Make a Connection with Your Hero & Heroine with Humor

by Maureen L. Bonatch 

“Laugher is the shortest distance between two people.”- Victor Borge

When I met my husband everyone used to say that we were complete opposites, that they didn’t understand the connection. He is a loud, outgoing extrovert. I’m a quiet introvert. 

I used to always use the old saying as my rationale and insist that, “Opposites attract.” 

But since then, I’ve learned there was something underlying that drew us together in the first place, that forged the connection that we’ve maintained over decades. It’s a shared sense of humor. 

Various studies have shown that…  

• Women are attracted to men who make them laugh
• Inside jokes between couples helps to create a bond, establishes security, and helps relationships last longer
• Funny people are thought to be more social and more intelligent

Humor in Your Story Benefits Your Readers

Besides the fun you’ll have writing the story between your heroine and hero, you’ll be helping out your readers, too. That’s because laughter is more than just good for the soul, laughter is good for you, it can…

• Lower blood pressure
• Release endorphins
• Produce a general sense of well being
• Reduce stress hormone levels 

Hooking Up Your Hero and Heroine

So, the next time you’re looking for that connection between your hero and heroine, perhaps you can look a little further than skin deep. The color of your heroine’s hair might change through the years, and perhaps those massive muscles of your hero start to decline as their love grows and he has less time to devote to the gym. A shared sense of humor is timeless, and doesn’t fade over the years. It only nurtures the savored, favorite inside jokes and deepens the bond.

Wanna Tickle Your Funny Bone?

I love writing humor into my stories. GrandmaMust Die was great fun to create.

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. 

But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. 

Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

Is a Sense of Humor High on Your Checklist of Essential Qualities in a Hero in Fiction and/or Reality?

About Me:

Maureen Bonatch dreamt of becoming a Solid Gold Dancer. When the show ended, she followed other paths. Surviving motherhood to twins (so far) gave her the confidence to learn belly dancing, declare herself a tequila connoisseur and act as biker babe with her alpha hubby. Maureen grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—biking, sweat pants, hockey and hibernation—kept her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line.

Find Me:

Writing on my Website

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A Hero Ménage

Good day! It's close to the end of the month, and I'm coming down off the buzz of having two releases this month. Two on the same day. Accidental Romance is a new adult contemporary western romance that is part of Decadent Publishing's new The Challenge series, and Made For Her is a science fiction military erotic romance. The two stories couldn't be more opposite. And the same goes for the heroes. Here's a bit about them:

Made For Her


Character Name - D32
Nickname / Alias - Dare
Place of Birth - clone labs in Geneva

Role in the Story - hero
Key Relationships - None. Clones aren't allowed to have "relationships" with anyone
Education - Everything he learned was transferred in terabytes per second at the clone labs.
Work History - Training to be a space pilot for the military
Phobias / Fears - That he is like every other "Daniel clone". That there is nothing different about him.
Quirks - He taps his foot when he's impatient.
Best Quality - His determination.
Worst Quality - When he wants something, he will stop at nothing to get it. (Determination.)

After terrorists murder the love of her life, Colonel Mikayla Jones trains squadron after squadron of the clones he brought to life, to take to the skies. When she discovers a young clone of her husband in her newest class, her world spins out of control. How can she command the look-a-like when she can’t help but yearn for him to fill an ache in her heart?

Dare was created to be the best. As the first Daniel clone to leave Onatria labs, he needs to prove he is more than just a DNA copy. To do that, he must rely on the wife of the man who donated his genes. But when she refuses to train him, Dare faces discharge and returning to the labs. Can he convince Colonel Jones to finish his training and find a way into her bed? Or will long kept secrets unhinge the entire clone project?

