To Torture Your Hero, or Not to Torture, That is the Question.

As a writer, I enjoy torturing my main characters.

You might be saying to yourself right now, “Did she just say she enjoys torturing her heroes?” “You betcha,” I answer.  Of course, I do not mean torture in the physical sense.  I’m referring to what Dictionary.com defines as — “to give mental anguish to”.

In every romance novel, the hero and heroine must each have a goal, motivation and conflict (GMC).  In the romance genre, there are both internal and external GMC. What I’m referring to is the “internal” world of the characters; their internal motivation and conflict.  This is the emotional aspect of the characters, and it involves the development of the romantic relationship between the hero and heroine.  If the main characters have no internal conflict, i. e., emotional baggage to contend with, there is no challenge to the romance, and thus a shallow story.

The basic premise of a solid love story is: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back.  Without the conflict of the boy losing the girl, and his motivation to win her back, he has no goal.  The story would instead be reduced down to simply: boy meets girl, boy wins girl. Who cares to read such a shallow story?

So, in order for main characters to have an emotionally satisfying happily ever after, character growth or change must occur.  In my opinion, the more emotionally tortured the main characters are, the more difficult it is for growth to occur within them.  But when they overcome that, and their change finally does happen, the resolution of their romantic conflict feels so much more emotionally satisfying.

Okay, I emotionally torture my hero and heroine.  What does this say about me as a person?  Am I a warped individual for taking pride in doing this?  Am I sick for giving them tormented pasts, be it from the death of a loved one, an act of betrayal, a traumatic accident, or some sort of abuse? I think not.   Actually, in real life, I consider myself to be a compassionate and caring person.  One who empathizes with people less fortunate.  But this is fiction.

I hear some authors say, “Oh, I don’t like to inflict harm on my characters…I’m too emotionally invested in them.”  And I totally understand that viewpoint because as a writer, once you’ve lived and breathed, cared for and nurtured your main characters for many months, they become very real to you, and you love them.  And in real life, no one enjoys inflicting pain on the people they love, unless they’re a sociopath.  But fictional characters are not real.  So as a writer, we do what is necessary to create great conflict and characters.  We might even relish in giving our characters painful pasts, which lead to deep-seeded fears and weaknesses.  And we do it because we know they will ultimately overcome these things.  They must, in order to achieve a happily ever after.

For example, in the following scene in Vow of Deception, King Edward has sent Rand to Ayleston Castle to escort Rose to court so she can marry one of Edward’s knights.  But Rand has been sworn to silence regarding the reason for his task.  In this scene, I reveal a hint of the  emotional scars Rose and Rand carry, which each must come to terms with in the course of the story to achieve their happily ever after.:

Rose jerked awake.  Panic beat like the wings of a bird inside her chest.  Her mouth was open, a scream deep in the back of her throat.  But no sound escaped.  It wasn’t that she could not scream, but she knew better than to voice her discontent.

Rose blinked, but the solid blanket of darkness surrounding her did not lessen.  She crawled across the soft mattress, gripped the velvet bed curtain, and yanked it aside.  A glimmer of moonlight from her open shutters illuminated the disheveled sheets and coverlet of her canopy bed.  Her medical books were on her table too.

A sigh of relief escaped her.

It was only a nightmare.  She was safe in her own bed.  Alone.  Taking deep breaths, she willed her fear to recede.  With her husband dead nigh onto three years, her degradation and humiliation at his hands was a thing of the past.  But deep inside, she knew she would never be the innocent, naïve, happy young woman she was when she married Bertram.  Her heart was a hard cold lump—she was a frigid woman who despised a man’s touch. . . . . . . . . .

An instinctual sensation tugged at her soul, drawing her into the adjoining chamber.  A small bed, a chest, and a stool were the only furniture in the room.  No one could enter her son’s chamber unless first coming through her bedchamber.  Next to the small bed in the corner, Jason’s nurse and fierce protector lay curled up on a pallet snoring loudly.  Rose quietly approached the foot of the bed and stared down at her sweet, innocent son.  He lay on his side facing her, with his thumb stuck in his pursed lips and his other dimpled hand clutching a curly lock of light blond hair.

