Anna Marcus, the heroine of my book Seduced for the Inheritance is a tough cookie. She’s dealing with the fallout of divorce and bankruptcy, and is freshly bereaved. Then she runs into my arrogant, demanding (and of course, irresistible) hero. Anna has just unexpectedly inherited her childhood home, a tiny cottage in the middle of the huge Paradiso estate. When estate-owner Naldo de Leon tries to buy back what he sees as an integral part of his own domain, does she hand it over with a whimper and run away? 
Heck no. She’s constitutionally incapable of doing that. In fact, the more he tries to rush her and goad her into selling, the harder she fights back. She’s as stubborn, proud and insistent as Naldo…something he slowly, but surely, comes to appreciate and admire.
Anna is an ‘alpha female’ who can’t be pushed around, even by the most determined ‘alpha male.’
I enjoy writing the kind of strong heroines who stand up for their beliefs and their rights, even when that makes life more difficult for them. Perhaps I enjoy living vicariously through them. In real life I dislike conflict and will sometimes let an annoyance slide to avoid a confrontation. It’s fun to write about a woman who doesn’t mind taking the heat.
Most readers like a romance heroine to be someone they can identify with, and who they’d like to be friends with. Over the years, I think heroines have changed to reflect our changing society. These days, most of us have demanding careers and busy family lives, and can readily identify with strong women who work hard for what they want and won’t stand for being pushed around.
In a story with a strong alpha male hero, I especially enjoy seeing him matched with a woman who won’t let him steamroll over her. It makes for a lot of spark and passion, and I can picture them living happily ever after as equal partners who keep each other on their toes.
At Book Expo America this summer, I was signing copies of my debut book The Boss’s Demand, when a silver-haired lady walked up to the counter, peered at my cover, then collared me: “Does she have any backbone?” I explained that indeed she did. She went on to tell me she could only read books with strong heroines. When pressed, her friend admitted that she preferred sweet, gentle heroines.
Do you like alpha females? Or do you prefer a softer, more yielding heroine? Who are some of your favorite romance heroines, and what makes you like them so much?
Everyone who enters my contest today will be entered to win a copy of Seduced for the Inheritance . If you already have the book (a quality to be admired!) you will win a copy of my July book The Boss’s Demand. If you already own that too, then I dearly love you and I will give you something else.
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