Every great historical romance needs a strong hero –- usually "lethally handsome" -- as my author-friend Marcia Lynn McClure would say. I tend
to write heroes who are strong yet sensitive like Elijah in Angel and the Enemy
who swoops in to save young Angelina from a fate worse than death. Or there’s
mischievous Bronson Reilly from In Love We Trust who manages to convince
heroine Mandy Gates that his amorous attentions are part of his protection of
her. Then there’s Gerard McNally from Second Sight, a strong homicide detective who is sensitive
enough to appreciate Sable’s intuitive abilities, protect her from danger, and
also help her work through her dark past.
People ask me where I come up with my heroes. “Where can I
find one of these guys?” women ask. “In my imagination,” is the answer. Basically,
I take all my husband’s best qualities for the foundation and then fix all his
flaws! LOL In other words, my heroes don’t exist in reality, only in my
imagination! So reader beware … odds are you’re never going to find an Elijah,
a Bronson or a Gerard.
What about heroines? Heroines are always a little more difficult for me, but they’re probably
more realistic because I draw from my own flaws and foibles. Of all the
heroines I’ve written the one everyone loves best is Dicey Langston – because
she’s a real person. Young "Daring Dicey" saves an entire village, faces Bloody
Scouts intent upon her destruction, and flings herself in front of her father
to save his life. The great thing about Dicey is that she really did those
things, and I think that’s why everyone loves her so much.
But Diceys don’t come along every day. Are heroines as difficult
to come by in reality as heroes? While visiting a friend today, I realized that
she’s probably one of the bravest women I know. No, she hasn’t saved a village from certain
destruction. She hasn’t faced pistols aimed to destroy her or her family. But
she’s squaring off against an enemy every bit as threatening. What's more, she’s doing it with the
faith of an angel and the optimism of a saint.
As I watch one of my dearest friends deal with breast
cancer, I sit back in awe at her ability to recognize God’s hand in her life.
Sure, she’s scared, but she’s at peace. “I know I can do this,” she told me.
“The Lord is helping me through this.” She’s got a long hard road ahead of her,
but she’s taking it one day at a time, keeping her sense of humor, and trusting
God to get her through. If that’s not heroic, then I don’t know what is.
My husband Greg and I just spent a weekend in Nashville, TN relaxing on a belated 22nd wedding anniversary trip. Our anniversary is really in August, but August was so jam-packed we waited until this weekend to celebrate. We made a pit-stop in Franklin, TN on our way up to the Opryland Hotel and visited the famous Carnton Plantation. Technically, according to the guide, it wasn't really a plantation. Seems a plantation produces a single crop like cotton or sugar cane. Carnton was a large farm with multiple crops.
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