Today, guest blogging is the Kris Kennedy the 2008 Golden Heart winning author of The Irish Warrior (aka Wanting Finian). Please extend a warm welcome to Kris. 🙂
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LOVING IS INTELLIGENT
Being a romance writer, I think a lot about unions, and the romance novel’s exploration of the concept and practice of union between two people. Being a word nerd, I began exploring this notion of ‘union,’ and what it means, and I came to the idea of ‘attunement.’ I was quite taken with it. See what you think.
Attuned means we can ‘read’ each other, and respond. And those are, of course, two of the essential components of intelligence, be it emotional, kinesthetic, or intellectual intelligence: the ability to notice what’s happening in the ‘world’ around us, synthesize that information, and change adaptively in response.
When we are in ‘union’ with another person, we are attuned to each other, and that means we flex for him or her. We sense the other and shift in response.
Of course, one could use this ‘intelligence’ for nefarious purposes, and sometimes our heroes even do—for awhile–but that’s before they get ‘in union’ with the heroine. Once that’s done, once the romance hero is attuned, that barn door is shut, and there’s no going back. He can’t ever not be attuned to the heroine again.
Oh, he might try. He might insist to the world, to himself, that nothing is different. But everything is different. He’s never going back to The Way Things Were, no matter how much he might want to. We could almost pity him, poor guy.
This kind of intelligent union is not compromise so much as a dance, or like music. We move for and with each other, creating something greater than the sum of the parts. In the romance novel, of course, this delightfulness comes only after a suitably long period–or at least a suitably emotionally-packed period–-of darkness, discord, and incompatibility. Utter inflexibility. The converse of intelligence.
When we connect at this deep, ‘sensing’ level, when we notice new things and learn from them, when we adapt in response, we are exhibiting the very essence of intelligence. When we write about characters doing this, we are writing about emotionally intelligent characters.
Who are some great heroes you love from romance novels? Why do they grab you?
I forward the thesis that often, at their core, when the barn door is shut and the romance hero is in the dark (metaphorically), he does the intelligent thing: he flexes for the heroine.
And heroines? Surely they do this as well.
In fact, I believe women are primed for this sort of core intelligence, socially and biologically. But in modern day romances, even those set in historical eras, I think we often see heroines acting from the other end of the intelligent continuum, where they witness the hero’s need, but do what is right for themselves. And you know, after millennia with things going the other direction, maybe that’s the intelligent thing to do.
And our heroes love them for it. Which is, of course, is a very intelligent thing to do. 🙂
In my May ‘09 release, THE CONQUEROR a reluctant hero has to readjust every notion he’s ever held about himself, his family, the essence of revenge and ownership, and the power of making a choice: in short, the belief structure his entire world has rested upon. And he does it for a single reason: the heroine.
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In my upcoming June release, THE IRISH WARRIOR another smart, sexy alpha hero has a choice between rising higher than he’s ever dreamed possible, erasing decades of shame and regret, or throwing it all away for a woman. Which do you think he chooses?
What about you? What heroes do you love, and why?
I love your explanation of “union”–we’re attuned to each other. Just the idea is so incredibly romantic, isn’t it? We’re built to flex for the right person and somehow our hearts and our minds and our souls know it. I may have too many heroes to choose, but I love the ones who are so sure of what they know, what they believe and the heroine turns everything about that on its head. One such hero who comes to mind is from a classic by Meagan McKinney called Lions and Lace. Trevor Sheridan is exactly that kind of hero.
I loved The Conqueror and can’t wait for The Irish Warrior!
Have a great day!
Bryn
I love so many different types of heroes from the bad boy to the by-the-book law officer (in contemporaries that is:). Every time I think, oh I don’t like a hero who is say a virgin, then I find an author who has written a great hero who is a virgin (recent Eloisa James). I think a lot of it has to do with the author and the story.
Looking forward to The Irish Warrior (I’m a sucker for a warrior hero:)
Sarah~
I am EXACTLY the same way. I often think, “Oh, I don’t really like this kind of story,” then I stumble across one that blows that belief out of the water. LOL And you’re right: so much of it is in the execution. A great writer can pull almost anything off.
I hope you love The Irish Warrior–definitely let me know!
Brynna~
Thank-you so much! I’m so happy you loved The Conqueror; hearing that made my morning, and that took some doing, as it’s been a hectic one. 🙂 If you’re not on my newsletter mailing list, let me know and I can sign you up!
I love this idea too, of being attuned and flexible. Like you said, it’s so inherently romantic! Perfect for a romance novel.
Kris,
I love the brooding hero. The guy with the dry, wry wit. I adore St. Vincent from Lisa Kleypas’s Devil in Winter. I love heroes like him because we know we will see them grow and change over the course of the book. I love that metamorphosis. To me that’s what makes them so interesting and human and well-rounded. Heroes who are too perfect annoy me because while I’m reading I’m just thinking, NO ONE is like that. NO ONE is that nice. NO ONE is that giving (or very few people would give the shirt off their back for a stranger). Perhaps that cynic in me, but I need to see human frailties in my characters (heroines included).
Definitely looking forward to The Irish Warrior. That excerpt on the site has had me hooked since last year. 🙂
Oh, what a lovely concept! I’ll be pondering it in relation to my favorite books all day. 🙂
I too loved The Conqueror, Kris, and I’m not even a fan of Medievals generally. I look forward to The Irish Warrior.
