Want to Try Natalie J. Damschroder Risk Free?

Guess what, everyone?

I've sold another romantic adventure to Carina Press!

So my release schedule looks like this:

October 31, 2011
Behind the Scenes, romantic adventure, Carina Press (digital)

November 1, 2011
Under the Moon , paranormal romance, Entangled Press (digital and print)

Spring 2012
Heavy Metal, sequel to Under the Moon (digital and print)

New Book with a Not-Yet-Determined Title, romantic adventure (digital)

Fall 2012
Third book in Goddesses Rising trilogy, tentatively titled Sunroper

I have become totally fed up with Yahoogroups, so I have a fancy new newsletter list now. I want to encourage people who are interested in VERY infrequent e-mails telling you about my books to sign up on the new list.

So I'm GIVING BOOKS AWAY!


I want you to have a chance to try my romantic adventure voice. (Even the Goddesses Rising trilogy is romantic adventure, it just happens to also be paranormal.)

Starting September 18, 2011, I will give away a digital copy of my romantic adventures every week to a subscriber to my newsletter. There will be:

TWO copies of Brianna's Navy SEAL 

TWO copies of Cat's Claw 

TWO copies of Fight or Flight 

How do you get involved in this action? Go here:

http://eepurl.com/d1cVP

You only need to provide your e-mail address. First and last name are optional.

But wait, there's more!

It's not just a one-time thing. You'll have opportunities to join the Goddess Society (to celebrate Under the Moon) and the Film Crew (to celebrate Behind the Scenes). There will be swag, and more prizes, and exclusive content like short stories, and opportunities to discuss my books with each other.

But I promise, I won't bombard you with posts. They'll still be occasional. So take just a few seconds to go to that link and subscribe! Feel free to pass it along to others, as well.

Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Carina Press!

In celebration of our one year anniversary, I asked as many of our Harlequin team members and Carina Press freelance editors as possible to write a short blog post, talking about what the past year or so has been like for them, working on Carina Press. I deliberately didn't provide any direction other than that, because I wanted to see what people came up with, in the spirit of Carina's 1st anniversary. I was so pleased when I saw what they'd all come up with, and had to say (and some of these posts made me just a little teary)! I hope you enjoy the post, and look for your opportunity to win a Carina Press book at the bottom of this post. ~Angela James

Dana Grimaldi is a member of the Carina Press acquisitions team. She loves to read sci-fi, fantasy, romance, mystery, steampunk, paranormal and any medley of these genres

Sometimes, when you start a new job, you find out that it comes with unfortunate surprises. For instance, sometimes you’re a camp counselor on your first overnight camping trip…in the middle of a thunderstorm. And then, when you wake the campers in the middle of the night so you can move the tents under a shelter, you discover that the shelter you’re trying to use is already occupied…by bats.

But other times, if you’re lucky, those surprises can be amazing. When I started working as the copy editor for Harlequin.com, the company was preparing to launch Harlequin’s digital-first imprint, Carina Press. Even though my job description didn’t say anything about Carina, it wasn’t long before I was copy editing back cover copy, pamphlets and author bios for Carina Press, too. I was lucky enough to find myself at the right place during a very exciting time. Before long, I joined the acquisitions team.

Right from the start, I knew this was an amazing opportunity. Being on the acquisitions team is like being part of the best book club ever. Every week, I get the chance to sit down with some of the smartest, funniest, most interesting women I’ve ever worked with and talk about something I love: books. But the most exciting part is that when I read a book, I get to pass on my thoughts and comments to the book’s editor.

Working on the acquisitions team has even changed the way I read. I’d never really considered getting an eReader. I was perfectly happy reading print books. I didn’t even call them print books; they were just books. But when I joined the acquisitions team, I realized very quickly that I’d need to find myself an eReader—there are no hard copy manuscripts at a digital-first publisher! I asked around—there was no shortage of opinions about eReaders here—and eventually decided to get a Kindle and a lighted case. The Kindle is really easy to use and the reading light doesn’t give me forehead crease marks like the light I use for print books.

