Comments on Anne McAllister's Blog!: The Hero's Journey

I'll look out for Ben, Jo. He sounds, um, intrigui...

2008-01-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'll look out for Ben, Jo. He sounds, um, intriguing. Also A Force To Be Reckoned With.

Carter was . . . interesting. Multi-dimensional, that's for sure. I liked him a lot. But when I first met him I thought, ye God, who is this guy? He grew on me!

LOL, Anne, Slater's the sheriff of fictional Bigle...

2008-01-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

LOL, Anne, Slater's the sheriff of fictional Bigler County in northern California.

But your Twinkies and Cheetoes fellow sounds like my kind of guy!

Hi Mads,Thanks for your kind words. Seb will be fi...

2008-01-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Mads,

Thanks for your kind words. Seb will be fine -- eventually. And he wasn't the one giving me problems last time. It was really a disagreement between him and my editor. New editor now, so maybe they'll get along. I hope so.

Good luck on your story, too. I always delete way more than I ever think I should -- but it's usually the right thing to do.

Cheers,

Hi Anne, Seb seems to be a Hero worth waiting for....

2008-01-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Anne, Seb seems to be a Hero worth waiting for. Stubborn men usually fall the hardest.It just takes a good woman to bring them up to speed. I have confidence that Neely will bring Seb up to speed.

As a reader, I like heroes that give the heroine a bit of a challenge. I like it even more, when the heroine breaks down the heroes barriers, and wins their hearts in the end.

As

Lidia, I loved Loretta's Sebastian, too. He was a...

2008-01-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lidia, I loved Loretta's Sebastian, too. He was a great very complex hero who certainly met his match.

Thanks for your kind words about Alec. Sometimes I think he gets lost in the shuffle around here. But I remember him well, and you're right -- he did do what he thought was the right thing -- and yes, it backfired. But you know, thinking about it, there is still no way he could have

Anne,As a reader, I have so many favorite heroes -...

2008-01-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Anne,

As a reader, I have so many favorite heroes -- so in order to save some "space" I will limit myself to one historical hero and one of yours.

My all time favorite is Sebastian in "Lord of Scoundrels" by Loretta Chase. He definitely is a "historical alpha."

My favorite hero from your books is Alec from "Island Interlude." In some ways he isn't "as alpha" as others

Thanks, Mags. I think Seb and I are going to need ...

2008-01-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Mags. I think Seb and I are going to need all the help we can get. Neely seems to be up to the task -- I hope.

Good luck getting Nathan to his happy ending. I remember my own Nathan having the devil's own time convincing Carin she needed him after he'd left the first time 'for her own good.'

Heroes! Clueless! What are you going to do with them?

Oh, Anne, you should see these guys! My heroes in...

2008-01-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, Anne, you should see these guys! My heroes in waiting folder is SMOKING!!! I so wish I could write them all NOW! But somehow I have to try and shut off their voices - the ones who don't pop up as secondaries in other books - while I write the wip. Not easy with guys like these who want their stories told and their women sorted ... even the ones who don't yet know they want a woman, like

Hi Jo, gentle smartass, eh? Well, if you say so!B...

2008-01-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Jo, gentle smartass, eh? Well, if you say so!

Ben Slater sounds like my kind of guy. Difficult to have those guys show up early in trilogies, though. Especially if they need to be the last book. It's okay if they show up and they've got a ways to go to become heroic (my Carter MacKenzie took 3 books to make it to hero status because all he did in the first book was make crap out of

Great post, Anne! I love how you do that gentle s...

2008-01-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Great post, Anne! I love how you do that gentle smartass thing.

Hmmmm, my heroes just take over my stories. I write pages and pages about them before I sit down at the 'puter to write the story. I think I'm going one direction, and damned if they don't take off on strange new journeys of their own. Good case in point is Ben Slater.

Now, Slater has his own story, the first

Mags,Glad Nathan is pursuing his heroine. I love '...

