| By Elisabeth Naughton | July 29, 2009 |
As I was sitting here trying to come up with a pithy topic for today’s blog, I glanced at the cover of STOLEN HEAT, the second book in my Stolen Trilogy, which released yesterday. And I realized something profound as I stared at the book. I’ve got a real habit of writing about, well, unheroic heroes.
Take the hero in my first book – STOLEN FURY. Rafe is a thief. A good thief, but a thief. He makes no apologies for that fact, nor does meeting the heroine change his thinking on this topic. Sure, he’s working on his last job, but his decision to quit his questionable career-choice has nothing to do with her. Shady? Possibly. Sexy? Oh, yeah. A heroic hero? You’ll have to ask someone who read the book.
And then there’s the hero in my second book – STOLEN HEAT (did I mention it released yesterday?!). Pete is an antiquities dealer. And at times, a questionable one. In fact, the entire premise of the book is based on his less-than-desirable dealings, a past that’s caught up with him and bad choices he’s made along the way. Shady? Possibly. Sexy? Most definitely. A heroic hero? Again…that’s up to the reader to determine.
One of the things I love about romance novels is that you can have an anti-hero who eventually grows into the heroic hero we all want to read about. Anti-heroes are fun because their character arcs are so much more profound than say a good guy who’s never done anything even remotely questionable. I like my guys to have a past. I like them to have made tough decisions that may not have been the right ones. I don’t want them to make excuses for those decisions, but I want them to learn and grow from those experiences. Maybe they do something awful at the beginning of the book. You know, that’s okay with me so long as they are profoundly changed by that experience. And if it somehow involves the heroine? All the better in my mind because it adds rich conflict to a book and makes it that much more interesting.
How about you? Are you a fan of good guy heroes or anti-heroes? And can you think of a character from a recent book who made a great anti-hero?
In honor of the release of STOLEN HEAT, I’m hosting a huge giveaway on my website. Go to www.elisabethnaughton.com/stolen_heat_contest.html to enter. Prizes include:
1st Prize: $100 VISA Gift Card
2nd Prize: $20 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
3rd Prize: Autographed copies of the first two Stolen books:
STOLEN FURY & STOLEN HEAT
Winners will be announced 8/16/09. But between now and then don’t forget to check my blog where I’ll have daily guests and daily prizes.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Elizabeth~
Great post. I love bad boys. My absolute favorite is Roarke in JD Robb’s In Death Series, but then I haven’t read yours yet. They both sound fabulous and I have a Borders coupon burning a hole in my pocket! Congratulations on the launch!
July 29th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Elizabeth: Wow: Before I could respond off the cuff, I had to go make my coffee. I love bad boys and I don’t. Most of my heroes (to date) are cops, lawyers or engineers LOL. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love Alpha males. — That being said like Robin said Roarke is pretty darn appealing; and how about the protag in Burn Notice or Rescue Me. Maybe that’s the theme… playing with fire. Do you play with fire, Eli, in writing your characters
Let’s face it in real life, you don’t want to get involved with one of these bad boys… in romance… you want to know that these guys have enormous character growth and fall so hard for the heroine, those flaws disappear by the end of the book like so much smoke — until you pull them out — to use for your next book when the plot calls for it. Well done, your books sound fabulous!!!!!
July 29th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Hi Eli!
I do love me an anti-hero. Dain in Loretta Chases’s Lord of Scoundrels is a top pick. Or Bentley in Liz Carlyle’s The Devil You Know. Yum!
In movies, it seems like most of Vin Diesel’s roles are anti heroes. He fits Gail’s blog from yesterday, too–he’s got a great voice! Not exactly foreign, but raw.
Fun topic! I’m looking forward to your new release!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I’m another anti-hero kind of gal. I like my gents a little broken and a lot maverick. One of my fave anti-heroes: TV’s Don Draper of Mad Men. His brokenness wrapped in arrogance is fascinating.
And congrats, Eli, on the release of book TWO!!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Another anti-hero fan here. I recently read The Wild One by Denise Eagan. Definitely a bad boy who went from anti-hero to uber hero.
Deb, the second you mentioned Vin I started dreaming again. LOL!
A couple of other favourite anti-heroes – Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jason Statham’s characters in the Transporter movies and Death Race.
I can’t wait until my next visit to Chapters. I’ll be picking up Stolen Fury (I’m behind I know), Stolen Heat and Caroline Fyffe’s Where the Wind blows! Woo hoo!
Congratulations on your latest release!
July 29th, 2009 at 11:37 am
*waving* Hello, Ms Naughton!
(I’m not stalking you, I promise!)
*ahem*
I love heroes who are not perfect, who while possessing intrinsically heroic traits, have also enough of flaws to make them realistic–and attractive. Because I can’t imagine anything more boring than perfection, can you?
In short, if I hadn’t had my eyes on your books yet, this post would have definitely turned me on to them.
Best of luck with them!
July 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Elizabeth, great topic!
Nothing better than a bad boy who is changed in the end after finally meeting the right woman! I love to see a flawed hero brought to his knees by love. Congratulations on your newest release!
July 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Hi Eli–
Congratulations on release day! I wish you tons of success. Did I mention that it’s the same day as mine?? LOL
I, too, love an anti-heroin three of my four books. There’s just something so attractive about the flawed human nature, a person beginning to see things a bit differently—or not, but we want them to.
Your contest is really a fabulous idea. I entered!!