Her heart seized with love, and she could not keep a huge smile from forming on her lips.  It was a side of herself she revealed to only a few people.  Though she adored her son, she took care never to indulge in sentimental excess.  She controlled her inappropriate passions behind a stoic manner befitting a widow.

Jason’s cherub lips drew down, and he kicked off his quilt.   Rose pulled it back up under his chin, kissed his warm temple.  She trembled with a sudden urge to grab her son and escape into the night.  But her maternal instinct was stronger.  Jason would be the one to suffer—loss of his inheritance, his title, and all the privileges it accompanied.

Did she have the right to steal it from him because of her fears, her insecurities, her cowardice?

Rose started at a loud bang that echoed from her chamber.  She left Jason and went in the other room.  The door rattled on its hinges.  The sound of a deep voice, a soft giggle drew her curiosity.  Rose opened the chamber door and peeked out.

Near a lit torch, Rand trapped Lisbeth up against the wall, his face pillowed between her indecently exposed plump breasts.  The maid’s hose-clad thigh curled around Rand’s hip like a coiled serpent, pulling him flush against her, seeking to devour him inside her.

Rose inhaled sharply in surprise.  A quiver of repulsion raced through her.  The man was an incorrigible lecher.  As far as she knew, Lady Elena was his current mistress, or was when Rose was at court a couple of months ago.  Apparently not content with Elena, Rand had to debauch Rose’s castle servants too.

Rand glanced up just then, and stared, gaze glittering.  He winked at her, a wolfish grin on his face.  Flashing him a look of contempt, Rose pulled back and slammed the door shut.

Her gaze blurred as she stared at the oaken door.  She regretted ever . . .  Rose shook her head.  The past was unalterable; she could only learn from her mistakes and never repeat them.  Not that she had any desire to repeat them.  Rubbing her arms, she turned and stared at her rumpled bed.

She should get some more rest before the long trip on the morrow.  But she could not bear the separation from Jason, so she went to his chamber, crawled into bed beside him, and wrapped her arms around his sweet-smelling form.

***

When the oaken door to Rose’s chamber slammed shut, Rand jerked.  His vision blurred with too much drink, yet the fog of desire dissipated with the rapidity born of . . . what?   Shame?  Embarrassment?  Certainly not, Rand assured himself.  A man had a right to indulge his baser instincts when a comely maid showed an interest in his manly attributes.

Yet, his rock-hard shaft shriveled beneath his braies.

Lisbeth reached out and palmed him with her hand, with dismal results.  Rand drew back and patted her derriere, winking.  “Too much drink, sweet.”

Lisbeth huffed and, tugging up her bodice, she flounced away and down the stairwell.

He refused to acknowledge the real culprit of his shrunken cock: guilt.  It niggled at the edges of his drink-induced haze as he recalled the fiery determination that sparked in Rose’s gaze when she’d declared her aversion to marrying again.  It’d been nigh on four years since he’d beheld such passion blazing in her eyes, albeit for a different purpose altogether.

It was a clear indication of the fear she bore, and he was leading her down the path of her affliction without any warning.  But there was naught he could do to change the outcome.  Rand groaned and leaned his forehead against his forearm, which he braced against the rough wall.  He was torn between the duty he owed his king, and the loyalty he owed Rose for their past friendship and what they’d once meant to each other.

He could offer for her instead—the thought slipped unbidden from the recesses of his sluggish mind.   Rand jerked back and stared at the flickering torch. Jesu.  He must have drunk more than he thought.  Rose would abhor marrying him as much as anyone else.  Probably even more so considering the heated parting they’d had several years ago, which she pretended never occurred.

Even if Rose would agree to marry Rand, he’d never inflict himself upon the lady he admired above all others.  She deserved a man who was not haunted by the demons of his past failures.

As he stared at the torch flame, images flashed before his eyes.  His body jolted as he felt the burning beam fall on his back, felt the searing pain scorch his skin.  Trapped, he stared wide-eyed in horror as his mother ran, flames engulfing her.  The stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils, while his mother’s agonized screams echoed in his ears, damning him.

God, would the nightmare never cease.  He jammed the heels of his hands painfully into his eyes to dispel the grotesque image of his mother’s charred body.  But he could never escape the guilt he lived with every day, for it was his fault that she had died in the stable fire.

His sister was dead, too, because he’d let her drown to save himself.

