“I Like My Heroes Real” by Author Sharon Kendrick
43 Comments September 28th, 2009 in author, heroes, heroines, writing Posted by Amyby Sharon Kendrick, author of Constantine’s Defiant Mistress (Harlequin Presents, Oct. 2009) and The Italian Billionaire’s Secretary Mistress (Mills & Boon Modern Romance, Oct. 2009)
I like my heroes real. You know. Billionaires. Princes. Ruthless tycoons. Sometimes even Kings. Actually, I’m following in pretty exalted footsteps. Shakespeare used commanding and influential men in his love stories and so did Jane Austen. They both realised that power is one of the biggest turn-ons of all. Times change – but human nature doesn’t – which is why romantic fiction still has strongly traditional elements which work as well today as they ever did. All the great, big emotions which drive us have always been there and always will be.
The Presents hero is both powerful and sexy. He’s a man who, on the surface, seems to have everything — but we should never forget that there’s a living, breathing person underneath all the trappings of wealth. Scratch my hero and he’ll bleed – just like you and me. Sometimes he gets thoughts which disturb or provoke him. Sometimes he finds himself wanting something he’d rather not want at all….and sometimes he glimpses within himself that vulnerability which exists deep in the heart of everyone, and which scares him.
I like my heroines real, too – but they (surprise, surprise!) have a different agenda to men. My women are more interested in feelings than finance — in passion rather than power. If the heroine is to be credible and to engage the reader – then you have to really understand her. She has to be true to herself – and possess the unique ability to connect with the hero….on every level.
There is no special template for my Presents heroine. I don’t just pluck her from boxes marked “Feisty” or “Doormat”. At times she may be subordinate to the hero and at times she may oppose him like mad. She behaves how I think she would behave in a particular set of circumstances, with a particular man. Therefore, a secretary who was meeting her influential new boss would react differently to an impoverished stable-girl catching sight of a Sheikh as he galloped through the desert towards her.
The urban heroine might think: It was as if Central Casting had been asked to provide the most luscious example of brooding, city-slicker male imaginable – because this hunk of dynamite fitted the bill absolutely.
But the stable-girl heroine might think: He had a face so inherently beautiful that it was as if all the desert flowers had bloomed at once. This would be her term of reference – completely unlike that used by her metropolitan sister.
With every book I write I become the heroine and I fall in love with hero – for me, there is no other way.
This was taken last week during an inspirational trip to a friend’s house in Cornwall….notice the beautiful pale pinky-lilac blooms of the Tamarisk – all the colours made more intense by the reflected light from the nearby sea.
I also use lavish settings as a backdrop. Give me the sun-drenched beach on a privately-owned island any day. The vast penthouse apartment with it’s city-scape view. Or the ancient palace with it’s gleaming, vaulted ceiling. Why? Because these places are exciting. Like love itself – they’re larger than life. The story is about hitting all the highs and taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Nobody wants to read about a man whose car has just broken down outside the supermarket…..we’re bogged down with enough of that kind of stuff every day. We read romantic fiction to escape from domestic detail — and to live out a satisfying love-story through the pages of a book (or a kindle….)
So what do you think? Would love to hear your views – however much you may disagree with me! After all, lively and open debate is one of the hallmarks of democracy…
Happy reading and all warm wishes,
Sharon Kendrick.
Fans of Sharon will be pleased to know she has novels out in October on both sides of the pond! In North America, look for Constantine’s Defiant Mistress in stores this week. In the UK, look for The Italian Billionaire’s Secretary Mistress from Mills & Boon Modern Romance.
For a sneak peek at both books, use the widgets below to read the first chapter of each!
43 Responses to ““I Like My Heroes Real” by Author Sharon Kendrick”
- 1 Pingback on Sep 28th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Sharon I love your heroes – they are so macho! Can’t wait to read the new one! More mediterranean men please!
“Nobody wants to read about a man whose car has just broken down outside the supermarket…..we’re bogged down with enough of that kind of stuff every day.”