Working for Carina Press has also expanded the types of books I read. I’ve always read a pretty wide variety of fiction, but even though I’ve read and loved fantasy books, I’d never read urban fantasy. Even though I love time travel stories, historical books and science fiction, I’d never even heard of steampunk. I found out that I love both these genres.

Looking forward to the upcoming year, I’m excited to continue reading books in new genres by fresh new voices. Hopefully this year will bring more good surprises—involving books—rather than not-so-good surprises—involving bats.

To celebrate Carina's one-year anniversary of publishing books, we're giving away some prizes. Today, on each of the nineteen blogs our team members are featured on, we're giving away a download of a Carina Press book to one random winner (that's nineteen total winners!) All you need to do to be entered to win is comment on this post. You can enter to win on all nineteen posts. In addition, on the Carina Press blog, we're giving away a grand prize of a Kobo ereader and 12 Carina Press books of the winner's choice. Visit the Carina Press blog to enter to win, and to see links to all 19 of today's blog posts.

And a sincere thank you from all of us, to our readers and authors, for making Carina Press's first year a success!

Novak Auction

Before I talk about the Really Important stuff, I have to share some serious squee. Joyfully Reviewed just notified me that Fight or Flight is Joyfully Recommended for May! You can find the full review (where Miranda says "Fight or Flight is a phenomenal action-packed story you would expect to find on the silver screen and I loved it!") at the first link.

If you just snapped your fingers and went, "Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to buy that!" then you can find it at Carina Press, via Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and wherever e-books are sold (I link to many popular e-book stores here.

Okay, enough about me! Let's talk about:



Brenda Novak has raised tons of money (=over $1,000,000!) for diabetes research over the last several years, and her efforts draw some amazing items. In addition to the things you can bid on, she has prizes and easy ways to donate without having to spend oodles on expensive items.

This year, I'm doing more than just bidding. I've donated several items, myself.

The first is a proofread and polish of your partial manuscript. Do you have a handle on your story and all the elements of craft, but can't find a typo to save your career? Are there certain grammar mental blocks that you just can't seem to overcome? Let me fix them for you! As of right now, no one has bid on this, so you have a good chance of getting it for a steal.

I've also joined up with many of the Carina Authors for a whole bunch of stuff. Go to the Carina page and browse the list of one-chapter critiques. And check out the BIG items: a Nook and a Kindle fully loaded with Carina books and novellas, and breakfast with the Carina authors attending RWA National, and a mentoring package from Julie Rowe.

None of that tickles your fancy? I guarantee something else will! They have stuff for authors, and stuff for readers, and stuff for everyone! They also have a really amazing prize for the person who makes the most bids, even if they don't win a single thing. Well worth the time it would take to enter all those bids. :)

The auction runs through May 31, but some items expire before that, and some are offered for one day only. There are also a few "buy now" items you can get without enduring the bidding process. Go check it out!

Random Catch-Up and Some Big News

Phew! That Month of the Hero thing takes a lot out of you. All week, I meant to post all kinds of stuff I'd been "collecting," but time just kept slipping...slipping...slipping...

Anyway, MJ and I had a lot of fun with all of you, and we appreciate the visits and the comments and the great suggestions of additional heroes. I hope you all had fun, too!

Wow, so much to talk about. Let's break it down into sections:

It's Release Day!

First, before you do anything, please read Monica's post at The Gab Wagon about Fatin's tragedy and how you can help her family. It's easy and there's something in it for you!

Now, on to superficialities. Like the fact that Fight or Flight is finally here!

You can get it from Carina Press, via Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and wherever e-books are sold. It's also available in audiobook! You can find other links on my book page here.

I've been interviewed by Ava Quinn at her blog, Tongue in Cheek, and that should be up today. Ava asks fun questions that inspire crazy answers. :) Check it out!

AND, don't forget, you should vote in The Month of the Hero poll, below. All the heroes pictured below are up against each other. At 7:00 p.m. Eastern, half will fall. Make sure it's not one of your favorites!

