Aug
Parlor Games – Ten Questions!
Today, we’re launching a new feature of The Ballroom Blog…Parlor Games! Every few weeks we’ll host a fun survey or quiz or game related to romance. All six of us (and Lady B!) will chat in comments, and it will be all the fun of a Regency house party on a rainy evening.
I’m beginning with an oldie but a goodie…ten either/or questions on romance! Those of you who are readers of my blog will know that for the launch of Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart, I hosted a few dozen of my favorite authors for Eleven Questions, where I forced them to pick between popular romance archetypes and tropes. We had a great time…and if you have a chance, you should head over and read some of the AMAZING replies (including Tessa, Miranda & Katharine!)
But why only torture romance writers? Readers should have to choose as well!
So, for our first Parlor Game, I give you, Ten Questions, romance style! Once you’ve made your selections, please join us in comments to tell us why you made the choices you made…and which ones gave you real trouble!
Aug 11, 2011
6:19 am
My answers:
1. Beta: I actually like both of them, so I had to flip a coin.
2. Cold as Ice: I love the aloof, Mr. Darcy type heroes.
3. Secret Baby: It’s one of my favorite tropes next to revenge plots. *blushes*
4. Spinsters: I don’t mind debutantes though. Once again, I had to flip a coin lol.
5. Belle of the Ball: I hope this isn’t a very unpopular opinion, but I actually like those types of heroine. It’s easy to make them into villains, but I always love it when an author can turn things around. That being said, I don’t dislike wallflowers. Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower series is a favorite. I wonder if there’s a book out there about a spinster who is the belle of the ball. lol
6. The Past: I’m not into time travel, but I think having someone travel to the past tends to be hilarious.
7. England: I don’t mind reading books set outside England, and there are some very good ones out there. Some of my favorite books are set outside England. However, I like reading about a familiar place when I’m pressed for time. Plus, when writing about an unfamiliar place, the author needs to spend a significant number of pages describing the place accurately, and that might be a disadvantage when you want a quick read.
8. Town House: I don’t mind country house parties, but I’m a town girl at heart. If I don’t see pavement and pollution for a long time I hyperventilate.
9. Vampires: Black Dagger Brotherhood. ‘Nuff said. I refuse to acknowledge the existence of sparkly vampires.
10. Unrequited Love: One of my favorite tropes ever! All that pain and suffering! Love! lol
Aug 11, 2011
10:43 am
“Vampires: Black Dagger Brotherhood. ‘Nuff said. I refuse to acknowledge the existence of sparkly vampires.”
LOL.
Aug 11, 2011
10:45 am
LOL! Antonia…I think we might be reading twins…We have all the same choices! (I’m especially with you on Secret Babies and the Black Dagger Brotherhood!)
Aug 11, 2011
1:20 pm
Antonia, the first heroine I wrote, Valerie Monroe in Swept Away by a Kiss, was a belle of the ball, and it got her in all sorts of fabulously scandalous trouble!
Aug 11, 2011
1:33 pm
@ Katharine: I’ll make sure to check out the book.
I love the title.
Aug 11, 2011
8:37 pm
I lovvvvvve the BDB. Good choice!
Aug 11, 2011
7:03 am
I had a lot of fun with this Parlor Game-thank you Sarah!
My answers:
1. Alpha: I like heroes with aspects of both, so can I say alphta? I like the strong, confident bordering on arrogant alphas, but also like heroes who are a bit more laid back as well.
2. Hot as Sin: The hotter the better! Though of course Antonia has a point about Mr. Darcy.
3. Secret Baby: I have never read a widow virgin story before, and think it stretches incredulity, so I had to go with secret baby, which I have seen done very well before.
4. Spinsters: I find that spinsters, girls who are considered “on the shelf” (e.g. Penelope Featherington, Callie from Nine Rules) tend to strong adventurous spirits, and just more fun to be with!
5. Wallflower, I can be a bit of a wallflower myself at times, so these are ladies I have something in common with. Plus, when you’re a wallflower and unobtrusive, you get to see and hear all the delicious gossip!
6. The Past: As a girl who graduated with a degree in history, gotta go with the past!
7. England: I don’t mind books set outside England, but as Antonia said, if it’s set in an unfamiliar place, it makes it a bit harder for me to picture the scene in my head.
8. Country House: I love the idea of large house parties in the gorgeous huge country estates.
9. Vampires: I’m not really a paranormal romance reader, but I picked vampires as it was the first option, lol
10. Unrequited Love: One of my favorite types of stories because I root for the party suffering from unrequited love, and seeing it turned from unrequited to requited!
