This week, the Hollywood Reporter reported that

“Peter Jackson is eyeing his next fantasy series. The filmmaker has dipped into his discretionary fund to option “Temeraire,” a historical fantasy series by first-time novelist Naomi Novik, as he puts the pieces together for his career post-“King Kong.”

The “Temeraire” saga reimagines the world of the Napoleonic Wars with the addition of an air force of dragons and valiant aviators. It centers on British naval Capt. Will Laurence, who captures a French ship, where he discovers an unhatched dragon egg in the hold — a gift from the Emperor of China intended for Napoleon. When the egg hatches, he is forced to give up his naval career to become captain of the dragon he names Temeraire.“

I just started the second installment, Throne Of Jade, and was immediately swept into the wonderful, magical world Novik created. Amanda has read all of the books, I think (there are three of them–Novik is working on a fourth), and in the past, Cara has posted about the mingling of genres. This is a fantastic example of that.

So hie thee to a bookstore, and discover the magical world of Laurence and Temeraire yourself!

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

I hate Fridays. Absolutely despise them. Which makes no sense, since I am a stay-at-home mom. I have no days off, no weekend to look forward to, no downtime. By Friday, though, I am tired of packing lunches (for both son and husband), tired of errands (later today–laundry! In the rain! At the laundromat!), tired of trying to get enough sleep so I can pop out of bed at 7:10 and get everyone ready for their respective days.

So on the way home from the gym, I decided to treat myself. And not with food, because apparently I did that all summer, and my jeans are really, really tight. Hence the gym. I love shopping at Amazon, absolutely love not paying tax or shipping, but there is really nothing like going to a bookstore, choosing your book (or books, plural–I hate Fridays, remember?), and getting to take it home right away. Bliss.

I bought two books, but eyed at least a dozen more. My friend, and fellow writer, Myretta Robens recommended Jo Beverley‘s latest book, To Rescue A Rogue. So I bought it. Take that, Friday! I also bought Jenna Petersen‘s From London With Love. Jenna will be gracing us Riskies with an interview later on this fall. I’ve already pre-ordered Jenna’s next book, Desire Never Dies, from Amazon, but I didn’t want to wait until my order was complete to get this one from Amazon (you know, the free shipping conundrum–I want it NOW, but I also want to save money).

I bet most of the folks who visit here get that same new book thrill–so what’s the latest book you bought that lifted your spirits? How long do you take before actually reading it? And have you read either of those two books? What did you think of them?

And do you hate a particular day of the week?

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

Is there anything more exciting than starting a new book? The first few pages of breathless exposition–how can he possibly get out of that situation, why does she need to be there–the first meet, the first glance, the first description, all leading up to the inevitable Happy Ever After.

No, wait, that’s not what I meant.

Is there anything more terrifying than starting to write a new book? The first few pages are crucial to setting up the rest of the action, the prose should be compelling, conveying information without too much ‘infodump,’ the set-up should be sufficiently difficult to make your reader wonder just how the hero and heroine are going to get out of their situation and into each others’ arms–that’s a lot of pressure.

Guess what I did yesterday? Yup. Started writing a new book. It was called Clive Owen Goes to Hell, but now I’ve titled it the more sedate Road To Passion. I’ve got 744 words thus far, no clue if they work, or the idea sucks, or where these two are going. But it’s something, and I’m going to plug away at it until I think I know (or my kind reading friends tell me) that it does or doesn’t work.

Wish me luck, I’m off to the wars.

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

Many frequent romance readers have noticed how dissimilar a book’s hero and heroine is on the cover to the description within.

Readers may not be aware of this, but it seems that dark-haired heroes on book covers sell much better than blonds. So even if the hero’s hair is described within the book as flaxen as a field of corn on a summer day, the guy on the cover’s hair will look like, well, mine (By the way, there’s been such a rumpus because the newest James Bond, Daniel Craig, is blond. Personally, I wouldn’t care if he were bald if he did a better job than Timothy Dalton, a guy I find totally hot, but who sucked as Bond. But that’s just my opinion).

