Wednesdays With Joanne: "It's the heroine, stupid."

I say that with all due respect and nothing but love in my heart!

Of my two books sold to Five Star-Thomson Gale, while the hero and heroine both figure prominantly (as is requisite in any romance), much of the story falls on the slight but strong shoulders of the heroine. It's up to her to get the romance off the ground and keep it going through every conflict, no matter how black the moment. Of course it takes two! It takes both the hero and the heroine to create the romance "that dreams are made of," with the plot often taking twists and turns made by the hero. I believe, however, that it is the heroine with whom the reader first identifies, first takes note of, and keeps the reader "reading."

In Matchmaker, Matchmaker, the heroine is a young, unwed, Jewish doctor struggling to make a life out west for herself and her ailing father. Five identifiers right away: young, unwed, Jewish, doctor, daughter. In A...My Name's Amelia, the young heroine is unwed, deaf, and trying to make a living in the non-deaf world. Four identifiers here: young, unwed, deaf, strong-willed.

While I can't wait to have the hero and heroine meet, more important is to have the reader first meet the heroine. Will you love to love her, or love to hate her?

Happy Reading & Happy Holidays!

Shalom to all, and to all a good night,

Joanne