Aug 11, 2011
10:46 am
You’ve never encountered a virgin widow, Lisa? You need to get out more
Aug 11, 2011
10:50 am
Wait…aren’t 1/3 of all widows in the Regency virgin widows?
Aug 11, 2011
1:12 pm
I believe the statistic is actually 2/5 of all widows. I don’t remember the title of the first one I read, but I do remember a Catherine Coulter one that I read early on.
Aug 11, 2011
12:17 pm
Lisa…my first Virgin Widow was one of the greats: Johanna Lindsey’s Prisoner of My Desire.
Aug 11, 2011
12:24 pm
Oohhh. I’ve read her Malory books, but not Prisioner of My Desire. Will have to check it out pronto. Thanks for the rec, Sarah!
Aug 11, 2011
1:22 pm
Perfect, Lisa — alphta! I love heroes who are big and strong and take-command but also fabulously emotional, men who will bow to a woman not because they must but because they wish to, because they respect the woman’s strength to. Oo la! I am all breathless thinking about it!
Aug 11, 2011
7:49 am
What fun!
1) I’m an alpha girl! I love the strong, arrogant, take-charge types…at least in my books. Wait! Come to think of it, that’s the type I’ve always been attracted to in real life too. Hmmm.
2) Hot. Definitely hot.
3) Virgin widow though I love the secret baby trope too.
4) Spinsters. They tend to be more feisty, more independent, more complex.
5) Wallflowers. I just love watching them blossom!
6) The past. Preferably in Scotland.
7) England. Or Scotland. Or Ireland. Yes, I have a definite preference for that part of the world but, really, if the story is well-written it can be set anywhere.
8) Country house. I’m just a country girl at heart.
9) Shape shifters. I’m currently in love with Juliana Stone’s shape-shifting jaguars.
10) Unrequited love. These tend to be more complex stories with multiple layers of emotion. They draw me in and keep me hooked!
Aug 11, 2011
11:11 am
I gather you have invited us to a dinner at the Romance Dish, Miss P.J. Perhaps you’ll be able to tell me about these shape-shifting jaguars. They sound most intriguing but I don’t think I’d better let them meet Albert.
Aug 11, 2011
1:23 pm
Oh, good heavens, yes. Do keep Albert away from the jaguars!
Aug 12, 2011
5:13 am
The Dishes are all a twitter over your upcoming visit to our humble abode, Lady B. I do hope you will enjoy the dinner.
Alas, I did not invite Ms. Stone’s lovely Jaguar alphas to the event. ‘Tis probably best that they and Albert do not meet, especially over dinner. Although, they have been known to set their natural inclinations aside for certain members of the feathered flock. A beautiful eagle comes to mind…
Aug 11, 2011
8:04 am
1: Alpha. I love a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to come get it!
Variety is the spice of life I say.
2. Hot as sin: Re Mr. Darcy, whole-heartedly agree but still… authors either fly all the way when writing a cold hero, or fall utterly flat. There’s no in between to me.
3. Secret baby: I love watching conflicts of the heart, and nothing does it quite like the secret baby.
4. Debutante: Coming of age is wonderful. Although I have read a few fabulous spinsters too.
5. Belle! Belle! Belle! I enjoy watching the belle have her world turned upside down. A wall flower grows; The belle often has to undergo some huge change internally to make room for the hero. It’s the alchemy of romance.
6. Future. But then again I am a scifi junky and am intrigued by what could be.
7. I had a hard time with this one. I love romances on spaceships and conducted in the squad car while they wait for the bomb to go off just as much as I like drawing rooms and garden parties. I love England, and I love the past, but sometimes I’ll go anywhere but there because there are ten thousand books set there!
8 Country: I love an isolated world-building scene at a country estate with a select cast and a setting clearly visible in my mind.
9. Shapeshifter: I’ve never understood the obsession with vamps.
10. Unrequitted love: Perhaps because it lends itself to a deeper plot, I like this one.
Aug 11, 2011
10:48 am
Good point about the belle, Sass. In a way, the belle is the female equivalent of the rake: in need of some serious reform.