The most recent additions to my list of favorite heroes are Eloisa James’s Villiers, Tessa Dare’s Sir Toby Aldridge, and Nora Roberts’s Carter Maguire–all very different from one another but such sigh-worthy heroes.
Bev~
Oh, yes, a dry, wry wit is so alluring! I think b/c it communicates great intelligence, but also a sense of perspective (as all humor does).
I agree about perfect characters. Rather boring, to read AND to write.
I also don’t really appreciate when flaws are set up as strengths right from the start, so everyone but the h/h see the ‘flaw’ as a quirky personality thing, rather than a true problem. Or when the flaw is incidental, peripheral to the story and character arcs.
I agree that problems/flaws (& all the associated baggage) are most compelling when they’re fundamental to the character, when they actually cause problems, and when they are 100% in the way of achieving happiness. That’s when it gets fun! 🙂
And I love that you love the excerpt of The Irish Warrior so much. That’s a lotta love. 😉 You should see what comes *after* the excerpt ends . . . .
Janga~
Isn’t that the best, when you can love all sorts of different characters equally, for different reasons? That’s great writing. And honestly, great reading, to be so open. I love willing readers. 😉 Do you have a sense of what commonality runs through all those heroes, at their core, for you?
Hearing that you loved The Conqueror, when medievals aren’t really your ‘thing’, makes my day. I hope The Irish Warrior gives you a remarkable hero to love as well.
Oh, and btw, I saw your Christmas stories blog last week, and ordered the Margaret Wise Brown one that night. It was a bit pricey, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
Hi,
I love the either the rakish hero or the hero who has been hurt/has a tragic background. There is something about those two hero’s that make me not want to put the book down. I’m not sure if it’s my natural attraction to those bad boys or tragic males, but i love them. ^^ It makes it even more exciting when the girl is a head strong/intelligent woman and it takes awhile for her to semi-tame ~o^ or help the guy. Some of my favorite hero’s are Bit Carroway from “England’s Perfect Hero”, Nick Montrose from “The Seduction of Sara”, and Anthony Brigerton from “The Viscount who loved me”. ^^
I read The Conqueror and really liked it. I liked the way you write and added your name to my list of authors to keep reading. Can’t wait to read The Irish Warrior.
Melissa~
I’m all into the tortured hero too. LOL For me, I think it’s b/c (in fiction), they get so driven as a result, and I really like driven heroes. Men who are ferociously intent on something. Super sexy. And then when they change and grow for the heroine . . . super romantic. 🙂
And thanks for hero suggestions–I don’t know them all, & I’m *really* glad to have some recommendations based on type of hero. Very cool!
JOYE~
Wow! Thanks for saying Hi, and I’m so glad you liked THE CONQUEROR. Very honored to be on your list of authors to be read! 🙂 June 2010 is just around the corner . . . sorta. LOL
Let me know if you’d like me to pop your name on my newsletter.
I usually enjoy the hero that fights love all the way.
THE CONQUEROR is on the top of my TBR pile. I’ve read the blurb and the excerpt for THE IRISH WARRIOR and it looks like another book I’ll have to get. Keep up the good writing.
Loved The Conquerer, so of course, The Irish Warrior is a must read…and talk about hot cover. geesh!
I have The Conquerer so The Irish Warrior is something I am going to have to have!
Debra G~
I’m with you–the harder they come . . . 🙂 Focused, confident, self-determined heroes rock.
Thanks for saying Hi!
LibraryPat~
I have to say, that is an exciting feeling, to know TC is at the top of a TBR pile. Truly. I picture it tottering there, hopefully holding fabulous storytelling adventures for the reader. Thanks for letting me know!
And I’m very glad THE IRISH WARRIOR sounds like a good one too. That was a blast to write, even the hard parts, and oy, were there many. 🙂
And I can say this now: I just sold 2 books to a new publisher, and one is a loose sequel to THE CONQUEROR. I’m working on it now. Hope it pleases!
Definitely let me know what you think of THE CONQUEROR and THE IRISH WARRIOR, Pat.
Kathleen~
LOL – I *know*! The cover is amazing. I can’t claim any of the goodness, of course–it was all Kensington’s Art Dept, but wow. When I saw it for the first time. I just started grinning. 🙂 Thanks for saying so.
QuiltLady~
Yay! You’ve made me so happy. Thanks so much!
And . . . should your blog name be at all indicative of an enjoyment of quilting and perhaps fabrics and related . . . there’s no quilting in THE IRISH WARRIOR, but there is a dyeing subplot. The actual act of dye-making doesn’t take up much of the story at all, but it’s relevant to the larger plot, and the heroine is a wool merchant. Yes, I know. Whoa, stop the sexy, right? But it’s actually a *super* sexy story, adventurous and hopefully a lot of FUN.
Let me know what you think!
So sorry I missed your day here, Kris!!! This H1N1 is no fun.
I love your explanation of the intelligence of romance. It’s so true. And I’m it’s why I love your characters so much!
Take care, and I hope your little one is romping soon!
Well, there he is…my man…The Conqueror! One of my very favorite covers of all time! I love heroes who are gruff with a tender heart. Masculine, not macho. Not perfect, but strong and intelligent. Must have kindness & humor.