Australian author Emmie Dark is on a celebratory tour to celebrate the release of her debut, CASSIE'S GRAND PLAN.
Romance Book Haven is fortunate to be one of her Blog Stops but she came bearing gifts! There will be a copy of CASSIE'S GRAND PLAN for one commenter and all the commenter's names and followers of the tour will go in the draw for $50. Amazon Gift Certificate at the end of the tour!
Now over to Emmie...
What makes a hero heroic?
Ronan Conroy, the hero of my new release, Cassie’s Grand Plan, is a combination of two of the sexiest backgrounds I can think of. His father’s side of the family is Irish and that’s given him dark, swarthy good looks and mesmerizing blue eyes. His mother’s side of the family is from the Southern States of the USA, giving him a slight twang to his accent and the manners of an absolute gentleman.
In my head, too, he’s the kind of guy who always tries to do the right thing – even if he occasionally gets things wrong!
Part of what causes him so much angst in the story is the fact that he’s not being completely honest with Cassie – and he doesn’t want to hurt her.
But as my grandmother would say, the road to hell is lined with good intentions – and that’s exactly what’s happening for Ronan!
The same qualities hold for many of the heroes I find myself gravitating to. What about the amazing Dr House? if ever there was a case of ten points for heart-in-the-right-place, but minus several thousand for the execution, it’s the grumpy doctor. His priority is always to cure the patient – he just often goes about it in very puzzling ways.
Same goes for some of those villains-as-heroes we love to hate. What about vampire Damon from The Vampire Diaries? (If you don’t watch it, you’re seriously missing out!) He’s in love with Elena and wants to protect her, but his temper and impetuousness often has him getting on her wrong side as he jumps in and does the wrong thing for the right reasons.
I love heroes that show us another layer to themselves – who, through their actions, reveal part of themselves that they usually try to keep hidden.
What are the qualities you look for in a romance hero? Let me know in a comment and you could win a copy of Cassie’s Grand Plan.
CASSIE'S GRAND PLAN
BACK BLURB
Four steps to a brand-new life
Cassie Hartman knows what she needs to do to get her life under control. First, she’ll get herself promoted. Then she’ll update her appearance. Steps three and four—marriage and family—well, those will have to wait.
Then Ronan McGuire shows up. The too-sexy, too-polished business consultant has the power to derail Cassie’s plans before she’s even really started. If he doesn’t approve her promotion, she’ll be back to square one—and that’s not an option. Cassie needs to keep her focus on that first step, no matter how much Ronan tempts her to skip ahead to the third and fourth ones….
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You can connect with Emmie around the web:
Romance Book Haven is fortunate to be one of her Blog Stops but she came bearing gifts! There will be a copy of CASSIE'S GRAND PLAN for one commenter and all the commenter's names and followers of the tour will go in the draw for $50. Amazon Gift Certificate at the end of the tour!
Doctor House is a great example of a flawed hero.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities I look for in a hero are someone who knows who he is and isn't afraid to be it. If he's a jerk, he's always a jerk. If he's a wuss, he's always a wuss. I like consistency (in my real life men, too).
I enjoy the sound of this book. I'd love to read all about Cassie's Grand Plan.
I love heroes that show us another layer to themselves too. Showing that hidden part. That's what makes me want to read on. Lovely to meet you, Emmie!
ReplyDeleteMy romance hero has to be just about like Ronan. What a cool name too. Love it! *waving*
Great post ladies!
*Sigh* You had me at 'Ronan'. What a romantic name for a hero, Emmie. Looking forward to reading all about Cassie's grand plan.
ReplyDeleteHi Emmie
ReplyDeleteFor my Hero, I want him to be loyal, honest, respectful to people and animals, has a sense of integrity and also has a sense of humor.
Your hero, Ronan, sounds interesting because of his family background(Irish and US Southern gentleman).
Hello Emily and Robyn!
ReplyDeleteBoth recent winners! Congratulations! Robyn won Helen Lacey's Made For Marriage and Emily just won a 2in1 Louisa George's One Month To Become A Mum!
Thank you for coming along to read this post! All the best in this giveaway! You girls are on a winning streak!
Hi Juanita and Amanda!
ReplyDeleteIt seems our commenting crossed!
Thanks for coming along to read this post!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for visiting my blog ;)
To answer your question, my hero has to be complex. He has to be maculine, yet romantic. He has to have inner struggles and contradictions :) Nobody is perfect so, why should my hero be?
I'm reading Return of the Stranger by Kate Walker and I am very impressed with her hero, Heath Montanha. He was badly hurt in the past and he wants revenge all right. But he doesn't take his anger out on his enemy's young son, who is only a child. I liked that. A hero should be honourable, responsible and have a sense of fair play. He should love the heroine with all her good and bad points and past baggage. He should be someone with whom the heroine can connect and grow. They should be good for each other. Good looks are in the eye of the beholder and money is coincidental, but it is the inner qualities I look for in a hero.
