I have an earworm. Dan Wilson’s All Kinds. The earworm line, of course is “All kinds of beautiful.” The song says you’ve got the kind of beautiful that makes the boys want to give up running all around. This is the stuff of romance books. Every heroine has something within her that appeals to the hero in such a way that all other women pale in comparison. She doesn’t have to be beautiful to everyone. She only has to be beautiful to that one man… or more if it’s a menage.
Admittedly, I have a thing about heroines that are different. I don’t mind the fat chick heroine as long as she’s not a whiner. I don’t mind the heroine who’s a were-mongoose. I don’t mind the one whose master cheated on her and who tries to find a replacement for him in personals ads. I like the geeky ones, the underdogs, the ones who are plain janes, or are so beautiful and so powerful men are turned off and never take the time to see how vulnerable she is underneath. I just don’t like heroines who are wishy washy, whiny, and too stupid to live. Every heroine has to have redeeming qualities or I can’t buy into it.
Last night I decided to read for an hour before I went to bed. I picked up my Nook and I opened Breaking Chance by Kim Knox. I bought this book because I liked the sci-fi premise. I liked the idea of a heroine who was tough and smart… and a criminal. I liked the idea of a hero who was a mass murderer. I’m not gonna give away the story, but fuck me if I didn’t just become enthralled in this world. Not so much because of the world building, although that was done well, but because of the characters. The layers to these two are incredible. If you want an excerpt, here’s a link to Kim’s site where you’ll find one. Trust me, this book is in no way a disappointment to a reader.
Half of the reason I bought this book is because of the edgy almost sci-fi feel I have with one of my WIPs. I like getting into a particular headspace by reading other stuff. Reading Breaking Chance turned out to be not quite the exercise I thought it would be. Instead of being immersed in a gritty world, I was immersed in emotion.
When big, bad heroes who are almost anti-heroes, fall for women who are strong, I get goosebumps. When they uncover vulnerabilities and neurosis that these women live with but have risen above, I get chills. When they love them not just in spite of those weaknesses but because of them… I melt. It is then all about all kinds of beautiful because physical beauty can be outshone in a heartbeat by psychological and emotional beauty. And those moments when the badass hero realizes that and realizes that he’s completely captivated… those are the best moments in a book.
Sometimes the road to being a good writer means you have to be a reader. It may be geeky of me, but I just love a good book.
Oh! And congrats to Obnoxio the Clown who won the February Commenter prize!
March 11th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
I love this post. To me, women who have been to the bottom and have climbed their way back to the top are gritty, tough, beautiful (no matter what they look like on the outside) and they are survivors. What isn’t to love about that? We need, no, I think crave, heroines like this. I once read somewhere that men are attracted to PASSION. Not just the physcial/sexual passion but the passion that a woman has for something in her life. There is something to be said for that. That passion makes her interesting and, in the end, it doesn’t matter about her looks if her passion light her up. Every see these women that just walk into a room and you wonder why EVERYONE is rivetted? She might not be beautiful but she is lit from within with passion and confidence.
Regina Carlysle´s last blog ..New Reviews
March 11th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Exactly, Regina! We always think that men are attracted to appearance, but appearance can more than just 36-24-36 with blonde hair and blue eyes. It can be a look or a demeanor. Men are very visual, but I don’t think it’s always beauty that draws their eyes and attention.
Lex Valentine´s last blog ..Hey, Moderator! Ban Me!
March 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I like (and I like to write about) women who aren’t necessarily beautiful–until they smile, and then their whole face lights up. But that’s another way of describing passion. Also, sometimes a woman is never more beautiful than when she’s completely involved in something, utterly focused on some project, and so completely unselfconscious…and absolutely gorgeous because of it.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Completely agree. I love different heroines. I get tired of those perfect women with perfect bodies. It’s not real. I just can’t relate to it. There’s nothing sexier than a man falling for or being undeniably attracted to a woman who isn’t typically beautiful. Whether she’s curvier, a little on the geeky side, or whatever. I love that.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
My heroines, when I write, are rarely perfect. If they are incredibly beautiful, it shows the side of what that’s like too. I had a friend in high school is was taller than average for a woman and beautiful, but came off as aloof if you didn’t know her. She was also very insecure about her looks. Many thought she was a snob because of this tough exterior she had, but in reality she was shy and insecure.
Years later, we discovered she had been bulimic. It shocked me because I would never have guessed that. Fortunately, she met a wonderful man, whom she married, who nursed her back to health, emotionally and physically.
I think she still has self-image issues (who doesn’t?), but she’s truly a beautiful woman.
The imperfect heroine is much more interesting than the perfect one.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Brava to you, Lex! And for the heroine whose beauty is NOT her physical appearance, and who is NOT perfect.
Cheers to the heroine who is NOT Angelina Jolie, a too-perfect-to-be-true sultry femme fatale who hasn’t a heart and can’t FEEL. A robot.
And hats off to us real-life heroines who walk among the perfect, disguised as ordinary women!
Carol´s last blog ..Eat Your Heart Out, Carrie Bradshaw……
March 11th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
This is the most interesting post I’ve read in a long time and the book sounds outstanding. I’m going to get a copy. I don’t like perfect, model-type, rich heroines. I like my heroine’s flawed. I do tend to write about skinny heroines with little breasts but that’s what I know. The only time I got above a 32A was when I was nursing my kids. My heroine’s have both physical and emotional scars and that’s what makes them interesting. Let me put it this way – I prefer both my heroes and my heroines to be survivors, not spoiled rich kids who get their comeuppance, romance novel style.
Julia Rachel Barrett´s last blog ..Ummm, at least you won’t run out of gas…
March 11th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I’m such a book snob. And trying to turn my internal editor off is like trying to lift the Sphinx on the Giza Plateau. I do love a good book, tho. Finding one that holds my attention beyond 4 chapters is my problem, lol. However, right now I’ve been on a non-fiction kick of history, mythology and the paranormal.
Faith Bicknell-Brown´s last blog ..Out of the Blue
March 12th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Great post, Lex and thanks for the mention
March 12th, 2010 at 8:00 am
As a reader, I appreciate posts like this. I find new authors and books this way. I like different genres and types of heroines, but prefer them to be strong.
July 4th, 2010 at 4:34 am
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