As a romantic suspense author, I’ve heard and read complaints that romance authors create unrealistic expectations in our heroes. I beg to differ. My female and male heroes very much reflect my experiences in real life. They reflect people I know and love, including my husband. In fact, my perfect hero is much like the people in your everyday life, in all of our lives, struggling to be better and sometimes actually being their best selves. Keeping that in mind, here is my list of 4 perfect hero attributes. Funny–Have a good sense of humor or at least don’t take themselves so seriously. Though I’ve read and enjoyed books in which the blank-faced hero has no sense of humor, I’m a sucker for a funny and light-hearted hero or even a dry and witty hero. My husband has a very dry and witty sense of humor. He delivers his jokes straight, so there is often a processing pause to register the joke and then the burst of uncontrolled laughter. In the second novel of my Black Ops Confidential series, THE PRICE OF GRACE, there is a lot of tension and suspense, but also humor. Starting with Gracie when she’s hidden…

Justice and Sandesh are heroes who fight for what’s right, but what can readers do to help champion justice in their own communities? I’m lucky enough to have wonderful people in my life who are active in volunteering in the community. I’d like to share some of the ways these people, and I myself, have contributed to justice and caring within our communities. Make care kits for the homeless-This is probably something more suited to people who live in or around big cities but recognizing the needs of our homeless not only helps restore their dignity, but it replenishes our humanity. Giving credit where credit is due, this idea was not suggested, but demonstrated to me by a couple of dear people in my life. Last year while visiting NYC with my friends, one of our group, author Margaret Reyes-Dempsey, handed out care packages that she’d put together for homeless people. She purchased needed supplies, including hand wipes and socks. She carried these care packages in a backpack distributing them as we went. Around the same time, my daughter, a public defender, did the same thing—handing out thick socks, hats, and gloves to people at her courthouse. Care kits that…