Linda Howard

RWA Lifetime Achievement Award-Winning Suspense Author

Which hero would I pick?

Behind the StoryJulie Trelstad

A few days ago Christian Black asked me which of my book heroes, if they were all standing in front of me, would I pick? That's assuming no hubby, of course. That's an interesting question, and some days my answer would change. I'll mention only the ones who captured my heart. I love all my heroes, in different ways, but some of them stay with me. With a couple, I've fallen so in love with them I couldn't move on to another book for a while. I can tell you that my first heroes, through about the first seven books (I'm guessing as to the number, I didn't count) would never make the cut. Grant, from Midnight Rainbow, would be the first one I'd seriously consider. My writing and characterization were improving by then :-). But then there's Kell Sabin, who was the first character I had to slap down to keep him from taking over the book. Ben Lewis From Heart of Fire was so much fun! So was Sam Donovan, from Mr. Perfect. Then there was John Medina, who wasn't fun but would certainly keep life interesting. Same with Simon, from Death Angel. John Medina was the second character I had to slap down. And, oh, Niall from Son of the Morning! Yum! The Mackenzies: Wolf, Joe, Zane, and Chance, were all men I'd want on my side in a fight, and they were men who appreciated family. So was James Diaz, from Cry No More. In the end, there are two, and they are the two I had to get over before I could write another book: James Diaz and Zane Mackenzie. It's impossible to pick between them, and even if one day I said "Zane," the next day I'd be likely to say "Diaz." Those two characters touched my heart, and to this day sometimes pop back into mind. So, what about y'all? Name any hero you love, not just characters from my books, because otherwise I'd have said Jamie from Outlander :-).