Aug 11, 2011
8:42 am
such fun (said w/ only mild sarcasm)
1-alpha; I enjoy a good beta hero too but my 1st love is the alpha
2-hot;
3-tough one as not a fan of either but take the virgin over the baby
4-spinster; as i’ve gotten older i’ve developed an appreciation for the more mature herione who might be able to get away w/ a little more
5-another tough one as either can work for me, but as i’m on the quiet side i’ll go w/ wallflower
6-tough one, past; so maybe i wouldn’t feel so “fish out of water”
7-while i like other locations too i’d hate to rule england out completely so have to go w/ england on that one
8-country; while i’m a definate suburb girl it’s suburbs w/ lots of country feel & convienence close by (more a country girl than big city girl), plus love all that gardens, open spaces & woods for sneaking off into w/ hot alpha guy above
9-shapeshifter; just don’t get into of vampires any
10-tough one again but go w/ unrequited love
Aug 11, 2011
2:46 pm
If you’re a rich Regency duke, gamistress, you have a huge garden in the center of London, filled with handy bushes for the concealment of misbehavior (when the potted plant in the ballroom just isn’t big enough)
Aug 11, 2011
9:14 am
Now this is a hard one to answer. Some were so easy like Heroes or Wallflowers. Others were not so easy such as vampires or secret babies. All of them make great scenarios.
1. Heroes well Alpha of course. I want a man who knows what he wants and how to get it.
2. Hot as Sin……enough said
3. Secret Babies—I may be in a small group here but I kinda like the “fallen” woman.
4. Spinster or Debutantes—Debutantes can be so flakey and swoon way too often. A spinster-has seen it all-knows what she wants—she just can’t get it. I am a spinster…
5. Wallflowers hands down. They are the diamonds in the rough and it takes a special person to make them shine.
6. I prefer the Past. That way we can continually have “do overs” until we get it right.
7. England of course! Maybe with a trip to Paris to get the latest fashions then over to Italy for “touring”.
8. A country house has more spots for secret rendezvous. Also for the long walks in the gardens, so easy to get lost in the eyes of your fellow—oh wait I meant the maze.
9. Shape Shifter-you never know when you have to change into a dog.
10. Unrequited love has all the hallmarks of love at first site plus all the pain. However unrequited love at first site is the greatest heart breaker of all.
Aug 11, 2011
10:51 am
“Unrequited love has all the hallmarks of love at first site plus all the pain. However unrequited love at first site is the greatest heart breaker of all.”
–Well said, Lady Susan. Well said.
Aug 11, 2011
9:19 am
This was fun, thanks, Sarah! I was in step with everyone most of the way…
1: Alpha- I like ‘em confident, strong and just a little bit arrogant!
2: Hot…I don’t really have to explain this, right?
3: Also not a big fan of either, but I like virgin widow better
4:Spinster! She is usually an unappreciated, intelligent woman. And you are more interesting once you’ve lived a little…
5: Wallflower- for the same reason, except she is usually a deb. My favorite wallflower of all time is Evie, from LK’s Devil in Winter.
6:Past…history is so interesting to me. There are so many times and places I would love to visit.
7: England. Never been, would love to go.
8: Country! I live in a farming community right now, and I love it. It is so quiet and peaceful, and I can see tobacco fields through the woods behind my house, just past the pond. Lovely.
9: Vampire (except for the boys in the Twilight pack-hubba hubba!) The Sookie Stackhouse books are some of my favorites (not the show), I just want to eat Eric Northman up!
10: This was the only one that gave me pause…I went with unrequited love, but I want to add- only if there is a Happily Ever After. Otherwise, it just stinks! ;D
Aug 11, 2011
1:15 pm
I paused at the last question as well. Unrequited love is definitely only fun if there is the someday promise of that HEA!!!
Aug 11, 2011
10:10 am
I’m not going through every question. I like shy wallflowers because I am one. My husband said he fell in love with me at first sight, so I believe him. We’ve been married 38 years. He’s 6′ 2″ and a “hunk” to me. I’m like Darcy-I’m not really good at making small talk, so at a country house party, I could hide. I picked shapeshifters because I like Sam Merlotte from TrueBlood. (fun quiz!)
Aug 11, 2011
2:48 pm
Sounds like you picked a winner, Susan. 38 years and counting is wonderful. Is he an alpha?
Aug 11, 2011
6:43 pm
I think he’s a Beta-(I’m really not sure what that means). He’s the strong, silent type. Nobody knows he’s funny, but me.
Aug 11, 2011
10:42 am
I’m loving the results of this poll — so fun to see what you all think, and thanks also to those who explained their choices.
