Wicked Wednesday - new PNR couples

I've been hearing a lot of readers getting bored with the kick-butt heroines and Alpha males in paranormal romances. All the characters from various books blur together. The heroine and hero are becoming caricatures of themselves.

I still love a good PNR even when it has these same types of heroes, but I perk up when I find something new. I don't see these characters disappearing any time soon. Many readers still love the fantasy of a super possessive and domineering man and the beautiful warrior woman with a wit sharper than her blade. Yet there's room for different power couples out there.

Here are four trends that I'm seeing.*

1) The Alpha male beneath the surface of the "every day"** guy. You have the nice guy, usually smart and successful. He doesn't stand out in the heroine's eyes until he falls for her. He becomes driven to make her his. He might be smooth and savvy, but he gets arrogant and possessive.

2) The Alpha female and the Beta male. Many say this is the perfect match. Some women do fantasize about being in control. Just remember that the Alpha female isn't necessarily bossy and the Beta male isn't weak.

3) Geeky heroes. The girls who idolized Hermione Granger have grown up, and they prefer brains over brawn. A smart hero is better than one who muscles his way through life.

4) The "every day" woman emerges as the heroine. A woman with a crappy job, bad fashion sense, social anxieties, and/or obnoxious family members. The supernatural hero sees something special in her and falls in love.

Have you seen any new trends lately?

*I'm looking for new stories in PNR with different heroes, and I dig around all over the internet to find them. Are these books going to become the new big thing? I don't know, but I love seeing how romance novels evolve over the decades. (Check out this article on the evolution of the romance novel.)

**We are told these characters are every day folks, but it is fiction. Their lives have to be much more entertaining than ours!

Heroes & Villains Blogfest

I signed up for this awesome blogfest before I planned my visit with my family. I'll make up on visiting the other participants when I get back. Thank you to the wonderful hosts, Jackie and Dani. This is such a fun idea!

Here are the rules:
1) On June 6th, post your favorite heroes and villains.
2) You may list as many, or as little, as you'd like.
3) Be creative with it: lists, quotes, videos, pictures, etc.
4) It'd be cool if you'd display the Heroes and Villains badge on your blog!
5) And most of all HAVE FUN!
6) Sign up on the linky list.

MY FAVORITE HEROES:
In books - Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series). Without her, Harry would've lost.
On TV - Buffy and the whole Scooby gang (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Buffy was strong, but without her friends to support her, she couldn't have done everything she did. They were a great team.
(Just a fun note: There's a fanfic out there called Hermione the vampire slayer! Hehehe!)
In movies - Indiana Jones. Best adventure hero ever.
In comics - Batman. He's not a mutant or an alien. He's a man fighting against the darkness with everything in him.

MY FAVORITE VILLAINS:
In books - It's a tie. Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter series). I thought her far more terrifying than Voldemort! And Jagang (Sword of Truth series). I hated him. I didn't love to hate him. I just hated his loathsome soul.
On TV - The Cylons (Battlestar Galactica). I almost choose the Borg (Star Trek), but the Cylons had so many more layers. They were a pleasure to hate.
In movies - Freddy Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street series). He kills you in your dreams. One of the most frightening and original monsters in horror movies ever.
In comics - Magneto. Not because he's a mutant, but because of his mind. A great intelligence. And he believes he's right.

Playing the Maestro blog tour - Guest Post by Aubrie Dionne

State of the Orchestra in Today’s World

By Aubrie Dionne

One of the reasons why I decided to write Playing the Maestro was to bring attention to classical music. Sure, there’s smooching, romance, adventure, and wickedly evil deceit, but underlying all of the personal dramas is the story of a struggling orchestra and what it has to do to survive in today’s modern world.

With American Idol, sold out rock concerts, and Lady Gaga’s theatrics, classical music can seem very stuffy and boring. Less and less people go to orchestra concerts, and I consider classical music a dying art form. The NH Symphony- the first orchestra I soloed in front of in high school, went out of business years ago, and orchestras all over the country are struggling- the same struggles you’ll read about in Playing the Maestro.

The sad part is, classical music improves test scores, it makes kids smarter. It teaches them discipline, perseverance, and how to use their hands to do something other than play video games and text. It is totally worth it and essential to a well-rounded society. Besides that, it’s part of the classics like Pride and Prejudice in literature, and part of history. It shouldn’t die along with the white wigs and tights.

The main hero in the story, Wolfgang Braun, makes it his life mission to replace every video game controller with an instrument. We need more of these heroes today.