Note: As of this writing, Raylan of Justified and Michael of Nikita were tied! NO idea what I'll do if it ends that way, so please vote! :)

Click for full-size image

A Blind Hero: Auggie from Covert Affairs

I’m a fan of several of the shows on the USA Network. At the top is Covert Affairs. I like Annie, and her romantic entanglement and family complications, and her bosses and their romantic entanglement and family complications. But the character who makes me love the show is Auggie.

Auggie embodies both physical and emotional courage. (Most of the time—more on that later). He was blinded on the job, and now serves as the technical expert in Annie’s division. He’s a former soldier, whip smart, sweet and welcoming—a good friend to Annie in a world where friends are hard to identify. But he’s also much more.

It takes a lot of courage to keep working in a world that incapacitated you, sitting a desk when you want to be in the field, being reminded every day of what was done to you. What you’ve lost.

It takes courage to put yourself out in the field despite both your handicap and the rules you’re required to work under. More courage to be responsible for the safety of your old team when you can’t see, and can’t be there to help them directly.

Auggie has the typical courage of an agent, going undercover as a reporter’s lover to try to determine who her informant is. But that’s where his courage ends. He uses his charm and his talents and his blindness to live a playboy’s life, one-night stands and superficial relationships a shield against true emotional connection. Or so it seems.

We learned late in the season that he guards himself because he still loves a woman from his past. He’s willing to throw away everything to protect her. That kind of courage is catnip for women who go for guys like Auggie. (Except I’d like him to wind up with Annie eventually, though there’s no hint of that possibility so far.)

Auggie’s a pretty rare character, an adventure-hound super-spy with a severe handicap. Who else is out there like Auggie? (I may have to comment on this post myself, as I can think of another one with an even less common handicap. I think MJ might jump in and name him, though… :) ) Remember, commenters can win a $25 gift certificate to the bookstore of their choice.

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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press. Also available as an audiobook!
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The Courage of Kurt on Glee

Everyone knows courage is not the absence of fear, but acting despite fear. It can manifest in physical or emotional ways. Physical courage inspires swooning, but what we really long to witness is emotional courage.

One of the most courageous characters being portrayed today is Kurt on Glee. When the show first started, he was a point of amusement. Resigned to being bullied and tossed in a dumpster every morning, but asking his tormentors to wait while he takes off his designer sweater.

By itself, Kurt’s unconcealed homosexuality is brave. Kurt knows who he is and refuses to hide it, though it would make his life a lot easier. As season one went on, we got to see a little better how hard it really was. Slushies, crushes, and, yes, a desire to belong that led him to the football team.

Kurt came out to his father at a younger age than many kids do. His father is fantastic, but far from perfect, and his inability to understand his son made the decision terrifying. Kurt also let his feelings for Finn show, which was completely disastrous, but still courageous. Like anyone, he wants to be loved.

Dad. I have something that I want to say. I'm glad that you're proud of me. But I don't want to lie anymore. Being a part of the Glee Club and football has really shown me that I can be anything, and what I am, is, I'm gay.

In season 2, the bullying reached terrifying levels. Kurt’s first kiss was abusive, his attempts to reach out to his abuser, to help him, running into a stone wall. Some might say Kurt’s decision to change schools was not courageous, but I think it was. Despite the fear he lived with, Kurt had friends, a group he fit in with. He had to start all over at the new school, and their zero tolerance policy and apparent acceptance of homosexuality among the non-homosexual students doesn’t make him automatically a part of things. This was apparent when he wasn’t immediately embraced by the glee club.

I originally wrote this post several weeks ago, and said, “Romantic heroes don’t have to be big burly men. Love is love, and I hope Glee lasts long enough for Kurt to find someone who truly appreciates who he is and what he has to offer.” In an awesome coincidence, last week’s episode gave us just that! Raise your hand if you absolutely loved Kurt and Blaine’s kiss. And the other kiss!



Glee is the only show of its kind that I watch. So tell me: what other characters out there display the kind of emotional courage Kurt does? Do you consider them heroic?

