Devilish Montague and Brains

While most of the wenches were in NYC romping through the RWA conference, I was at home writing blogs and answering interview questions about DEVILISH MONTAGUE, the latest in my Rebellious Sons series. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I prefer to stay home and write. While I love visiting NYC and seeing friends and editors and agents, crowds give me hives. I don’t know how new authors remember those snappy elevator pitches they throw out when asked what they’re working on. I can’t even remember my own name when confronted with that question. I’m not shy. It’s simply the stress of the situation and my natural introversion that creates memory loss. Well, and maybe a mild case of ADD or as Jennifer Crusie calls it, the “importance of shiny things.”

I doubt that I’m alone in my inability to finesse social situations. I’m always fascinated with the differences between extroverts and introverts. It’s actually physical, so brain function is also of interest. It’s difficult to portray my fascination with brains in romance, however, since readers generally expect our protagonists to be well…heroic, unless they're zombies and eating brains. Painful shyness and Asperger’s don’t generally convey heroic, although Jennifer Ashley did a lovely job in THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE.

But autism and ADD and other forms of social ineptness did not develop with the 20th century just because we learned to identify them. They’ve existed throughout the ages. We simply didn’t understand the problem. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_figures_sometimes_considered_autistic which gives a list of historical figures who could easily have been diagnosed as Asperger’s today. The description of Henry Cavendish is almost textbook accurate. Often, the brain malfunctions causing social ineptness are in the minds of geniuses. I guess it’s hard to have all that complicated wiring and function normally.

So I played with my fascination by including a secondary character with Asperger’s in my MONTAGUE tale. My legally blonde heroine might behave as the “flibbertiwidget” that my hero calls her, but she’s not stupid. Beneath her pretty blonde curls and flirtatious ways is a woman who loves her odd little brother and wants him to have the home where he’d once been happy. Unfortunately, her boorish half-brother has gambled the house away.  The house is in Chelsea, not exactly the social center of the world, and it’s been left to dry rot for years, so it’s not exactly  valuable to anyone except Jocelyn and her brother. Unfortunately, the extremely brainy, cynical, and violence-prone Blake Montague is the beneficiary of the Chelsea house. He doesn’t want it. But it belongs to his father, and he can’t sell it for the officer’s colors he wants. Access to Jocelyn’s newly acquired inheritance would be a fair trade off for the house, if marriage wasn’t the requirement for obtaining the deed.

English Cottage - Credit: Pengannel

How surly, brainiac Blake deals with a flaky wife who adores society, a brother-in-law who keeps duck eggs under pillows, a potty-mouthed parrot, a falling down shack of a house, and an encrypted message he’s determined to break should keep most readers entertained for an hour or two, I hope! If you're intrigued, there's an excerpt on my website: http://patriciarice.com/

Since I’m sitting here with a huge box of author’s copies, I’ll happily give one away to a random commenter. To stimulate your thinking caps, what flaws can you tolerate in your heroes and heroines? Which ones are beyond the pale?

Comments

[Janice]

Wow. That's a question. I guess the qualities I can't stand in hero/heroine are pretty much the same as the ones I can't stand in real life: meanspiritedness, selfishness, lack of empathy, that sort of thing. The qualities they have to have are things like concepts of honor, courage, kindness and desire to do the right thing.

If the question is what physical qualities do I find unacceptable, I don't have a good answer. I wouldn't like a hero or heroine who wasn't clean or was mean to kids and animals. What the heroes actually look like (Russell Crowe or Johnny Depp?) doesn't matter so much as the things they do. Handsome is as handsome does and all that.

[Bibliophile]

That is one tough question. I suppose the answer would be that the flaws I can tolerate are ones that can be overcome or that make a character more sympathetic. Personality flaws like grumpiness, hotheadedness, pride, thoughtlessness, vanity, rudeness and pushiness all come to mind. Personality flaws I can not abide in a hero or heroine include cruelty, the inability to sympathise with others, stinginess, avarice and malice, and heroes who rape are a big no-no and such books go into the paper recycling box when I come across them. I do enjoy it when a protagonist appears, to other characters, to possess one or more of these traits when they actually don't and seeing them prove it in the end.