I’m rooting for a few more beta lovers here – maybe they are too shy to speak up! I’m also a Secret Baby fan, which doesn’t seem to be the popular choice.
Aug 11, 2011
10:51 am
Who doesn’t love a Secret Baby?? COME ON! SO MUCH DRAMA!
Aug 11, 2011
1:53 pm
I do like a secret baby when it’s the baby of the man who broke her heart, and he’s back, and then he finds out that the baby was his and There. Is. DRAMA….that’s good stuff….
Aug 11, 2011
2:27 pm
I’m a secret baby fan too. I’ll happily admit it. As long as the secret baby does not have a convenient birthmark. Oh fine, I’ll accept the birthmark too!
Aug 11, 2011
2:49 pm
OMG, Sabrina. I love the birthmark. Regency DNA testing.
Aug 11, 2011
6:22 pm
Haha, it totally is. Did you ever see the Danny Kaye movie “The Court Jester”? With the Purple pimpernel?
Hilarious.
Aug 11, 2011
6:07 pm
I like secret babies, too!
Aug 11, 2011
11:08 am
What’s a beta?
≤squawk≥ is it edible? ≤squawk≥
Aug 11, 2011
11:31 am
It is the test version of a rake. If he doesn’t have any serious issues he is released to the public.
Aug 11, 2011
1:16 pm
Ha! Lady Susan, that’s a great definition.
Aug 11, 2011
1:54 pm
LOL!
Aug 11, 2011
2:49 pm
Spewed coffee, Lady Susan.
Aug 11, 2011
3:18 pm
That is not very lady like.
But that’s ok I have fallen out of my chair twice on other issues dealing with some beta testing I am working with.
Aug 11, 2011
11:12 am
Good question- What is a Beta?
Aug 11, 2011
1:47 pm
Based off of this study I believe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_A_and_Type_B_personality_theory
Aug 11, 2011
11:24 am
I’ll admit it — I like my heroes beta. Handsome as all get-out, a little socially awkward, more than a little geeky about whatever subject turns them on, and with deep, deep reserves of Private Pain ™.
Basically, I like ‘em to be emo as hell.
As for the ladies, I always gravitate toward the spinster wallflower-by-choice, the wry observer, outsider sensibility, with a soft spot for the socially awkward and those in Private Pain ™.
Kind of like Daria, but with a heart.
Aug 11, 2011
2:50 pm
Yay for betas! Especially when they wear spectacles.
Aug 11, 2011
3:19 pm
Now have you ever seen a Beta (the fish) with glasses?
Aug 11, 2011
6:46 pm
Jack wears glasses. He’s a beta!
Aug 11, 2011
6:10 pm
Daria! *flashback music*
I think Private Pain TM is always important. Happy characters are boring characters. Sad, but true. That’s why I always hedge if readers ask whether I’ll write books about the characters’ kids. But…but…how can I give the kids miserable childhoods without ruining their parents’ HEA?
Aug 11, 2011
9:32 pm
Thank GOD somebody got my Daria reference. Sometimes I wonder if I made up my twenties.
(Sometimes I wish I had.)
Aug 11, 2011
11:38 am
I’m a beta lover, as I have publicly proclaimed on a number of occasions. I think they are misunderstood and under-appreciated as a group. But overall, I’m a both/and rather than an either/or reader. One of the things I like best about being a romance reader is the splendid variety of the genre. I don’t have to choose. I can have my beloved betas and true alphas, spinsters and belles, country house parties and London ballrooms, England and Egypt, India, China, or any number of other settings.
Aug 11, 2011
2:51 pm
Well said, Janga. There’s plenty of room for all. On the other hand we all enjoy a friendly contest, too.
Aug 11, 2011
4:55 pm
Right, Miranda. The contest is fun. I didn’t mean to sound pompous. I clicked on my answers and eagerly checked the poll results. But forced choice polls always make me feel a bit like Charlie Brown–a multiple choice answerer in a true-and-false world. LOL
Aug 11, 2011
6:11 pm
I am the same, Janga! In fact, I completely flubbed this test when Sarah MacLean first sent it to me. I can’t ever choose just one of anything! I’m glad we have a variety.
