For those that don’t know, I live in Australia. Hot and steamy Australia. Well, not all of Australia is like that, but certainly most of the areas I have lived in. I was brought up in outback Australia where the days are long and hot. Winters were a treat. Shorts and tee shirts during the day and maybe a track suit at night, just to ward off the chill. But for the most part, it was hot, hot, hot.
Since then I’ve lived in most capital cities in Australia and the summers are the same—hot, and if you live on the coast where it gets very humid, hot and steamy. I’m sitting here in my office writing this blog and sweating buckets. Another day of hot and steamy. The occasional sea breeze wafts through the window, but it does nothing to alleviate the heat.
That got me thinking about my writing. I’ve never been one to close the bedroom door so my writing is hot, too. Hey, what can I say? Hot and steamy love scenes do something for me. Lol I like my heroes spicy. An alpha male with a dash of heat thrown in to up the tension and make the heroine squirm. What’s the good of a hot hunk if he doesn’t make you feel something?
It’s the writer’s job to engage their reader. Make them feel they are part of the story. I like my heroes strong with a take charge attitude, as long as he’s willing to compromise when it matters. He has to be sexy as all get out, able to make me feel the heat. Nothing wrong with a little bit of Beta hero, but no wimps need apply, thank you. Sensitive to the heroine’s needs is fine, but he’d better be willing to get down and dirty when it counts. He has to push my buttons, and hey, if I can’t feel it, how can I expect my readers to?
So what type of hero do you love? What engages your emotions to the point where you’re immersed in the story and forget the dishes need washing or the clothes folding? What pushes your buttons?
My hero also has to be brainy…smart is steamy and inventive. The topping on his cupcake would be a sense of humor, he needs to know how to play.
Other than that, I just like guys. Oh, he darn well better smell good.
In control is good as long as they don’t cross the line to overbearing. I like my alphas active and fun, ready to play anything from volleyball to going mudding, but also ready to just chill once in a while. Sometimes you just want to be at home, watch movies and eat popcorn or lay on the beach sipping margaritas.
As my tagline says, heroes packing more than just handguns. I write Alpha males that are tough, yet can be softened by the right woman. Men that know what they want and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it.
God question, Alexis. I have a soft spot for the angsty hero (is that a word?). A wicked sense of humor is always a plus too.
Love a take charge sorta guy … when the occasion warrants it. Has to have a good sense of humor, playful and, of course, sexier than hell. Don’t like ‘em too polished … a little rough around the edges.
Whew! Getting a little steamy here in below zero Wisconsin. LOL.
I like men who are tough, but that have a softer side too, especially when it comes to the women in their lives.