Why Are Our Heroes and Heroines Rich?

As a writer or reader of romantic fiction, has this thought ever crossed your mind? It has mine Hmmm...

Recently I finished one of the Carpathian Novels and it left me wondering over this phenomenon. Of course, characters and story arc come first. And in reality the main characters can be as rich as royalty or as poor as peasants, but as long as their struggles against life lead them to a happy future together, then I’m happy.

For me as a writer it is all in the struggle. Some of the journeys they take will be ones, only they themselves can figure out, and when they do the relationship will be so worth the wait.

When I am plotting a story (yes, I am a die-hard plotter not a pantser), usually one of the leading characters steps up and declares they will be the one with the money. Now whether that means the character(s) will be rolling in the cash by various means such as:

* they worked hard for it

* married for it

* were born into wealth

* had it left as an inheritance

*stole or acquired it by some other ill-begotten means

As a writer this is entirely a matter for my muse to figure out. It may be that one or both are rich, so they can fund their adventures, journeys, and lifestyle expected for the story and move along smoothly.

I know, most people are saying, “Real life isn’t like that?” And perhaps you are right, perhaps not. Many people in real life do work exceptionally hard and save to aquire what they want/need/aspire to have. Some inherit generous amounts from relatives, while others are lucky enough to have ‘old money’ in the family. But in all reality we read stories for the enjoyment of it. A good story gives us pleasure because we go along for the ride and most of those characters need exorbitant amounts of money to live in their world and to carry out what is needed for them to get to the happily ever after.

A Duke for instance who lived between the eighteenth and twentieth century, may own many estates and be responsible for his relatives. In reality we do know this was the case of many of the upper-peerage during the 1800's.

Now, for the story's sake, if he was destitute then he may lose his homes, carriages, servants, the list is endless, but in other words his ‘lifestyle’ would be over and he would have to think of doing something radical to turn his situation around. A lot of the time this meant selling assets not entailed, like carriages, horseflesh estates or he would have to marry a woman who was wealthy in her own right.

And it seems there were plenty of those about, a widow, an heiress, distant cousins, rich daughters of business men from other countries, were often the go or perhaps the ugly, ‘rich’ woman next door.(Plenty of story plots there) But why does it make sense to us as the reader, that we want money to be no object for our hero/heroine as they go about their lives? I mean, even the blasted romanticized Pirates were loaded. *grin* But of course, who'd have it any other way.

So far, for most of the leading men in the books I want to write, money is no object, *wink* only two of them will fall under the captive spell of wealthy women. But we'd be interested in your thoughts on the topic. 


Do you rather a wealthy hero or heroine in your historical stories you write or enjoy to read and why is that? Or perhaps it does not really matter, as long as it works! 
Let us know your opinion on the way you feel about our heroic characters' financial positions?

Sources:

sketch from: http://www.stephanieboles.com/Regency_Glossary.html

Tribute To A Nag

A ‘Nag’ isn’t always used as a derogatory term. Definitely not when referring to the ‘Galloway Nag’ – an extinct horse breed, once native to Scotland and northern England. It was a well known type of pony, first noted in English literature when Shakespeare referred to ‘Galloway Nags’ in Henry IV part II.

What makes this particular breed of horse worth mentioning? Let me take you back...

~ From the fifteenth to the early seventeenth century on both sides of the border between England and Scotland, a place where the land had been ravaged continually by marauding armies, there existed people who’d suffered greatly, people who adapted to a time of lawlessness and strife, who turned to raiding to survive and made it a way of life.

They are known as the Border Reivers.

Autumn saw the herds brought down, fat and healthy, from the summer pastures to the inbye fields. Autumn also heralded the beginning of the raiding season. Successful raids carried out by the border reivers depended on - knowledge of the land, the competence of those one rode with and the skill with one’s weapon of choice.

BUT, as Alistair Moffat, historian and author of the masterpiece, ‘The Reivers’, wrote: ‘What delivered a party of reivers to their quarry, what indeed made their whole way of life possible was an animal too little remarked upon by historians, the remarkable pony known as the Galloway Nag.’

