When Heroes Fail

Beth Williams, the heroine in my debut release Hunting Human, is an imperfect hero.  Her journey takes her through dark places she never believed existed and leaves a mark on her soul she isn’t sure she can overcome.

For two years, Beth Williams has run from the past and the beast that dwells inside her.  She is haunted by memories of being kidnapped and the savage attack that killed her best friend.  Now Beth finally thinks she’s ready to move on… with Braden Edwards, a charming, irresistibly sexy man who tempts Beth to embrace the present.

But the past lurks closer than Beth realizes.  Markko Bolvek, one of the werewolves who kidnapped her, has tracked her to Portland, Oregon, his pursuit fueled by a hunger for vengeance.  Only Braden, a werewolf himself, senses the danger shadowing her steps.  The Edwards and Bolveks have been enemies for centuries and despite the instant connection he feels with Beth, Braden isn’t sure which side of the war she’s on.

With suspicion at odds with their attraction, Beth and Braden must learn to trust one another to stop Markko for good.  Can Beth accept the wolf within and love a man who embodies everything she fears?

For me, Hunting Human has always been Beth’s story.   A story that grew and expanded out of the thought, ‘What would a woman do if she’d witnessed the savage murder of her best friend?  Worse, how could she live with herself if she suddenly embodied everything she feared, loathed and despised?’

Though Beth is the hero of the story, her journey is consumed by the most challengeing of obstacles- those that are self inflicted. She’s an imperfect hero, one who fails – at times over and over again, but one worth rooting for too.

Beth is tormented with the memories of an action that most of us can’t even imagine.  Her best friend is murdered in front of her and Beth herself only barely escapes.  She carries that night with her in the most horrific way:  she’s become the monster that murdered her friend, a friend she loved, a friend she felt responsible for.  For Beth, this is her first failure – a failure she can’t move past or forgive.

For years she’s marked the time, but she hasn’t lived.  If our lives are marked by seasons, Beth has been living in a perpetual winter.  It isn’t until she meets Braden that she begins to open up and the first breezes of spring begin to blow through her life.  But like with all spring seasons, unpredictable storms are on the horizon.  When the inevitable confrontation occurs between her past and her present, Beth stands witness to Braden’s secret: he too, is a werewolf.  For Beth, this is her second failure, and nearly as unforgivable as her first.  How could she have trusted her heart to a man who embodies everything she hates?

Caught between feelings of guilt, desire, fear, and loathing, Beth is faced with an uncertain future.  Time and again she’s tested, and time and again, she takes one step forward only to stumble two steps back.  Her fight is dark, rough and, at times, dirty because she’s fighting two wars, the external one against Markko and his thirst for vengeance and the one against herself.  There is a part of her she can’t control and doesn’t understand.  A part she holds responsible for her best friend’s death. A part she sees reflected, in ways she isn’t ready to accept, in Braden.  Beth struggles to assimilate everything she’s experienced at the hands of brutal men with everything she’s experiencing at the hands of one of the most gentle.  She struggles equally against those who would hurt her and those who would help her.

Beth doesn’t take the easy road.  She can’t.  She won’t allow the wolf to rule her and neither can she allow her desire to do so.  Beth’s constant struggle, the razor edge she forces herself to walk, challenges her through every step of her journey.  And she stumbles, oh does she stumble.  Pride and cowardice and fear dog every step she takes.  But this is why I love her.  Becaue she’s human, and imperfect and terrified and possessed of a huge heart.  I hope that as you read Hunting Human, you too will love Beth as much for her strengths as for her weaknesses.

I love imperfect heroes, heroes that stumble and fail and pick themselves back up and continue forward.  I love them because their roads aren’t easy and they don’t make perfect choices.  I love them because to me, they are everything a hero should be: strong, stubborn, and resilient and at times, a little rough and a little ugly.

What about you?  Do you prefer a hero that is an example of courage, righteousness and absolute conviction?  Or do you prefer a hero with an edge of darkness, self doubt and a propensity to fail before they finally get it right?

About the Author: Amanda was born and raised in Texas – and due to an unfortunate three year stint in Michigan – doesn’t plan to ever live anywhere where flip-flops and sweatshirts don’t constitute winter attire. Often audacious and adventurous, she tends to find herself in a slew of dangerous (and hilarious!) predicaments (law school and fighting raccoons in dumpsters) and thankfully has many friends ready to lend aid (while they laugh.)
She currently lives in Dallas, Texas with one regular-sized cat and one jumbo-sized cat, and can be seen writing in public places frequented by hot guys (strictly for research purposes, of course!).

You can find Amanda here: Twitter: @amandaealvarez On Facebook On the Web

You can buy Huntng Human from: Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other online retailers.

“The plane! The plane!” Yeah, I’ll just own it. I used to love Fantasy Island. There was something so exciting about a place you could go where things you desired came true. When I grew up and started writing romances, especially the spicier ones, it was obvious to me that so much of what I found fun and exciting to write in a story was based on fantasy. Sometimes it’s a mild, subtle fantasy based on reality.

And sometimes, it’s sexy FBI agents on a sexy island, doing sexy things in sexy places.

Sure, I know Friendly Fire’s not really that “realistic.” But gosh darn it, boy howdy, did I have FUN writing it!

Here’s the blurb: After Agent Kendall Frasier’s partner is shot in “friendly fire” during a drug bust, she agrees to take a week’s vacation on a tropical island as part of her psychiatric evaluation. Sand, sun, sea– what could be better to help her work through her guilt? Even if the presence of hte man responsible for the shooting, Agent Zane Vincent, seems counterporductive to her mental health.

As Kendall gets to know Zane, and realizes he feels worse about what happened than she does, it becomes impossible to hate him. And their mutual attraction becomes impossible to deny.

Kendall and Zane soon agree to put the event that brought them together in the past – and spend the present exploring their most erotic desires. Do they have a future in the real world when their week in paradise is over?

A strong heroine matched with a strong hero, a sexy tropical setting and…oh, a little bit of angst. That’s a recipe for yum, as far as I’m concerned. One of the things I loved most about this story was the banter between Kendall and Zane. I love the push/pull tug of two people who don’t really want to give in to their romantic feelings for each other…but don’t fight it too hard, either.

For more information about Friendly Fire, including an excerpt and trivia, check it out at my website!

Thanks for reading, everyone.

M