Can a hero be a jerk?

The pic on a slant is Aydon Castle, built in the late 1200s.

I seem unable to copy text into here as I used to do. It can only be because I've moved from Internet Ex 7 to 8. Is it an oversight, deliberate or am I doing something incorrect now? So instead of quoting someone, I'll now paraphrase a blog that struck a chord with me this morning.

Talking heroes and villains, the general feeling is that it is OK for a villain to be a jerk, but if a hero leans towards something that doesn't fit the strict hero credentials, the author is liable to get lambasted. I've had it happen, but I believe, like the writer of the blog, that heroes do have a tendency to slip into real life and do snap, bark, and do the occasional venial thing when they are upset, disappointed, or wake up with their noses out of joint that particular day.

Heroes are not impossible beings in my mind. They're human like the rest of us and so they have days when nothing goes right. Put them in a situation where the love of their life throws them over for someone else and I'd huff in scorn if all he did was say "So be it; she loves him and I must endure it." What a wimp, I say. I'd rather he threw something, or punched the rival, or let rip with a few choice swear words for an hour or so - and then got himself under control again.

"Defeats never make you grow, but you also realise how difficult what I achieved up until today was, and this is something you need sometimes. You need a defeat to give the value to your victories." Rafael Nadal.

Rafa may be talking, with his strange and wonderful grasp of the English language, about tennis, but his words have a strange echo for me and for everyone in this difficult writing game. Once upon a time I never thought I'd get a book published, and now I have. Then I had three published. Then I worry about why agents refuse me - and then I read Rafa's words and I think how far I have come. Vamoose Rafa! and Vamoose us!

Richard Armitage as The Hero

Since it is Valentine's Day here's some more pics of Richard ~ this time as Lucas North, newly returned from eight years incarceration in a Russian prison to join the Spooks team.

Every romantic author in the land seems to fancy Richard Armitage as a template for their current hero ~ and a video on You tube is no doubt helping! Click and prepare to drool. The Romantic Novelists' Association has almost adopted him as a mascot.

More helpful in a different way is a video I found this week on writing. Elizabeth Gilbert talks fluently and amusingly about that elusive thing called genius, muse, whatever. I don't think I have read any of her work, but I shall certainly look out for her titles now.

The snow has gone. Again. Now we're back to Spring. Hey ho! Can I put the wellies away at the back of the cupboard now, please?

India and M & B

Mills and Boon - which has nearly three-quarters of the romantic market in its home country of the UK - is now launching in India. Their books are already popular in the country because they have been unofficially introduced from abroad.

However much critics and reviewers slate and revile Mills & Boon, the company happily goes on selling. Personally I think the critics do M&B a favour - all publicity is good publicity! A woman will read what she wants to read, not what the critics tell her. Women like the happy endings. It is reassuring in these days of violence to know that however difficult the route may be, true love always prevails in the end.

Modern Indian women say they want the M&B heroes to be modern Indian men - they're not looking for Maharajahs. A combination of Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan, businessman Anil Ambani and industrialist Sunil Mittal would do nicely!

If you want to read the article, click here

New romantic hero

If you can imagine this man with dark hair curling over the collar of a velvet doublet or a leather jack, then you can imagine Harry, the hero of my wip. I'm up to 35k now and its going well. I'm tempted to try giving him a dye job courtesy of Photoshop, just to see what he looks like.

I checked my old blog on Yahoo 360 tonight out of curiosity and find it records 4,460 visits. I have no idea how it records these, and it does seem curious when I have not blogged there since April. My old website is similar - 879 visits. Perhaps I ought to take them down and ensure that people come to the newer sites, but I'm not sure. Perhaps people have these bookmarked and just make an extra click to get to the new sites. Then again, perhaps they don't. Perhaps they give up and go away without bothering.