A friend recently asked me why I like to write cocky heros. I laughed and said "that's not true!" And then swallowed a lump full of shame as I went back through all my published books and realized, yes, yes it is VERY TRUE!
Dejected, I sat, all alone at my computer and thought a great while about this.
As an author I think I write what I like to read. So technically, I only write heros that I know I'll be interested in reading about. I went back through all my favorite books and realized that every single one of the heros was the bad boy, the rake, the guy that laughed in the face of society.
I like to write a strong man. A man capable of saving the woman--even if it means saving her from herself or his advances.
In "The Seduction of Sebastian St. James," I wanted to write about a man that was rumored to have this perfect reputation. Known as the "Angel Duke," it's said that scandal can't even get close to him, though many have tried to trap him into it, including his own grandmother!
But beneath his perfect facade lies a man full of fear. A man who is afraid that daily he's only one mistake away from ruining himself, his reputation, and everything around him. This is the type of hero I like. By all appearances he's perfect, but on the inside, he struggles with a battle. One that controls him and decides for him even when his heart is saying something entirely different.
Enter in our lovely heroine, and we have a recipe for disaster. For our Angel Duke is already pushed past his limits when he meets Emma Gates and finds that maybe being good all the time isn't as much fun as hiding in closets, stealing forbidden kisses, and racing horses in the sunset.
But there is one problem with writing heros who are so proud and cocky. Eventually, a time will come when they are asked to be vulnerable. To peel away the layers of outside appearances and reveal themselves to the ones they love.
Our dear Angel Duke is left with a choice. One similar to choices we face every day. Be vulnerable and allow yourself the possibility of being hurt. Or protect yourself, choose yourself over the one you love.
His decision has ramifications that even he couldn't foresee. And we are left with the question. Would I have done the same thing?
Strong heroes always hit moments in their story where they are asked to do one thing--sacrifice. This is why I write them. To me, for a strong and cocky hero to finally sacrifice and lay it out on the line, it much more romantic then one who professes his love and wears his heart on his sleeve. It's easy to confess your love when you an open book. It's quite another thing, when you put your life on the line in the process.
Here is an excerpt from "The Seduction of Sebastian St. James," I hope you enjoy ;)
Sebastian paced in the entryway, trying his best to look casual as he heard footsteps tap lightly across the marble staircase.
With each step his fist seemed to get tighter and tighter. As if the person’s footsteps had a direct connection with the tension he felt all over his body.
He was still perplexed at her offhand comment concerning reputations. Didn’t every girl worry about reputations? And why wasn’t Nicholas out here yelling at him for taking the girl out on her first day in London? It wasn’t necessarily frowned upon to take a lady out during the fashionable time of the afternoon. But he wasn’t so ignorant to believe that tongues would be wagging after they were seen together. Self preservation told him it would be best to attach himself to Lady Gates in a brotherly way, after all they were staying at the same house which was cause enough for scandal, but if he could attain that they were as close as cousins, well then there should be no problem at all.
It both bothered and intrigued him how easily he fell to her little challenge. After all it wasn’t a crime to want to spend more time with her. Surely all the marriage talk wasn’t affecting his normally sound mind when it came to spending time with women? And even he was self assured enough to know he wasn’t falling for a woman he barely knew merely because she challenged him at every step. The female race as a whole is challenging, it is their curse and a man’s burden.
But would Emma Gates be such a burden? His mind treacherously replayed images of her smile, her almost violet eyes and beautifully adorned hair. The odd color seemed almost unreal—long velvet locks framed her face with shots of red.
But the way her mouth curved mischievously, or how she bit her lip when she seemed to be thinking. Groaning he briefly contemplated canceling the trip considering his body was already responding to the thoughts of her lips and the way she would look beneath—
Cursing he didn’t finish the thought.
One thing he was sure of, Lady Emma Gates was trouble.
Plain and simple.
Where did Nicholas keep his whiskey again?
“Are the horses ready?” came a chipper voice behind him.
Turning he braced himself for what he knew would be a devastating blow to his already frayed wits. He held out his arm to escort her to the waiting horses
--
Rachel Van Dyken
"The Seduction of Sebastian St. James"
"The Ugly Duckling Debutante"
"Every Girl Does It" Now Available at Astraea Press
When the angelic Duke of Tempest, Sebastian St. James, appeared unexpectedly at his boyhood friend’s home, he had but one goal: Find a suitable wife as soon as possible. However, his impeccable reputation made him a prime target for ambitious mothers of debutante daughters. He needed a plan.Help came in the form of an unlikely alliance with Miss Emma Gates, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy viscount, who has deemed herself on the shelf, and only wants to marry in order to appease her parents. Together they could sort through the mire of would-be mates to find their perfect matches. That is, if they could keep their hands off each other long enough to pursue likely candidates.
When a man from Emma’s past makes a play for her hand, the truth about her life threatens to destroy Sebastian’s reputation, a reputation he has carefully guarded since his youth. In the end, the Angel Duke has to make a choice that will end up changing his reputation forever.
Sebastian is so much nicer than Nicholas. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Rachel. I, too, love the outwardly courageous and secretly struggling hero. I'm much more comfortable writing a flawed person, since, after all, aren't we all?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Samantha. Besides, who wants to read about someone who's perfect to begin with? The heroine has to have something to work on!
ReplyDeleteMy perspective, as a guy, likely differs from many/most who may reply here.
ReplyDeleteI don't like cocky male protagonists. The heroes who inspired me as a youngster were those guys (usually in westerns or war films) who had confidence and abilities, but were not all about bragging or posturing. They had QUIET confidence. And, when the occasion called for it: courageous boldness.
Those were my heroes as a boy. As a grown-up, writing, these are the heroes I write in my manuscripts.