Swooning with Austen's Heroes...Part 2

Last time I introduced the 6 Austen-hero-types, but only expounded on the first two. As a refresher, here are the 6 categories:

The Reluctant Hero

The Subtle Servant

The Good Guy

The Best Friend

The Reformed Rogue

The Anti-Hero

Though the last two hero types seem to cause greater swoon-power, I am equally impressed (and enamored) by the next two Austen heroes.

The Good Guy

This hero is good for goodness sake. The heroine meets him within the first chapter or two, and there is an immediate kinship because this hero has the ability to create instant camaraderie. He doesn’t brood, is honest, hopeful, encouraging, and usually has a fantastic sense of humor. Though – I’d have to say most of Austen’s heroes have solid senses of humor, this one may have of the best.

Henry Tilney

Austen describes our first glance at Henry as this: "rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it."

Henry Tilney, a second born son and one of the few ‘good’ clergyman in Austen’s novels, stands in contrast to many of her other heroes. He’s open, friendly, honest, has a fine income, quick wit, and teases the conventions of society. Much like Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, he takes the poor, inexperienced heroine, Catherine, under his wing to guide her in ‘polite’ society – most of the time tongue-in-cheek style. Unlike Henry Higgins, he does not carry the same arrogance or self-importance, but seems genuinely kindhearted and goodnatured. Plus, he’s good to his sister and likes to read novels ;-)

In all honesty, how can you not like a guy who says stuff like this:

Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half.” -Ch 14 of Northanger Abbey

Austen's Mr. Bingley and perhaps Colonel Fitzwilliam might fit in here too.
Justin Wells from Margaret Brownley’s A Lady Like Sarah

Red Dawson from Mary Connealy’s book Montana Rose (FAVORITE Connealy classic)

Harry DeVries from Siri Mitchell’s She Walks in Beauty (FAVORITE Siri historical)

George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life

Captain America, Superman

David from my novel, The Thorn Keeper

August from my WIP, The Thorn Healer

Red Shirt from Laura Frantz's novel, Courting Morrow Little

And Jack from While You Were Sleeping

 

The Best Friend

This is the man who not only provides a solid friendship, but is a confidante for the heroine. The difference between him and the Good Guy type is the depth of relationship he already possesses with the heroine. His closeness, many times, fogs up the feelings of love growing between the two, and may become entangled with conflict, irrational behavior, withdrawal, and conflict before the pair realizes what revelation is taking place in their hearts. In my opinion, solid friendship is a prerequisite to true love, and there is rare beauty in a gentle transition of platonic relationship deepening with romance.

Within the uniqueness of this romance is the need the hero might have to 'set the heroine straight'.  Their close relationships encourages the hero to feel a particular need to keep the heroine on the right track and perhaps even reprimand her if she sways off.

Mr. George Knightley – George Knightley seems to possess all the makings of a perfect hero and without the brooding of Mr. Darcy or bitterness of Captain Wentworth (though both of those heroes are fantastic). He is prone to ‘right wrongs’ to the point of being a bit bossy sometimes, but his intentions are to bring Emma back to the woman he knows she truly is on the inside. Their friendship gives him the intimacy of knowledge about her which a shorter acquaintance might not provide. Controlled, even-tempered, and logical, Mr. Knightley only loses ‘his cool’ when he becomes aware of his deepening feelings for Emma, to which he then responds with foreign internal feelings such as jealousy and impulsivity. He is the epitome of kindness, and is quick to assist the needs of the women of his acquaintance. And though he sees clearly Emma’s flaws, he loves her still, perhaps his love even deepens because of the solid foundation of their friendship.

 John Brady in Julie Lessman’s novel A Passion Denied

Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series

Sam from my debut novel, The Thorn Bearer

Harry from When Harry Met Sally

Adrien from Siri Mitchell’s novel Kissing Adrien

What do YOU think of these two Austen hero-types? Have you ever written a Good Guy or a Best Friend? In my current historical romance I have a 'Best Friend' hero. In the third book of that same series, I have a Good Guy.

Thankful for Inspiring Authors

Last week and this one, on the Alley, we're taking the time to share our thanksgiving for those who've influenced, shared, or encouraged us in this writing journey.

Today, I'm going to share my gratitude for those authors who have inspired me!

It would take a novel to fit, on one blog post, all the authors who have inspired me and touched my life.  So instead I decided to write a "thank you" post for those who've inspired me the most in very different ways. I was going to limit my list to three… Then I expanded it to five… I think I've finally gotten it to nine? and I'm not going any further, though there are plenty other names I can add .

