
6. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
   
   The male protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, Darcy is introverted, maybe a bit shy, generally silent and stoic – almost the opposite of Elizabeth Bennett, the woman he’s in love with. But he proves his heroism by repeatedly doing good things without seeking accolades. In realizing his true worth, Lizzie goes from shallow girl to mature woman. Amazing what the love of a good man can do!
   
   

Alyson's Sunday Six: Favorite Heroes

I'm just going to jump right into it.

1. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Atticus is not the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. Rather, he is Scout's father, a lawyer and widower with a dry sense of humor and a strong sense of morality and justice, all of which he has instilled in his children. Because of his penetrating intelligence, calm wisdom, and exemplary behavior, Atticus is respected by everyone, including the very poor. However, when he agrees to do the right thing-- defend a black man charged with raping a white woman-- he exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community. With his strongly held convictions, wisdom, and empathy, Atticus functions as the novel’s moral backbone. To me, he is a hero in the truest sense of the word. Ironically, neither Jem nor Scout consciously idolizes their father at the beginning of the novel. Both are embarrassed that he is older than other fathers and that he doesn’t hunt or fish. I love that! I admit that in terms of my developing a big hero crush on him, it didn't hurt at all that Gregory Peck played him in the movie :)

2. Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I think Heathcliff is one of the most memorable characters in fiction because he is so darkly, deeply passionate-- a truly tormented soul. I'd never want to date him, but wow, I love him anyway. He is a master avenger filled with hate for everyone who has wronged him-- except his beloved Catherine. He is horribly cruel. I actually think that the love story between young Cathy and Hareton is the true love story, but it was Heathcliff that shook me up and rocked my world.

3. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer from The Adventures of . . by Mark Twain
As a kid, I felt so very sorry for Huck, but I admired him. Twain makes it clear that Huck is a boy who comes from the lowest levels of white society. His father is a drunk and a ruffian who disappears for months on end. Huck himself is dirty and frequently homeless. Although the Widow Douglas attempts to “reform” Huck, he resists her attempts and maintains his independent ways. The community has failed to protect him. What I love about Huck is his epiphany which arrives when he has to make a decision whether or not to rescue Jim when he is captured and held for return to slavery. In the culture he was born into, stealing a slave is the lowest of crimes and the perpetrator is condemned to eternal damnation. He decides to risk hell to save Jim, and in the process he comes of age and saves his soul. Huck has risen above his upbringing to see Jim as a friend, a man, and a fellow human being.

What I love about Tom is that he is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite all his mischief, Tom has a good heart.

4. James Bond from the 007 series by Ian Fleming
Does this one really require an explanation? I think not. Suave, debonair alpha male who knows how to please the ladies and save the world over and over again. Works for me.

5. Harry Potter from Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Uh, JK Rowling is a billionaire. Why? Everybody loves Harry! I'm not all that original:)

6. Jamie Fraser of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser is the sexy, soulful eighteenth-century Scottish Highlander from Gabaldon's historical/romance/adventure/time-travel series. His love for Claire is so deep that he finds death and torture a preferable fate to life without her. You won't believe what this guy goes through! And yet, there's something so endearing and real about him.

Honorable mentions: William Wallace of Braveheart and Jack from Lost. Love, love, love them-- because they're brave, smart, noble-- but they're not in novels so I'm just including them here as honorable mentions.

conflict, catharsis and other stuff

I have a three year old. Actually, he'll be three next Monday. Last night, I stayed up till 1:30 working on my WIP. My beloved son woke up at 3:00. He's been sick, I felt sorry for him so I went in to sleep with him, screwed up my bad shoulder and slept--oh, maybe an hour. I managed to sneak in an additional thirty minutes of sleep while he napped, but I'm not at my most lucid.

Forgive me if this post is all over the place. Ha!

I'm pondering a few different things that may or may not be related. I'll let you be the judge. First up, Samantha's post -- A Rookie Writer Contemplates Plot ( Part 1). I thought it was very insightful. When I read it, I totally agreed. Yep. She nailed it. But then, the next day I wondered.