As for physical qualities, I wouldn't like reading about a protagonist with rotting teeth, body odour or venereal disease. We all know the possibility of these existing in historical novels, especially the last one when the hero is a rake or the heroine a courtesan, but I would prefer not to read about them.

But the biggest of all the flaws I cannot abide in any literary character is the lack of flaws, physical and of character. Such characters come across as flat, whether they be heroes/heroines or villains/villainesses.

[Janga]

I like redemption stories, and I have read some where gifted writers redeemed characters who were selfish, dishonest, even abusive. I would hate to have missed out on those stories. Consequently, I don't put much beyond the pale. It's too early to think as deeply as I'd need to in order to decide what is beyond redemption. I believe true evil exists, so I can't imagine believing in the redemption of a character totally given over to evil, willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to achieve his/her goals. Strangely, a much less serious fault is one I'd also have trouble with. I have no interest in a central character who is humorless.

[Patricia Rice]

oh wow, fantastic answers, thank you! I hadn't even given thought to physical flaws, but can you imagine a romance hero with rotting teeth and a heroine with VD? LOL! Now there are flaws to overcome. So yeah, I think you're right, they need to be flaws that can be corrected. Interesting. I'd never given that a thought. It's not possible to correct aspergers, but some training would improve the condition. Hmmmm.....

Interestingly, Janga, I'm pursuing your line of thought in an urban fantasy I'm writing. How do you decide what is beyond redemption?

[Deb H.]

I like my heroes to be honorable (even reformed rakes) with a sense of humor, and an underlying kindness. I don't like the heroes to have mistresses when he and the heroine finally meet and become a couple. I read a book once where the hero, even while loving the heroine, still had a mistress. Yuck.

I would not tolerate uncleanliness or a demeaning attitude towards the heroine or others. I would want the hero to be stylish, but not a "fop". :)

[Cynthia Owens]

The one flaw I could absolutely NOT tolerate in either the hero or the heroine, is if they were a bully. For me, any other flaw is redeemable.

I understand the idea of being social inept. I grew up painfully shy, and I'm still not particularly sociable. I'd rather be at home, reading or writing, than at a party, although I've had to overcome that shyness somewhat. But boy, it's not easy!

I look forward to reading The Devilish Montague!

[Kat]

I can’t stand when either H/h excuse for not being with the other is “I’m not good enough”; I think that plot line has been exhausted enough already.

[Patricia Rice]

Okay, my perverse imagination is now trying to plot a way to create a hero who doesn't bathe. "G"

Cynthia, you don't think it's possible to redeem bullies? That's interesting. What if one bullies the bully until he learns his lesson?

And yeah, Kat, I hear you. That's a pretty tired excuse before it got worked to death.

[Sue Mccormick]

I'm writing my answer BEFORE I read those ahead of me, because I am too easily influenced by what I read. I don't think that I am put off by specific flaws. I don't want them to be "ugly at the core." A ugly splotch on the face which has caused the character to be jeered at all the character's life is ugly if it twists the character but not if it causes the character to be more sympathetic to other people (as a rather superficial example). It's all in how the author handles the situation. (And since I can't write fiction at all, and struggle with non-fiction, I'm in awe of those of you who choose to use such topics in romance novels and who handle them so well).

[Dee]

I can't stand the completely brainless heroine (as it is usually a heroine). You know the type. All I want to do is shake her and then say, tough luck girl figure it out. And, one thing that gives me a permanent eye-roll is the protagonist in an historical that is self-analyzing in modern terms. For example, I am behaving in this way because of my feelings of XX and I must accept that I am YY in order to grow... ?Really?? Grr, hate that. It's so out of context. Other major turn-offs: genuine cruelty, bigotry (but ok if there is change), etc. Things you never see in novels, but encounter in real life--people who nose-pick (and/or flick--yes, really knew someone), guys who are constantly adjusting themselves (makes you wonder re: those tight georgian/regency breeches), flatulence, etc. And, can you imagine, what it would be like to be married off to someone with dire dental problems or a BO issue? Ughh. And, snuff. Eew even if it was historically accurate.