And that's not even including the AlleyCats. Ashley posted a great blog about the sisterhood of this group and the blessing they are in the last Tuesday's post,(to which I greatly agree).

So today, I'm sharing my thankfulness for Inspiring Authors.


About eight years ago I was introduced to two different authors of two different genres at about the same time. If you guys know my typical ADHD writing pattern you'll understand how special that was!! Within the same month I picked up Mary Connealy's novel, Petticoat Ranch, and Siri Mitchell's book, Kissing Adrien.

For the first time in this crazy journey I realized there were stories out there like mine. Stories with adventure, drama, humor, and… Jesus. Its was the 'aha' moment in my writing journey where I realized..."Oh, there are other people out there like me." (Not too sure how Mary or Siri would feel about being compared to me ;-)


Thankfully neither one of those authors minded being stalked by me, and they even helped guide me into making some connections that I might not have made otherwise. Siri Mitchell met me at my first ACFW conference and took me out for coffee. She prayed God would help guide my writing future and gave me such warm encouragement as a kickstart to the journey. Mary Connealy introduced me to the lovely ladies of Seekerville, where I garnered knowledge and support in my early learning phases of writing.

Seekerville led to a trio of more inspiration in the forms of Ruth Logan Herne, Tina Radcliffe, and Audra Harders. These ladies came alongside me and gave fantastic advice. Mama Ruthy even became something of a mentor for a while, urging me to pull up my big girl panties and take the punches with the praises. And, to this day, I'm known to Tina as the elevator stalker. At least I can provide her with a good story to share ;-)

Then I read Julie Lessman and KNEW I'd found a kindred drama queen and borderline overwriter :-)! Not only did Julie's writing inspire my tremulous attempts to write 'on the edge' but Julie's heart of encouragement continued to help me dream that this writing gig might actually happen one day. (In case you didn't know, I'd been writing novels for 20 years and actually pursuing publication for 11 years before I got 'the call', so encouragement was vital. The writing journey is not for the faint of heart or will)

And, of course, there is Beth Vogt, who has continued to be a sweet, calming sounding board and prayer warrior in my life. Her gentleness has mentored me through many trials on this journey. I can't imagine this path without her consisitent support...(and she gives great hugs)

Janice Thompson came next (notice my continued genre confusion ;-). Her generous nature, humor, and compassion are amazing. After reading one of my manuscripts, she said "This is better than anything I've ever written". Needless to say, I hung that quote up on my computer screen for weeks!! I'll never forget spending an evening with her in Houston and gleaning from her kindness and wisdom! (and she didn't mind my genre confusion, because I think she has it too).

Last, and certainly not least, I'm inspired by Laura Frantz. Her writing, almost poetic in its beauty, makes me study the craft to become better and better. And her heart is just as beautiful as her stories. The fact that she endorsed my debut novel still leaves me in a complete stupor of gratitude and awe!! It was a fantastic culmination of a long journey.

There are so many other inspirational people in my life (Julie Gwinn, my granny, my parents, my cousin, Ashley, my friends Jessica, Teresa, Lindsay, and Marie, my brainstorming team....and the list goes ON) who have all contributed in large or small quantities to inspiring me in this writing journey, but today I devoted my attention to the authors!

And there are many other authors who have touched my life. These 9 ladies, though, made a lasting impression on my writing, and my heart.

So....which authors have inspired you? Either through their writing or their lives?

What's Up the Street Next Week?

Spring is right around the corner. Are you ready?
I've heard of some nice spring books coming our way or ones that I've just arrived. In fact, I just received Siri Mitchell's newest, Love Comes Calling. ADORABLE cover!
And Melody Carlson's, Dating, Dining, and Desperation. 
Or what about A Heart's Rebellion by Ruth Axtell.
Oh boy! What fun!
Do you have any books your looking forward to reading this month?

Speaking of wonderful books! Our winner of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life ebook is the fabulous Melissa Tagg. Congrats, Melissa!!

What's happening at The Alley this week?

Pepper's feeling a bit of blog post envy from Amy's fun Friday post on Puckering Up. So on Monday stop by the Alley to share your 'first meeting' posts. What makes a powerful initial romantic meeting?

Tuesday - Sherrinda is interviewing Caryl McAdoo about her upcoming release, Vow Unbroken. Stop by and comment for your chance to win a copy of her book.

