G is for Good Guys

Debra takes a look at good guy heroes.

I tend to write good guy heroes. They may not be looking for love or they might not want their heart to be broken again, so they're not always ready when the heroine shows up, but deep down they are good guys. If anything, they might be too perfect. My heroes are always good looking. They have good jobs. Good friends. They get along with their families. They're tough, masculine, and sexy. Definitely not beta heroes, but not quite alphas either.

Am I stuck in a rut? Perhaps. For me, I guess, romance all comes down to the fantasy of finding the perfect guy and realizing he's just as crazy about you as you are about him. Real life can be depressing. When I read and write I want something larger than life. Maybe even too good to be true. (Of course there's also the fantasy of taming those bad boys to reveal their tender sides.)

Maybe this means my conflicts are only superficial, and I need to dig deeper into my characters.

Maybe it's simply my niche or my style. Readers always know what type of story to expect from me.

Once, I strayed slightly from the good guy mold. My hero in An Unexpected Blessing is an ex-con. But by the time the heroine meets up with him, he's certainly seen the error of his ways and wants nothing more than to go straight and be a good guy: for himself and for her, too.

As part of my "Holidays at The Corral" spin-off series, I am envisioning one for the Fourth of July that will feature a Marine: a vet who comes home scarred both physically and emotionally. This will be quite a departure for me. I'm not sure I'll be able to pull it off. I'm used to delving into the good guy's head: exploring the psyche of a wounded warrior will be a whole new experience for me.

Do you prefer a certain type of hero?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com