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Elizabeth Heiter | Getting Your Priorities Straight
February 23, 2015
I love strong heroines. I love reading them, and I really love writing them.
They don’t have to be physically tough (although all three heroines in my Lawmen
series for Harlequin Intrigue work for the FBI, so they’ve been through the
Academy, including grueling physical training!). Being strong doesn’t mean they
aren’t vulnerable, either (a heroine who’s too perfect isn’t very relatable).
To me, a strong heroine is someone who is courageous, who does what’s right even
when it’s hard, and who has strong values and priorities. FBI profiler Isabella Cortez, the heroine of my first Lawmen book, has
very strong priorities:
- 1. Balance work and play. She’s ready to take an overdue
vacation with her two best friends when homicide detective Logan Greer
approaches her with a case he wants her to profile. There’s an immediate
attraction when they meet and Ella thinks, “Too bad she hadn’t run into him on
the beach next week with a margarita in her hand instead of on her last day
before vacation, toting a gun.”
- 2. Put your friends first. Ella has every intention of giving
Logan a quick profile, then heading off to her vacation. But when the case file
he gives her looks like it could be connected to the crime that led her to the
FBI in the first place – the attack on her best friend Maggie – she cancels her
vacation and heads to Florida, hoping to get justice.
- 3. Trust your gut. Logan’s theory about his case is that
there’s a serial killer stalking his small Florida town, but the rest of the
police force doesn’t believe him. But Ella’s profiling training is telling her
Logan’s theory has merit – and she’s determined not to leave Florida until she’s
helped Logan catch the killer.
- 4. Don’t let anyone push you around. When her parents and three
brothers wanted Ella to pick a “safe” job, she didn’t let that stop her from
fulfilling the pact she’d made with Maggie and Maggie’s brother – join the FBI
and prevent what had happened to Maggie from happening to others. Now, it
doesn’t matter if it’s fellow law enforcement officers who don’t like her
theories, or suspects who underestimate her; Ella doesn’t let anyone push her
around. She just gets the job done.
- 5. Try to avoid distractions. The trip to Oakville, Florida was
to help Maggie – and to solve Logan’s case. If she hopes to do either, Ella
knows she needs to focus. Normally, that’s no problem, but with Logan nearby?
She’s seriously distracted, but there’s one thing she knows to be true: “It
didn’t matter what Logan Greer did to her libido. She was going to have to
figure out how to resist him.”
As you might suspect, resisting the hero of DISARMING DETECTIVE might be one
challenge Ella Cortez will fail pretty spectacularly!ABOUT DISARMING DETECTIVE:The case that's haunted one FBI profiler for years may have finally met its
match in a sexy—and dedicated—detective… When FBI profiler Isabella Cortez finds a stranger outside her office, she's in
trouble. Because even though Detective Logan Greer is one of the good guys,
their instant attraction is a serious distraction. Ella's got one mission: to
find the criminal who hurt her friend and drove her to become a profiler. But
Logan's appeal isn't just chemistry. He has a case that bears an eerie
resemblance to the crime Ella's been trying to solve for years. Together,
they're racing to stop a killer, but the closer they get, the more dangerous the
search becomes. Falling in love could be deadly…or it could be the only way to
survive. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling
villains, psychological twists, and a little bit (or a lot!) of romance. Her
research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder
investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. What is your favorite type of heroine? Let us know and you might win a
signed copy of Elizabeth's DISARMING DETECTIVE
Comments
23 comments posted.
Re: Elizabeth Heiter | Getting Your Priorities Straight
Love cowboys , Royal princess and prince.
(Emily Stemp 12:48pm February 23, 2015)
All definitely good romance novel characters, Emily! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 3:36pm February 23, 2015)
My favorite heroine is strong yet sensitive at the same time. I
think it's easy to let your heroine (especially uniformed)
develop manly characteristics that detract from their womanly
virtues. I still like my females to need their heroes in order
to have a HEA. :)
(Jacquie Biggar 7:12pm February 23, 2015)
I love your analysis, Jacquie! I think every character
needs some vulnerabilities to make readers relate!
(Elizabeth Heiter 7:32pm February 23, 2015)
I like a heroine who is nice and likeable, not necessarily strong, although we all have to be a little strong to get through life, don't we?
(Michelle Fidler 7:50pm February 23, 2015)
My fav kind of heroine... someone that can bring their personalities to life in their story... ones that gets my emotions involved!
(Colleen Conklin 8:02pm February 23, 2015)
Hi Michelle! Nice, friendly heroines are definitely easier
to relate to and identify with!
Colleen, I love heroines with strong personalities, too! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 9:15pm February 23, 2015)
I like a heroine that is true to her principles and is a role model. I want to know some of her inner secrets or what makes her tick by the end of the book.
(Joanne Hicks 11:35pm February 23, 2015)
I like a heroine who is passionate, resourceful, complex, self-assured, and independent.
(Bonnie H 10:48am February 24, 2015)
My favorite type of Heroine is one who is self-sufficient,
but knows when to be a Lady. By that I mean that she lets
her guard down, and can be soft and gentle - romantic to put
it in one word, I suppose. She's self-sufficient, meaning
that she can handle herself, in day-to-day life, in an
emergency, in any way, because most Women nowadays have
learned how to survive on their own. Your book sounds like
it's going to be a real page-turner, and those are the books
that I really enjoy reading!! Congratulations on your
latest book, and I'll be looking forward to reading it!! I
put it on my TBR list, for my Spring reading!!
(Peggy Roberson 10:51am February 24, 2015)
Looking forward to getting the book! Love a good mystery and now I am hooked... what happens next?
(Myra Miller 11:29am February 24, 2015)
Joanne - I'm really with you on that. I try to write
heroines like that!
And Bonnie, can't argue with those attributes!
Peggy, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the book, and
I love your list of attributes!
Myra, I'm so happy you're hooked! I hope you enjoy the
book! (There are excerpts over at my website - and on the
Fresh Fiction site!)
(Elizabeth Heiter 2:18pm February 24, 2015)
Thanks very much, L Lam! And thank you for stopping by my
guest blog! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 4:35pm February 24, 2015)
love to read your book
(Emily Stemp 7:38pm February 24, 2015)
I love her priorities. Very similar to mine!
(Denise Austin 11:40am February 25, 2015)
Thanks so much, Emily, Elaine and Denise!! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 11:52am February 25, 2015)
I knew a LADY who seemed so very nice, yet I noticed no one ever tried to take advantage of her. She had a strength of character and we all knew where the line was drawn. I like characters with that type of strength.
(Anna Speed 12:32pm February 25, 2015)
I love that, Anna! And I definitely agree - you don't have
to be mean or hard to be strong! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 1:03pm February 25, 2015)
I like a strong, independent heroine who has insecurities
(so I can relate)but doesn't let them hold her back. One
who makes mistakes but who doesn't let those mistakes stop
her from reaching her goals.
(Michelle Tweedy 4:19pm February 25, 2015)
Those are definitely the kind of heroines I like to write
(and read) myself, Michelle!
(Elizabeth Heiter 5:02pm February 25, 2015)
I like someone that knows what she wants and goes after it . Always being strong and polite to all you meet even when something or someone gets in your way. Learn by your mistakes and keep going . Thanks for giving us all a chance to win your book .
(Joan Thrasher 6:39pm February 25, 2015)
4-Don't let anyone push you around is the best attribute of a heroine.
(Richard Burr 7:43pm February 25, 2015)
You're so welcome, Joan! Thanks for stopping by and sharing
your heroine characteristics! I love them!
And thank you, Richard! :)
(Elizabeth Heiter 9:18pm February 25, 2015)
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