My Harlequin Alpha Male Inspiration

Harlequin December 15 submission deadline has passed. For those who missed it, sorry. Better luck next year or time. You needed to witness the expression on my face as i attached my synopsis and first chapter and clicked on the Send button. The anticipation of waiting for their response is just too great. More like Sleeping Beauty, sleeping in a trance and waiting for Mr Right to come to the rescue. January 31st which is the response day is...sooo far.

On my previous blog, i mentioned about the characteristics of the Alpha male and the realistic portrayals to imbibe when writing about this 'ideal' hero in comparison with the 'actual'.

Before i plot/pants (i am a combination of both), i imagine how my hero should look like because you don't want to write about a romantic hero that reminds you of Mister Potbelly at the Supermart. Or even use a name that is hard to pronounce like Mr Traffellapagus or Snaffellapagus (i think i heard it on tv). The person or image that came to mind was *********Ian Somerhalder of Lost and The Vampire Diaries Series.

 My hero looks like this deliciously irresistible male specimen. Now, which person can say they don't love his smouldering hot eyes****faints**. I think i've found a new crush. But hold on a second, my hero ain't perfect.





In a nutshell

• The Alpha male is strong and independent.

• He seeks to conquer the heroine (a must in romance novels) directly or indirectly.
• His ego usually gets in the way
• Alluring to the heroine
• Stereotyped in the Tall-Dark-Handsome category. Honestly, i write in  the 'ruggedly handsome' category like Ian's picture by the right. But, i am subjective about the tall and dark part. Sometimes, variety could just be that differentiating factor that sets you apart as a writer/storyteller.
• The Alpha male is allowed to have tears in his eyes. Do you see this as a weakness? In my own humble opinion, i see it as the author endearing the hero to the readers because it is a key strategy to persuading readers to become sympathetic to the MCs especially the Hero.
• He doesn't always have to give in to his sexual cravings (in the case of romances). He shouldn't always be seen as this man with the compassionate or egotistical and animalistic drive to quell his raging hunger for (Censored). Sexual tension is a plus these days as it engages the readers to keep turning the pages and desperately wishing something happens. Think Twilight and Dawson's Creek. Or better still, those Mexican Telenovellas with their endless twists and turns of the hero and heroine coming together, getting all sexually tensed up (with viewers adjusting their seats for the ultimate scene) and then getting interrupted or even fighting again.
• He's supposed to have flaws. It could be his temper, his ability not to say no to everything, smoking or drinking too much, farting, you name it.

    
The list is inexhaustive but you get the big idea.