Oh, I used to love the alpha guys – like Robert Beaumaris in
Georgette Heyer’s Arabella – the ones
who are good at everything and know everything. And you’re riding in the
carriage thinking you’ve risked it all on a crazy elopement, and then find out
he’s actually taking you on a visit to his grandmother and all your agonizing
problems have already been solved. (Wait, why don’t I like that?)
I’ve created some alpha heroes in my time. But something
happened to me along life’s way, and I shifted my allegiance to men like Freddy
in Cotillion and Adam in The Civil Contract. These beta guys get
things wrong, and they worry. They aren’t completely sure of themselves. In
fact, they’re the opposite of arrogant; they don’t know how competent and
charming they actually are. And when the heroine tells them, they’re often
surprised. How endearing is that?
So, these days, I like writing about a hero who has a few
problems, as well as the (eventual) willingness and courage to try to deal with
them. He may not know how. He may be kind of (or very) annoying as he figures
it out. But when he does, he’s well worth the angst. And his personal journey
is interesting and moving.
Times change; people change. Give me an endearing beta guy
and let the alphas do their thing someplace else.
You can see what I mean in my book The Bargain, out in re-issue next Tuesday. The Romance Reader said: “If, as I do, you love historicals set in
the Regency era, filled with great wit, funny family relations, and a beta hero
to die for, you will simply want to devour this book.”
Visit me on Facebook http://goo.gl/GvPJVm
Jane Ashford
Find The Bargain
at:
Barnes and Noble http://goo.gl/Gfhqbb
Amazon http://goo.gl/FLLFDM
Books a Million http://goo.gl/8bLQq1
Indigo http://goo.gl/j9520w
Beta heroes are fun...as long as they aren't too wimpy, lol. Good luck with the re-issue!
ReplyDeleteThanks, ELF!
DeleteI love beta heroes, Jane!
ReplyDeleteYay, betas!
DeleteMy crit partner Ashlyn Chase is a beta lover. She's been trying to convert me. I must confess I'm partial to alphas, but betas can be fun too, especially if they discover a little alpha steel in themselves before the end of the story. It's paradox. We want our strong alphas to have vulnerabilities and we need our sensitive betas to show some grit. Guess we need heroes who are a little of both types.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Mia. We need a word for the perfect mixture of alpha and beta. : )
DeleteI'm not big on the arrogant alphas. So I write my heroes with grit but also vulnerability. My CP calls them Alpha-lite.
ReplyDeleteOk, there's our word. : )
DeleteI love the betas too, Jane! A friend of mine once remarked that my Cat Star heroes weren't alpha enough. My response was, "That's because they're betas." I love Freddie and Adam, but I'm also quite fond of Sylvester, whether he's alpha or beta. ;)
ReplyDelete