Dream Heroes

Sorry for skipping out on you last week. It has been a difficult week for my family and we're just starting to come out of it. Writing sort of gets pushed to the side in the face of familial crises; it's damn near impossible to concentrate on the problems or worlds of my heroes when my own "world" is in jeopardy.

So to make up for it, I've added a few photos of some of the men in my stories. These guys came to me in dreams and just wouldn't go away until I started writing their stories down. The first one was Denarrion Goldencoat and he was cocky, smug and self-assured until he met his lady Lissandra and she threw him for a loop. He told her she was being "too dragon" and she looked at him like he was an idiot. How can a dragon shapeshifter be "too dragon"?

Next came Jeff Lightfoot, an Alpha werewolf (Moon Singer) looking for his perfect mate. It would've been easy except the only way for him to find his mate was through a competition between the females. He's the prince, the heir apparent to the local Pack, and he can't just pick any female he fancies. She must past the Tests to be best for the Pack as his mate. Julianna lights his fire and then some, but does she have what it takes to pass the Tests and claim her male?

Aiden Westmorland showed up recently, dancing naked in a rainstorm in western Colorado. He's a Goddess-blessed human whose wires are a little crossed, but he takes care of most of his needs by tattooing his body. At last count, I believe he has ten intricate designs in various locations over his body and intends on getting more until he reconnects with Moira Callahan, his first love. She, too, is a Goddess-blessed human from a long line of them and there's just something about Aiden that calls to her. Perhaps its his dark, brooding looks and his love of dancing naked in the rain.

The last two heroes I've shown didn't come in a dream, but the first one showed up after I thought a little about his family. Thio Wolffe has three brothers, Nik, Chayse, and Jayson, and a sister, Cynthia, who all have stories of their own (and I'll share them eventually once they're edited). Thio is the sheriff in a small town in southern Nevada near Area 51 and he's had his share of odd goings-on. However, nothing could be stranger than the appearance of a Moon Singer, like him, escaping from the Men In Black of the restricted area. Not only that, but he can't seem to get the pretty female werewolf out of his mind or his house. Who is she? Where is she from? And how the hell did she get stuck in Area 51?

And finally, I give you Jakran Thundersong of the Black Cloud Tribe, King of the Goblins. I know the photographer didn't get his hair right (it's supposed to be white blonde) and they missed his horns, but he's just too beautiful to ignore. One should never ignore a beautiful male, and Tricia McGowan certainly can't when he shows up at Hell's Palace Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada where she works as a cocktail waitress. Jakran showed up after my oldest daughter told me the Goblin King was her best friend. Really? I had to give him a life after that. :)

Those are a few of the heroes (mostly shapeshifter of one sort or another) who have visited me since 2008. Who are your heroes? Do they come in dreams or just randomly show up on romance book covers? Who are your favorites? What do they look like in your mind?