The Reading Fish: Defy: Blog Tour- Guest Post

Hey Everyone!

Today on The Reading Fish we have Raine Thomas! She is the amazing author of the Becoming trilogy as well as the upcoming Firstborn Trilogy! Today she is here for her blog tour for Defy, the first book in the Firstborn Trilogy.

Swoon-Worthy Male Characters

Thanks so much for having me on The Reading Fish, Ishita! It’s such a delight to be here.

You know, I waffled a bit when deciding on a guest post topic. There are so many options, after all! With Defy’s release being at the forefront of my mind, though, it didn’t take long for me to settle on a topic I could really, ahem, sink my teeth into.

The swoon-worthy male lead.

This is a surprisingly polarizing subject, however. It never ceases to amaze me how much one reader’s taste differs from another when it comes to what appeals in a male lead. Do you want a guy who opens doors for the woman he loves, or a guy who closes them in her face so she learns to open them for herself? Maybe something in between?

I knew when I started writing the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy that each of the male leads in the books would have different personalities. No two people are alike, after all! What continues to intrigue me as readers reach out to me about the books, though, is how equally split they are between Gabriel, James and Caleb.

Gabriel is every bit the southern gentleman. He’s funny, charismatic, polite and romantic. He’s also seriously protective. Push him too far or mess with the girl he loves, and you’ll have one heck of a fight on your hands.

James, on the other hand, is the studious one. At the core, he’s an eager learner. He’s intelligent, thoughtful, insightful, patient and kind. When he falls in love, it’s the real deal. While not a fighter by nature, he’s trained to defend and will do so whenever necessary.

Then there’s Caleb. Where Gabriel and James are confident in their feelings, Caleb is far from it. He’s sullen, assessing, abrupt and unbending…well, until he meets Skye. What many readers enjoy about him is his transformation once he finally acknowledges the difference she’s made on him.

I considered the feedback I received from my readers when I started the character sketches for the Firstborn trilogy. Two of the male leads are characters who made their initial appearances in the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy. Zachariah isn’t one of them.

The male lead in Defy is what many readers would consider an “alpha male.” He’s strong, stubborn, cantankerous and, well, a bad boy. But I think that really just makes the evolution of his relationship with the heroine, Tate, that much more complex and compelling. As always, it will be up to my readers to tell me whether I’m right about that. And I can’t wait to get their feedback!

Just like in real life, fictional male leads run the gamut in terms of personality and appearance. To maintain interest, it’s important that a writer use variety when developing characters. In the end, though, it’s up to the reader to decide whether a male lead makes her swoon!

I’ll leave you with a brief excerpt from Defy that gives some insight into Zachariah’s character. I hope you enjoy it!

“Zachariah repacked his satchel after eating a light meal. Though it was still afternoon, the cave where he had chosen to make his home for a few days was completely dark. That didn’t bother him. His life over the past five decades had been largely spent in the dark.

He rarely stayed anywhere longer than a few days at a time. The longer he remained in a location, the more he risked discovery. The Waresti continually patrolled the mainland, so the only way to avoid them was to keep moving. It was another way of life to which he had become accustomed.

As he secured the ties to his satchel, his mind turned again to the tracks he found several days ago. They had rested at a crossroads, going in the opposite direction he intended to travel. With what he told himself was idle curiosity, he had registered that there were at least thirty unique footprints.

Most of the prints were large and heavy-footed, indicating they had been made by males. But one set was small and made by someone light of weight. Probably a female.

None of his business, he thought then and reminded himself now.

Still, he couldn’t prevent himself from reflecting again on Luvania’s tortured form, remembering how frail she had felt in his arms as he carried her to the platform. She had been sorely abused. But there was no knowing how long ago those footsteps had been made, he told himself once again, or that they were made by the same males who had done those despicable things to her. There was nothing more he could do for her now in any case.

He had made the right decision to continue in the direction he intended, ending up in this cave. And that was that.”

Raine Thomas is the author of a bestselling series of YA fantasy romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the upcoming Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.