By Eliza Daly, author of Under Her Spell and Identity Crisis
I was talking with a friend the other day about heroes and a Willie Nelson song popped into my head, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.” I’ve never had a cowboy hero, but it started me thinking about the fact that I’ve never written the same type of hero. My heroes aren’t always cowboys, doctors, or lawyers. I’m an equal opportunity writer when it comes to heroes, except that I tend to write alpha heroes. My heroes have been a divorce lawyer, a U.S. Marshal, an airline owner, a Parisian puppeteer, and even a ghost.
My heroes are much more diverse than my heroines. I’m an event planner, so I’ve written several heroines with the same profession. I realized that when I start writing a book I generally know the heroine’s story, but not the hero’s. In my romantic comedy, Under Her Spell, the heroine Monica is a romantic event planner, so having the hero Reed be a divorce lawyer spelled trouble and great conflict. In my current release, Identity Crisis, Olivia learns she was placed in the Federal Witness Security Program when she was five years old. What better hero to protect her than U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder. Now, just because I usually know the heroine’s story before the hero’s doesn’t mean his story is less important than hers. Ethan is a flawed character and only Olivia can help him get over his haunted past. And of course, Ethan is the only man who can earn Olivia’s trust and keep her alive.
So who is the hero in my work in progress, the follow-up book to Under Her Spell? The heroine Jordan is a psychic, who plans a romantic event for someone when the person’s significant other is deceased. Who would be her perfect hero? You’ll have to wait and see. I’ll give you one hint, he’ll be alive.
What is your favorite type of hero? Do you tend to prefer alpha, beta, or gamma heroes? Do you prefer heroes with a specific career, like cowboys, FBI agents, or Navy Seals?