Rand had even failed to protect Alex from being abducted in the Holy Land after they’d sworn an oath to protect each other as comrades in arms.

Anyone he loved was cursed to suffer abominably.  For that reason, he could never marry Rose and risk growing emotionally attached to her.

Golan was not an ogre.  Rand was sure once Rose married Golan she would come to see there were good men who would not wield their superior strength as a weapon over their wives.

Rand stumbled to his bedchamber door, shoved it open, and collapsed onto the bed fully dressed.  Unable to sleep, he stared unseeing up at the canopy.

***

In summary, all of what I have stated above does not mean I only believe in stories with a deep, dark conflict, or that they are necessarily superior to the more lighthearted and funny romance stories that are often popular.  I enjoy reading these kinds of stories too.  But for some reason, I tend to respond and connect to a good, dramatic tear-jerker more often. I suppose it all comes down to your mood at the time of selection. Do you want to read a romance novel that makes you laugh, or makes you cry?  If you’re lucky, perhaps you’ll get a satisfying dose of both.

Giveaway Alert!  Two winners. First prize: an autograph copy of Vow of Seduction and Vow of Deception.

Second prize: autographed copy of Vow of Deception.

48 Replies to “Hero: To Torture or Not to Torture”

  1. I like a mixture of both. Your book looks great. I love that they both have a past as well as other circumstances which will stop them from coming together. I want to feel the emotions of the charcaters whether they are happy or sad. I feel like the excerpt gave a great introduction on how reluctant Rose is to show any emotions never mind marrying someone else and how Rand’s past will keep him from forming a true love relationship even if he has some desire to start a relationship with Rose.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

  2. Congrats on the new release, Angela. I loved your debut. I’ve read books that have made me laugh and cry. It’s always nice when a book can be entertaining and also move you.

  3. I suppose I have different times when I want to laugh or when I want to cry. Most often I want to Laugh. It’s much easier to make me laugh. A book that can do both is Golden.

  4. I don’t mind whether I laugh or cry but I like both (crying is bound to happen if I’m invested in the characters enough…I’m predisposed to weeping LOL)

  5. I like both types of books and it really depends on my mood which I want to read at the time.

  6. I loved this glimpse of the story! Both Rand and Rose have some horrible demons nipping at their backs. I love to watch stories like this unravel. It is nice when you can both cry and laugh in a book.

  7. I love your books and after reading this I think I have a better understanding of why and I just hadn’t realized it.

    I agree that the conflict is vital to the story. I’ve been married for over 40 years and our relationship wouldn’t be as strong as it is if you hadn’t had conflict and resolution.

    I never thought before on how many levels I think about when reading but I think that when reading romance the interuptation can be come personalized to the individual reader’s background and the conflicts and relationships in their own lives.

  8. I’d rather laugh. As it is there’s too much sadness in the world.
    I like the tortured hero and heroine. Everyone comes with baggage. Makes for interesting characters.
    Angela, I can’t wait to read VOW. And the guy on the cover? YUMMY. This is my first stop on your blog tour. I’ll be following along. 🙂

  9. I think if the H/H are tortured, it make the book so much more interesting(even though it makes me cry). Congrats, on the book release. I can’t wait to read it.

  10. I agree some conflict helps the story. Also agree that mood often influences what book I pick up — sometimes a good emotional read hits the spot, other times just want to laugh out loud or go on a wild adventure. Congrats on the new release.

  11. I like when its a good mixture of both and I get those butterflies in the pit of my stomach but if I’m in the mood I love a good tortured hero and heroine… but then I usually have to read a light hearted book after.

    ps… I don’t know how I missed Vow of Seduction… must read it! Then I’m reading Vow of Deception… just gonna keep adding to my TBR pile!

  12. I like a mixture of both. I do like some humor put into my books, especially when it is unexpected. A tortured hero though, when done well, can be amazing. My only problem with them, and what makes me shy away when people refer to the hero as “tortured,” is that sometimes it is so overdone that you just can’t see how they can get over it. To tortured hero’s can be good.

    What I hate the most is the “big misunderstanding” in romances, when they are drawn out for 3/4 of the book! That, plus tortured hero’s are always the most difficult to read. They just usually end up being depressing.

    I will definitely be putting Vow of Seduction and Vow of Deception in my TBR pile!

