Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Blog Tour (Alpha's Past) : Guestpost by Carrie Ann Ryan





Finding the Balance in your Hero 


Do you like your heroes rough or smooth? Classy or ragged? Does it matter? Yes and no. I think it depends on what you’re in the mood for – and what your heroine needs. If your heroine is classy and ice, she may need a rugged hero with a scarred soul to break through her tight exterior. If your heroine is hurt herself, she may need that smooth gentleman to be by her side as she picks herself up. 

Or all of these may mix and match and you never know. In all honesty, what the heroine needs from her hero – and now what she thinks she needs – is what she’ll get in an amazing romance story. 

And that’s why I love romance. You get your HEAs – sometimes with a price. But it’s worth it. 

But how do you balance your hero? 

Too smooth and classy and he comes off as an arrogant ass. You need the man to be able to roll up his sleeves at the end of the day and help his heroine or do what needs to be done. You need that icy glint in their eye that tells the reader that something deeper and far more sexy and dangerous lurks beneath. Roarke from the In Death series comes to mind when I write this. *sigh* 

Too rugged and he comes off like an arrogant ass. Do we see a common theme here? We need the man who will get dirty, make mistakes and be an arrogant alpha male. I’m thinking Curran from the Kate Daniels series here. *sigh* 

Kade, my Alpha male, is a bit of both. He’s a century old werewolf who’s sexy as hell. He works with his hands and crafts homes as an architect. But he can prowl across the room on two legs in an elegant suit and make my heroine – Melanie – forget everything bad she ever said about the male species. You need a balance in a hero. Every heroine gets what she needs from her hero – and Mel is no exception.


Synopsis:

Melanie is a twenty-five year old chemist who has spent all of her adult life slaving at school. With her PhD in hand, she's to start her dream job, but before she does, her friend persuades her to relax and try to live again. A blind date set up through her friends seems like the perfect solution. Melanie can take one night away from the lab and let her inner vixen out on a fixed blind date - a chance to get crazy with a perfect stranger. The gorgeous hunk she's to meet exceeds her wildest dreams – be he is more than what he appears and Melanie's analytical mind goes into overdrive.

Kade, a slightly older werewolf (at over one hundred years), needs a night way from the Pack. Too many responsibilities and one near miss with a potential mate made Kade hide in his work, the only peace he can find. His brother convinces him to meet the sexy woman for a one night of fun. What could it hurt? But when he finds this woman could be his mate, can he convince her to leave her orderly, sane world and be with him and his wolf-half, for life?


Carrie Ann Ryan is a paranormal and contemporary romance author. Her first book, An Alpha's Path, is the first book in her Redwood Pack series. She's also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She love meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated. Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens. 

Carrie Ann loves hearing from readers. You can find her at: 


Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyan

Thank you Carrie for this awesome guestpost! I totally have the hots for Kade, now! 



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13 comments:

  1. Fantastic interview! Tortured heroes are my favorite to write! And spunky heroines to go along with them. For those of you who haven't read this one, add it to your TBR list because it rocks!!

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  2. I love your breakdown of heroes. I'm not picky, I love them all. lol

    The most important thing for me is that the heroine fits the hero.

    Great Post!

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  3. You're right, Carrie Ann. I love different heroes at different times. My personal favorites are the noble knights. I'm not too much into bad boys. They have to be extra special to win me over.

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  4. Great interview. It is sometimes a delicate balance to make our characters both interesting and likable. Thank you for the perspective.

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  5. I like the way you broke down how to balance personality traits in a hero. It is tough to get the correct mix. The same goes for the heroine.

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  6. "You get your HEAs – sometimes with a price."

    Love this line! I'd change it to "always with a price" but I think it really defines the romance genre.

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  7. Great interview. I think all men should be a little tortured.

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  8. Great post!
    My favorite tortured hero is from For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale.

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  9. Great post!
    My favorite tortured hero is from For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale.

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  10. @Carrie Ann Ryan

    Thank you for this aweeeeesome post. :D

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  11. Thank you for the terrific interview and post. I haven't heard of this before now. It is so going to the top of my wishlist!

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