Aug 11, 2011
11:43 am
i like the combination of beta – quiet shy type somewhat socially awkward – and hot as sin… it’s like unwrapping a present that wasn’t wrapped so well and being dazzled by the content…hehe^^
i agree with spinsters, wallflowers and also unrequited love….. maybe because it’s fun to see them finally have their turn… hoping that said unrequited love is finally noticed or moved on to someone epicly better…
and well vampires… although i’m keeping an open mind on shape shifters…^^
Aug 11, 2011
2:53 pm
Well said, Ciel. I’ve said this before: Betas need to uncover their inner alpha while Alphas need to find that touch of beta in their core.
Aug 11, 2011
12:11 pm
1. Alpha Heroes: I prefer the “enlightened Alpha,” who has all those man’s-man instincts but thinks highly of women in general, not just the heroine. (Addendum, for Ms. Neville: I love nerd heroes, and most of the time Nerd = Beta w/latent Alpha-ness [i.e. Julie Anne Long's "Like No Other Lover"].)
2. Cold as Ice: You know what they say…still waters run deep. And heat tends to ignite when he’s brought in contact with his heroine.
3. Virgin Widow: I’m not huge on either trope, but I’ve never read a Secret Baby story I didn’t detest. Any suggestions?
4. Spinster: Outside of the historical setting (with the notable exception of Sienna in Nalini Singh’s “Kiss of Snow”), I really struggle with heroines in their late teens, and within the historical genre, I’m all too reminded of blindly led Woodiwiss heroines (not that I’m knocking her work—for me, she was a beloved introduction to the genre). Spinsters have more freedom and fun, in general, and they’re often mature enough to know their own minds.
5. Belles of the Ball: Pretty girls have a bad rap! Just because they’re socially successful doesn’t mean there’s always selfish entitlement beneath the surface.
6. The Past: I figure we’ll get to the future soon enough; I’d rather read about something I could never experience outside the pages of a book. See: Marie-Antoinette’s France (pre-guillotine), early Victorian England, the Roaring Twenties.
7. England: As much as I love exotic locales (Zoë Archer’s “Blades of the Rose” series or Loretta Chase’s “Mr. Impossible”), England is the home of my heart—past, present, and future.
8. Town House: I consider myself an urbanite. And there’s just so much trouble one can get into in the city!
9. Shape Shifter: Not to sound repetitive, but y’all have read Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series, right? Right.
10. Unrequited Love: Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe in love at first sight—though I do believe in connection, attraction, and lust at first sight. Unrequited love often forces characters to take the blinders off about the object of their affection at some point, and those moments can be some of the best in a book, because they ring true and signal emotional growth. (One story that embodies both of these, though, is Courtney Milan’s novella, “Unlocked”—the hero Evan loved Elaine from the get-go, then loved her quietly years later. Very well done.)
Thanks for another great post, Ms. MacLean—it’s interesting reading everyone’s preferences. This was fun!
Aug 11, 2011
1:22 pm
I’m a not-so-secret Belle of the Ball lover too!
Aug 11, 2011
2:56 pm
Off the top of my head, Edie, I recommend Mary Jo Putney’s Dearly Beloved as a secret baby book. The story is somewhat unlikely (ahem, never read one of them before) but she writes such beautiful characters and piles on the angst in the most awesome way!
Aug 11, 2011
6:30 pm
Miles Redmond is one of my favorite beta heroes ever. *swoon*
And I will also pile on the love for UNLOCKED.
My favorite secret baby story is Loretta Chase’s NOT QUITE A LADY.
Aug 11, 2011
10:17 pm
Thanks for the recs, ladies! I’ll be sure to add them to my TBR pile.
Aug 11, 2011
1:19 pm
Oh, more lunch time distractions, I love it.
1. Alpha heros all the way for me.
2. Hot and sexy, please. But there is something to be said for the cold as ice protagonist who evolves into hot and sexy
3. Virgin widow – I can’t remember the first time I encountered that trope, but whomever was the author did a great job with the premise.
4. Spinster – I love seeing a spinster get shaken up by an hot and sexy alpha male.
5. Wallflower – Again, love seeing how overwhelmed a wallflower can get around her alpha male hero. Probably because can relate to being a wallflower.
6. The Past. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is one of my favorite series of all time.
7. England. I adore a book set in England, although Russia holds a certain appeal too.
8. Country house. Lots of opportunities for secret assignations.
9. Vampires – dark, brooding vampires, please
10. Unrequited love. For me it’s much more poignant and creates a VERY satisfying HEA.
This was great fun. I look forward to more parlor games.
Margaret
Aug 11, 2011
2:58 pm
Thanks for your answers, Margaret. We don’t get many Russian set romances but I wouldn’t mind reading more. Dr. Zhivago, swoon.