July 29th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Hey Robin,
You know, I’ve yet to read any of the In Death books. I know, I know…what’s wrong with me? But you see, I’m OCD when it comes to series, and I know I’ll want to read them one right after another. And there are something like 18+ books in that series! If I dive into those I’ll never get a word of my own written.
*sigh*
Thanks for the comment!
July 29th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Hi Donnell. GREAT point. I love reading about bad boys, but no, I don’t think I’d want one in real life. I’m pretty happy with the guy I have (80% good guy, 20% rebel. LOL)
And your examples of Burn Notice & Rescue Me are perfect!
July 29th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Deb – oh Vin! Yeah, I love him, too. And you’re right, he does seem to play a lot of bad boys. I’m thinking of him in The Fast & The Furious. Definitely a bad, BAD boy in that, but I still rooted for him.
July 29th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Hey Shelley,
I haven’t watched Mad Men, yet, though I’ve heard great things about it. I’m usually writing at night when all the good shows are on.
Will have to check it out.
Thanks for the congrats! Release week is whipping my tushie. LOL (But in a good way!)
July 29th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Gail…anti-hero to uber-hero. I LOVE THAT!
And I hope you enjoy the books. I’m having a lot of fun with this series.
July 29th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
LOL Azteclady. So good to see you here!
I’m totally with you on perfection being boring. When I read a book, I want to see character growth, and lots of it. Anti-heroes are great for that.
Thanks for the comment!
July 29th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Theresa, I love flawed characters too. They just make a book more interesting, don’t they?
My January release – STOLEN SEDUCTION – has a cop hero. This is a big detour for me character-wise. I don’t generally write about cops. But Shane is, well, he’s an anti-hero in his own way because he walks a very fine line between doing what the law says is right and doing what he thinks is right. It’s his big hangup through most of the book.
July 29th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Caroline – what?! You had a book come out the same day as mine?????
LOLOLOL (just kidding) I can’t wait to read yours!
“Three out of four Caroline Fyffe protagonists are anti-heroes.” Hey, you could use that on your website.
Congrats again on your debut release. Enjoy this week!
July 29th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I love an anti-hero. In fact, I love a good anti-heroine, too, although the genre’s readers seem less willing to accept those. SEP’s heroine in Ain’t She Sweet comes to mind as one.
Contrats on the release days, Elisabeth and Caroline!
July 29th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
or even CONGRATS
Not sure what contrats are? You can have those, too. Enjoy.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Congrats again, Elisabeth,
In the paragraph, \”One of the things I love . . . ,\” you\’ve got a perfect summary of the anti-hero to hero character arc—the characteristics that make him who he is and who he is to become.
I going to have to add it to my notes. I\’ll be looking forward to reading Stolen Seduction in January because cops, really any military or law enforcement type, are my favorite heroes.
And congrats to you too, Caroline.
Julie
July 29th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Thanks, Julie, appriciate it!
July 29th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
We love bad boys…because we want to 1) reform them or 2) have them reform us!
Jim Caviezel in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO comes to mind…a good guy who has had a hard time of it and walks on the tightrope between good and evil. Of course, though, he ends up on the right side! Kayla
July 29th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Hello Elizabeth !!
What a tricky subject you chose today… well I used to be a hero kind of girl. I needed things to be quasi perfect and wanted my hero to be so. I realise that I’m falling more and more for the anti-hero type. I think it’s an aquired taste, for me anyway. It comes with age, sort of… like broccoli or bruxelle sprout !! (nah I’m kiddin)
July 29th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I like both good guys and bad guys. Or good guys who have to do bad things. Someone mentioned Spike from Buffy already but also Mal from Firefly. Or Jack Harkness from Torchwood. I think anti heroes have an added intrigue/danger factor which makes them a little more compelling sometimes.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Congrats on the new release!
I take my heroes in all ways–as long as they’re complex, imperfect, and redeemable.
Can’t wait to read your latest.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Thanks, Maureen. You’re right, anti-heroines are less accepted than anti-heroes. We need to change that.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Thanks for stopping by, Julie. I love all my characters, but I have to admit that the hero in SEDUCTION – Shane – is one who’s stuck with me a long time.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Kayla, great example. And Jim Caviezel is just hawt!
July 30th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Emmanuelle – I love broccoli. Brussel sprouts? Not so much.
Interesting point about taste. I hadn’t thought of it that way.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Melanie – “good guys who have to do bad things”…LOVE this!
Thanks for the comment.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Thanks so much, Leshia.
July 30th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Congratulations on your release, first and second. Your covers are inticing too!
I like the reluctant/anti hero. The Die Hard, Bruce Willis hero.
July 30th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I love a naughty hero! And I love reading about how his love for the heroine ‘makes him a better man’ as Jack Nicholson said in As Good As It Gets. That character is my favorite example of an anti-hero. You hate him in the beginning and he doesn’t even have good looks to recommend him, and yet, by the end of the movie you’re rooting for him to win Helen Hunt’s heart.
July 31st, 2009 at 7:34 am
Congrats on both releases, Eli!
) and, also, just your great regular hero, too — from average guy to larger-than-life superhero types.
I like a good anti-hero (and agree with Tina on Bruce Willis
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October 25th, 2009 at 11:24 am
First:
I really love antiheroes since I was 12!! There’s just something about them. I write a story about antihero as well:)
Second:
Congratulation with your books, it look pretty
awesome
Great greetings from Denmark