  13. Loved the excerpt and the trailer. I like some angst in my reading. Preferably I do like to laugh and cry but if it’s one or the other, I prefer to shed a tear or two.

  14. I like a mixture of both. A story that takes me through a range of emotions is one that I will remember a long time. Love the cover to your book.

  15. Wow, Angela, your excerpts are riveting! Loved Vow of Seduction ! In fact the bookmark for it is on my desk as inspiration because lets face it THAT BODY IS HAWT !!

    Can’t wait to read Vow of Deception ! Winning it would be nice!

    And I have to say I DO love a tortured hero.

  16. I do love tortured heroes in a big way, and I am not a real fan of these light-hearted, knee slappers romances. But I do like to read the occasion one. All the best for your release!

  17. I adore that cover….oh boy!!!

    I love books that make me laugh and I really enjoy books that make me cry…those are usually keepers.

    Valerie
    in Germany

  18. Hello, ladies. Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I’ve read all the lovely comments. I shall try to catch up and respond to each.

    Stephanie M, I’m glad you liked the excerpt. Rand IS extemely conflicted. When I read a romance, I too want to feel their pain and struggles. Hopefully I have appealed to the readers emotions, whether through laughter or tears.

    Jane, thanks for your congrats. I’m so happy you loved my debut.

    Kandace. I totally agree. It’s much harder for a story to make me cry. I love it when a story tugs at my heart, and the triumph of love prevails over all.

    Blanche, Maureen, Jen Geary. I love it too when a story makes me laugh and cry.

    Cathy Phillips. I loved your phrase, “demons nipping at their backs.” That exactly sums up Rand’s and Rose’s conflicts.

  19. Carol L. Thanks for the congrats. That is the key for most authors, to have readers so emotionally invested in the characters, the reader feels as if they are the hero or heroine.

    Jeanne Miro, that’s so awesome that you’ve been married for over 4o years. I truly relate to what you are saying. The harder we struggle in our own lives, the more we can empathize with the stories with the darker character conflicts.

    Mel K. There is much sadness in the world. That’s what I love about the triumph of the human spirit. There is much love in the world too. Thanks for following my blog tour. The next date is Thurs. 11. Check it out here: http://angelajohnsonauthor.com/news.html

  20. I do love the tortured hero especially, but I also enjoy humor in a story. If it can be combined in a way that makes sense, so much the better. And of course, all that torturing makes the happy ending so much sweeter.

    I enjoyed the excerpt and I’m looking forward to reading Vow of Deception.

  21. Sherry T. Thanks for your congrats.

    Donna Ann. I read whatever my mood strikes me too. Laughter is food for the soul. I think that’s why many people fall in love with the person who makes them laugh.

    Marjana Kaly. It’s strange, but for me it’s much more difficult to write humor as oppossed to sad scenes in my stories. I tend to write situational humor when I do, which you will find some of in VOW OF SEDUCTION.

    Jamie M. I love getting butterflies in the pit of my stomach too. It’s good to have variety. I hope that TBR pile does not topple over. LOL.

  22. I prefer novels which make me laugh. You know, one of those laughs which is unexpected and bursting…usually done on a bus or subway car?!?!

    Plus, when I cry, I’m a hot mess….

  23. Hi Angela,

    I’m home from work but late for the party I see. Although, I hope not too late. Love your excerpt!

    I’m partial to the emotionally tortured hero. I love a LOT of emotion in my books (and tension and heat). I do like a bit of dry humour laced in there though because I do love to laugh.

    Congrats on the release of Vow of Deception and I wish many printings for you. 😀

  24. Amanda G. I definitely do not try to write “depressing” stories. LOL. But the satisfiction I feel after reading one of these stories about characters who overcome their haunted pasts is well worth the dark moments. I hope you enjoy Vow of Seduction and Vow of Deception.

    catslady, thanks so much for your compliments. If I had to choose between the two, I prefer to shed a tear or two also.

    Rebekah E. Thanks for the cover love. I’m so lucky.

    Julie. Exactly, it’s all about those emotional connections. That’s why we love reading romance.

  25. For me it depends on my state of mind and the vagary that lies within. I always like a hero with wit even it tends to be a bit on the dark side.