Hmm, this is definitely not my own preference. I like to read books about finding the extraordinary within the ordinary, but maybe that is because I see the potential to be amazing in almost everyone — poor grocery clerks, Mexican landscapers, middle managers, CEOs…
Power doesn’t have to be externally displayed; in fact, in one of my favorite short stories, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” I am always struck by the precise, cool mastery of the dealer and the chip-counter.
I do read romance, but the endless variations of the hero with external displays of power start to bug me after a short while, whether it’s armor, swords, dollars, fancy cars, or whatever.
Thanks for this post — it made me think!
Kat (great name for a heroine) – your post made ME think. The external displays of power are not really important – they’re just a kind of shorthand which says something about the calibre of the hero. But I think you have a point – and the way the world is right now – readers want more than men who simply flash their cash (but I try never to write men like that). I suspect that there will be a growing trend for more altrustic heroes who have a social conscience along with their other many (hidden!) attributes. Thanks for your input.
And Lily – I promise you plenty of Mediterranean heroes – macho men with soul!
Sharon –
I love the fact that you get inside your characters and really seek to give the reader an emotional experience but keep the suspension of disbelief going by making sure the details are accurate. And you make sure that the nicknames etc are personal.
They are wonderful escapist reading. Long may the ink in your pen flow.
Hooray for you.
Sharon – great thought provoking post. Had to laugh at this: Scratch my hero and he’ll bleed – I had one of my heroines stab the hero with a knitting needle (not intentionally of course) and he bled…and India Grey has a penchant for a little blood in her books
, but I digress…I too love your heroes, so Alpha and so gorgeous at the end when they are brought to their knees by the heroine, and I do mean that in the cleanest sense possible…! And before anyone jumps up to give out about the heroes always being brought to their knees, the heroines are felled too, just a little earlier on, I think. But it’s definitely a mutual thing. And who doesn’t enjoy seeing an arrogant alpha male who thinks he knows it all, face up to the fact that he’s as vulnerable as the next man, or woman? I think for me, that’s the payoff and what hooked me into these books at the very start, it was that intensity of emotion and passion, real life or death stuff.
. But I think to be fair too, the whole point of these books is that despite the external trappings of power, the real power ultimately comes from within and by the end you know that the externals only matter as a nod to the fantasy, whether it’s the gorgeous villa or the private island or the oasis in the desert.
And yes, the fantasy – bring it on, larger than life. Kat, I agree with you in that I too love to see a more internal display of power but you won’t necessarily find that – in the way you describe, in a presents, which is where the beauty of choice and discrimination comes in. When you want some of that external power and a larger than life hero and love story, you know where to find it, and where to avoid it if you don’t fancy it
The externals of power in these books are part of the fantasy, a short-hand if you will to display the fact that we’re dealing with someone who really does not need anything extra in his life, he has it all. Until he meets his heroine…!
Sharon I just read The Italian Billionaire’s Secretary Mistress and it’s a classic. I’ve always had a soft spot for office romances, they were some of the first ones I read…so I loved it, and I want a red dress like your heroine!
x Abby
Great post, Sharon – and it’s so true that characters will react differently to a person and to a situation, depending on their backgrounds and personalities and their initial relationship with the other character (whether it’s as colleagues, paparazzi vs celeb, whatever the situation demands). That’s what makes them real, and that’s what I enjoy about reading Presents novels.
Kat makes a really interesting point about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary: that’s something I try to do. Often my characters think they’re very ordinary and it takes the hero/heroine to make them realise what their full potential is.
Love the metaphor about the desert flowers, btw – beautiful writing!
Sharon, your characters ARE real, which is why you were on of my inspirations when I first started out writing romance. I agree that characters can’t be cardboard cut-outs and its their differences and character quirks that keep me fascinated by each new story.