I read through that list of suspected historical autistics. Interesting but so hard to interpret. Charles Darwin for example is not someone I would have categorized there. I suspect he was a strong introvert but that scarcely makes one autistic. Course I've never met him. I was always under the impression that lack of empathy was a central tenet of autism. Lack of interest in social intercourse and strong dislike of over stimulation can be seen with many different brain types. (sarcasm:)I especially enjoyed how a couple of serial killers made the list.

As someone who has spent most of the holiday weekend holed up at home recharging from a hellish work week by avoiding the crowds and limiting the partying, I can totally relate to not going to the conference.

[Na]

I am glad to hear you have focused on the secondary character and given the person a disorder of sort. Many times I find secondary characters are often overlooked or their personalities are bland, but it will be a refreshing change to catch a glimpse of how they handle their challenges and manage life. Their interaction with the other characters, and their decisions will showcase their traits in a more realistic manner.

When it comes to traits in characters, many flaws can be overlooked in heroes and heroines. I find if they are redeemable than it is tolerable so long as it is not a blatant misuse of common sense. Mistakes, misunderstandings are all part of a story and if characters make uninformed decisions or act on a mistake that's expected. Traits that do irritate me is rudeness, a disregard of their everyone else especially in a hero and heroine. That won't have me rooting for their happiness. In a villain, I would expect those, but in a hero/heroine their smarts, resourcefulness and manners should be the tools to conquer their problems.

[Linda Banche]

You've hit on one of the things I absolutely have fits over. I have to have decent people for heroes and heroines. Especially the heroes. Men have more latitude in their behavior, which means they have more chances to go wrong. I really hate rakes. I can't see why any woman would find attractive a man who would go with anyone. And I think part of the reason men get away with it is because women let him. "He's sowing his wild oats to make it easier for him to initiate his virgin wife?" What a farce. Skill is secondary. After all, we're not talking rocket science. The old double standard again, which works against the woman. Love will make up for any lack of skill.

Lindsay Townsend (TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT) is talking about the same thing over on the British Romance Fiction blog today: http://britishromancefiction.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-should-heroine-tell-lies.html

As for being shy, you're not the only one. I really have my doubts about authors being good in the spotlight. I'm sure some can, but time is short. Either you concentrate on writing, or you flit from place to place, talking. Nowadays, I think they make authors do too much promo. In the end, no one cares too much about your blog posts. They want your books. Keep writing them. My copy of THE DEVILISH MONTAGUE arrived last week. Am I going to have a good tim.

[Patricia Rice]

So many thoughtful answers! I think I may have to give out more books and let Sherrie draw at random.

I read through the list of possible historical autistics and had the same reaction. We can't really know without having been there. Genius can be antisocial without being autistic, although I suspect a strong streak of aspergers in a lot of geniuses if only because the brain only has so much wiring!

I think I'll gather up all these unpleasant traits and create a truly nasty villain!

[Liz]

Helen MacInnes wrote in her novel Double Image that truthfulness is the single most important character trait. It follows that dishonesty can disguise, for awhile at least, a host of bad traits.

[Susan/DC]

I hesitate to identify a flaw I won't stand for because I'm sure that the next book I pick up will have a character with that flaw and yet I'll love him/her and the book anyway. But unafraid of holding several mutually contradictory thoughts at once, here goes: As others have mentioned, cruelty or stupidity are high on my list of fatal flaws -- and it's even worse when the character gets praised for that quality, as in "he's so manly" or "she's so feisty" when they have, in fact, merely been abusive or dumb. I hate it when the hero consistently treats the heroine as a child, even in historicals when women were essentially children in terms of legal status. If he doesn't respect her, it's hard for me to believe he loves her (lusts after her, yes, loves her, no). This is one case where I don't buy the "it's historically accurate" response, because we have true life examples of such respect (e.g., John and Abigail Adams).

Loved "The Wicked Wyckerly" and very much looking forward to "The Devish Montague".