  26. mrsshakura. The ones I remember the most, like Julia London’s Ruthless Charmer, are the romances that made it difficult to read because tears blurred my vision. I experienced the characters pain and disillusion, and ultimately, the happily ever after. Sigh.

    ChrystalGB. Thanks very much. Yes, a full range of emotions, sadness, happiness, frustration, contempt, disgust, disbelieve, etc. But ultimately, an overwheming feeling of love, that this man was made for this woman and no other.

    LouisaCornell.That’s awesome that you have my bookmark on your desk for inspiration. The model is super HAWT. So glad you liked my debut book too.

    Karyn, thanks for your good wishes. I checked out your blog. Love it.

  27. Valerie, hello in Germany. Those that make me cryh are my keepes too. I’m glad you adore the cover. I think Kensington covers are very sexy.

    Estella, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

    Barbara Ellness. I agree, humor must be combined in way that makes since. It’s much more difficult to do so in stories like Rand and Rose’s, because it deals with paternal and spousal abuse. In the final scenes we see a more lighthearted, humorous side of the characters, because of their emotional growth, though it’s not the only place you’ll find humor in the book.

    Chelsea B. Happy tears, yes, but hopefully you shed a few sad tears too, especially when it feels as if all is lost. Otherwise, I don’t feel as if I’ve done my job. 😉

  28. Sometimes I really appreciate some levity in an otherwise emotionally heavy story. In Lisa Kleypas’ “Love in the Afternoon” the other family members provide the comic relief in a story about post-traumatic stress disorder. That way, it’s not jarring because I sure don’t expect humor from the afflicted characters.

    Your book covers are great!

  29. I like a little laughter….I don’t really cry when I read books, but I do like a troubled relationship – it is always interesting to see how the author has the h/h resolve their conflicts or overcome the challenges in their life.

  30. Congrats on the release. I do enjoy both types of heroes. A little torture is good for the soul.

  31. Tracey D. How funny. Though in my neck of the woods, we don’t have subways, and not many people ride the bus. We tend to read in doctor’s offices or hair salons. LOL.

    Bev, it’s never too late to party. Thanks for the congrats. So glad you liked the excerpt. I love lots of sexual tension and heat too. Regarding humor, love Virgina Henley’s use of double entendres in her romances. I like dry humor, and tongue in cheek humor also.

    Camille. Can’t say I’m predisposed to weeping, but many a time I get choked up reading or watching a compelling romance.

  32. Kathleen, the vagaries of the mind are very mysterious. LOL. Thanks for your comments.

    Stephania. For me, that is one of the reasons why I love writing romance; I want the reader to feel what the H/h feels, to experience the H/h emotional growth, which in turn, allows H/h to overcome their challenges and conflicts.

    Debra G. Torture, laughter, they’re both good for the soul. 😉 Thanks for your congrats.

  33. Tortured heroes and heroines make a story that much more interesting for me. It is easier for me to care about someone who has been dealt a difficult and unfair blow in life than some cute dandy or miss who has not had to deal with anything more difficult than which party to attend or which dress to wear. With tortured souls, there is so much room for healing and growth. It makes it worth my while to invest my time and emotions in their hurt and growth.

    Thank you for an interesting post and the giveaway.

  34. Librarypat, you summed it up so beautifully about “the healing and growth” needed of characters with difficult pasts. Thanks for reading the post.

    Thank you everyone for your thoughtful and insightful comments. It was fun. Good night.

    Angela

  35. I love the tortured heros. I also love to read books that make me laugh but also love them when they make me cry, it just all depends on the mood I am in as to what I want to read.

  36. I so love a tortured hero, always have. Your book sounds mighty interesting. Books (fiction) don’t make me cry or change my mood but I will sometimes feel very protective of the hero if I feel he’s very wounded emotionally.

  37. I like to read all kinds of books and some make me laugh and some make me cry. Enjoyed reading your comments.
    The Vows books sound really good.

  38. Congrats on your new book. I also love books that can make you cry and laugh and get your emotions going. Love your book covers.

  39. Angela, I can see all the angst reading that excerpt. I love stories like this with lots of emotions and depth, baggage to overcome. Yet I also like those that are just light and fun, with witty dialog and bantering. All depends on my mood, and I do like to mix it up, I go back and forth between the two types.

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