Wednesday - Mary's getting us contest ready with a post called Why Bother Sending Thank You Notes.

Thursday - Krista's joining us for her usual fun-filled and thoughtful posts.

Friday - Linnette Mullin is our guest.

The Variety of In-the-world/not-of-the-world Writing Part 2

Last time I talked about various types of Christian books. You can read that post here.
Today I want to look at examples of these and I'd LOVE your helps to provide more.
Remember this table?

Let's look at some variety of published fiction out there: Books which show God's grace through fiction in various ways.

1.  – fewer subplots and less complex story line.

Simpler Story-Line
      Simpler does NOT mean less, it just means simpler.Harlequin, particularly LoveInspired, is known for their focused plotlines. These books usually do not have a lot of extra subplots and tend to be shorter in wordcount. Harlequin's books can be coupled with a variety of:
    a. subtle/overt christian themes
         Tina Radcliffe and Ruth Logan Herne probably keep with more subtle here and Missy Tippens might be more overt.
    b. PG/PG 13 themes and language
          LoveInspired definitely keeps to PG, many of the other Harlequin lines go beyond PG 
          Janice Thompson's books probably fall under the simpler storyline, though they are longer. It's a straight-forward and fun-filled romance, with the purity of the romance being the focal point of the story. though there are a few subplots, those are also simpler.

2.2. Complex Story-Line – more deeply and complex story line

             Many of our longer books in fiction have more complex storylines. These are books with varied and detailed subplots which carry through the main plot, enhancing it in subtle or overt ways. We can apply the same above standards with these too.

        a. subtle

              Mary Connealy writes Christian fiction with more complex plotlines but a more subtle Christian theme.

              Some of Laura Frantz's are like this too and definitely Siri Mitchell's.

              Denise Hunter would probably fit here too.

              Debbie Macomber books fall between simple and complex storylines with extremely subtle Christian themes.

             To go a little 'classic', Jane Eyre is subtle for our day, but was probably more 'overt' in Bronte's day. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings has definite Christian themes, though subtle - as does Austen.

b    b. overt

           Julie Lessman might be that in-between overt and subtle in her Christian themes, but there are some fantastic, very direct Christian themes. (Her Daughter's of Boston series would be considered PG-13, but her newest book, Love at Any Cost, would be rated at more of a PG level)

           Jody Hedlund's and Laurie Alice Eakes are also among this group. There are clear and direct 'come to Jesus' moments, a strong Christian struggle, and inner monologing which clearly sets up a Christian worldview.(These two would probably be rated more PG in their romantic tension)

           The Dance by Gary Smalley and Dan Walsh fits here as well, though it can fall between simple and complex.

            Some classics?

            C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is certainly an overt allegory, as well as something as dark and foreboding as Dracula (which would be considered more PG-13, btw). 

 So, can you add some more to this list? Can you break them down and tell us how they fit into this table? Remember, God uses all types of stories to bring about His story.

********************************************************************************************************************************************

      Pepper Basham writes Blue Ridge romance peppered with grace and humor. She's a mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and lover of chocolate. When she's not aggravating the wonderful AlleyCats, you can visit her at her personal blog, Words Seasoned With Salt. She's represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.

The G.O.D. Factor - A Three Chord Strand

Three is a pretty special number.

wikipedia.com 

In fact – it’s used a LOT

3 Stooges

3 Little Pigs

3 French Hens

3 Blind Mice

3 points on a triangle

A trilogy

3 is important. Even for God.

The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit J

But how does it play out in our novels?

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com 

Well, in most of our novels there are two main characters, but in Christian fiction there is an ‘invisible’ third.

God.

So I’m going to chat today about the God factor in your fiction.

Since we are Christians, our worldview tends to be different (or it ought to be) so that difference automatically comes out in our writing. But how?

Here are some aspects of this G.O.D. factor in your fiction.

Does your story have G.O.D. in it? J

1.       Genuineness – or plausibility. Is the spiritual thread believable? Have you created a spiritual arc which presents the truth of the Gospel in a believable way with your characters? Your story?

This one will go hand-in-hand with #2.

Siri Mitchell does this extremely well in her historical novel, Love’s Pursuit. In the beginning, the Puritan heroine would not just up and leave her community to go with this heretical man – but the pull of faith and wealth of questions posed to her along the storyline, makes her end choice believable. Are you characters making believable spiritual choices?