I want a fairytale. I want escape. I want excitement and romance- Heck, I want to read Sharon Kendrick, and I echo Michelle’s point of view – don’t you dare stop writing the books we love!
Sxx
Sharon I think you’ve just encapsulated in a blog post what gives the Modern romance line such passion and intensity and why readers flock to these books again and again.
Yes, they may not suit some readers. Fair enough, not everyone wants to be swept away on a wave of emotion and escapism. But I’ve got to say I love those larger-than-life heroes. They’re dominant, they’re passionate and demanding but they’ve also got eyes only for the heroine and it’s ultimately the heroine and her response to the hero that grounds the stories and gives them that soupcon of reality that makes them work as romantic fantasies.
For me, these book are all about vicarious pleasure and no-one does vicarious pleasure better than you.
Hi Sharon
I have read all your books and I just want to let you know how very much I enjoy them. They really are wonderful and real page-turners. I always look out for your name. Please keep up the good work.
Hi Sharon,
Great post. I just love your heros. For me I want to escape from the routine of daily life and be swept away to far flung places with a sexy hero.
Keep them coming!
Rachael
Ha! I was going to pick straight up on the ’scratch him and he bleeds’ bit too, Abby! It might have been meant metaphorically, but it’s a device I do happen to use every now and again (!) in my books as a reminder of the humanity of the icy Alpha, and his hidden vulnerability.
Fabulous post, Sharon. I entirely agree that the enduring appeal of these books lies in their intensity and that ‘larger than life’ quality you describe. They have to be rooted firmly in reality in order to draw us in, but then they distil that reality into its most potent essence to deliver a powerful shot of emotion– which is what we all love so much!
Sharon, this is a really interesting post and Michelle is right that you really get inside your characters. I always fall in love with your heroes and you are a master at spinning the fantasy that makes the Presents read so emotionally intense. Can’t wait to lose myself in your next one!
Sharon,
Your post really got me thinking about our characters in Modern/Presents. Thanks! I suppose often people concentrate on the externals of the characters (like their money) but gloss over what makes them so fascinating – their thoughts and feelings and fears and longings and how those make them react to the scary, wonderful process of falling in love!
I adore the exotic settings in particular (and I’m easily pleased, even rainy London is ‘exotic’ to me!), but it’s the strong emotion above all that I love to read again and again. I’ve got 2 of your books on my tbr pile at the moment and I’m looking forward to a little break away soon in the hope I’ll get to read some of your luscious stories.
Annie
Sharon, you’ve said it all–and with clarity and emotion!
Presents heroes are very special men, hard-working and intensely focused. Get under that exterior, as you always do, and that’s when we find a REAL man, one with hopes and dreams, sorrows and regrets, all the qualities that make this special guy as vulnerable as he is powerful, especially when he comes up against the one woman Fate decrees is his.
The very best Presents novels combine reality and fantasy, and you do a wonderful job of achieving that.
In other words, I love your books.
Fabulous post Sharon. I loved your Sheikh/Sable Girl book and like you I fall in love each time with the alpha hero when I read a Modern/Presents romance.
Missed this post as I was making up for not posting my reviews on the Mills and Boon site. Took me all morning and afternoon. Your review is on both M&B and EHarlequin.
I’m such a fan of the line as most of you are aware. Look forward to your North America release.
http://marilyns-romance-reviews.blogspot.com/
Sharon, a great post and a great picture of you looking gorgeous!
Yes, our heroes do at times polarise readers but I love your strong alpha men so keep em coming! I watched Pretty Woman again ( how many times it is now I don’t know) but I really saw Edward Lewis as a typical Alpha male. He had everything money could buy but he didn’t know how to love until he met Vivienne. He was surrounded by people who loved his wealth but not one of them saw him the way Vivienne saw him. It reminded me of so many of our stories- the escapism and fantasy of having it all and finally finding your one true love.
Well done on another brilliant read.
Love Melanie
I always enjoy your books. Can’t wait to read your next one.