[Cynthia Owens]

'Fraid not, Pat. To me, once a bully, always a bully. The form of the bullying may change, but from what I've seen, it remains in the background of the soul.

[donna ann]

so looking forward to this book :) I'm fairly tolerant of a hero issues/quirks (perfection can be overrated & boring after all) but I don't care for the complete idiot or the utter jerk. Being constantly rude & inconsiderate of the heroine or others, particularly for no reason other than to be mean is a big no thank you for me.

[Patricia Rice]

Well, since I make up stories for a living, I might quibble about truthfulness being a necessary trait. "G" And thank you, Susan. Since I'm sitting here undermining everyone's flaws in my head, looking for a way around them, you have a right to be wary of listing any! Cynthia, I need to think about that. I know what you're saying, but I really want to think most people are redeemable, although admittedly, I've met people who simply do not have a conscience. Maybe bullying falls under that. Thank you, Donna Ann! I hope Blake lives up to his reputation. "G"

[Barbara Elness]

I can tolerate most traits, such as being a thief, a gambler, a liar, even unfaithfulness (in the right circumstances), but I don't like someone who is mean spirited, or mistreats children and/or animals.

[LouisaCornell]

I spent way too much time on stage to be truly shy, BUT if I didn't have to work outside the home I would be one of those recluses who only left the house to shop every few weeks when necessary. After so many years of traveling I like staying at home. Then again, I always enjoy RWA's National Conference. I got to meet so many Wenches this time!!

Icky bad personal habits in a hero or heroine would turn me off. BUT, when it comes to personality flaws I don't have many that I find irredeemable. I am one of those "Pollyanna" types who believes (at least in historical romances) that almost any flaw, no matter how awful, can be redeemed by love. Of course the story of the redemption must be a believable one, but I do tend to believe in the power of love to seek out a person's true soul and bring it into the light.

[Maggie Robinson/Margaret Rowe]

I don't need a book.I'm reading it right now on my Kindle and loving every word..except for some of Percy's LOL. So delightful so far, but then I knew it would be.

I'm pretty open to most any foible, because I know in the end the writer will teach the character a lesson and they'll be properly humbled and redeemed. I'm just waiting for that to happen in real life. :)

I was at RWA, even saw Jo B but was too shy to introduce myself. I have to say I would rather be home writing too--every bit of adolescent awkwardness descends on this rather mature body & I look for tables to crawl under.But then I probably couldn't get up.

[Maureen]

Congratulations on your new book Patricia!
I have found that there is no one answer, it just depends on how the author portrays the characters. If the character makes sense to me and acts consistent with the way the author has portrayed him/her then I enjoy reading the story. My problems come when I have read many pages that make me think I know a character and then, without explanation he/she does something that contradicts everything I read.

[Jenny]

I don't like heros or heroines who are mean, or bullies, or who show cruelty or are spiteful towards others, especially those not as well off as they are, or towards animals. I also find rakes a problem in literature. They don't always seems trustworthy, and I don't believe they will ever truly change. I also dislike, or am irritated by heroines who don't/won't do as they are told, especially in dangerous situations, and end up having to be rescued.
Irritating!
However, I do like heroes and heroines who somehow have problems. Blindness, deafness, injuries from war are all good. Also heroines who are far from beautiful are great.
I am looking forward to reading your new book Pat. Am I correct in thinking you have touched on problems before, and that Wykerley's family suffered from dislexia? Your new book sounds wonderful.

[Patricia Rice]

Okay, I'm leaning toward thinking people who are cruel to animals and others must be conscienceless bullies. Maybe even soulless. So they're possibly irredeemable.

Louisa, I saw a pic with you and Jo! Or was it Anne? It looked like you were having a good time. Maggie, shame on you for being shy. Any of the wenches would have been delighted to greet you. Next time, introduce yourself! We can't promise we'll remember faces but we know your name, honest.

Maureen, agreed that consistency is important. Breaking that breaks our suspension of disbelief and throws us out of a story. Good point.