The Galloway Nag was said to have good looks, a wide deep chest, of a bright bay or brown color, with black legs, small head and neck and stood almost fourteen hands high. Its qualities were its surefootedness - a necessity, considering the mountainous byways and inhospitable valleys they traveled, often by moonlight on rain-swept November nights. Its speed - a blessing when being pursued, or in pursuit. But perhaps its best quality was its stoutness – strong of character, brave, bold, determined, enduring.

Sadly, due to crossbreeding, the Galloway Nag became extinct in the nineteenth century.

If you ever get the chance to visit Scotland, perhaps pop in to Galashiels to see the superb bronze statue of a rearing Galloway Nag carrying a fully armed border reiver outside the old town hall.

Transportation. Worker. Warrior. Friend.

A four-legged Hero.

  Image courtesy Undiscovered Scotland 

Journey Home

Leg throbbing, stained blood-red. Tired. Head hurts. Mind cloudy, shades of gray. “Take me home, lad.” Stretch along sturdy neck, coarse brown mane scratching whiskered cheek. Cold, dirty fingers linked, locked. Blessed rest. Steady rock and sway. Night. Day. Blurred. Steady rock and sway. Night. Dawn’s chill blanket. Body aching. Stillness. Lids heavy. Eyes slowly open. Stone croft. Wife running. Heart sighs. Shiver ripples beneath me. Tighten hold. “Thanks, lad.” Whisper words. Mouth curves. Home…

© Allison Butler

Historical Hearts Launch Party - Day 4

Dear Reader

I am so glad you have found your way to our Historical Hearts Blog. I’m Annie Seaton and I love all things historical. I write Steampunk romance.

I live on the beautiful east coast of Australia, where I spend most of the day sitting in my writing chair, gazing at the ocean and dreaming up stories. I have found my niche writing steampunk, where strong heroines and brooding heroes fight together to make their alternative world a better place.

I have recently signed with Lyrical Press, and I am looking forward to seeing my first novella, Winter of the Passion Flower released in March 2012. I am currently working on my second steampunk project, Summer of the Moon Flower, a novel length follow up.

Steampunk? What is steampunk you ask? Sounds slightly steamy?

Steampunk as a literary genre began to gain popularity in the 1980s. It began as a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy, and developed as a rebellious response to the science fiction that preceded it. Steampunk includes the core elements of

· Steam power

· Alternate history settings (mostly Victorian/Edwardian era England, and sometimes the wild, wild west)

· SF/Fantasy elements

· Devices that reflect the period but are ahead of their time. For example, difference engines, airships, and all sorts of clockwork and steam powered devices

I will let you peek at a directional perambulator, a device in my upcoming steampunk novella (March 2012) as an example.

“Steam lift,” Indigo spoke loudly above the humming. “Precision movement defined by the cogs. The perambulator ascends, descends and moves sideways if needed." 

Steampunk is warm, sassy, and larger than life. The new direction is now steampunk + romance and a major appeal is the historical setting, and a steampunk author can use familiar settings and times.

Steampunk romance has the potential to offer something familiar, yet different. Authors can stretch their creative wings. Sassy heroines can stretch the limits of Victorian dress codes...

Her signature red bustier topped an emerald green skirt embossed with the symbols of industry flowing around her ankles, neither satisfying air safety dress regulation for dirigible travel. 

Both excerpts from Winter of the Passion Flower – Annie Seaton (Lyrical Press March 2012)

So welcome to our blog, come along and say hello. I have some beautiful postcards and elegant pens for the person who can list three steampunk romance novels in a comment below!

Enjoy our launch week, come back and visit again.

Good Luck!

Annie.

Hello everyone. My name is Cassandra Samuels and I love everything Regency. The clothes, the manners, the people, the history, the entertainments, the clothes, the furniture, the music – did I mention the clothes? I think you get the picture and he looks a lot like Colin Firth. Hmmm I’ll let you think on that for a moment....

Right, onward! I am currently unpublished and writing – you guessed it – Regency Historical Romance. I love dashing Dukes, masterful Marquis’, enigmatic Earls and virile Viscounts – I mean who doesn’t? I love to write strong sassy ladies who give my heroes an adventure in love they never expected all with a touch of humor.