Now, I would never be so silly as to not buy a book because the hero’s hair is not to my liking, but I would be so silly to not like the hero if he is too short. I might be prejudiced from personal experience–prior to my 6’1″ husband, my boyfriend of six years was 5’3″ (I am 5’6″). But if the hero is anything less than six feet, it gives me pause.

I especially like tall, rangy, sinewy men, the kind whose veins pop out of their arms. Mm. Preferably with very little, if any, chest hair. Picky, I know, but I’m reading romance for escapist fantasy, and I don’t fantasize about 5’10” hairy-chested men. So sue me.

What are your deal-breakers when it comes to your heroes? Do you find yourself passing by the books with a blond on the cover? How about height? Chest hair? Muscles? Would you find a bald hero sexy (I would, especially if he looked like Jason Statham)?

Superficial Megan
www.meganframpton.com

If you’re a romance reader, and you’ve admitted as such to anyone who doesn’t read them, chances are they’ve given you a smirk and said, ‘oh, you read bodice-rippers,’ like they’re the first ones who thought of that clever bon mot.

Yeah, and no-one’s ever mentioned Peter Frampton when I say my last name, either, bucko.

Anyway.

Back in the day, bodice-ripping was SOP for the romance hero. And chances are, if you were reading them, there was something there that made you thrill as said hero ripped said bodice. And bent the heroine to his will until she was all trembly and kissed him back.

Right now, I’m reading an older (1994) Linda Howard book, Dream Man, which was recommended by two of my favorite reader bloggers. And the hero, Detective Dane Hollister (whose name is even alpha!) has had a persistent erection since meeting the heroine, whom he mistrusts, even considers a suspect in a murder case, and still wants to throw her on her kitchen floor and have his way with her. He stands too close to her just to unsettle her, follows her all day and says nasty, dismissive things to her. When he’s finally alone with her, he tries to ‘gentle’ her (he himself makes the stallion/mare comparison):

“I know you’re skittish with men now, babe, but I’ll take care of you. I’ll take real good care of you.”
. . .
“What are you talking about?”
. . .
“In bed, babe. When we make love.”

Oh, you wicked Neanderthal! I am loving this book, and relishing every time he does something totally un-P.C., which is about every page or so. I am the most Bleeding Heart Liberal (with all its PC implications, although I am not a ninny) you will find in real life, but in my romance reading life?

To quote ‘80s comedienne/not-so-good songstress Julie Brown:

When I need somethin’ to help me unwind
I find a six foot baby with a one track mind
Smart guys are nowhere, they make demands
Give me a moron with talented hands
I go bar-hopping and they say last call
I start shopping for a Neanderthal
I like ’em big and stupid
I like ’em big and real dumb
I like ’em big and stupid
The way he grabbed and threw me, ooh it really got me hot
But the way he growled and bit me, I hope he had his shots
The bigger they are the harder they’ll work
I got a soft spot for a good lookin’ jerk

I think that’s one of the reasons paranormals are so popular–if you’re a werewolf male, you can’t help being all alpha on her ass (so to speak). If you’re a vampire, you’re probably leader of your clan, or tribe, or whatever loose aggregation you belong to, and you have to use your superhuman speed and strength to protect yourself and your family.

In other words, it’s acceptable to be an alpha jerk.

So while I don’t want to see the return of the long, meandering narrative where the hero and heroine chase each other across land and sea, with years inbetween, I would like my heroes to be more–heroically obnoxious. Current non-paranormal authors who write my type of guys are Anne Stuart, Christina Dodd, and Sabrina Jeffries . Another reader blogger swoons over Derek Craven in Lisa Klepas‘s Dreaming of You, and I have to agree he’s pretty darn sexy in that ‘it’s-my-way-or=the-highway’ kind of way.

Do you like these type of guys? If so, which authors do them best? If not, why not? Have you turned to paranormal to get your alpha fix on? What do you think?

Megan
www.meganframpton.com
*A Soundgarden lyric whose refrain is “I know what to do/I want to f***, f***, f*** you.” Love that song.