Fresh Fiction Blog | Barbara White Daille

Have you ever been in love with a beta hero? He's the boy in kindergarten who shared half his peanut butter and jelly sandwich with you the day you left your lunch in your mom's car. The boy in fifth grade who carried your books when he walked you home. And the guy in high school who gave you a ride after the movies on the disastrous night you had a fight with your so-called boyfriend.

In fiction, a popular beta hero is the "boy next door," a shorthand phrase to describe a man the heroine has known for a while, who is comfortable to be with, easy to trust, and won't let her down. Often, he's the heroine's best friend before they become lovers.

Many readers adore boy-next-door heroes. Those who find them too boring for words might want to take a second look, because the best betas are not as vanilla as they seem. For example, the hero in my latest book, Honorable Rancher, possesses all of the above qualities. In true boy-next-door fashion, Ben met Dana in kindergarten and has been her friend ever since. But he has a secret: he's also loved her from day one, even though she's become his best friend's wife.

No matter how long a list of good points he's racked up, the boy next door isn't a pushover. He stands up for what he believes in. He goes after what he wants. And just to keep things interesting, he...like Ben...has hidden depths.

What's your favorite type of hero—beta, alpha, or somewhere in between?

Barbara White Daille is the award-winning author of the popular Flagman's Folly books from Harlequin American Romance. Her latest release is HONORABLE RANCHER.

From the time she was a toddler, Barbara found herself fascinated by those things her mom called "books." Once she learned the words between the covers held the magic of storytelling, she wanted to see her words in print so she could weave that spell for others.

Barbara hopes you will enjoy reading her stories and will find your own storytelling magic in them!

You can find her online: Website | Facebook | Twitter

One commenter will win an autographed copy of Barbara's first Flagman's Folly story, A RANCHER'S PRIDE.

Comments

I like both storylines. Variety is the spice of life (or something like that, LOL)!
I married a man I\'d known for years. As soon as I broke up with my boyfriend of almost two years, my husband stepped right up and \"won my affections\". He knew I was the one much sooner than I did (probably because he\'s 10 years my senior, and I was only 21 at the time).
It\'ll be 32 years this summer that we\'ve been wed, and I look forward to the next 32 years. (Yes, we have arguments/frustrations from time to time, but those feelings translate into love; people don\'t argue unless they care....)
(Elaine Seymour 2:28pm April 26, 2013)

Hello, everyone! I\'m looking forward to chatting, so please feel free to jump in and leave a comment.
(Barbara White Daille 3:03pm April 26, 2013)

Elaine - what a great story and wonderful real-life hero you have!

You\'re so right--every relationship has ups and downs but the love is still there.

And I definitely agree, variety is the spice of life. We\'re so lucky to be able to have the best of all types of heroes in romance novels.

Thanks for dropping in!
(Barbara White Daille 3:07pm April 26, 2013)

Oh I love the variety of heroes out there... have had a crush on a few boy next doors along with bad boys... Still keeping my eye out for the right guy for me... ;)
(Colleen Conklin 3:25pm April 26, 2013)

Colleen - we can\'t forget the bad boys. ;)

The search is half the fun! Enjoy looking for that guy of yours, and good luck finding him.
(Barbara White Daille 3:33pm April 26, 2013)

Denise - thanks--I appreciate it! Good luck to you, also.
(Barbara White Daille 6:14pm April 26, 2013)

This promises to be a good read. I plan on reading it either
way....
(Angelina Daniels-Shaw 7:17pm April 26, 2013)

Men of honor and dedication have always drawn me - in books and in life. I thought I had found just the right one for me but he couldn't measure up to his one standards.
(Janis Milford 7:40pm April 26, 2013)

Sounds like a wonderful book. I look forward to reading it.
(Deb Diem 8:43pm April 26, 2013)

I think that I prefer a character who is somewhere in between. If they're all beta, they tend to be too boring, although the one that I knew in real life turned out to be a cheater!! If they're an alpha, they're usually too strong for my taste, and don't have a heart. They're not tender. So, I like a hero who knows when to be like the guy-next-door, when to be strong, and when to be tender. He also needs a good sense of humor!! It sounds like a pretty big package, but it does exist.
(Peggy Roberson 8:45pm April 26, 2013)

I enjoy all types of heroes. I like to visit with alphas and betas and those that cross the line between the two. It just depends on my mood and what I need a dose of that moment.
(Tracie Travis 9:33pm April 26, 2013)

Angelina - thank you so much! I appreciate the support and hope you enjoy the story.
(Barbara White Daille 10:23pm April 26, 2013)

Janis - I agree. That type of man makes a wonderful hero.

