Where’s the Heroine?

Please welcome guest blogger Sayde Grace

Well in the sub genre that was all the buzz at RWA Nationals in Orlando there is no heroine. To most of us we can’t imagine reading or writing a manuscript without that female lead we all identify with. But there are many authors out there who can’t imagine writing a manuscript with one. So what sub genre am I talking about? Male/Male erotic romance. And how does this pertain to us here at FFnP? Most of the male/male novels that introduce us to this subgenre are paranormal and Scifi. What better way to introduce your writing to this subgenre than by giving those two smoking hot alpha shifters each other.

While I was at RWA Nationals I listened to several authors interested in this subgenre talk about wanting to try to write an m/m manuscript. I was skeptical. I mean, I really enjoy reading a story with a strong heroine and smoking hot alpha hero. But at the same time I wanted to know what it was about this genre that attracted so much attention.

Several editors, epub and print, told me that they have seen a rise in sales for this topic as well. So now I really had to know what it was about m/m that attracted middle age women. And how do we make these men likable enough that we still have some attraction to them even though we know they aren’t interested in us?

The FFnP world is so vast and complicated that we, as writers, can spin our characters in many different directions. To introduce myself to writing the m/m genre I started with a werewolf pack. This angle felt more comfortable to me. Werewolves have an animal inside them that at times can take over and drive their passions higher, more intense. So with a pack leader unhappy with his life and knowing that no matter what female he takes as a mate he will never be happy, this left me open to explore the “Who” will he be happy with.

When I’m writing I like to create my characters based on traits that I find interesting and frustrating. For a pack leader I feel they should be strong physically and mentally, commanding and hard headed. These traits can cause lots of frustration for him and others.

For the pack leader’s mate, whether female or male, I like to give her/him traits almost identical to the leader. Why? Cause can’t you just see the tension? But here I try to add a bit of compassion and understanding. Something that will allow this person to be able to handle the hero.

After I give my characters traits I begin to introduce the plot to them. In this case I’d have my pack leader being forced to pick a mate, but while trying to find one I’ll put him together with my other hero. The chemistry will begin to show between the two and the leader will learn why he is not happy. Now, here is when your plot can open tons of doors. First, the coming out option or not coming out where emotions run high and intense showing us the true character of our hero and other hero. Then in a pack most are concentrating on producing more members, what happens when the pack leader is not going to produce any? And what about the threats of others, would this pack leader still be respected and not have to fight for his position?

And when all is said in done, the emotions between the characters are what drive the story forward. No matter if these characters are having sex in every scene or never have sex, the emotion that flows from them are what pulls us in. Men in general feel things much different than most women. And to the most of us who don’t understand the male emotional way we want to know what they really do feel. With m/m we get to experiment with those options and that is just one element to why the genre is growing. And to be blunt, let’s face it, reading about two gorgeous men is better than reading about one J Like the Double Mint commercial, Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun.

With the FFnP we can go in a million different directions with our characters and introduce them as well as ourselves to worlds and ways of life that we never imagined. Thank you so much to the FFnP and members for letting me release my imagination and all the wickedly delicious things it can come up with!

Thanks so much,

Sayde Grace

A native of South Alabama Sayde Grace was raised among the cotton fields and dirt roads of the south. She has a deep love and appreciation for the rural communities and uses her experiences of small town life in her books. A lifelong story teller, Sayde began writing full time two years ago and has written five full length manuscripts which range from romantic suspense to young adult and even erotica. In each of her five books she uses her experiences in farming, ranching, or rodeoing to make the story setting believable. Growing up in the equine and cattle industry have given her a behind the scenes knowledge of the industry. Sayde is currently enjoying and loving life in beautiful South Alabama with her husband and two young children. She is published with The Wild Rose Press for two novella’s and working on a third.

The Harder They Buck

Raised by parents who don’t believe in affection, Melanie Brantley developed a hard-edged outlook on life…and love. But then along comes a cowboy who makes her blood boil, and not only with anger. A fact that scares the hell out of her. Enough that she seeks solace at Minx, a club that caters to the more carnal pleasures.

After recovering from a bull ride gone wrong, Lance Wright is ready to move forward and he’s set his sights on Melanie. Her temper tells him all he needs to know about the passion he’d find in her bed. The wildcat fights him every step of the way, but she’s in for a surprise. The harder Melanie bucks, the more Lance wants to ride.