2.       Organic – Does it flow naturally from your story? From your characters?

The way God works with his people is a beautiful conundrum of generically-the-same and mysteriously unique.

Not everyone has the same ‘story’ of salvation. Not every relationship or sermon connects to our hearts the same way. Why should it with your characters?

Because God’s gifts to his kids are specific to THEM, then His way of touching and shaping their lives will be different too. God’s whisper to a quiet, more timid character may shake in complete opposition to his ‘shout’ in a bolder, more extroverted character’s life.

He may have asked both Andrew and Saul-turned-Paul to ‘follow him’, but the way in which he called them was uniquely set for their circumstances and their personalities. Paul needed a slap, not a nudge.

3.       Dependable – or consistent? Do you keep the amount of your spiritual thread consistent throughout the story? Is it all housed within one area? The middle? The end? Do you keep it light throughout? Subtle throughout or is your thread deeper and more overt?

I’ve been surprised in books before where God’s name emerged on the last page, but he wasn’t mentioned (or even alluded to) in any other part of the book. Whether overt or covert, the spiritual thread should be consistently interwoven.

Some of us are going to write the Christian thread in an overt manner. Some in a more subtle manner; And others will weave it in with barely a hint. None of them are right or wrong, but each is as unique as the way God touches our own lives.

In my novels, the spiritual thread is my focal point. 

Characters start dancing in my head along with a story question. I think of internal/external motivations, but, as the characters emerge, I ‘look’ at them and ask these questions too:

“What does God want to do in your life?”

“What is a need in your life that only God can fill?”

“How can God use the hero/heroine to be His fingerprints in your life to meet your need or heal your wounds?”

But not every Christian writer takes this focus. Their spiritual thread may shock them as they write the novel, or readers may tell them later of the spiritual thread they didn't even know they had written about in their stories. Again, God is a BIG God – he’s using us for our good and his glory, right?

So…what do you think? Is the G.O.D. factor important to you in your writing or in the books that you read? Everybody has a worldview – does yours make a difference in your novels?

Tips to Treasure: Writing Tips with Siri Mitchell

Today we're excited to welcome Siri Mitchell to the Alley. She's brought some fantastic writing tips for us. Siri is the author of both historical and contemporary romance. She writes with an amazing subtlety that simmers beneath the surface. Her most recent novel, Unrivaled, is a sweet escape to the candy world of the early 20th century and has a hero and heroine who are phenomenal!!

Let's see what Siri has to say today:

What are two of the most important writing tips you think authors should know?

1. Respect your process. Because writing is a creative endeavor, every writer’s process is different. Once you’ve figured out how you write, how many words a day you can comfortably produce, what kinds of drafts and how many of them you need, and how many months it takes you to produce a respectable product, do yourself a favor and accept it. That’s not to say you can’t experiment and try different things, but if it takes you six months of writing five hours a day, four days a week to produce a book, then don’t promise anyone a book in three months figuring that you’ll just work extra hard and produce more words every day. That’s a recipe for breakdown!

2. Write it down. When your characters start talking to you, write down what they say. I’ve fallen asleep listening to brilliant conversations between my characters promising myself I’ll remember them and I never have. Your characters talk to you because they have something to say! And they’re kind of like people: they tend to do it at inconvenient moments. Worse, if you ignore them they get offended. And sometimes in retaliation they even give you the silent treatment.

Oh my goodness, Siri, I LOVE these tips. It's so refreshing to hear how we need to respect our process. When we try to write like someone else, or in a different way that doesn't fit our style, it usual ends in tears :-)

(Btw, I totally respect anyone who listens to their imaginary friends)

What is one of your favorite writing quotes and why do you like it? How does it inspire you?

My favorite writing quote isn’t by a writer and it wasn’t meant to pertain to writing, but it inspires me anyway. It’s attributed to Beethoven (see picture). I picked this postcard up at Opera Garnier in Paris and it sits on my desk. It loses a little bit in translation, but here’s what it says: “One day, they’ll like it.” It inspires me to be true to my own voice and own expression as a writer. Just think if Beethoven had decided that he should just write the kind of music everyone else was writing. What wonderful music we all would have missed out on!

Again, what great insight here! This really is about trusting God to bring the stories he's birthing in us to life in His good time. There's always that 'one day' when His plans and our dreams collide. Fantastic thoughts!!!

So AlleyPals and AlleyCats, how well do you listen to your characters?

