All About Alphas 7 - Heidi Rice

I'll come back to the Presents /Modern Authors a bit later in this discussion - there are more of them who have sent me their thoughts on writing Alpha heroes - but today's blogger is someone who I hope can help you with that question that so many people seem to ask - just what is the difference betwewn a Modern/Presents Alpha and a Modern Heat Alpha?

So here is one of the stars of the Modern Heat line - Heidi Rice. I think that Heidi has made a very important point in the third paragraph here. Something that I think is vitally important when creating any sort of hero - but the more charged the conflcit, the more intense the response - and the stronger the motivation has to be shown to be.

First off, thanks Kate for inviting me to join in this Q&A. I love
talking about alpha heroes and as a Modern Heat author it's a particularly
intriguing topic because we do tend to get a lot of questions about how alpha
our heroes should be.



Personally I love to write my heroes with a lot of alpha traits, because
those are the traits I find sexy. He doesn't necessarily have to be super rich
(my first hero was a Harley-riding ex-con of no fixed abode), and he doesn't
have to be a corporate billionaire. I've had a best-selling novellist, a hotel
magnate and even a Hollywood actor. But all my heroes tend to be demanding (both
in bed and out!). They know what they want (or think they do). They'll do
whatever they have to do to get it (from seduction, to a bit of light-hearted
blackmail, to kidnapping) and they'll be totally focussed on their goal (which
is the heroine... what could be sexier than that, right). And like all great
alphas they're also protective, nurturing and honourable. To which you're
probably saying, 'hey, hang on a mo, how can a guy be honourable and then
blackmail someone?'



The answer is simple, they have to believe in their heart of hearts it's
the right thing to do. So here's a top tip, when writing an alpha hero (or any
hero) if he's going to do something outrageous give him a very good motivation
for doing it - so he can defend his behaviour to himself, and the heroine and
the reader. Of course, that doesn't mean the heroine's going to buy it (and in
my books they frequently don't), but that's all part of the delicious conflict
you want to get steaming between these two.



But the most important thing about all my heroes and all the great heroes
I've read in M&B, is that they have to be individuals. They have to be fully
rounded characters, not just a collection of alpha traits. You have to fall in
love with this guy - and the reader has to fall for him too. So don't let
yourself fall into the trap of thinking that because he's an alpha guy he can't
have a sense of humour, or be a fantastic cook, or be kind to children and
puppies. Don't let his alpha-ness limit you in creating your hero... Use it to
make him that extra bit more gorgeous and larger than life, because let's face
it these are romantic fantasies - and the more romantic the better.

Heidi's next book is due out in June in the UK and September in the US and is called Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal.

Daisy Dean, a lively, fun-loving and ever so slightly reckless Portobello Road stall holder has climbed into her mysterious new neighbour's back garden in search of her landlady's much-loved cat. She's already decided that said neighbour is an arrogant jerk even though she's never actually met him. After all the guy hasn't responded to any of her many messages about the cat, or even thanked her for the home-made brownies she dropped off with his cleaning lady a few days before to welcome him to the neighbourhood.
With men like that, trepassing is perfectly justified. And anyway, she's pretty sure he's not at home.
Unfortunately, what Daisy doesn't know is that Cormac Brody, the millionaire property developer next door, isn't only at home, he's nursing a bad case of the flu, and after his rough upbringing on the mean streets of Dublin, he doesn't take too kindly to people who sneak onto his private property.
Oh boy, is Daisy in for a nasty surprise....

PS If you're missing me - and you want to know where I am then I'm blogging on the Pink Heart Society Blog today about one of my favourite authors.