From Michelle: I've enjoyed Candice Hern's novels since I read "Just One of Those Flings," the first in her Merry Widows series. Candice's award-winning historicals are lovely and witty, and the Widows are women we'd love to know. Candice's heroes? Well, they're dynamic, and varied, and always very, very masterful. I just love em. So, won't you please offer Candice a delightful TGIF Bella buongiorno...

I confess I have never been able to write a true Alpha Male, which is the core of a Bad Boy. My heroes tend to be Nice Guys. Some of them may be arrogant and controlling, but they generally turn to mush in the heroine's hands.

Anyway, I had this heroine, Grace Marlowe, introduced in the previous Merry Widows books ("Just One of Those Flings" and "In the Thrill of the Night")as the ultimate Good Girl. Prim, proper, respectable. Naturally, I wanted to pair her up with a Bad Boy! So I introduced Lord Rochdale in the previous books as well, hinting at the level of his badness, and inadvertently set up a level of anticipation such as I have never experienced for any previous book. I got boatloads of mail about Rochdale. Everyone was looking forward to seeing the Bad Boy taken down by the Good Girl.

So, now I really had to create a Bad Boy, which I'd never done before. Frankly, in real life I despise true Alpha Men. They're arrogant, domineering pains in the butt. Alpha and Bad is even worse. In romance novels, though, we all love them. But how could I create a hero who, in real life, I would probably hate?

Finally, the only way I could really make it work for me was to turn the Bad Boy into a Conditional Bad Boy. The world thinks him evil, but he has reasons for his behavior. He has issues. And deep down, he's not really so Bad.

Yes, that was a cop out. I should have left him bad to the bone, but I caved. Rochdale is still sexy, I hope, with a cynical edge and an unsavory reputation. But underneath is a decent man just waiting to be coaxed out by the right woman. I hope readers will find Rochdale a worthy hero. Even though he isn't all that bad-ass or kick-ass. I can assure you, though, that he does have a nice tight ass. Maybe that's enough.

So, Bellas, tell me: are you willing to accept a Conditional Bad Boy and give Rochdale a chance? Or will you feel cheated because he isn't really all that bad?
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Encore! Grazie, Monica McCarty for visiting with us yesterday! So looking forward to reading your Skye trilogy ("Highlander Unchained" is out Sept. 25, and books #1 and #2 are out now).
Encore due! Visit Candice and Monica at Fog City Divas!

Posted in: romance novels, authors, candice hern, bad boys, alpha males

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