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Loree Lough | Choosing a Hero (or How NOT to Fall for Your Leading Man)
June 3, 2016
Any author worth her salt knows what readers want in a romance novel hero: He
needs to be handsome. Successful. Kindhearted, but not a pushover. Romantic, but
not in a sappy way. Respectful of friends and family. Helpful, too. But he can't
be too perfect or readers will believe he's too good to be true. To say
nothing of the fact that all those positive traits and qualities could make the
heroine feel 'less than' by comparison—not a good thing when the 'conflict'
cards are already stacked against this would-be couple!
 Whether historical or
contemporary, I start developing my heroes by choosing a "look." Take Sam
Marshall in THE
FIREFIGHTER'S REFRAIN, for example. Born 'n' raised on his family's Colorado
ranch, he needed to look as heart-stoppingly good in jeans and a Stetson as a
tuxedo. And since he also worked as a volunteer firefighter before moving to
Nashville, broad shoulders and muscles were a requirement. Photographs are
essential, so I can see my heroes as they make their way through my
stories. The guy I envisioned while Sam taught fire department cadets? Jesse
Spencer, costar of the hit TV series, "Chicago Fire." Now I ask you, did Harlequin's talented cover designers capture Jesse's persona
when creating Sam, or what!
Sorry…I got a little ahead of myself... After choosing a look, my heroes need good, strong names. In high
school, I dated a guy named Sam. Second-string quarterback. Solid B student.
Worked part time for his dad's contracting firm. So not only did he know how to
make and fix stuff, he had muscles on top of muscles! Sam enlisted in the Army
the summer after graduation...and the following spring, gave his life defending
our freedom. It seemed fitting and proper that his courage be remembered in my
injured firefighter-turned academy instructor's character, Sam Marshall. Most times, though, I don't have a "Sam" to help me choose my heroes' names, so
I rely heavily on the old Baby Names Book. (And when I say old, I mean
OLD: I chose my daughters' names with this tome; without giving away their ages
or mine, let's just say it's in the neighborhood of four decades old!) But I
digress. The great thing about this baby name book is, it lists Irish names.
Scottish names. Native American names. Italian names. Cowboy names...and more.
AND it lists the origins and meanings of each. So if I'm 'birthing' an old West
sheriff, I need only search in that category. If, on the other hand, my hero is
a corporate type, I sift through more 'high falooting' names. Heroes must, must, must have family--living or dead. (Sam Marshall
comes from a tight-knit loving family, so he just doesn't 'get' Finn's attitude
toward her crazy musician parents.) A birthplace. (He can ride and rope with the
best of rodeo cowboys, and misses the grand Rocky Mountain vistas visible from
the Double M Ranch.) Educational backgrounds. (Though he graduated college by
the skin of his teeth, Sam is smart and resourceful, as evidenced by his
teaching and business prowess.) Friends. (Torry Martin--who plays himself in THE FIREFIGHTER'S
REFRAIN--and Mark Ligon, owner of The Meetinghouse are great sounding boards
for this keep-stuff-to-yourself hero.) Careers. (Sam loved working as a
firefighter, but his longtime dream—earning a recording contract in
Nashville--can only come true if he leaves everything else behind—and so he
does.) A place to lay their handsome heads. (Sam lives in a fourth-story condo
overlooking the Cumberland River and spends countless hours out on the balcony,
watching eagles soar overhead.) Sometimes, an ex (or two) helps readers
understand how he became the man who first meets the heroine. (Instead of an ex,
I gave Sam a kooky, big-hearted sister who good-naturedly nags him to reach for
the stars...and the girl.) Finally, a hero needs flaws—some minor, some
huge—that explain why he acts and reacts as he does: Disappointments,
heartaches, failures, and even successes that mold his character, and make it
tough to choose between his old life...and life with Finn. Confession time: I believe most (if not all) romance novel authors fall boots
over Stetson in love with our heroes. All of their heroes. Because if we can't
love 'em, why would readers, y'know! And Sam was certainly no exception! I hope you'll feel the same way about Sam Marshall him as you read all about him
in THE FIREFIGHTER'S
REFRAIN. I also hope you'll drop me a note, let me know what you liked best
about this talented good-looking guy. Wishing you a wonderful summer! GIVEAWAY
Win your own hero! Tell us about your hero and one commenter will win a copy
of THE FIREFIGHTER'S
REFRAIN!
Bestselling author Loree Lough once sang for her supper, performing across
the U.S. and Canada. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon
a tune or two, but mostly, she writes novels that have earned hundreds of
industry and "Readers' Choice" awards, 4- and 5-star reviews, and 7
book-to-movie options. Her 105th book, THE FIREFIGHTER'S REFRAIN,
#3 in “Those Marshall Boys” series for Harlequin Heartwarming, released May 1,
2016. Next up, HEALING OF THE HEART, #3 in Whitaker’s “Secrets on
Sterling Street” historical series. Stay tuned for Loree’s brand new 3-book
series from Heartwarming, due to hit bookstands between fall, 2016 and summer,
2017…
He's a man who wants it all…if only he could have it
Dreams of stardom took musician and firefighter Sam Marshall far from his
Colorado roots. Starting fresh in Nashville hasn't been easy, especially after
an injury on the job, but he's working his way to the Grand Ole Opry one open
mike at a time, teaching at the fire station to make ends meet. Yet Sam's
intentions are shaken when he meets the lovely owner of a local café. Suddenly,
Sam's dreams are filled with her. Too bad that as the daughter of
country-music wannabes, Finn Leary's been there, done that. She'll never choose
a musician. So how can Sam possibly get the girl and keep the guitar?