I will be blogging - Cassie’s Regency Tidbits. There will be interesting people of the period, historical trivia and other interesting things. My first blog will be about the language of the fan. It seems amazing that so much could be conveyed simply by placing your fan in a particular way. I hope you will enjoy my Regency tidbits’ and will let me know what you want to know about the Regency Period.

What do you like about the Regency era? As an incentive to creative answers there is a small prize up for grabs, an “I love Darcy” key ring all the way from the Jane Austen Tea House in Bath.

Good Luck!

Cassandra.

G-day all! I'm Danielle Lisle. The girls of Historical Hearts have asked that I introduce myself. My first thought was to shake your hand, but the limits of cyberspace make it rather difficult. Instead, I’ll have to give you a hot and steamy mental image of what I read and love to write. Surely that will imprint me in your memory? Well, let’s see... 

Men is skirts. In know it’s not all that sexy (well, perhaps it is if you swing that way) but stick with me and think of a Scottish warrior with a deep, thick accent (Gerard Butler *moan*) with bulging muscles, softly furred chest, his long, bulging and deliciously thick .... sword and eyes that could slay a woman’s soul. Oh yes, I have your attention. Now, this man in a skirt IS sexy!

Every writer writes for a different reason. I write stories of love, desire and passion, for a simple reason – I want to live it! Yep, I want to be that heroine, the damsel in distress who is saved by the hunky (and yes, sometimes damaged too) hero. I want him to whisk me away, cave man tactics and all, exposing me to the deep and dark passion of his soul. *sigh* Name me a woman who doesn’t want that?

You can likely gauge from my thought process in writing the above, that I write ‘naughty’ historical romances. Yep, I like it hot and there is nothing hotter than some hot and heavy passion leading the way to everlasting love.

I love reading all types historical’s as well. It’s not always romance, though granted most times it is. I find the path our ancestors have travelled to get the world to where it is today, remarkably fascinating. It is therefore my goal to have my stories as detailed and accurate as possible. Well, settings and events are at least. Everything else is totally my imagination. *cheeky grin*

Come on a whirlwind ride with me as I travel the strange and distant lands of our past and meet some very hunky men along the way.

Win Me!!!

Tell me what gets your blood flowing in the books you read. What is it about the hero or heroine that makes you refuse to put the book down regardless of the time of night? What is it that makes you say ‘to hell!’ with the pile of dishes in the sink or the dirty washing vying for your attention? All comments will go in the draw to win a copy of Judith Ivory’s, Angel in a Red Dress.

Good Luck!

Danielle.

Welcome to our Historical Hearts Blog. Hi I’m Elle Fynllay, one of your tour guides as we take the magical journey back through the mists of time. We’ll be passing back through Victorian time , stopping for a quite extensive view of the Regency period, back, back through the time of Cavaliers and Roundheads, deeper and deeper in to the mists to Medieval period and even deeper to the Time of the Romans and Druids.

My period is a medieval time where Kings, Lairds and heroes lusted for land, love and glory and their women lusted for…their alpha males, of course. My first novel “Siege of the Heart” is an alliance between an Anglo-Saxon Laird’s daughter and the Norman knight that brings his wealth and strength to the marriage but can the castle survive the turmoil between its fiery Lady and the Norman knight who has staked his wealth on a betrothal and can they both survive the treachery within the castle. There is more than one way to win a castle; through siege, battle or treachery. Who will win? Who will survive?

Back to modern times: The deeper we go in time the less we have evidence of the period. From the Medieval period we have manuscripts and a few drawings to refer to. In Regency, we often hear accounts of the plethora of ancestral paintings on the wall. Well Reader, look around you. How much of your history is on display? In this day and age of digital display there is little “Hard Copy“, that is, actual paintings or photographs of family that we can put our hands on. I have three silver finish photo frames, that will hold a 5’’x7” (13x18cm) photograph to give away to a reader who comments on their favourite time period and why.

Good Luck!

Elle.

Note: For your chance to win today's prizes, when answering the trivia questions or replying, please leave your name, email address and what draw you'd like to enter. Of course, you are more than welcome to enter all prize draws up for grabs. Good Luck!