What
makes a hero a hero? I mean besides the hot factor. We all know that’s pretty
much a given. So far in my Who’s Watching
Now series, my heroes have been pretty stereotypical as far as careers and
temperament go. In Every Move She Makes,
Kane is a police detective hell bent on protecting the heroine and her
daughters from a stalker. In Every Step
She Takes, Travis is an ex-Navy SEAL who owns a Security and Investigations
company. He gets to save the heroine by thwarting an assassin. In other words,
these guys are bad-ass. Nothing wrong with that!
Then
there’s Jed, my hero in Every Vow She
Breaks. In the winter he gives backcountry Nordic ski tours. In the summer,
he ran (past tense) a family wilderness camp until it shut down. So Jed is
unemployed and doesn’t really care. He owns a two room cabin in the mountains
and spends all his time traveling, hiking and basically having fun. Too much
fun…or so the heroine thinks. She can’t imagine Jed (who hasn’t changed much
since she knew him when he was ten years old) will ever settle down and become
a responsible adult. Then there’s the “protect” aspect of the hero’s job
description. When Claire starts getting strange notes and gifts, does Jed jump
into protection mode like a good hero should? Uh, no, he shrugs it off at
first. Although he is intrigued with the idea of figuring out whom the culprit
might be, kind of like a who-dun-it game. Hmm, not very hero-like. At least not
in the traditional sense. So, does a hero have to be a bad-ass responsible
adult, or can he be a sexy, fun-loving guy with a positive attitude and a few
other redeeming qualities?
If you
want to know if Jed starts acting more hero-like, gets his act together and
finds meaningful employment, or saves Claire from the creep who’s watching her,
you just might have to buy the book. Or, if you’re lucky, you can win one! An e-copy
of Every Vow She Breaks in your
choice of formats is up for grabs! Just leave a comment with your thoughts on
heroes (along with your email address if I don’t already have it), and I’ll
pick a winner. Good luck!
13 comments:
Already bought the book and am halfway through it! I like Jed! He's a great character. I like the way you're developing him from care-a-little to care-a-lot. Although I have wanted to shake him in a scene or two. :-) Heroine Claire is doing a good job of rattling his status quo. She doesn't need my help!
Then I've done my job, Leah! Don't most men make you want to shake them every now and then?
I'm with you, Jannine. I like my heroes to be surprising in some way and self-aware enough to realize they have room to grow. My thought is that the contrasting skills of a hero and heroine add up to a super-pair...it's not the hero, alone who saves the day.
I like my heroes supportive and protective, but respectful of the heroine's strengths.
A super-pair. I like that, Rolynn!
I agree, Vonnie. Respect is key!
Jed felt very real to me. Fantasy heroes are great, but I really enjoyed reading about a man who reminded me of real live men I've known for a change. This book was an excellent wrap-up for the series!
I think a strong dose of reality makes fiction more interesting. I've stopped reading books when dialogue didn't sound realistic. And aren't we told the hero and heroine must grow in the story or the book doesn't work? So, yeah, I'm all for your guy Jed. And having read your work in the past, I know he'll find his way.
I loved writing Jed. I'm glad he seemed real, and thanks for the awesome review, Alison!
I think he grows more than most heroes, Ashantay. At least that's my hope!
Sounds like an interesting and unique character. It's always more interesting when there is room for improvement in our characters. Looking forward to reading it!
Ashantay, you're my winner! I need your email address to send you the code and downloading instructions. Or, you can email me directly at jannine @ janninegallant . com without the spaces.
The contrast between Jed and his brother Kane was what I found unique and enjoyable. Aside from the heat/protective factors, of course.
Ally, Jed definitely has room for improvement! LOL
Margo, no two brother are less alike than Jed and Kane. I hope I did as well with my Wilde series of making the three brothers unique!
I like my heroes to be strong enough to appreciate a strong woman. And, yes, some men need to be shaken up and/or whapped upside the head. LOL
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