A few years ago, pre-Dante (my son), I took on a part-time job at the book store to support my grad school habit. Within a few months, I was the merchandising and inventory manager. It still remains my favorite job ever. I love books and I love bookselling. I was actually really good at it-- because I read fast and I read a lot, because I'm pretty good at getting to the heart of what people like and recommending it, and because I was good at knowing what everybody who worked at the bookstore liked and read, so if I couldn't come with a good recommendation for someone, I knew who to ask. We were a busy book store so I learned pretty quickly that there are all types of stories and all types of readers.

Here's my quandary-- Isn't it possible that some people just may not care about the internal conflict, the internal drama as much as I or Samantha do? Perhaps they want a light, fun escape that includes lots of kissing -- or sex-- or sexual tension-- or action-- or unusual plot twists -- or high adventure-- or Scots in kilts -- or historical detail-- or humorous escapades-- and perhaps they don't care if the external events are related in some big way to emotional growth. I believe there still needs to be an internal and external conflict, of course. I'm just musing here. As a former law school professor of mine used to say, there are many ways to skin a cat. (Sorry cat lovers!) I still tend to agree with Samantha but it's something I've been pondering, mulling over.

In his book, On Writing, Stephen King talked about the concept of an ideal reader. His wife is his ideal reader. I'm not sure who mine is. It's funny because I'm not sure any of us in our group really has an ideal reader within the group. That doesn't mean our group isn't fantastic because it is-- but I've been pondering who my ideal reader would be. Who would yours be?

Could the notion of an ideal reader be tied to theme? I think a lot of authors have recurring themes. Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books often deal with family, the need to create a family and a place to call home, for example. My theme is probably healing in order to find real love-- the kind that will last and that is based on more than lust. I also like writing about what I know, my own corner of the world in this time and place. I like to throw in some new age elements because I'm fascinated by all that kind of stuff. So I imagine my ideal reader would be into the same themes-- very interested in human nature, growth, healing-- but from a somewhat light, fun, breezy perspective.

In relation to ideal readers, I've also been pondering catharsis. I tend to feel ripped off when the catharsis is soft. I read to become emotionally involved and to get an emotional release. During the course of a book , I want to either make a new best friend (Anne Shirley, Jo March, Elizabeth Bennet, Trixie Belden, Gemma Dante, Penelope Featherington, Anita Blake or any others from our favorite female heroine lists) OR feel and release a gamut of emotions OR both. Once in awhile I just read for escape -- or even to, uh, feel sexy. An ideal reader would probably read for the same reasons that I do, no? Do we write for our ideal reader? Do we write to meet our own needs as a reader?

Probably.

Lastly, somewhat related to catharsis -- tonight we discussed antagonists at our chat. This was in response to a question I posed -- a plotting matter-- with which the others so kindly helped me. (And they helped a lot!) It came up that I didn't really need a human antagonist since my main character has some hefty healing to do and some gigantic fears to overcome. Hmmm. Do you have to have a human antagonist? Maybe not, but I tend to think so--everyone else in my writing group has one! The antagonist doesn't have to be an evil villain, but, in truth, I love to hate a good bad guy and I don't really want some sort of measly compromise between the protagonist and antagonist. I want a show down where the protagonist wins hands down-- in addition to the resolution of the internal conflict. Again, there are many ways to skin a cat ( and again, sorry cat lovers!)

Uh oh. It's 11 p.m. central time which means I have to post if I'm going to get this up on Tuesday.

Oops, I missed Tuesday. Yikes. I have to go get some serious sleep.

Cheers and happy writing, Alyson

Random Contemplations

I’ve been contemplating what to write for this blog for a few days. I had several ideas that would work.

I’d considered writing about the book I’m currently reading. I decided to take a break from romantic suspense, paranormal romances, and craft books in order to read something completely new and different. I selected Libba Bray’s young adult novel A Great and Terrible Beauty. Wow. Have you read it? It isn’t a complete break from suspense. Something is happening to Gemma Doyle, something that is as yet quite a mystery. Set in late 1800’s England, the book surrounds 16 year-old Gemma’s attempts to deal with her mother’s mysterious death, fit into a clique of girls that prove mean teenage bitches have been around for at least 100 years, and discover the source of her visions and understand what they mean. It’s Libba Bray’s first novel. Astounding. Read it. (Oh, and great cover. But covers are another blog entirely -- maybe even a Sunday Six.)