Buy Links: 

Amazon (Canada/US/UK) | Decadent Publishing | All Romance | Barnes&Noble | more

Accidental Romance

Character Name - Jake
Nickname / Alias - Ass, Jake-a-roo
Age - 22

Role in the Story - hero
Key Relationships - Brother to four older sisters. Son to parents who are good friends with Leanne's parents. Farmhand at Leanne's parents's farm. Has never had a steady girlfriend as he's always had his sights on Leanne.
Work History - Continues to work as a farmhand.
Phobias / Fears - That the one he wants will never see him as more than a friend.
Goals and Motivations - Plans to stay on as farmhand when Leanne takes over the farm, so he can continue to work side-by-side with her.
Best Quality - A hard worker.
Worst Quality - Can't always voice how he feels.

At twenty-two, Leanne Declan has graduated from college and hopes to take over the family farm until a tragic accident changes her life forever. Unable to do the simplest everyday chores, she must depend on her family and friends as she learns to face life’s challenges. But when her fears threaten to destroy her future, can an unexpected love be strong enough to help her dreams come true?

Buy Links:

Amazon (Canada/US/UK) | Decadent Publishing | All Romance | Barnes&Noble | more

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from her readers.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

Let's Talk Villains

My topic today is about the villains. The low-down dirty, I-can’t-believe-they-said-that, the people we love to hate bad guys/girls that can make or break a story. Yeah, them.

As much as romance readers root for the hero and heroine, you’ve got to admit, deep down, there’s something about the antagonist that makes the heart pitter-pat. Why? Not because we’re in love with the bad guys (although I will freely admit there have been some that I wished would have given the hero a bit more fight) it’s just because they’re so dang bad that we can’t wait to see what else they’ll do. How difficult will they make it for the hero/heroine to get together? Will they really kill Our Hero? (although, in recent days I’ve been irritated the villains have plenty of time to kill the hero but they waste it by talking about how they’ll kill them. Just do it already!) But that’s a post for another day…

When I first dabbled in romance writing, I was still a fresh-faced, bright eyed kid in school, content to entertain my fellow students with my scribbles in many, many notebooks. I had a creative writing teacher in high school who once said “Your hero is only as good as your villain.” Back then, I was like sure, whatever, villains can’t be good—that’s why they’re villains not heroes. But later on as my writing evolved and I learned I didn’t know all I thought I knew back then, those words returned to me.

And what is more? That teacher was right.

You see, a hero can’t stand on his own. He needs someone bigger and badder than he to create conflict, add drama, and be an all-around pain in the butt so the reader wants the bad guy vanquished and the hero to prevail. On the other side of the coin, a villain can’t exist without the good guy, otherwise, all his oozing underhandedness has nowhere to go. Sure, the villain has minions, but minions have agendas of their own and they’re a dime a dozen to a really good villain.

So, the better you write the villain, the better your hero will look when he defeats the supreme pain. Whether the Ultimate Problem in your novel is a demon lord, a mad scientist, a thwarted lover, or a mentally deranged killer, it doesn’t matter. These people have one goal: to stop your hero from reaching his HEA. The more roadblocks the Ultimate Problem creates, the more the reader will root for the hero.

Why?

Because every one of us has an Ultimate Problem to deal with in our own lives. Annoying relatives, delinquent mortgages, crappy job, broken-down car, sickness, bullies, whatever it is, you can bet it needs vanquishing. The stakes are high and will probably rise higher, but when the rubber meets the road, we are the heroes in our own tales and we will beat the Ultimate Problem—our villain. There is no other option. Do it or die. Fight and die free.

Readers aren’t stupid and neither are authors. When we write, we pour our heart and soul into the story. We’re wordsmiths, story-tellers, and anthropologists, but we also infuse the books with a little truth. The villain in a story can always represent whatever is going on in the author or reader’s life, and we always want the hero—the author or reader—to win. We quest for the happily ever after that sometimes we don’t have in our own lives but we want desperately.

And if reading books can make us braver, even for a tiny minute, then more power to all of us. So, ladies and gentlemen, feel free to take up your imaginary sword and slay that make-believe dragon. Empower yourself with the fantasy and maybe, just maybe, the villains in our real life won’t seem so scary after all.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you back here next Wednesday.