What do you think about the decline of classical music in today’s society? Do you think it should be saved?

Blurb:
Melody Mires has sworn off dating musicians, but when the sexy European conductor Wolf Braun takes over her struggling symphony, her hesitation almost flies out the window with the notes of her flute—until he opens his mouth. Wolf is arrogant, haughty, and seems to have a personal vendetta against Melody. Oh, and he’s her boss. If she wants to keep her job as principal flutist, she’ll have to impress Wolf while simultaneously keeping her undeniable attraction to herself.

Wolf came to America to get as far away from his past as possible, and to recover some of the swagger he had as one of the world’s best maestros. He never imagined being forced to reassess the entire orchestra’s talent—and potentially fire anyone who doesn’t make his cut. Dating the attractive flutist is out of the question, but as their feelings reach a fever pitch, can they risk both their careers for a chance at love?

Buy it now at Amazon or B&N

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Wicked Wednesday - the nice guy

Almost every woman says she wants a nice, funny guy. No matter what the media tells you, it's true. Real stories of women seeking out the bad boys are exaggerated. Nice guys don't finish last.

We don't see that many nice guys in romance novels, though. Why is that? Women want to read about the bad boy with the hidden heart of gold. Women of every social class, of every age. Again, you ask why? For the fantasy of it, for an escape from reality. If you ask the same women if they want a man in real life like the arrogant and possessive heroes in the books, they'll say no. They want the nice guys.

Nice guys are almost impossible to find in paranormal romance. The dark supernatural worlds with all those monsters to fight tend to produce hardened men. Or the men that the heroines fall for are the monsters. I love all the layers this adds to the romance aspect of the story. Ah, the complexities of being a vampire's life-mate or falling for a gorgeous ghost that you can't even touch.

Not that paranormal romance is void of nice guys. Usually they're family or friends. Not the love interest.

I find nice guys are more common in YA than adult. I'm glad for that. The most popular example I can think of is the Harry Potter series. I love that Harry and Ron were nice guys. They prove you can have a fantastic story with nice guys. They each got the girl at the end too.

My heroes are usually the sarcastic, arrogant type. They're just so much fun to write. Of course, they can be highly moral and have good hearts, but they have flaws that would make them highly annoying in real life. I should take up the challenge and write a story with a nice guy as the hero.

Do you prefer reading romances with the bad boy or the nice guy? Can you name any paranormal romances with a nice guy as the love interest?

Wicked Wednesday - paranormal romance heroes

Oh, the hot and sexy heroes of paranormal romance. How I adore you! From ruggedly handsome werewolves to exotic demons and smoldering vampires. The mysterious and gorgeous monster hunters and all those other wonderfully scrumptious heroes out there.

Sometimes it's difficult to come up with an original hero. A lot of them seem to have the same characteristics. He's strong both physically and personality-wise, but he has to be to deal with the feisty heroine. He's possessive and protective. Two things the independent heroine usually fights against. He's clever, because he has to find some way past the heroine's emotional defenses. He'll sacrifice everything for the heroine and that's what makes us all love him in the end.

Many of the heroes are Alphas. Powerful and dominant men. Fans of the genre won't deny they like it. I won't! Most of the heroes I write are Alphas. Yet there is a place for Betas too. Heroes that aren't bulging with muscles or out looking for a fight. The men who are quiet and intelligent, who are fiercely ethical and aren't afraid of being emotional. They'll still sacrifice everything for the heroine, but not in a way anyone expects. These are the heroes that surprise us.

Who are your favorite paranormal romance heroes? Do you prefer Alpha heroes or do you believe that Beta males can be just as amazing?

The reliable quiet man

I threw out my back this morning. It happens every twelve months or so. My lower left side goes into spasms that knock me to my knees with the pain. I can barely move.

It's the worst day to have it happen too. My husband planned on going up north for the weekend to see his father who had heart surgery. Our son and I were going to a picnic with friends tomorrow. I'm lucky if I can sit down without pain. Plus, the boy is nearly 16 months old. He's full of energy and into everything. I attempted to go it alone for the day, but I tried to pick up a 26 pound toddler and I nearly passed out.

My husband talked to his father and will go up next week to see him instead. He's staying home to help me out. He just took our son to the park and left me with a heating pad on my back in front of the computer. I'm working on some edits and blurbs for my WIP. He's not an overly romantic type of guy, but he's there when it matters.

When I write my heroes, they're usually the Alpha male. The sexy bad boy with a good heart. It's the kind of heroes I like to read about, but in real life, I'll take my reliable quiet man over the bad boy any day.