HEROS

In most romance novels, the heroes are these near perfect men, at least physically. They are usually tall, well built (muscular), good hair, nice eyes, cute buns, decent face, generally incredibly good looking. The woman, of course, are equally beautiful. The covers of romance novels, if they have people on them, usually show this.

Ok. What I find most interesting when I think about this topic is that men are more visual than women. Yes, that is a generalization, but it's true to a point. Men are usually attracted to a woman because of the way she looks. Woman, see a man that is good looking and wonder if they have the personality to go with the good looks. Women will fall for a guy based on what he says and what he does. I'm sure this is true for men, but I think it takes them a lot longer to get past the "she's hot" or not phase. And of course, I'm still talking about the early stages of the mating rituals.

One of the key elements for me when it comes to my heroes are flawed personalities. I think everyone is slightly damaged. We all have baggage we bring into relationships. I think there is something inherently sexy about an individual who is not perfect. Who has flaws. Bad habits. Skewed thinking. It's not so much that I want to save them, or fix them. Can't do that. But I think true love happens only when two people accept each other for exactly who and what they all. The good and bad. The pretty and the ugly. Inside and out.

CONTRACT!!!!

One of the best words a writer will ever see or hear is "contract". Back in 2006 I was offered my first contract with a small e-publisher, Triskelion. At the time, they were up and coming. I did my research. I talked with other authors at the company. I googled the company. I did everything I could think of to make sure I was making the right decision before I signed the contract. In June of 2007 my first book was released. It was bittersweet because two days after the book was released, the company claimed bankruptcy. I was devastated. Besides feeling like I was being stripped of my dreams, the whole bankruptcy process is one I never want to have to be a part of again.

Moving on isn't always easy, but it is necessary. So, I moved on. I kept writing. I kept putting my best face forward and eventually found my happy place again.

I have always been a big defender of those authors who have decided to go the e-publishing route. I think e-books have a place in the world of publishing, and while I don't think they will ever take the place of paper books, I do believe there is a very strong market out there for e-books.

After my experience with Triskelion, I was very leery about signing with a small e-press again. However, I think I found a wonderful home at THE WILD ROSE PRESS.

The title of the book (that's if they don't change it, which happens all the time in publishing) is REKINDLED. I have no release date yet, but I will be sure to let you know.