Aug 11, 2011
6:27 pm
Hooray for spinsters and wallflowers!
And I looove Outlander, too.
Aug 11, 2011
1:42 pm
Yay, Sarah, I’m so happy you asked us! I read you blog and always enjoy when you ask this of authors and I’ve been itching to share my answers.
Have to say, some of the stats are surprising. I didn’t expect the majority (so far) to prefer shifters to vamps.
1. Alpha or Beta?
Beta. I love it when a hero is more lay back and lets the heroine do all the leading. I also like it when they have a sense of humor. I still love the alphas too.
2. Hot as Sin or Cold as Ice?
Cold as Ice. Nothing better than the bitter hero losing his defenses to the heroine.
3. Virgin Widows or Secret Babies?
Secret Babies. Or for me, secret children. I love reading stories where the women (or the man) have a child they’ve kept hidden and all of the sudden it’s like BAM “by the way…” and then you get to see them bond. I like the good ol’ virgin widow too.
4.Spinsters or Debutantes?
Debutantes. I love reading the fun and mischief that a first season girl gets herself into.
5.Wallflowers or Belles of the Ball?
Wallflowers. Preferably a bluestocking.
6.Time Travel: To the Past or To the Future?
The Past, because I already live in the “future”.
7.England or Anywhere but?
England, that’s where all the fun happens!
8.Town House or Country House?
Country House, because, well, that’s where all the fun happens too.
9. Vampire or Shape shifter?
Shifter! Preferably a werewolf. After reading Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other, I’ve been sold to werewolves. I love the whole mate for life and protectiveness that comes along with them.
10. Unrequited Love or Love at First Sight?
I like the one sided love at first sight.
Over all though, all types of historical romances go for me.
Aug 11, 2011
3:21 pm
Albert,
Earlier your asked if a “beta” was edible. In fact they are, I have one swimming around in a fish bowl now.
Aug 11, 2011
6:12 pm
Haha!
(Why Lady Susan, is that ratafia you’re drinking?”
Aug 11, 2011
5:53 pm
Wow….it’s interesting to see which answers are the majority. It looks like I’m in the minority as far as hero characteristics (beta, cold as ice) and the majority as far as heroine characteristics (spinster, wallflower). I like to see the underdone tropes in heroes but prefer the overdone tropes in heroines (actually…I don’t know if there are as many spinster/wallflower heroines as there are alpha heroes in romance). I prefer neither options for virgin widow/secret baby or unrequited love/love at first sight, so I just chose the ones that I disliked less. Actually…I don’t remember reading that many secret babies in my romance, and for some reason I really dislike unrequited love. I am mostly a historical reader, so of course I chose the past. The future tends to be dystopic and depressing. There are so many books set in England out there that I would like to see a little more variety. I like the descriptions of the sprawling gardens, so I chose country house. Vampires are overdone, so I chose shapeshifter.
Aug 11, 2011
6:25 pm
I like “cold as ice” too, Rosie! Just because it’s so much fun to see them thaw.
And I like a hero to have some beta traits, regardless.
Aug 11, 2011
6:23 pm
Okay, Sarah – I hope you take notice that I am *finally*, after ages and ages, answering your questions!
Alpha* (I was torn, but I like even my betas to have alpha moments)
Cold as Ice* (but only on the exterior)
Secret Babies*
Spinsters*
Wallflowers*
Past*
England*
Country House*
Vampires*
Unrequited Love* (writing one of these now!)
*=except when I like the other choice
Aug 11, 2011
9:44 pm
That’s why I had to go with Alphta Tessa-the perfect cross between an alpha and beta!
Dec 13, 2011
2:55 pm
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Dec 15, 2011
6:32 am
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Aug 11, 2011
6:27 pm
So I’m thinking some people would love to read about a cold as ice, beta shapeshifter (and yes beta in shapeshifter land gets a bit more animalistic in meaning) who meets a virgin widow with a secret baby (not hers of course! Think Bachelor Mother with Ginger Rogers.) and has extreme unrequited love for her until, at some point 380 pages later, it is requited.
Aug 11, 2011
8:52 pm
The question the gave me the most pause was the alpha/ beta. The most important part for me is not what they start as, (an alpha or beta) but where they end up. Maybe the alpha needs to thaw, or the beta needs to be strengthened. Either way at the end of the story, you just hope they are , or at least are on the way to being a better version of themselves.
Apr 27, 2013
8:43 am
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Until next time
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