Hi Gang. Cynthia D’Alba here with writer pal, Laura Haley McNeil. Apparently, she, like all of us, needs heroes in her life. After you’ve read her thoughts, don’t forget to leave a comment! She’s giving away a $5.00 Amazon gift card to one lucky person. 

Take it away, Laura!

Hero. I can still hear Bonnie Tyler’s raspy voice belt out that 1980s refrain. She made it sound so plausible. I need a hero; therefore, the hero will come gallivanting into my life.

Hero is a Greek word referring to demigod, someone who is descended from one of the Greek gods and someone who is mortal. Later that term came to mean someone who, in the face of danger or adversity, displays courage and the will for self-sacrifice.

That could refer to anyone in any walk of life. Most recently, we’ve seen these characteristics in first responders to critical situations.

Firefighters, paramedics, police officers and cowboys all display courage and the will for self-sacrifice, that’s why these professions work well in fiction as the hero. These characters are someone who is willing to think of anyone except themselves, to go into danger and face what they don’t know is in front of them.

Well-known people in life today bears little resemblance to the hero that was so typical a few decades ago.

One person who comes to my mind are the characters portrayed by John Wayne. He was someone who spoke what he wanted when he wanted, he didn’t care about political correctness, and he did what he thought would be right even when everyone stood against him. He had a feeling inside of himself that was right and he went with that feeling. Even when people told him he was wrong, he still had to believe he was right, and he still had to ignore what other people were saying to him.

Unfortunately we don’t see a lot of people like that today, but that doesn’t mean those qualifications aren’t what people want to hear about and read about. Giving your character an intense belief that what he’s doing is the right thing when he faces a problem is what makes that person a hero.

Like the Bonnie Tyler song, everyone needs a hero. We can give our readers those heroes. We can give them the person who believes that, no matter what, they are doing the right thing, and that they will face death to see their belief through to the finish.

It’s Cyndi again. Like Laura said, as authors, we give our readers heroes to believe in, which is what she’s done with her first book, PRELUDE AND FUGUE. Here’s a little about her book:

 The Prelude-Olivia St. Claire wanted to be good at something. What better way than to start studying piano again? And what better teacher than former concert pianist Liam Wallace? She found him attractive, beyond attractive, but her heart was safe. He was married and he showed no interest in her. If he wouldn’t love her, she would make sure he loved the way she played.

The Fugue-But her heart couldn’t be controlled. She now had the opportunity to perform with him. And that’s when everything fell apart. When she heard the music, she couldn’t control what she might say or do. She wanted to be good at something. And when that happened, she lost more than her heart. She lost a chance to capture something that meant more to her than anything she’d ever dreamed.

You can Laura online at:  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Smashwords  |Twitter

To pick up her book, PRELUDE AND FUGUE, follow one of the links below:
Amazon-Digital  |  Amazon-Print  |  Smashwords  |

DON’T forget to leave a comment for a chance to win her $5.00 Amazon Gift Card contest!