Guest Blogger: Loucinda McGary & Giveaway

Yesterday, I reviewed THE TREASURES OF VENICE by Loucinda McGary. Not being a huge romantic suspense reader, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. I especially liked the characters; and of course, that the story took place in Italy. I am so glad to welcome Ms. McGary to my blog today. She has written a guest post about the characteristics of a fictional hero. I thought this essay was appropriate because in my opinion, Kiernan's character in THE TREASURES OF VENICE captured the essence of a hero perfectly!

Tough? Vulnerable? What Makes a Hero?

I’ve been lucky enough to have three critique partners and a couple of beta readers who have given me feedback on all my romantic suspense manuscripts that I have written thus far. I found it very interesting that all five of them picked Keirnan Fitzgerald, the contemporary hero of The Treasures of Venice (in stores NOW!), as their favorite of all my heroes. Most of them said it was because of his charm. But one of my good friends and beta reader, Sharen said she liked Keirnan best because of his vulnerability.

Sharen said the fact that he was a handsome, charming hunk didn’t hurt. Plus, he was smart and tough when he needed to be. However, the scenes where he showed his vulnerability and turned to the heroine for comfort were Sharen’s favorites, and apparently she is not the only one. The reviewer for All About Romance had this to say:

“…the plot flowed well from one story to the other, and I thought both characters were just very real, and Keirnan showed more physical weakness than we usually see with a hero — he was actually sick and injured, and affected by these things, instead of the usual macho fight through the pain. This sounds like criticism, but it’s actually praise. It just made him more human.”

Here is one of the scenes early in the story that Sharen liked because of Keirnan’s vulnerability:

Some time later, Sam emerged from the bathroom and deposited her dirty clothes back into her suitcase. Keirnan still slept, but his breathing sounded shallow and raspy. Sam reached automatically for his forehead. To her dismay, his skin felt dry and too warm. Even worse, his eyes snapped open. She snatched her hand away.
“Kath—” he began. His glittery, unfocused gaze danced across her face for a brief moment, and then he seemed to recognize her.
“Samantha, luv?” He looked around the room in confusion and struggled to sit up.
She stopped him by pressing a firm hand against his bare shoulder. It felt too warm also, which didn’t bode well for sending him on his way. Her thoughts remained a muddled mess. She needed to sort them out, which wouldn’t happen if she stayed in the same room with him.
“Go back to sleep. I’m going down for some breakfast.”
He licked his lips. “Need to get going.” However, he sank back onto the pillow.
Her own mouth felt parched. The ache pounded harder in her temples.
“No, you don’t. It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”
He really must have felt ill because he complied without another word. Sighing wearily, he closed his eyes and pulled his arm under the covers.
© Loucinda McGary, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2009

Even though this scene is in the heroine’s point of view, did you feel the hero’s vulnerability? Does he seem more human to you? Or wimpy?

I’ve asked on other blog posts for characteristics readers found most appealing in a hero. A few of the things repeated by many commenters included a sense of humor, loyalty, and a sense of protectiveness toward the heroine. I try hard to include all these traits in my heroes and yet still make them seem like real human beings. Sometimes it is a challenge!

What other characteristics do you most enjoy reading in your heroes?

About the Author: Loucinda McGary took early retirement from her managerial career to pursue her twin passions of travel and writing, and sets her novels of romantic suspense in the fascinating places she has visited. She was a finalist in the 2006 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest in Romantic Suspense. She lives in Sacramento, CA. For more information, please visit http://loucindamcgary.com/.

Thanks to Sourcebooks, I am giving away 1 set of Ms. McGary’s books: THE WILD SIGHT and THE TREASURES OF VENICE. To enter this contest, please leave a comment with your e-mail address answering Ms. McGary's question: What other characteristics do you most enjoy reading in your heroes? To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this contest with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Thursday, September 17th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with US and Canada addresses only. Good luck!