That said, the latest romantasy trend making the rounds is the so-called “Shadow Daddy” archetype—a morally complex, brooding hero with shadowy powers and an unshakable devotion to his love interest. Fans swoon over these characters, lured in by their blend of dangerous allure and unexpected tenderness.
The Rise of “Shadow Daddies” in Romantasy—Or, How We’ve Been Here Before Read More »
If you’ve ever picked up a romance novel and thought, “Wait, that’s supposed to be the hero? Didn’t the author say he has a scar, dark curls, and a brooding stare? Why is this guy blond and smirking like a toothpaste model?”—you’re not alone. Romance readers have been puzzling over this for decades. Let’s unravel
Why Don’t Romance Cover Characters Look Like Their Descriptions in the Book? Read More »
Jimmy Smits. Remember him? Yeah, me, too. And what has that to do with anything, you ask? Oh, lots… I grew up without a TV, so when I was a young adult, I pigged out on TV, catching up on TV series I hadn’t seen, but had heard all the gossip about for years. There
Hot Latin Heroes, High Tension Storytelling. Read More »
What is it about red-headed men? There’s a quality which draws you to them and I’m still trying to figure it out. I love dark, mysterious alpha heroes, don’t get me wrong. Black of hair, blue eyed men, or even dark eyed, yep, I’m there. But red-headed men will draw my attention just as fast.
Red-Headed Men…Sigh Read More »
It is sheer coincidence, but this week I seem to be talking about character inspiration all over the place. I was talking about the character inspiration for Neven in the Kiss Across Worlds book on my newsletter. I’m also currently plotting book 9.0 of the Scandalous Scions series (which currently has no name), and thick in
Character Inspiration — A Classic Casting Read More »
It’s Fathers’ Day in North America (Australia and the UK have theirs in September, and other countries are dotted all over the calendar), which is when I get to pause and acknowledge. For dads everywhere, have a great day. Cheers, . Get the news that no one else does. Sign up for my newsletter. For
I’m sure this has happened to you. You’re having a conversation with friends and everyone is chatting happily, the topics keep moving around, then you happen to say something that you think is completely innocuous. Suddenly, conversation stops and you can hear crickets chirping. Everyone is looking at you and you can feel yourself mentally
Sexy Lips on Men…Revisited. Read More »
The movies generate timeless quotes, some of them by the baddest of bad boys. Here’s twenty-one of them. Bond: In your defense, a moving target is much harder to hit. Eve: Then you better keep moving. Skyfall Tony Stark: The Avengers. It’s what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’
21 Bad Boy Hero Quotes That Leave You Speechless Read More »
While short hair for men is the fashion right now in the early half of the twenty-first century, I can’t help but bewail the diminishing numbers of heroes with long hair. When did it stop being sexy? In Romanceland, heroes throughout history and into the realms of the paranormal have enjoyed long locks for decades.
Where Did All The Long-Haired Heroes Go? Read More »
Romantic Suspense Heroes – Why Are They Always In Uniform? I noticed this trend when I was writing the RS series a few weeks ago. I was trying to sort out in my own mind all the different sub-categories of RS and found it easier to try and classify them via the occupation of the
Romantic Suspense Heroes – Why Are They Always In Uniform? Read More »