Great post, Sharon. There’s nothing like a real flesh and blood hero, and IMHO the more glamorous the setting, the better!
You’ve hit the nail on the head Sharon! ‘Powerful and sexy’ heroes in fantastical locations are the reason we read and love Presents.
‘Surrender to the Sheikh’ was the first Harlequin I ever read – and I’ve looked forward eagerly to your new romances ever since. I can still close my eyes and see Prince Khalim and Rose in beautiful Maraban. Please, please, please keep your exotic tales coming …
All the best from Sydney
T Xxx
ps The desert is like an alpha male I guess – dangerous, transfixing and overwhelming – but your heroines always find the hidden oasis of the hero’s heart.
OOh, I think you’re so right Tara, maybe another reason why sheikh romances work so well – you have the ultimate alpha male set against that ultra harsh environment – one reflecting, to some degree, the other. Much food for thought!
Sharon, I love the blog and I love the comments – they’ve been fascinating to read and mull over (much more fascinating than my ms, curses!), especially some of the comments about some readers’ (Kat’s in particular) preference for finding the extraordinary within the ordinary.
That’s an incredibly powerful theme, it’s true, you only have to look at movies like, ooh, Life is Beautiful or Where the Heart Is for a couple of examples.
I guess as Presents authors, though, we tend to do the reverse don’t we? We take an extraordinarily powerful man, the world at his fingertips, power oozing from ever pore (in the nicest possible way:-)) and we show that he too, can do something so unscientific and unplanned, so fundamentally and universally human at its core, and fall totally, desperately and completely in love, just like your common, every day garden variety bloke.
(and if I put that many adverbs in my ms, I’d be shot:-))
And suddenly the controller of his own destiny finds there is a higher power, and the powerful becomes powerless, the man who has everything has nothing, unless he can win the love of one special woman. I love it!
Great post Sharon, keep those books coming.
Sharon you are so right about the ’scratch him and he bleeds’ comment. The alpha heroes we create might have the power and the riches but it’s that chink of vulnerabilty – that ‘ordinary man’ inside him – who wants to love and be loved . And that’s the way that the heroine reaches him.
And yes, yes, yes to your comments on heroine -no cookie cutter templates wanted! I think that’s one of the major reasons why the Presents line has lasted so well, and gone from strenght to strength, because although the titles may not give that impressin, one billionaire/sheikh/prince is not the same as another. It’s the ” particular set of circumstances, with a particular man” and of course a particular heroine that reinvents the story over and over again. It’s very definitely the ‘real’ hero in the spectacular setting
That’s why I never tire of reading a Presents romance – or of writing them.
Kate
Keep ‘em coming, Sharon. I think you’re great!
Best wishes
Ruth XX
Keep ‘em coming, Sharon. I think you’re great!
Best wishes
Ruth X
Hi Sharon
For me escapism and fantasy is what I’m looking for when reading a Presents/Modern and this is what I get from your books.
An interesting post.
Jo
Reading the guidelines and the hero is described as “ruthless” and “gets what he wants”. This always put me in mind of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef in those Spagehetti Westerns. However, neither of them are billionaire playboys. What does make those films work is the idea that the hero is working to some higher moral purpose (or is he?). The town he arrives in is usually corrupt, with a recognisable “bad guy”. So the Man with No Name shows up as a retribution figure – even though he has a lot of fun along the way!
Unfortunately, that’s film, and Clint Eastwood wearing a poncho and smoking the stub of a cigar isn’t enough to carry a romance (despite some witty one-liners).
In the James Bond books, Ian Flemming makes careful use of the third person narration. So the character’s almost hardly there, yet the moment you start reading a Bond book you know what it is. This also gives him that cold, ruthless edge because the reader doesn’t really know what he’s thinking. Yet they do contain a lot of romance, and the conflict between hero and heroine.
