I’m thrilled to say that I’ll have a novella, Eight Seconds, coming out next year in one of the Caveman anthologies, Flavors of Ecstasy, from Ellora’s Cave. I don’t know which volume yet, or what other EC authors I’ll be paired up with, but I’ll share as soon as I hear.
Eight Seconds is the story of rancher, romance writer Taylor Westfall, and professional bull rider Devlin McCord. I love cowboys! And I loved writing this story. It was great therapy for me after losing my mom, and it was nice to immerse myself in something positive and fun. Plus, I had a deadline to meet which is always great motivation.
Eight Seconds takes place one snowy weekend before Thanksgiving. I’ve always wanted to write a holiday connected story, and although this one only mentions Thanksgiving, the time of year and the snow reiterate her loneliness and the isolation she faces on her ranch. And, she’s in much need of some sexual inspiration for her writing. She’s bound and determined not to spend another harsh winter all by herself. Cowboy Devlin McCord is sexy, hot and just what she needs to get the creative juices flowing again! Hey, I wouldn’t mind spending more than eight seconds with this guy. Too bad I can’t make my fictional characters come to life in the flesh. Oops! Don’t tell my husband I said that!
Besides being good-looking and sexy, Devlin is honest, caring, and loyal to the bone. All qualities my heros must have, even if they don’t realize they have them. And yes, the hunk in the photo is George Strait, a true American cowboy who inspires this writer's work all the time! What are your favorite must-have hero qualities?
5 comments:
We had a similar discussion on the eHarlequin.com boards not too long ago. We were focusing on romantic suspense heroes, but I think there are some qualities that transcend genres when it comes to romance.
Protective. (not possessive or obsessive--but he takes care of his own)
A sense of honor. (he'll do the right thing/be there when you really need him most)
Hot. (even in a Beauty & the Beast story, there must be something attractive about this guy that the heroine and reader can see--a well-built body, piercing eyes, brainy, power of some kind, witty sense of humor, etc.)
Loyal.
He thinks the heroine is hot. (something about her--even with a plain Jane--gets him irresistibly turned on)
Extremely skilled at something. (aka masculine prowess--a staunch military man, a veteran cop, a master carpenter, a corporate killer, a patient lover, a great dad, etc.)
And I typically like a man with a good sense of humor--not necessarily a funny guy, but one who can add levity to a tense situation, or see the positive when the going gets tough)
Julie Miller
www.juliemiller.org
Hmmm.....let's see
intelligence, abs of steel, the ability to laugh at himself, sense of humor, extreme sexiness, morality (except in the bedroom) LOL, learns from his mistakes, hard-worker
just a few
Deidre
I think being gentle when you're a big guy is pretty enticing.
Also being fair without being a pushover is good, too.... but my number one hero quality is he has to make me laugh!
Noelle
Wow! lot's of good qualities here! I love them all and agree completely. I'll add one more to the growing list. A man who isn't afraid to get domestic once in a while. A man who steps into the kitchen to actually cook something instead of just grabbing a brew from the fridge has keeper potential written all over him! Sweet.
caring, honest, trustworthy, gentle, sense of humor---these are the qualities I admire in a hero.
Post a Comment