Comments
22 comments posted.
Re: Loree Lough | Choosing a Hero (or How NOT to Fall for Your Leading Man)
in process of reading this awesome book now
(Bren Kirksey 3:35pm June 3, 2016)
Love Loree Lough's books! Would love to win!
(Glenda Alexander 4:03pm June 3, 2016)
Have read e-book copy of this book and loved it. Would
love to win a print copy.
(Ann Ellison 6:00pm June 3, 2016)
My father is my hero... he is retired now, but for many years he was both a volunteer firefighter and a cop.
(Colleen Conklin 7:54pm June 3, 2016)
My hero is a combo of my mom and dad! They love me unconditionally and
taught me the love of God. They are always there for me and they are my
biggest fans! I love them more than they will ever know!
(Janet Dowell 11:18pm June 3, 2016)
They picked the right author to discuss character development. Reading The Firefighter's Refrain will show you why !
(Robert Crutchfield 11:27pm June 3, 2016)
My hero is my husband. I was in the hospital in critical condition and not once did my husband leave me. He stayed and slept there the whole time. He is truly my hero and I love him so much!
(Bonnie Capuano 8:38am June 4, 2016)
My hero is my father. He isn't my biological father. He is my father by
choice. When he met my mom with two young little girls he accepted her as
a package deal. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for
bringing him into our lives. He loved us as his own from day one. He is by
all definitions of the word a great father and I can't imagine our lives without
him.
I look forward to reading this book.
(Ginger Ports 8:52am June 4, 2016)
Well , a girl can dream , can't she ? I do ,and Sam would be the one . He sounds yummy to me and I believe he would treat me like I want to be treated . Give me a good book and I get into it that I am the character and that is my life at the time . So , I have many hero's in my life . I would love to read this book , firefighters are very interesting . Thanks for this giveaway .
(Joan Thrasher 9:34am June 4, 2016)
One question; when is the movie coming out? I can't wait!
(Lauren Buroker 10:03am June 4, 2016)
Hi, Loree. The Sam you dated sounds like a wonderful guy.
So does the hero in "The Firefighter's Refrain." There's
a certain group of people who no longer recognize our
firefighters and law officers as heroes. Thank you for
honoring them with your wonderful stories.
BTW, we must have the same Baby Name book. Mine is nearly
40 years old too, and it has the origins for the names
listed by the nationality. It even has "Attractive"
names, "No Frills" names, "Macho" names, etc. I wouldn't
take anything for it even though I bought it at a library
sale for only 50 cents.
(Laurean Brooks 1:36pm June 4, 2016)
I can't wait to read this!
I have enjoyed every book of Loree's that I have read
(Rebecca Thomas 1:54pm June 4, 2016)
Don't put me in the contest...... I just wanted to tell you
who my heroes are.
(Janet Dowell 5:18pm June 4, 2016)
Many heroes. All who put their lives on the line to protect and preserve life ,liberty and our way of life. Any hero would have a protective streak and believe in God for,
(Melinda Marks 10:57pm June 4, 2016)
My hero is the Sergeant-Major who was my high school instructor. I am amaze of his life and what he must have went through during WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam. Most of all, of what he has to tolerate being a Native American. Knowing him makes me strive to do better as a person.
(Kai Wong 12:59pm June 5, 2016)
I can't wait to read this book! About to start! I know I want be disappointed,
all of Loree Loughs books are an inspiration! Love the characters, it's hard
to put these books down!
(Anice Ridley 11:18am June 6, 2016)
(Anice Ridley 11:19am June 6, 2016)
Any man that can stand the heat and races into disasters
instead of doing the sane thing and running from them is a
hero. When they're handsome as well? Well that's just
icing on the cake! Thank you so much for the opportunity!
Oh, my hero? My husband of nearly 38 years, of course!
He has always rescued me from whatever scrape I've ever
gotten into, quite a few actually!
(Marcia Berbeza 3:33pm June 7, 2016)
My late husband. Not only did he love and cherish me, more
importantly, he loved and reared my twin boys as his own . He
was beloved by them, all their friends and his CO-workers-all
while enduring kidney failure and transplant. He lived a full
life!
(Kathleen Bylsma 9:27pm June 7, 2016)
I love the cover. I have an idea the book is just as good as Sam looks.
(Anna Speed 1:32pm June 9, 2016)
My hero is anyone that is serving or has served our country
in any branch of the military.
(Bonnie Davis 6:18pm June 9, 2016)
Who doesn't love a hero?
(Kimberly Miller 9:04pm June 9, 2016)
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