We’re giving away another $25 gift certificate this week, to the bookstore of YOUR choice! So comment anywhere this full post appears to be entered in the drawing.

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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press. Also available as an audiobook!
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Michael Westin from Burn Notice

I'm intrigued to see what MJ has to say about Michael Westin's leadership ability. I only saw half of the first season of Burn Notice, so I have no idea what she's going to say. :)

Comment anywhere her full post appears for a chance to win this week's prize, $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniLit!

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Buy Road Signs MJ's newest release from Carina Press.
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The Ultimate Leader: Doctor Who

On the opposite end of the spectrum from reluctant leader Jack Shephard from LOST is the Doctor from Doctor Who.

The Doctor is perhaps the most powerful being in the universe. His intelligence and knowledge are unfathomable. He can travel through time and space, and change both. He and his living spaceship, the TARDIS, are drawn to times and places of need—of disaster and suffering. And always, the Doctor saves (most of) the people.

The great thing about the Doctor is that he embraces his role with delight. He doesn’t resent the burdens placed on him by his heritage and his circumstances. He’s excited by every adventure, every challenge.

Amazingly, he has no superiority complex about his superiority. He makes no bones about being the smartest being in the room, but he’s so matter of fact and fun about it, no one takes offense. He also doesn’t consider himself infallible. He delights as much in an idea from a regular human as he does in his own brilliance. He involves everyone around him—the ones who are capable, anyway, because he doesn’t suffer fools, either—and solves the problem.

There are times, though, that he can’t save everyone. He recognizes it, and laments it, and most of the time accepts it. His is a lonely existence, though, and the burden wears on him. That’s why he seeks companions—to ground him, and help him stay connected to those who need him. To keep him from becoming so jaded and cynical that he stops caring, stops helping.

His never-ending quest to keep the human race from destruction makes us love him. He’s not a romantic hero in the sense that the show contains romance (though that might be changing in the upcoming season). But how can we not want to show him how worthy he is of love? How can we not want to be one of the few humans he connects with personally, part of his very small circle of loved ones?

The Doctor doesn’t seek to lead the universe, but he easily could. He’s a complex, very appealing man, and the series makes sure we never outgrow him—or vice versa—by regenerating him every few years. It remains to be seen how much longer they can come up with fantastical situations (I’m really tired of the Daleks, myself) in which he can save people, but the character himself will live—and lead—forever.

Give me your thoughts on The Doctor! Commenters anywhere this full post appears have a chance to win this week's prize, $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniLit!

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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press. Also available as an audiobook!
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Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights

I've had this series in my Netflix queue forever. I really need to get to watching it! Especially because MJ talks about Coach Taylor in today's The Month of the Hero blog post.

Comment anywhere her full post appears for a chance to win this week's prize, $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniLit!

And don't forget to read the below guest post about writing books in a series, by contemporary romance author Keri Ford!

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Buy Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press.
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A LOST Hero: Jack Shephard

This week’s heroic trait is leadership. There is something very powerful about a take-charge man, someone who has the ability to step up and direct people, especially in a stressful situation.

There are people who strive to be leaders, and they do well running businesses and, taken to an extreme, lording their superiority over the world. But those kind are not always the right kind of leader in a crisis.

Jack Shephard from LOST is the epitome of the reluctant leader. The guy people naturally look to, who sees solutions where there are problems, but who fears the responsibility for potential failure. It’s no surprise this trauma surgeon (spinal surgeon, but often called upon in trauma) starts yelling for what to do when people are injured in the immediate aftermath of the plane crash. He knows how to triage, and has more experience in the basics of medicine than the others (the other survivors, not The Others). He’s had a cool head in intense situations before, so he doesn’t freeze when panic hits.


Every man for himself is not gonna work. It's time to start organizing. We need to figure out how we're gonna *survive* here. Now I found water... fresh water up in the valley. I'll take a group in at first light. If you don't wanna come, then find another way to contribute! Last week most of us were strangers. But we're all here now, and God knows how long we're gonna be here. But if we can't live together... we're gonna die alone.

