3 Unusual Things About a Hero That Make My Knees Go Weak
Nothing makes a story, a book or a movie more compelling to me than a compelling hero. But what exactly does that mean? What makes a hero compelling enough to bring me to my knees? Besides the obvious big things—like he’s a hunk and he just saved the world, etc., it’s those little extra unexpected details and quirks that put me over the edge.
Here are my Top 3 Unusual Things a Hero Does That Make Me His:
1 I love the hero who looks out for misfits—especially when it’s the unlikable teen. When a hero is a sucker for giving a misfit a chance, then I’m a sucker for him.
So it’s no surprise you’ll find examples of this in my books. In Beachcomber Investigations, Dane takes mercy on a geeky teen who’s a wannabe PI and let’s him “help” with collecting intelligence. Dane expects it to make his job harder and has to watch out for him and protect him when he gets in trouble.
- I love when a hero has a unique pet name for the object of his passion—even when it’s a name that might otherwise be considered less than flattering or nice. Somehow it makes the endearment more special when it’s something she would never put up with from anyone else. Naturally I use pet names frequently in my novels. In The Romantics, Joe calls Ronnie every endearment you’ve ever heard of. But my favorite example is in The Beachcombers where Dane calls Shana “girlie” and enjoys annoying her. But by the end of the book, it’s something she treasures because she understands him and where it comes from.
- I love a hero who teases his heroine. I’m a sucker for sarcasm. A recent study showed that sarcasm enhances creative brain activity and that’s very hot! In Beachcomber Investigations, Dane teases Shana about her undercover night-on-the-town outfit, especially when she’s stuck wearing it the next day. It gives him a chance to soften up and take pity when he gets her a change of clothes. Gives me a chance to sigh.
What quirks or unusual traits do you love in a hero when you spot them?
Let me know! One lucky commenter will win an ebook copy of The Beachcombers!
Author Bio
USA Today Bestselling author Stephanie Queen is a romantic at heart and a writer by nature with the enthusiastic soul of a cheerleader. She enjoys creating stories where her rose-colored world-view comes to life and the good guys always win. Although she lost count of all the jobs she had before she settled on being a Novelist, her favorite was selling cookies as a Keebler Elf. She is a graduate of UConn (go Huskies!) and Harvard U and lives in New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty, and her (real or imagined?) chauffeur, Myren.
Novels by Stephanie Queen include The Beachcombers, Beachcomber Investigations, Beachcomber Santa, Beachcomber Valentine and Beachcomber Baby, all in the Beachcomber Investigations romantic detective series. All are available at iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Visit the author at www.StephanieQueen.com.
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