Hugs to you about the real-life situation.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
(Barbara White Daille 10:27pm April 26, 2013)

Thanks, Deb. I appreciate the comment!
(Barbara White Daille 10:27pm April 26, 2013)

Peggy - luckily, it does exist, and in romance novels we call the man in that package a theta hero--a mixture of both.

Alphas and betas aren't all one or the other, either. An alpha can be tender--and don't we love it when he is! And a beta can be strong, tough, and protective when the situation calls for it. That's why I like to say, for example, a beta man like Ben is definitely not vanilla. ;)

A sense of humor is a great aspect of a hero, too.

Thanks a bunch for the comments!
(Barbara White Daille 10:42pm April 26, 2013)

Tracie - that's true for me, too. Like Peggy, I don't really care for the extremes but I always like heroes that show more than one side.

Good point about going by how we feel, also. There are times I love to curl up with a beta and other times I've just got to have an alpha. ;)
(Barbara White Daille 10:46pm April 26, 2013)

NOTE TO ALL -

I'll be back to chat over the weekend and then some, so please feel free to leave comments.

Thanks!

Barbara
(Barbara White Daille 10:50pm April 26, 2013)

Men of service are the best! Would love to win and review!!
Fingers crossed!
(Brittany Savage 8:40am April 27, 2013)

somewhere in between...you get the best of both worlds that way.
(Lisa Fitzgibbons 10:51am April 27, 2013)

I like a hero somewhere in between, but my priority is a good story. So, if the hero is a beta, but the story is interesting that's great with me
(Carol Woodruff 11:32am April 27, 2013)

Have never given alph or beta much thought, just enjoy a good story that makes me go ahhh at the end.
(Sheila True 11:48am April 27, 2013)

I like both betas and alpha men, depending on the story.
(Pam Howell 11:52am April 27, 2013)

It doesn't matter to me if the hero is a beta or an alpha as long as the story is interesting.
(Anna Speed 12:01pm April 27, 2013)

Somewhere in-between works for me!
Blessings
,Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 12:38pm April 27, 2013)

I loved the blog and just know that I would love the book!! There is partial deafness in my family so I know how losing even part of your hearing can change your life!
(Betty Hamilton 1:26pm April 27, 2013)

Your abook sounds wonderful and I look forward to reading it. My hero's are all men of service---they give up so much to keep us safe
(Shirley Younger 1:38pm April 27, 2013)

Brittany - you're so right. Plus, they look awesome in uniform! (I'm a romance writer, It's part of my job description to notice these things. )

Good luck to you!
(Barbara White Daille 2:46pm April 27, 2013)

Lisa - it is nice to have it all, isn't it? I don't even care if it has to be in fiction. ;)
(Barbara White Daille 2:47pm April 27, 2013)

Carol - excellent point. A good story--to me, one that's believeable--can make us care about characters we might not like at first sight.
(Barbara White Daille 2:52pm April 27, 2013)

Sheila - absolutely. A great ending is a must and so worth the wait.
(Barbara White Daille 2:55pm April 27, 2013)

Pam - you're in the right place. ;) I think that's the majority of us here.
(Barbara White Daille 2:56pm April 27, 2013)

Anna - score another point for a good story. Thanks!
(Barbara White Daille 3:00pm April 27, 2013)

Marjorie - I doubt there's a problem for anyone looking for that middle ground. So many great books out there to choose from!
(Barbara White Daille 3:03pm April 27, 2013)

Hi, Betty - thank you so much! My mom became very hard of hearing in her later years, so I understand about that in a family.

All my books are special to me, but A Rancher's Pride is special special. ;) And, except for one little oops I caught myself, I'm thrilled to have gotten lots of positive reader mail about little Becky and how sign language is woven into the story.

If you win or pick up a copy of A Rancher's Pride, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
(Barbara White Daille 3:08pm April 27, 2013)

Shirley - thank you so much--I hope you enjoy the book.

I did tease above about heroes in uniform--and I do mean it. They look good!