It makes sense, then, that people would look to him for leadership. He doesn’t want it. He’s failed before, and he doesn’t want to let people down now. But the survivors push him into that role, and once he accepts it—however temporarily, however reluctantly—it ignites another trait: Jack is a fixer. His past failures have driven him to save everyone he can, and when he can’t, it kills him.

I told her... I made her a promise I couldn't keep... I told her I'd fix her and I couldn't. I failed.

For many of us, the combination is irresistible. A fixer needs a fixer. Someone who can soothe his torment, assure him he did the best he could. Who can support him in action as well as when he’s trying to convince people that his way is the best way.

Kate is drawn to Jack because of that core of goodness, the desire to help people and to choose what’s best. She obviously can’t. Most of the choices she makes are selfish and end in disaster. She wants Jack because if he can want her back, maybe she isn’t as bad as she knows she is.

On the other side is Juliet, a fellow doctor and quieter, but also natural leader. She’s capable of being an equal partner with Jack, using logic and planning to get them out of whatever they’re in. She’s also a calming force, a balm to Jack’s agitated worry.

A character like Jack can become tiresome after six seasons, but he was incredibly appealing as a leader at various points during the show’s run.

Agree? Disagree? What other reluctant leaders float your boat? Commenters anywhere this full post appears have a chance to win this week's prize, $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniLit!
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I have a guest blogger tomorrow! Keri Ford will be here to talk about writing series. Stop by!

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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press.
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Road Signs Release Day!

Today is the day that MJ Fredrick's fantastic Road Signs is available!

My favorite contemporary romances are friends-to-lovers stories, and this one incorporates some details that made me gleeful. Classic cars. Skeevy hotels. (My fellow Supernatural nuts are nodding and grinning. Am I right? :) ) It also has tons of chest-tightening emotion, and the kind of hero that actually exists in real life. Go check it out!

Also, head over to MJ's blog today. She's launching this week's theme of leadership with a post about Sheriff Rick from AMC's zombie series, The Walking Dead. Comment anywhere her full post appears for a chance to win this week's prize, $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniLit!

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Buy Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press.
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Bonus Hero: Teddy Beaudine

After we’d planned out all the posts for this month, I read Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t slide Ted Beaudine into the competition. Doing The Right Thing is what makes Ted heroic, and it’s also his biggest flaw.

I won’t talk about this too much because the book is still newish and I don’t want to spoil anything. But Ted’s a case of taking a positive trait to extremes. He’s so perfect, he admits to imperfection just to make people feel better about their own value. He became mayor because that’s what the townspeople want—even though he didn’t run for the office. Watching him always make the right choice is very annoying for someone like Meg Koranda, who never seems to.

Like I said, I won’t go into more details because I don’t want to ruin the story, but I had to add Teddy to the competition. :) We can discuss his almost knee-jerk do-the-right-thing response to any situation in the comments, so beware of spoilers! And commenters today DO still get entered into the competition (for $25 in Omni Bucks from All Romance eBooks/OmniFic), so post away!

The Heartbreak of Dean

This week’s trait is really several similar or related traits: loyalty/patriotism/dedication to “doing the right thing.” There’s a subtle difference between these and responsibility. Responsibility is a personal obligation, a sense of duty. Loyalty and patriotism run deeper and fiercer, I think.

Take Dean Winchester of Supernatural. This is a guy raised from the age of 4 on the idea that family is everything. Every choice he makes is based on that core value. He doggedly follows his father’s every order, dedicates himself to his father’s predication that the world needs them to hunt evil and protect everyone from monsters like the one that killed Dean’s mother.

Dean takes this belief to extremes. When his brother dies, and Dean failed to protect him like he promised his father he would, when his life’s meaning has been taken away, he trades his life for Sam’s. When the apocalypse starts, he takes the fate of the entire human race onto his shoulders. Not just because he’s told it rests there, but because that’s who he is.


I guess that's what I do, I let down the people I love. I let dad down. And now, I guess I'm supposed to let you down, too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do, Sammy? ... What am I supposed to do?