I also considered writing about the way my plot is taking shape from getting to know my characters better. Marcus Sakey was right. He said, “Spend less time worrying about the plot and more about the characters. Get to know them. Figure out their conflict with one another. The plot will evolve from that.” Just tonight, in talking to a friend about my heroine, I discovered something that I didn’t know. I discovered something that makes her very wary of my hero. More importantly, I discovered a deep, dark secret in her past – one she doesn’t fully comprehend, but will. It’s a secret that will invigorate a once dead portion of the plot and drive it wildly forward. Ah, yes, don’t you wish I chosen this topic?

I contemplated mentioning the erotic romance I’d recently read. Actually, it was a couple of novellas – historical ones (breaking away from romantic suspense again). Okay. Um. If you write that sort of thing… um… how do you know … um… how … um …that sort of thing … you know. Right. Aren’t you glad I didn’t choose this one?

In the end, however, I can’t focus on much more than a blurt at a time tonight. You see, I just won my first contest – the Heart of the West contest. Check it out. I entered under another name, but I am one of the first place finishers. (Yes, I’m sure you can guess which one. So much for secret identities.) The darling husband is still working tonight, however, he’s bringing home some Oreo Cake for me so we can celebrate. Sugar and chocolate are just what I need to calm me down. (LOL.) Perhaps, I’ll chase that with some wine. It’s all good, though. I’ve been flitting around unable to focus. Not good. I need to be writing now more than ever. (See, even this is a rambling mess.)

But in an effort to keep it real, it is just the opinion of, what, four judges. Big deal. I’ve had four people recommend the same book that I absolutely hated. I’ve also recommended books I consider great to four other people, only to have them tell me they couldn’t even finish. I guess good writing is good writing, and a compelling story is a compelling story, but everyone has a different opinion so I’m trying not to get too hyped up over it all.

But yes, I have been doing happy dances! I can’t help it. It’s cool. I haven’t gotten my feedback yet. I’m anxious to see it. And nervous. (It’s just opinions. Remember that, Macy.) I’m in the middle of exploring revisions. Now I feel like I’m in limbo. The final judge was a Harlequin Intrigue editor. Do I modify the story to fit that category line? Do I push toward single title? I don’t want to say that the comments the editor makes will make a difference, but they might. I don’t know yet. Argh.

I’ll keep you updated on this – either here or over at Random Ravings. I probably should’ve posted this there since it’s pretty random, but I absolutely didn’t have two blogs in me tonight.

Okay, gotta go now and check the Heart of the West site again and make sure it wasn’t a cruel joke.

Later,
Macy

Samantha's Sunday Seven, and then some

I hate being the last to post in this “Sunday six” because it’s clear to me that, after reading everyone else’s submissions, I don’t have anything new to say. Our collective struggle to name favorite heroines was very interesting, though. Why are romance heroines so unmemorable?

Maybe it’s because the authors are operating under the conscious or unconscious idea that I've heard more than once, that the heroine stands in a romance novel as a surrogate for the reader. If that's the case, the heroine shouldn’t stand out too strongly or the reader won’t be able to identify with them.

Maybe it’s because the traditional definition of what makes a “lovable” woman – that she’s sweet, kind, nurturing, loves children and kittens, etc – just doesn’t make for a memorable character. Not that those aren’t good traits; I wouldn’t mind having any or all of them, although I can’t say I’m blessed with any of them in good measure.

So I’m going to do what everyone else did in order to come up with a list. I’m going to go outside of romance fiction to the greater world of literature and to the movies. All the women I mention are involved in a romance, but they are typically involved in other things, too. And I’m going to go more for “memorable” female protagonists than ones I necessarily like, although I do like most of them.

Most of these, not surprisingly, have already been mentioned by others in this group. But here’s my list:

1. Anne Shirley in the Anne of Green Gables series. This series is, in my estimation, some of the best children’s fiction ever written. Like Tom Sawyer, it works on two levels, one for children and one for adults. The key to the series is Anne, who remains stubbornly true to herself no matter what life throws at her.

2. Elizabeth Bennet in P&P, but also just about any heroine by Jane Austen. Jane was possibly the first writer to create really three-dimensional female characters.

3. Jo March in the Little Women series. Another strong-willed, frequently impulsive female character who follows her own lights regardless of the expectations of the era. I strongly suspect she was modeled after the author, which is probably why she seems so real.

