What is a hero?

 purchased  from Canstock-- the Green Man

Hero definition from Merriam-Webster dictionary: 

 a: mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability

 b: an illustrious warrior

c: a person admired for achievements and noble qualities

 

d: one who shows great courage

 

If someone is writing an adventure romance, the hero matters very much, if it works or not-- be that any genre. Here is the truth, as I believe it to be from being a long time reader of romances and writer of adventure romances. Characters feel pretty much real, for the most part, but heroes are way above real. They are as the dictionary says-- warriors and mythological. They carry the action of the story and make it all work. In many cases, they make the story fun to write or read.

 

This is where the Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell can come into play. For writers, I highly recommend the book. He studied the form of the myths that have lasted through time. What about them can be used in plotting a novel for today? Now, I have to qualify this as it's not the critically approved novels. This is about the adventure stories, be the romances or suspense, from Clancy to Robards.

 

The first time the reader meets the hero, he may not seem very heroic. But as the adventure takes off, he will take on the mantle. He will be willing to sacrifice whatever is required to save his people and best the villain at his own game. 

 

Does a hero have to be a man? For my books, he will be, but the heroine (again can that word be used today as it once was?) will also fight for the victory, sometimes even save the hero. She will grow into her own challenges and be much more than a sweet little homemaker, though she might be that also -- or not.

 

I have personally had a hard time writing women that are stronger than the men. I also don't like writing victim heroines, where she is on the run or is in danger from a direction she didn't recognize. It is one of my weaknesses as a writer, that I prefer writing the male protagonists. I have to work to make my female characters more interesting.  I think that's a product of my age-- as in how we grew up with the movies and television shows.

 

One of the criticisms I got when I submitted my books to publishing houses back in the 1990s was the heroines had it too much together. They wanted the heroine to be in danger and then could the hero save  her? If it's a romance, the reader knows the answer, which is part of the appeal in the world of today where in real life, heroes and heroines too often end tragically. 

 

One of the appeals of romances is the difficult life many people are experiencing. A romance novel guarantees a happy ending. Who doesn't want that when life so often does not deliver it? A romance will, and even better if it's a suspense or adventure romance that will take us along for the journey with danger, maybe a few deep breaths or even tears, but it will work out.

 

Back to the hero. While in real life, our life partners may be a hero to our family and life, he is not what we will find in a romance novel. The guys there often appear on covers and they are gorgeous, muscular, often shaved chests and faces.They look like they can take care of any emergency. A popular genre lately has been with them being billionaires. Have you seen most real billionaires? That is not usually on the cover.

 

Of course, since this is a romance, there needs to be a man who knows how to appeal to a woman. If he didn't already know, he will learn. That might sound like fantasy, but it happens in real life too. What would a romance be without romance. When writing such books, I believe don't go overboard with too much lovey-dovey. Other things demand his and her attention. That's the challenge and the adventure.

purchased from Deposit Photos

Many (maybe most) romantic heroes are alphas, but that does not mean brutal or too controlling. Frankly if he is, the heroine will walk away or rise up in power to remind him that's not a good idea. Unless the stories are erotica, maybe, but even then she allows what is happening. Romance heroines are only abused by villains. This was not necessarily the case when these kinds of romances first grew in popularity, but today if any rape happens, it's not the hero doing it.

 

Repeating, real life heroes don't generally look like the books. Readers don't want them to, They are for escapism. When writing, it's part of the fun that you can control what happens. I can think of some real life serial killers that were quite good looking. Don''t make the mistake of thinking beauty guarantees goodness-- in males or females. 

Do writers fall in love with their heroes? I never have, but I do enjoy writing about them and that is true if they are a school principal or a cowboy or a marshal or a billionaire. They are imaginary creations and make writing enjoyable for writers and readers.

 

Personally, I believe we need to know the background of the hero. What led him to risk his life for others? Did he have a happy childhood or was it less than ideal? What he was is not all of who he is, but it has impacted it. The writer should know what it was as again, it's part of the escapism of being a writer that we can create what feels real and yet is exciting in a background sort of way. All that we know about a character does not have to appear in the pages. The emotional impact of it though will.

 

Over the years, I've read  sociological studies on who reads romance novels. What does it do to them? Does it it ruin marriages? Overall, the results seem to be romances are read most by those in high pressure jobs, like say nurses.  Marriages are not damaged by reading those books, as they are escapism, not wanted to be real, just to take a break from reality. They might though hide the covers if on a subway, train or bus as there are a lot of jokes around romance novels and those heroes and heroines :).  

You know men have their own escapes but they are different with suspense or macho heroes like a Tom Clancy book. One way or the other, neither sex want to live these escapes. Their lives are generally pretty good. My experience in talking with men who do give romances a try is they are surprised at the action in them.

Heroes come in many forms from the ones who spiritually save the world, the lovers (not only of women but of life and children) and those who are warriors that believe this is sometimes the only way for a good life.  

 

When you are writing a book, it all takes time to work through what is best and what works for the writer's own life. While writing and imagining what is to come, the world fades away into a new world and characters.