2008-01-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Mags,
Glad Nathan is pursuing his heroine. I love 'pursuit' books. And you're soo right about it depending on who has the most changing to do. In my last book the heroine had to do the most changing. That's not usual for mine (I usually put the hero through the wringer, like Christine said). But not this time. Oh, he went through the wringer, too, but at least he knew what he wanted. It's a

Anne G, I sooo appreciate the 'I audition them and...

2008-01-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Anne G, I sooo appreciate the 'I audition them and then some other guy shows up' notion. Yes, who are these guys, anyway?

But you're right, it does make it interesting. I'm not sure I like it when they totally don't cooperate with the synopsis (been there, done that). But sometimes you just have to go with the flow, I guess. That's what I'm telling Seb anyway.

Christine, I don't know how many glasses of win yo...

2008-01-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Christine, I don't know how many glasses of win you had at dinner, but you are making perfect sense.

Love it when they 'just show up' but I also appreciate it when they're a bit forthcoming and I don't have to totally torture their secrets out of them. Good luck with your guy. It's these guys who think that everything is fine just as it is that need some shaking up. Go for it!

Caren, that's too funny that your husband is "the ...

2008-01-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Caren, that's too funny that your husband is "the iceman" too! And a reluctant hero, to boot. But it sounds as if you have shaped him up nicely!

Having two strong characters makes for a good clash, I think. And it doesn't have to be all argument. There can be very strong subtle struggles going on, too. So many ways to go with it. Good luck on your current WIP.

Anna, yes, they do seem to change once you get to ...

2008-01-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Anna, yes, they do seem to change once you get to working with them, don't they? But I think that's like people we get to know. They have hidden depths that are not what we see when we first meet them. Going through a book together with a hero is definitely a 'getting to know you' process.

Anne, it sounds as if you have your hands full wit...

2008-01-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

Anne, it sounds as if you have your hands full with Seb! But I'll look forward to him coming back at the end and seeing the change in him once he's adjusted and accepted Neely in his life - for the better.

Heroes most definitely move in and take over. Some are much more laid back than others, some are downright difficult. All are individual. And it depends much on who has the greater

Put me in the camp of I audition and choose a hero...

2008-01-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Put me in the camp of I audition and choose a hero-- and then some other guy shows up and claims the page.
And yes, it makes for frustration, but also interest. Christine, it would make the whole synopsis/ proposal process so much more strighforward if they didn't morph. But then maybe I wouldn't enjoy the process as much.

Seb wouldn't be as great a hero as he will be if he fell

Anne, if it's too easy, then it wouldn't be worth ...

2008-01-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Anne, if it's too easy, then it wouldn't be worth writing a book about, would it?*g* Seb sounds ripe for a shake-up to me. Once you've put him through the wringer, I think he'll be ready for his HEA.

As for my characters, they just show up and while I am quite amazed and entranced by the way this happens, I still wish I had a leetle more control--it would be so handy for writing synopses

Oh, Anne, this is so funny! My husband seriously t...

2008-01-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, Anne, this is so funny! My husband seriously thinks of himself as "Iceman". It's too hilarious! I will admit, he was quite the reluctant hero (well, more reluctant about some hero duties than others). None of them think they need the love of a good woman. Ever. If they do, the heroine should run the other way!

I really prefer strong, alpha characters, but they do come with

It's funny. I always think I know my characters be...

2008-01-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

It's funny. I always think I know my characters before I start - after all, that is the start for me, these people who want me to tell their stories. But they always develop completely differently on the page. Weird, huh?

Hope you're right, Anna! And yes, I think Neely i...

2008-01-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hope you're right, Anna! And yes, I think Neely is going to bring out parts of Seb he never knew existed. And frankly, I suspect, didn't want to even contemplate. Too dangerous.

Enjoy your honeymoon! I know Seb pretty well. I just need to drag him kicking and screaming into the book!

Anne, I certainly think Seb has it in him. The str...

2008-01-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Anne, I certainly think Seb has it in him. The stronger they fight, the harder they fall. And they're the really great stories, where the hero is resisting change all the way. And why not? Change is painful! And mysterious - you don't know what you'll come out with on the other side. So yeah, I bet you five bucks he'll be back.

I'm just getting to know my current hero - it's a nice