Even in something like Doctor Who, the new series at least. The Doctor has to struggle with much higher stakes, such that he has to choose between romance (particularly with Rose Tyler) and confronting an old adversary. Whilst I’ve used David Tenant’s Doctor as a template for one of my characters, there’s still that hidden aspect which lures audiences in.
Heroine’s for me are slightly different. My favourite one is Shirley Valentine, because when you read the text you almost feel like you know her and you understand why she left her old life behind. I liked Pretty Woman, but I liked Duplicity a lot more because Julia Roberts’ character is not afraid to stand up for herself. What I don’t like is the Penelope Pitstop type heroine, who shouts “Heyelp!” at even the most trivial of problems like a broken nail.
Lauren, I SO agree about James Bond – I used to devour Fleming’s books….could never get enough of them. And yes, the beautifully understated 007 was as sexy as hell – with a glacial exterior and vulcanic depths!
Clint Eastwood? Nah – he doesn’t do it for me! But as you say, those are films….the Eastwood film I loved was the anti-romantic Play Misty For Me. A wonderful study of the black side of love – the obsessive side which chews you up and leaves you feeling slightly insane.
Fascinating posts from all my favourite authors as well as readers – every one of you providing much food for thought and reminding me what a bunch of really smart women you romance readers are!
Thank you for your post, Sharon. You really encapsulated the power of the Presents romance, and its draw to the reader. I love seeing the hidden vulnerability beneath the Alpha male, all the more so because even as you look for it, you don’t expect it when it is revealed! Terrific stuff.
I have nothing to add! Everyone else has said it so well. I have always loved these stories because of that alpha male, his hidden vulnerability, and the ability of the heroine to understand him and, most importantly, make him understand himself.
Presents heroines are not doormats. Even the quietest among them still have strength. They simply behave the way their character dictates. Quiet does not equal mousy. Not at all.
Love your books, Sharon!
Sharon
Love the photo, you look gorgeous, Cornwall obviously brings out the best in you. Does it inspire you to write too. Intresting post especially the concept of what makes a hero. I agree that 007 is right up there as s sexy hero but I’m not sure about his vulcanic depths……. are you thinking about Spock?
Keep them coming
xx
Thanks, Naz for pointing out that appalling typo concerning James Bond – I did of course mean vOlcanic depths – as in deep, dark, simmering lava-like symbolism. (And nothing whatsoever to do with the Starship Enterprise!).
Sharon,
Firstly I just want to say what a HUGE fan I am of your work! Similarly as you like to devour Bond novels, I love sinking my teeth into your books! There’s never one far from my bedside.
Secondly, I totally agree with your post. Those heroes ARE out there, they do exist and some lucky lady has got to be that heroine! I adore the escapism of it all, losing myself in one of your stories and allowing myself to become that heroine for a time.
I find it very odd that aynone would want to read about the mundane everyday situations – or as you so aptly put it: “a man whose car has just broken down outside the supermarket”. If I wanted a story like that I’d simply read the Agony Aunt pages of one of the tabloids! No! Give me a city-scape view and a Tom Cat anyday!
You keep up the fantastic penmanship and I’ll keep reading!
Kitty xx
Sharon, you’re absolutely right, we read romance to escape the hum drum. I want to be tempted, tantalised, transported. Now I’m not saying the driver of the number 9 bus couldn’t do that, but I don’t want to read about him.
Sonia x
Great conversation. Sandra, I agree with your comment: “when we find a REAL man, one with hopes and dreams, sorrows and regrets, all the qualities that make this special guy as vulnerable as he is powerful, especially when he comes up against the one woman Fate decrees is his.”
That is truly what makes an HP hero stand out. The fact that he becomes vulnerable against “his” woman.
I don’t mind when heroes have flaws, after all nobody is perfect. What I do mind is when the H on purpose says or does things that he knows will hurt the heroine. I can accept the same actions if they are not done with the purpose of hurting the heroine. Somehow those things go beyond his being denial that this is “his” woman, the only one for him.
There are a few pet peeves that I have and I won’t mention them here because they are controversial.
