Guest Post w/ Authors Jodi Becker & Sidney Bristol + Giveaway!

Beta Hero Love

Sid, what do you think about heroes? I actually dig the beta-type of heroes more than I do alphas. Sure, alphas have their place and I do enjoy them. And boy, alphas can be romping good fun, but they have to be paired up with a woman who is strong enough to put them in their place. Uneven pairings can highlight alpha qualities that could be misconstrued as asshat-ness. Erica, my heroine, certainly couldn’t handle an alpha, and so I knew my hero had to be a beta. But I had to up the ante. What would make him different from other betas? When I decided to write a hero with the former occupation of a porn actor, I had to think about who he was at the very foundation of his being. The first thing that came to mind was his love of family, and hence giving him a caring soul. Dylan’s choice in career could turn off readers, but I was willing to risk it. Sid, what made you decide to have a hot Cuban living in suburban New York?


I never set out to write a beta-type, but for Cody-Lynn, it makes sense. She's a girl from a big family, and she's used to fighting to get the attention or second serving at the dinner table. In theory I think she could take on an alpha, but in the end an alpha could also run the risk of wearing her down. Cody's a very fun woman. I knew she needed someone who could laugh with her, and shared her love of animals. I also knew I wanted to write a hero that wasn't white. I love diversity, and what place in the USA has more of the melting pot going on than New York? As the child of an immigrant, life's not easy for Scott. He's a hard working kind of man, who has built everything with his own two hands. He's someone that I thought Cody could respect, connect with and share a laugh. I think I'm almost incapable of writing the alpha hero. I'm a sucker for the goofy types!


LOL. And that accent didn’t win your heart? Oh my. I don’t think I could write a goofy type, I think that takes a special type of talent. I could write a prankster, but underneath it all I’m going to have to torture him. No, no, I can’t have him have a perfect bod, a perfect smile and a perfect personality. I must have him twisted in knots and struggle over whatever is going on. Dylan is a good guy. And he has a high moral system, so how did he end up in the porn industry? Well, use his own personality traits against him. *bwhahahaha* I’m evil that way. *ponders* I don’t know why I do that to my heroes. Even if he is honorable I instantly think of ways to put him to the test. To upset his world and then piece it all together. Sid, I noticed that with Scott, he had this deep hurt. He loves so deeply and it turns out to be the thing that could and has hurt him the most. How did you shape him that way? Tell me!


In the original version of Flirting with Rescue, before it had that title, there was an entire section where Scott and Cody talked about families, and the differences between theirs. While it didn’t make it into the final book, it told me a lot about Scott as a person. Cody's family is huge, she has two sisters and two brothers, a mom and a dad who love their kids and let them get away with too much and a surrogate grandfather who means the world to her. Scott has his mother. To shorten a long scene, Scott was able to finally enunciate that he wants what Cody has. He's lived his life without a father figure or siblings. He's had to figure out how to be a man in an inner city, poor neighborhood and not get involved with the seedier side of things. His resolve to be a better man is what makes me love him. Like Dylan, he's a good guy and family is important. Scott hasn't had the kind of family Dylan did, but he wants it, and sometimes wanting something is worse than having it, you can lose what you want most. Dylan could probably teach Scott about having and loosing something, couldn't he?


Aww. Yeah, our men both loved family and would do anything for their mothers. Yeah, the dreaded mama’s boy. But I think we did a good job to make that sexy in a way. Probably because how they treat their mothers is also reflective on how they treat women. They both had to be the man of the house early on without a father in their lives. They both had responsibilities that didn’t afford them the luxuries that some other heroes would have. The past shaped them to be the strong, dependable types they are. And that’s why they needed their very own Happily Ever After. They gave so much of themselves to things they believed in, and in turn deserved a woman that believed in them.


I think there’s something special about beta heroes in general. While an alpha is a one in twenty, will storm the castle on his own and single handedly rescue your kids kitten, our beta heroes are team players. They’re the champion of the every-man in our lives. The ones who play nice, let you cry on their shoulder and surprise you with a little adventure or spice now and then. They aren’t boring, they’re just different and special in their own light.

So reader, we’ve talked about our heroes, who is yours? Are they an alpha or a beta? And what makes you love them?

Today we’ll be giving away the EC Cavemen 2012 Calender to any random commenter. Please include a way for us to contact you. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Next blog stop:
Jan 8: Red Hot Books

Find our books here:
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9711-dirty-beautiful.aspx
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9714-flirting-with-rescue.aspx

www.jodiebecker.com :: www.sidneybristol.com