 I bought this image from Deposit Photos because it fits one side of the hero; but then, I worried if it had been made by AI. Is there a way to tell? It would never probably work for one of my book covers, given where my books are set. I can still enjoy the beauty and power of it, the energy that it takes to change the world when all seems going awry. What is a hero willing to sacrifice?

 

 

 

what if

by Rain Trueax

This is the season where the leaves fall off the trees. Do they also reveal what is otherwise hidden? Do we want to know what that might be? I've written before about the fairy tale for adults angle of why write or read books with supernatural elements. It was the fun part of what these books offer-- magical beings and special powers. 

There is another side-- the scary side. Why do people go to horror films? They might like being scared and looking for a vicarious, safe experience to get the adrenaline rush. In literature, there is the popularity of Stephen King's books to recognize that wanting to be frightened has fans.

mystery

by Rain Trueax 

The reason why I write paranormals, despite not having a clear genre where my work fits, is my curiosity as to what might be, a belief that we don't know all we think we do, and my own experiences-- along with the challenge of exploring mystery with characters where it's imaginary ...or is it? 

Mythologies, the stories through which each culture determines the meaning of life and often rules for behavior, don't necessarily have to be imaginary. They could be a remembered history and are part of human life on this planet. In human cultures, some mythologies are more accepted than others; but if it isn't in history or happening now, it is mythology and fits into the world of the paranormal-- that which (despite arguments to the contrary) we cannot test and prove by something currently out there. It is a fascinating realm for those open to wonder and open to going where questions take them.

Examples of fantasy cloud paintings

Yesterday's blog post featured photographs of clouds with fantasy titles that are inspiration for when I am on location and am moved to make a fantasy painting. These paintings are done on location during a period when I was seeing dragons in the landscape and clouds.

The Enchantress' Secret-- Hemstreet Witches Book 1

First book in a new series is an interesting challenge-- part of the reason for doing it. Some writers find their niche, and they stick with whatever that might be. I like varying what I write-- much as I enjoy varying what I read. My idea when I first knew I'd be basing a series in Barrio Viejo was that it'd be urban fantasy. I've written previously why that didn't work out: my story has too much romance, not enough fantasy beings.


My idea of from where power comes is two places-- inherent, from birth, or outside and given to the person. Harry Potter books blend that a bit as some were born with the ability to use power, but objects make it happen. So they don't just fly through the air or dematerialize, they use broomsticks, invisibility cloaks, or objects. A wand throws out energy, but it only works for the master meant to hold it. 

Each fantasy series has to create a world of rules that are consistent within it. My series with the Hemstreet Witches, does that but more or less within what I consider possibly the normal constraints of this life on earth-- not for most of us but for some. The Hemstreet world is consistent with my earlier paranormal romances-- Sky Daughter and Diablo Canyon (the latter made up of three trilogies also available without the sex-- When Fates Conspire, The Dark of the Moon, and Storm in the Canyon).

Those books and my new series are populated with demons, spirit guides, witches, sorcerers, druids, shamans, shapeshifters, and the occasional monster-- all if which defy the logical mind but have long been around in human lore. If you don't believe someone can dematerialize one place and end up another, try reading certain Bible stories or the writings of Eastern mystics. In my stories, there are animals that form special bonds with humans which involve being able to talk to each other. There are the elementals, wards, potions, and vortexes. There are no vampires, zombies or werewolves (with the understanding that shifting into a wolf does not make one a werewolf).

So June 4th comes the first-- The Enchantress' Secret. It shares one spirit guide with Diablo Canyon and comes out of the ancestry in the Arizona historicals. From where came the magic in the Cordova and Hemstreet families? Some of that will be answered in Book 1. Some will take awhile, but each romance will have one complete love story with no cliffhangers, which means one can be read and no more. As was the case with Diablo Canyon, the underlying theme will last through all the stories for a final reckoning in the last one. 

I'll let readers here in on a secret of my own-- it's fun writing a paranormal book where I can create a real world permeated by the magical where most people go about their daily lives with no clue. On the other hand, maybe I just am writing about what actually is but most of us don't want to see.

Blurb for The Enchantress' Secret:

Denali Hemstreet, a witch, born into a family of shamans and witches, sees what happened earlier by the energies embedded in the surroundings.  As a detective in the family agency, she uses her skills, both natural and developed to solve crimes. 

Ex-seal, Nick Beringer paints with an intensity few can match, including images he does not understand. When he is accused of murder, he will soon find out there is much in the world he had no idea existed.

An idealistic witch and a hardened soldier find their mutual attraction urges them to overcome their differences to join forces, when another realm thrusts past their boundaries and challenges their lives. 

Mystical, thoughtful, passionate and maybe possible. The Enchantress’s Secret will keep readers entertained and questioning what they really see.

Book 1 of the Hemstreet Witches is set in Barrio Viejo, Tucson Arizona, a piece of the old Presidio.  The Hemstreet family has a long lineage of shamanism, naturalistic witchcraft, and old world wizardry. Working from a detective agency, bookstores, and a boutique, the witches watch the street and keep the order of the ‘old ways’.  61,000 words-- intended for adults with some spice & violence.

The Enchantress' Secret at-- Amazon for Kindle

And don't forget, if you want notifications when new books are coming out, sign up for the mailing list at the top here. We promise-- no spam-- just new books.