ReplyDeleteAs we say in Ireland, where I come from, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. BTW I'm fascinated by the fact that your hero Ronan is half Irish. I shall be reading your book with great interest.
Heroes have to seem larger than life or why would we read about them? I like complicated characters who pose many questions to the reader.
ReplyDeleteFlawed hero's are the best I find them really interesting. Your book sounds fab!
ReplyDeleteDesere
I love a man with confidence - that's a must-have for a romantic hero. And I'll have to check out Vampire Diaries!
ReplyDeleteHi Friends!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting!
Good luck in the draw for Cassie's Grand Plan and please do follow on the tour for $50. Amazon GC is at stake! There's a further $100. Amazon GC - information on http://emmiedark.com/
Hi Emily, glad to hear you share my love of Dr House. And I agree -- consistency is important. He's definitely a jerk who knows he's a jerk and is prepared to stand by that.
ReplyDeleteHi Robyn -- thanks for your kind words! I hope you enjoy reading about Ronan!
ReplyDeleteHi Juanita -- I love the name too. But then, I guess I'd have to! ;) One of the best things about being a writer is being able to use up all your favourite names without having to go through lots of goldfish (or other pets...) LOL!
ReplyDeleteHi Amandag1 -- I'm glad you're interested by Ronan's background. To me, he combines two of my favourite heroic heritages. And I just love a man with manners...
ReplyDeleteHi Claudia, I agree. I think compelling heroes must be complex and have struggles -- if they're too perfect it just doesn't seem quite right.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria -- that sounds like a great book with a wonderful hero -- I'll have to add it to my TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteHi jabblog -- I completely agree. Complex characters are not only more fun to read, they're more fun to write!
ReplyDeleteHi Desere -- thanks for your kind words, I hope you enjoy reading it!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan -- agreed, confidence is very sexy. You must check out Vampire Diaries -- it is my favourite guilty pleasure!
ReplyDeleteHi Emmie,
ReplyDeleteOhh! Vampire Diaries? My guilty pleasure too! Love Damon!
Congratulations on the release of Cassie's Grand Plan!
All the best!
Hi Emmie,
ReplyDeleteOhh! Vampire Diaries? My guilty pleasure too! Love Damon!
Congratulations on the release of Cassie's Grand Plan!
All the best!
Hi again, Emmie! I just commented on your post at Nas Dean's blog. Ronan sounds like a wonderful hero!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura, Glad to know I'm not the only one willing to admit to indulging in the Damon/Stefan/Elena circus!
ReplyDeleteHello again Carol! Glad you like the sound of Ronan -- hope you enjoy reading his story!
ReplyDeleteI love a sexy hero who is strong and courageous but doesn't always get it right.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds wonderful.
Vampire Diaries is my guilty pleasure too!
ReplyDeleteI like a flawed hero...who is a bit hot, but not over the top.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new book, Emmie!
I like flawed heroes too. They are real people. That's one of the reasons I really like super romances. I can relate to the heroes and heroines in almost every book I read. Can't say that about some of the other lines!
ReplyDeleteEmmie, I like how you came up with the background for the sexy combo in your man. Personally, southern accents don't do it for me, but if he had an Irish accent...
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your book!
Congrats on the release. Ronan has wonderful qualities.
ReplyDeleteI like a hero who's sensitive, yet strong. Also, one who's loyal, honest, and caring.
Thanks Lynda. Yes, we love our flawed heroes, don't we? Perhaps it's nature's way of helping us put up with real life men! ;)
ReplyDeleteChey, Vampire Diaries is so much fun, isn't it? I recently caught up on three or four episodes and it sparked my interest in it all over again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon! I love it: 'hot, but not over the top'. I might have to use that as a prompter when I'm coming up with new characters!
ReplyDeleteSnookie -- I agree, SuperRomance is definitely my favourite Harlequin line. I think a lot of non-traditional romance readers are suprised by the quality and standard of the writing and stories -- and how true-to-life contemporary they are.
ReplyDeleteHi Theresa -- I love an Irish accent too. Only an Irishman can sound charming while swearing a blue streak!
ReplyDeleteThanks Medeia. I'm glad you like the sound of Ronan. Hope you enjoy reading the book!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Emmie! The books sounds like so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI love it when both hero and heroine persist - when they don't let miscommunication and misunderstandings get in the way of their love :-)
ReplyDeleteOh wow! Yay for Emmie!! I'm hoping lovely Cassie doesn't take any nonsense from Ronan and sticks to her plan no matter how adorable Ronan sounds here! Yay!
ReplyDeleteWhat do I look for in a romance hero?!?! Mr Darcy of course! :-) Take care
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