Good catch, Jenny. I hadn't really given it a thought that I've been tormenting my aristocrats with undetected mental problems. "G" It's the latest bee in my bonnet apparently!

[Cathy Gilleylen Schultz]

I'd have to say I wouldn't mind any bad trait in a character if the cause for it were eventually revealed and then the character is transformed by another's love for them. Even traits that cannot be changed (like Aspergers) can be" redeemed" if others are understanding and love them in spite of the flaw. In some of the best books I've read everyone who can be is transformed and the unredeemed characters are always banished in some way. I would have a hard time with their being left to continue wreaking havoc! I don't want to read books that merely depict what's happening in the real world. I can turn on the news for that.

[LouisaCornell]

I have a picture of myself with Jo and Cara and one of me with Anne! We really did have a great time.

Of course it goes without saying that a man who is cruel to animals or children is no hero at all. He is definitely villain material and is fair game for a creative and painful death. LOL

[Valerie L.]

WOw! How can I top these great replies?

To add to them, I cannot tolerate a "feisty" heroine who can't understand why she can't do things with the boys. In a historical, this takes me right out of it. It was a much more rigid society and women could not do such tings without consequences. These heroines never seem to think of consequences.

I can tolerate a lot in a hero if he has kindness at his core (ie, his attitude toward children, animals), but I also would like some kind of backstory as to why he's portraying any negative traits. And not some lame "my wife cheated on me and now I hate all women" line.

Since my son struggled with ADD all his life and has now in his 30s found love, I appreciate authors who take us there in their historicals.

Thanks you for the great question and opportunity to win your next wonderful book.

[kate]

This is not a flaw per se my daughter and I were discussing eye and hair color of heroines. She is very aware of how few heroines in our reading have had brown eyes. Brown eyes are fairly common and yet hardly ever show up - I would say more so in historical romances than in modern ones but that is just me. Just an interesting note. There is also a book out there that she will not read even though she loves all the other books by this author. She can't tolerate the fact that the hero keeps shoving the heroine behind him and I think at one point he grabs her hair and pulls her behind him. She finds this hero frustrating I think because he fails to recognize the heroine as a person - at least that is how my daughter reads it. I think it is funny that we were just talking about this this morning. Have a great day!

[Minna]

Besides meanspiritedness, selfishness and lack of empathy I can't stand outright stupidity.

[Patricia Rice]

Oooo, it's a spoiler but banishing works in Montague! You're right, unredeemed characters can't be left unpunished to wreak havoc.
Louisa, I'm glad you found time to track down the wenches!
Valerie, they are great replies, aren't they? My son has ADD, too, so maybe that's why my subconscious torments my characters that way.

Kate, my granddaughter has gorgeous brown eyes. I think we tend to say "dark" eyes instead of brown just to make them sound mysterious. I'll have to start watching for that.

Minna, amen to stupidity!

[Dee Feagin]

Flaws in a character actually make them more appealing to me possibly because I can relate more closely but I cannot appreciate a hero/heroine who allows natural arrogance to descend into cruelty.

[Lyn S]

Not a comment on flaws but on the importance of shiny things. The correct medical condition is ADOS. Attention Deficit, OOOh Shiny. Love your work, please stay away from shiny things. I want more stories.

[LilMissMolly]

I loved Wicked Wyckerly and I'm so happy that Blake is getting his own book.
As far as character flaws go, I enjoy the reformed Rake, but can't stand infidelity. The Rakes who enjoy willing women - albeit not virgins - but want to settle down and enjoy just one woman now aer my favorites.

[Patricia Rice]

LOL, Lyn! That's me, all right. The problem with shiny things...they make rainbows. Sparkly!

Thank you, Miss Molly! I've noticed Rakes are seldom really Rakes unless they're villains in romance, but I suppose there isn't a better name for a boy out having fun. "G"

[Ranurgis]

The other day I had to look up what kind of symptoms Asperger's was when it was mentioned on TV, and here I've forgotten them already.
I always find books with such problems especially touching, but of course, only if the sufferer is dealt with humanely. I know you'll do justice to the afflicted.