It takes so many things to build a novel from the ground floor up. To me, the thing I need most in order to visualize my novel is to know my characters--and I need a hero and heroine. Somewhere, someway, during the novel they are attracted to each other, they have some misunderstandings, they are drawn even more closely, and they come to a place in their relationship when they're sure they'll have to go their separate ways. But in the end they know they're in love. They belong together, and all is right in their world, and in the reader's world.Labels: drawing the reader in, heroes and heroines, Romance in writing
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Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.
Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.
Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.
Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.
6 Comments:
I like the hero and heroine to be genuine, with hang ups and struggles like the rest of us. Focusing on the physical beauty of the characters is a turnoff for me.
I agree totally with you Barb!
I enjoy strong character and wit in both the hero and heroine. I agree with Barb as well :)
And I agree with all three! I need the hero and heroine to have more beauty inside than outside, no matter how beautiful they are. And I need conflict to keep me interested. I need to be able to identify with the characters, which certainly means they aren't perfect. And wit. Even humor. I love my characters to not take themselves too seriously.
And I totally agree with all of you! As my church's librarian, I've had to make a policy on romance books and I came up with some guidelines for us... namely, that the romance shouldn't be the over-riding focus of the story. Give me another reason than romance for reading the book. I love your books for that reason! The medical and/or suspense aspects (or historical in others) along with what y'all have already said make a hit in my book. :)
Oh! And as to favorite hero/heroine combinations... some that pop to mind are Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy, Emma & Mr. Knightly, Cheyenne & Dane... :0
All right! Cheyenne and Dane made it! That's good news. Coming from a church librarian, that's great news indeed!
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