4. Claire Fraser in the Outlander series. With apologies to Alyson, I must admit that I do not like Claire Fraser, although I haven’t been able to put my finger on why not. She’s smart and brave and all that, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I don’t find her worthy of the hero, Jamie. But then, no woman could be worthy of a hero like that. Nevertheless, she is a very strongly memorable character.

5. Belle in “Beauty and the Beast”. Yes, I mean the Disney version, not having ever read the fairy tale in its original form. I think Beauty and the Beast is the archetypal romance story: the obnoxious, emotionally shuttered hero is brought back to his humanity (literally, in this case) by the spirited yet sweet heroine. Belle is by far my favorite Disney heroine, never sulky or helpless.

6. Almost any role Katherine Hepburn ever played. I’m thinking particular of her roles in A Lion in Winter, the African Queen, and Adam’s Rib. She was the quintessential woman from the 30s and 40s, before the 50s sent everyone back to the kitchen.

7. The heroine in almost any Amanda Quick novel, especially the earlier ones. I know that Amanda Quick is Jayne Ann Krentz, but I enjoy Amanda’s novels far more than Jayne’s. Her books are a wonderful combination of unique heroines, devastatingly sexy alpha heroes, good mysteries, and a snappy Regency-style dialog that would do Jane Austen proud. Then again, I can’t actually name any of her heroines off the top of my head. But I still think she does heroines as well as any writer cranking out romance titles today.

Macy's Sunday Six Heroines

My Sunday Six romance heroines may veer off the romance angle a bit. Like Roxy, I really struggled to come up with six romance heroines that made a big impression with me. However, I've known for along time that it is the hero that draws me in to most books. The romances I love are every bit as much about the hero as they are the heroine -- Brockmann, Ward, Moning. All are author fav's of mine. And it's all about the hero in their books.

Ah, but I think heroes will be next week. I’ll have an equally difficult time then. Rather than struggling to come up with six, I’ll be struggling to limit it to six.

Macy’s Sunday Six (in no particular order):

Anita Blake from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I like Anita. While she’s not a classic romance heroine in that she doesn’t end up happily ever after with the one man of her dreams, she’s got this great character arc. I love her evolution. I love that she ends up “as happy as she can be right now” and that she changes and grows in the books. I love that Hamilton isn’t out to take the books in the direction that people want or expect her to go. I like that she’s edgy and pushes the envelope and does her thing, and lets Anita do hers.

I love Tabitha Devereaux in Sherilyn Kenyon’s Seize the Night in the Dark Hunter Series. She’s kick-ass, like Anita, and she marches to the beat of a different drummer. And honestly, when I thought of heroines that I like, she is one of the few whose name I remembered, so that has to mean something, right?

I also liked Gwen Cassidy in Karen Marie Moning’s Kiss of the Highlander. Moning writes hot, sexy time travel romances. Her heroes are the stars of her books, but she’s got a few heroines that I really like. Gwen is one. She’s spunky. She gets the hero, then loses him when they travel back in time because he can’t remember her, then gets him again via sheer determination and brazenness. Then, pregnant with his child and bound to him for all times, she loses him again when she gets yanked back to her own time. Finally, she overcomes her grief and chooses to live knowing she loved him even though she lost him. This takes her on a journey to be reunited with him once again.

Buffy (yes, as in the Vampire Slayer). Although she isn’t a romance heroine in a book, I’d argue that she is very much a romance heroine on the small screen. Hers is the tragic tale of love realized and then the horrible, awful, black moment that takes love away. If you watch the whole series from beginning to end, Buffy qualifies as the classic romance heroine over and over again. I like the way Jenny Crusie puts it in her essay on Buffy when she says the writers “seem to have an instinct for the messy part of romance, the off-the-wall, over-the-top, why-am-I-doing-this? insanity that makes love such a pain in the neck, whether somebody's biting you there or not.” Read her essay at http://www.jennycrusie.com/essays/datingdeath.php . It’s incredibly enlightening.


I love some other female heroines, but they aren’t romance heroines. Lyra from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is fabulous. (The Golden Compass will be a movie this winter.) If you haven’t read this series, you should. Trixie Beldon was always a favorite. And, Tinkerbell is fabulous.

Ah, but as for true romance heroines --- I can’t come up with six. However, it gives me something for which to strive: create a memorable, top six romance heroine.

Macy