However, one thing that I don’t understand is how the H can call another woman the same “pet” name as the heroine and in some cases right in front of her. For example — agape mou. Are we supposed to realize that with the heroine he truly means it and yet with the other woman he doesn’t? I guess because we are reading and hearing we can’t tell the differences in the nuances of his voice.
Anyway, HPs are may favorite series and I still love reading them!
Great post, Sharon!
Like Lynn, I can’t think of anything to add that hasn’t already been said very beautifully by others. Except that I love your books and can see why all your writing courses in Italy sell out. You really see into the heart of a Presents story – and a Presents hero!
(Oh, and I agree with Lauren that Shirley Valentine is a fab heroine!)
Jennie
Lidia says:
There are a few pet peeves that I have and I won’t mention them here because they are controversial.
Oh, go on – do! Where would good debate be without a little controversy?
Really enjoyed your comments and glad you love reading Presents so much.
After a day of washing dishes, childrens homework and school runs I want, no, I NEED a Sharon Kendrick romance to help me escape from the monotony of my modern day living! Never disappointed I find myself feasting on the strong story lines and sexy alpha-males that are forever captivated in her writing. Sharon, a million times, thank you!!!!!
Hi Sharon
For me, to have the time to read and indulge in one of your fabulous books is such a joy – especially if I’m on my own for a day and can hit it one sitting, then I can truly escape and sink blissfully into the world that your pen leads us to!
Your ability to live in your characters brings the story truly alive to us, if you didn’t become them the ability to immerse yourself in their story safely would be lost to us and the read would become disappointing.
Mundane, everyday life is our reality, it keeps us even tempered (hopefully!) and pottering along doing whatever life demands of us with occassional highs and lows. This does not mean we’re not enjoying our life or having fun – it matters not what you do, if you’re doing it everyday it will eventually become pedestrian!
Escaping with your heroes and heroines into exotic, expensive places is like a mini holiday, allowing us to run with your characters and immerse ourselves in the non-pedestrian for a few hours – please never take me to Waitrose, I’d be devastated! (well, unless he was VERY, VERY sexy!).
Keep writing – then I can keep escaping!
Sarah-Jane
I too like my heroes real. And yes, rich and handsome alpha males in exotic settings – bring it on. Who doesn’t want to escape into fantasy from time to time. After all, that’s why we read and love Presents in the first place.
However (at the risk of receiving lots of hate e-mail) sometimes, just sometimes, I wish the alpha hero would acquire a sense of humour along with his considerable fortune and private jets. Especially when a sense of humour is supposed to be one of the three main personality traits that women find attractive in a partner.
Sorry, but someone mentioned pet peeves in a previous post and this happens to be one of mine. And yes, I do know it’s all about the intense emotion of falling in love. But maybe a little playful banter/teasing now and again wouldn’t hurt??
Mary F, I do agree that it’s nice to see a sense of humor in a Presents hero. I think teasing and banter can be used to great effect to show a hero’s different side, and that it can even give subtle notice that a relationship is deepening and intensifying.
Mary F, it’s a great point you make. Of course, some stories lend themselves to a little more opportunity for humour than others, and sometimes our heroes are so bound up in their own emotional maelstrom, that they can’t see beyond that, especially in the beginning of the story, but I think Sandra put it exceptionally well, that teasing and banter “can even give subtle notice that a relationship is deepening and intensifying”.
And playful banter/teasing can be very sexy!
Yes, Mary F, I agree humour that an essential characteristic in a man (else why would GSOH always be featured in every woman’s wish-list?).
When I first started writing, I was told to be wary of humour (I’d overdone it a bit, I think) – because as you rightly say – it can defuse the tension too much. That said, to echo Sandra and Trish – humour can be very, very sexy. Especially if it’s subtle, wry, mocking….oh, there are so many variations on it!
Hearing pet peeves is actually very useful – so come on – any more out there?
I must have nearly all your books, and this is one of the best!