But on the more serious note, my dad and other family members have been in different branches of armed services. It's humbling to think of the sacrifices made by all men and women who serve.
(Barbara White Daille 3:15pm April 27, 2013)

Thanks to everyone who has stopped in to chat so far, and if you haven't left a comment yet--or you have and want to chat some more, don't be shy.

While I have you, I just want to say thanks for the kind comments about my books. As I say above, A Rancher's Pride is special special to me. ;)

So is Honorable Rancher. I knowingly took a bit of a risk with this one, since Ben is such a thoroughly good guy. But he is who he is. And Dana loves him for it. Eventually. ;)

Will be back later!
(Barbara White Daille 3:20pm April 27, 2013)

I do enjoy the boy next door - the one that all the sudden has a different glow to him that you didn't quite notice before. Maybe because I had a lot of guy friends growing up and the occasional thought of them at one point had me blushing and wondering if I had lost my mind.
(Carla Carlson 4:38pm April 27, 2013)

Carla - many great relationships are based on pure friendship first.

And, oh! - you would love Ben. ;)

Thanks for stopping by.
(Barbara White Daille 5:35pm April 27, 2013)

sounds like a good read. putting it on my TBR list!!
(Barbara Studer 7:09pm April 27, 2013)

At one time, I would have liked the alpha boy, now it's the
boy next door.
(Charlene Fraley 8:46pm April 27, 2013)

Barbara - nice to meet another Barbara!

And thanks for the support - I hope you enjoy the story.
(Barbara White Daille 9:06pm April 27, 2013)

Charlene - isn't ti great we can choose from so many types of heroes (and characters)?
(Barbara White Daille 9:10pm April 27, 2013)

Would love a chance to win your book. Thanks!
(Linda Hall 10:37pm April 27, 2013)

Well, being raised on a farm in Kansas we did not have a
beta hero boy next door type around. That is usually when
you live in Town close by other people. I did go to school
in a small farming town and there were nice guys and yes I
would have loved to marry a Farmer/Rancher type man but that
did not happen so I moved to Austin, TX and married to a
city boy for 25 years now. Life can give us lots of twists
and turns if we do not watch out. Hee Hee! Thanks for the
great contest and I would love to win and read your book
too. Thank You, Cecilia CECE
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 11:09pm April 27, 2013)

Linda - you're welcome, and thanks for stopping in.
(Barbara White Daille 11:16pm April 27, 2013)

Hi, Cece - I'm sorry you didn't have a boy next door near you, but I hope those farm & ranch boys helped to make up for it, at least when you were growing up. :)

Sounds like your city boy was worth the wait, and I wish you many more years of twists and turns.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
(Barbara White Daille 11:22pm April 27, 2013)

Sure would have loved to have that beta boy hero living next door to me as a kid, unfortunately, the three homes we lived in while I was growing up had elderly people next door every time! The most exciting thing to ever happen was when four college boys rented the house across the street from us for about 3 months. My mother banned my sister and I from going over there and talking to them, and you may have guessed how long that lasted! Our girlfriend talked us into going over there for a few minutes and they invited us all in (all a bunch of alphas)! They all turned us off. Mom was right...for once (LOL). I like beta and somewhere in between (no alphas for me). Your book sounds good. I enjoy books about ranchers, cowboys, etc. very much!
(Linda Luinstra 3:22pm April 28, 2013)

Hi, Linda - thanks for sharing that fun story. I love that Mom was right!

If you enjoy Western heroes such as ranchers, cowboys, and sheriffs, then I hope you'll take a look at Ben and the rest of my heroes. ;)

They all fit the description, except for one lawyer in the bunch. And if you think fondly of the elderly people who lived near you, you might try out his book (Family Matters). It includes a bunch of senior citizens most people thought were a real hoot. LOL

Thanks again for stopping in, and three cheers for Mom!
(Barbara White Daille 6:04pm April 28, 2013)

Love the comments! Please keep 'em coming.

I'll be back.
(Barbara White Daille 6:05pm April 28, 2013)

Hi, everyone - just wanted to wrap up and say thanks again to Fresh Fiction for inviting me to chat and a big "thank you!" to those of you who stopped by and commented.

I hope you'll look for me out and about on Facebook, Twitter, and at my website.

All my best,
Barbara
(Barbara White Daille 8:15pm April 29, 2013)

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