Nina Croft | I Need a Hero
August 28, 2014
I was out running this morning trying to think of subjects to blog about when
Bonnie Tyler came on my shuffle with “I Need a Hero.” I love the song and it
made me smile and run faster (no mean feat as I am not a very good runner) so I
thought I’d write a little about my take on what I need in a hero. According to Bonnie, a hero needs to be strong, fast, fresh from the fight, and
larger than life. According to the dictionary “he’s a man of distinguished
courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” I agree
with both to a certain extent. I write romance, and so, by “hero” I mean the male protagonist in my stories.
And because I write romance, my heroes have to be romantically appealing. They
have to be someone I can imagine myself falling in love with, making love with,
wanting to spend eternity with. And I have to somehow inspire the same reaction
in my readers. That’s not always easy. The type of man we find attractive, swoon-worthy…
heroic, is a very personal thing. My preference, in both reading and writing,
(because I’m a strong believer in writing the sort of things I love to read) is
for total alpha, badass heroes. And if he’s wounded and tortured, so much the
better. I also go for the whole tall, dark and handsome cliché (I’m starting to
sound a little shallow here, but I’ll get on to the deeper stuff soon.) But
whatever your personal preferences, I’m guessing all heroes have certain
attributes in common. Here’s a few things I think every hero needs: 1. Courage. I don’t believe courage is the same thing as being fearless. In some
ways it’s the opposite. For me, someone is much more heroic if he is afraid and
he has to face and overcome his fears. Often heroes in romances might believe
they are fearless, until they fall in love and they discover the one thing that
terrifies them—losing their heroine. 2. A deep-rooted almost overwhelming need to protect those he loves and those he
feels responsible for. I think this characteristic is at the heart of all alpha
males. 3. He needs a flaw, because perfect people are really annoying. Whether it be
fear of commitment, too domineering, obsessed with his work…possessed by a
demon. There needs to be something for him to overcome—with the help of the heroine. 4. He needs integrity, faithfulness, honor, humor… 5. But for me what makes a hero really heroic is doing what they believe to be
the right thing regardless of the dire consequences. Someone who, when he has
choices to make, will take the hard road, if that’s the right thing to do, even
if it means sacrificing everything, including himself. Of course, doing what’s right is never straightforward, and it’s never simple,
and it’s often not “right” for everyone. As Sebastian Crane finds out in my
latest release, BETTING ON
JULIA. Sebastian is my type of hero. He’s gorgeous, he’s powerful, he’s tortured, and
while he’s never been a good man (he’s actually a warlock) he really wants to do
the right thing. Unfortunately, he’s also possessed by a demon. Dante has been
with him for two hundred years and during that time there has been a constant
battle for Sebastian to do what he believes is right as opposed to doing what
the demon wants to do—Dante has a fondness for kinky sex and extreme violence.
Now Sebastian is losing the fight and will do whatever is necessary to prevent
Dante taking control and being released on an unsuspecting world. So what do you think is the essential characteristic for a romance hero? Or
alternatively, what characteristic would turn you off a “hero” completely? Let
me know and I’ll e-gift two commenters one of my backlist books of their choice.
Comments
17 comments posted.
Re: Nina Croft | I Need a Hero
I like heroes that are intelligent and loyal. (Karin Anderson 8:55am August 28, 2014)
I like heroes that are strong, loyal, determined, and open themselves to love. (Colleen Conklin 1:26pm August 28, 2014)
I love heroes who don't take no shi*t. :D (Bethanne Strasser 3:39pm August 28, 2014)
I like a hero that is strong and determined. (Charline Bonham 9:21pm August 28, 2014)
I think honor and a sense of humor are indispensable qualities. (Janie McGaugh 10:44pm August 28, 2014)
I cannot stand a man who wants to decide everything and always thinks he's right. (Monique Daoust 11:03pm August 28, 2014)
I like heroes that are smart and caring. (Cindy Rader 11:44am August 29, 2014)
but i'm always right. (Kent Cook 11:47am August 29, 2014)
He's smart, funny, loyal and protective ( but not over protective) and able to deal with an equally smart woman. (Sharon Mitchell 2:49am August 30, 2014)
I would love a chance read one of your books. Thank you so much for the chance to win. Good luck everyone. (Renae Kelly 9:58am August 30, 2014)
My Hero, he has to be tall, strong. good sense of humor is a must. He needs to have a sense of family and what it means to be there for them. Most important any any hero he needs to be devoted to the one he loves no matter the flaws or situation be ready to listen and understand and not judge. That is hard to find and when I do that will be the last time I say "I do". Looking forward to your book and reading it. Best wishes! (Tina Ullrich 2:14pm August 30, 2014)
My hero would be smart, funny, loyal and slightly bad. I like down and dirty!! (Caroline Toye 2:47pm August 30, 2014)
Being a Warlock and being good are not necessarily incompatible things. Throw in the TDH (&R, if at all possible!) (that's Rich, in case you were wondering), and you have the perfect swoon-worthy hero!!
Later,
Lynn (Lynn Rettig 3:04pm August 30, 2014)
my hero would help anyone who needs help loyal strong protective (Jennifer Beck 7:49pm August 30, 2014)
Honesty, loyalty and a great sense of humour! (Denise Austin 8:37pm August 30, 2014)
My hero is one who is close to his parents, kind to animals and loves little kids. (Leona Olson 8:24am August 31, 2014)
My hero would be someone who doesn't bend to the will of the majority vote, despite how useless fighting is. Someone who stands up for those who can't or won't stand up for themselves, but also stand up for them selves. (B. Lucas 11:11am September 2, 2014)
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