Leave a comment to have your name placed in a drawing for Siri's historical novel, The Messenger.*******

What's Up the Street Next Week

We have a WONDERFUL week planned for you!

BECAUSE......

We are featuring some fabulous authors to bring you Tips to Treasure from the Experts.

AND we'll have another week of guests during May 20th.

So What's up the Street this Week?

Monday - Writing Tips with Rachel Hauck

 

Tuesday - Backstory with Beth K. Vogt

 

Wednesday - Writing Tips with Siri Mitchell

 

Thursday - Scenes to Inspire with Julie Lessman

 

Friday - Writing Tips with Ruth Logan Herne
 

By the way, did you know that Rachel Hauck's new novel Once Upon a Prince is out NOW!!!!!

 

 

 

AND

 

Beth Vogt's Catch a Falling Star!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

How to Achieve the Perfect Balacne

The perfect balance. 

Something to aim for in our stories. 

In a world of readers with varying convictions, views, cultural-social-monetary backgrounds it is difficult to achieve the perfect balance. 

The following suggestions and points are for you to consider, not a rigid guideline or a tool to beat yourself over the head. After all, only God can achieve the perfect balance.

This having been said, lets see what we can do to bring our WIP to a higher level, one which reads closer to the perfect balance and ministers to readers.

Description: The purpose of description is to paint a 3-D picture so clearly the reader stands in the place, feels the object, hears the tones, tastes the bitterness/etc.

My teen daughter and I discussed a book series she is reading. We both love the concept of the series. In our discussion I mentioned several portions of the book I did not understand. The action moved fast through a setting. I lost track midway through and could not picture the scene at all. Had it not been for the exceptional plot and character I probably would have put the book down right then. Even though I finished the story, I felt incomplete and chose not to read the second book in the series. 

As writers we need to insure our readers always know where they are, what is in the surroundings, who is with them, who is saying what, and especially, above all, be accurate. Siri Mitchell word painted an object, a corset, so clearly I not only saw the object, I felt her character's pain. Siri achieved the balance in description not by infusing or grafting it into the story, but by blending it into the story. Well done. See her book She Walks in Beauty for this excellent example of balance.

Characters: The purpose of characters are to give the story meaning, something for the reader to relate to. A character does not need to be human. Too many characters muddy the waters, too few make a boring story.

Last year I read a story with a superb back cover synopsis. I opened the book and dove into the first scene with a long cast of characters sitting in a restaurant. Instantly the story boggled my mind.  Such a situation might work later in the book, but not in the beginning, especially the first chapter. As a reader I didn't have a chance to meet all these people and therefore did know why this one said this or another said that. The whole scene jumbled together.

Our stories not only need to introduce characters in a comprehensive manner, but there needs to be a reason for each character. If a reason can't be determined, cut the character, including unnecessary secondary characters. 

On the other hand, one day author Angela Breidenbach, leader of the Montana ACFW, sat at Tracie Peterson's dining room table and said, "I've figured out the problem! I needed to add a character. Yes. If I..." Sometimes adding a character brings clarity. 

Plots: The purpose of plot, even in a character driven work, is to have a unifying segment moving forward to a climax and resolution. The best stories have intriguing subplots floating through the plot. 

Television writers have mastered the infusion of subplot. They suck us into the opening story line then break for commercial. The viewer returns to the program, snack in hand, and finds the story has switched settings, characters, and has leaped into a subplot related to the plot. Within seconds the viewer is drawn into the subplot until the next commercial sends them back to the kitchen. The viewer returns and easily shifts back to the plot. But this time, they have learned backstory, something about the co-workers or family, something about the town. This knowledge adds light to the plot. Admit it Castle, Downton Abbey, and etc. viewers, this happens to you each week.

This is not a ping pong game. The best writers have more than one subplot weaving through the main plot. Building, adding strength, painting the original plot picture with rich colors the story becomes . . . memorable.

Although the best writers can weave subplots masterfully into a work, they also add the right amount. Too many subplots will confuse the reader, rip the focus from the plot, cause the reader to veer into a direction not intended . . . the terminal red herring with no escape.



I'm going to take a slight left turn here to include a category not completely fitting with those above, but an essential topic. 

Marketing: The purpose of marketing our books is to inform the masses of a product. 

This is a vast topic and my purpose is not to discuss all the marketing avenues open to us courtesy of the Internet. For this discussion, I want to remind us to keep marketing in moderation. We must do the work, but we must also write or we will have nothing to market.

Twitter, Facebook, blogging, et al are fantastic but also time consumers. While there are many resources to learn how to use these and other tools, I find Edie Nelson's website excellent for showing tips how to use these tools masterfully and with less time.

To me, moderation in marketing allows me time to write.

When does too much result in mundane? 

When does too little result in condensed?
The Bible  is the perfect example. 

Once again, I have chosen a topic too big for a post. Good grief, I need to use moderation.

Reader, choose one of the focus areas presented here today and add your insight. How can we achieve the perfect balance in description, character, plot, and marketing?


******************
photo above courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes contemporary Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Heroes According to Jane Austen - Part 2

Last time I introduced the 6 Austen-hero-types, but only expounded on the first two. As a refresher, here are the 6 categories:

The Reluctant Hero

The Subtle Servant

The Good Guy

The Best Friend

The Reformed Rogue

The Anti-Hero

Though the last two hero types seem to cause greater swoon-power, I am equally impressed (and enamored) by the next two Austen heroes.

The Good Guy

This hero is good for goodness sake. The heroine meets him within the first chapter or two, and there is an immediate kinship because this hero has the ability to create instant camaraderie. He doesn’t brood, is honest, hopeful, encouraging, and usually has a fantastic sense of humor. Though – I’d have to say most of Austen’s heroes have solid senses of humor, this one may have of the best.

Henry Tilney

Austen describes our first glance at Henry as this: "rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it."

Henry Tilney, a second born son and one of the few ‘good’ clergyman in Austen’s novels, stands in contrast to many of her other heroes. He’s open, friendly, honest, has a fine income, quick wit, and teases the conventions of society. Much like Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, he takes the poor, inexperienced heroine, Catherine, under his wing to guide her in ‘polite’ society – most of the time tongue-in-cheek style. Unlike Henry Higgins, he does not carry the same arrogance or self-importance, but seems genuinely kindhearted and goodnatured. Plus, he’s good to his sister and likes to read novels ;-)

In all honesty, how can you not like a guy who says stuff like this:

Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half.” -Ch 14 of Northanger Abbey

Austen's Mr. Bingley and perhaps Colonel Fitzwilliam might fit in here too.

Justin Wells from Margaret Brownley’s A Lady Like Sarah

Red Dawson from Mary Connealy’s book Montana Rose (FAVORITE Connealy classic)

Harry DeVries from Siri Mitchell’s She Walks in Beauty (FAVORITE Siri historical)

George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life

Captain America, Superman

And Jack from While You Were Sleeping

The Best Friend

This is the man who not only provides a solid friendship, but is a confidante for the heroine. The difference between him and the Good Guy type is the depth of relationship he already possesses with the heroine. His closeness, many times, fogs up the feelings of love growing between the two, and may become entangled with conflict, irrational behavior, withdrawal, and conflict before the pair realizes what revelation is taking place in their hearts. In my opinion, solid friendship is a prerequisite to true love, and there is rare beauty in a gentle transition of platonic relationship deepening with romance.

Within the uniqueness of this romance is the need the hero might have to 'set the heroine straight'.  Their close relationships encourages the hero to feel a particular need to keep the heroine on the right track and perhaps even reprimand her if she sways off.

Mr. George Knightley – George Knightley seems to possess all the makings of a perfect hero and without the brooding of Mr. Darcy or bitterness of Captain Wentworth (though both of those heroes are fantastic). He is prone to ‘right wrongs’ to the point of being a bit bossy sometimes, but his intentions are to bring Emma back to the woman he knows she truly is on the inside. Their friendship gives him the intimacy of knowledge about her which a shorter acquaintance might not provide. Controlled, even-tempered, and logical, Mr. Knightley only loses ‘his cool’ when he becomes aware of his deepening feelings for Emma, to which he then responds with foreign internal feelings such as jealousy and impulsivity. He is the epitome of kindness, and is quick to assist the needs of the women of his acquaintance. And though he sees clearly Emma’s flaws, he loves her still, perhaps his love even deepens because of the solid foundation of their friendship.

 John Brady in Julie Lessman’s novel A Passion Denied

Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series

Harry from When Harry Met Sally

Adrien from Siri Mitchell’s novel Kissing Adrien

What do YOU think of these two Austen hero-types? Have you ever written a Good Guy or a Best Friend? In my current historical romance I have a 'Best Friend' hero. In the third book of that same series, I have a Good Guy.

Please share!