One of the most poignant moments in the show is in the episode “Sam, Interrupted,” when Dean’s doctor in the psych ward asks how he can get up in the morning with that weight on him. He just does. And that’s why we love him so much.

Dean’s sense of self-worth has been twisted by this extreme loyalty. Family and all the people who will die if they don’t save them have become so important, Dean’s own worth has been diminished. He’s become secondary to everyone else, in his own eyes. This makes us want to show him how loved he is, how lovable. A hero who doesn’t take anything for himself? Who eschews relationships that could enrich his life because he doesn’t want to hurt the other person, something he considers inevitable? That loneliness is emotional crack to us. We love him, unconditionally and undemandingly. That’s the kind of love that heals, right?

I’m sure I’m not the only woman who has fantasized about being Dean’s support, the one who holds him up when his weight gets too heavy, who soothes and comforts. Who’s with me? :)

Can you think of other heroes, fictional or not, who are driven by loyalty? Every commenter goes into a random drawing for a $25 gift card to B&N. Even better (or more fun, anyway), all of the heroes you mention will be added to the showdown at the end of the month. (I confess, I’m rooting for Dean to win!)
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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press.
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He's Always Justified

Today MJ's post focuses on a hero who's been buzzing through Twitter and Facebook and burning up the message boards. Raylan from Justified!

Don't forget, if you comment, you'll be entered in this week's drawing for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate! Comments will be accepted anywhere the full blog post appears.

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Check out Road Signs MJ's March release from Carina Press.
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When Wrong Can be Right

Doing the right thing is never as difficult as it is for Michael in Nikita. Maybe doing it isn’t so much the issue as figuring out what “right” is.

Division is a complex organization that takes young men and women who are facing the end, and molds them into agents. “The end” usually means jail, or death row, or the loss of everything that means anything to them—usually a combination of career and family. Division gives them a second chance. They’ll train to go into covert service for their country. Except that service includes assassination and other dark deeds. They’re told those deeds protect America, save lives, and get rid of bad people. But that’s not always true.

Michael is second-in-command at Division. He has a loyalty to his boss, Percy, and to the organization that saved him. He has had a deep-seated belief in the work they do, one that was shaken when Nikita went rogue and started exposing Percy’s personal agenda and all the collateral damage and innocent victims of that agenda.

Michael’s stuck, because he cares. Not just about Percy and Division, but about the agents and recruits. He tries to protect them from the Machiavellian techniques of Percy and Amanda, the “wardrobe” lady who has some pretty scary psychological applications.

Some agents spark his protective emotions more than others. He fell for Nikita long ago, and his feelings have kept him from killing her or bringing her in to Division, though her interference in his revenge for his family’s deaths complicates things. He also seems a little more protective of Alex than of the typical recruit, and is almost big-brotherly toward her.

Michael is tied to Division because he is a somewhat mitigating force. Nothing can keep Percy in check, but Michael can decrease the collateral damage. He can help Nikita, keep her alive as long as he’s inside. Which means he must constantly choose between doing what is partly right and partly wrong.

It makes for a very appealing hero, at least to me. :) What do you think? Nikita doesn’t have a huge following, so you might not watch. But what other heroes are in similar situations? Every commenter goes into a random drawing for a $25 gift card to B&N, and all of the heroes you mention will be added to the showdown at the end of the month.

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Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press.
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Men Who Stick

MJ's post today talks about how Stan stuck it out despite two pretty major obstacles in The Back-Up Plan. Last week we had Scott Caan, this week Alex O'Loughlin! :)

Don't forget, if you comment, you'll be entered in this week's drawing for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate! Comments will be accepted anywhere the full blog post appears (eHarlequin, Facebook, or Goodreads).

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Check out Road Signs MJ's March release from Carina Press.
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Harry's Best Mate

This week’s trait is loyalty, and to me, one of the most loyal characters in literature is Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series.

Of course, Ron isn’t a “romance” hero in the classic sense. It’s not until Deathly Hallows that he gets enough of a clue (read: emotional maturity) to be worthy of Hermione. But the trait that tells us from the beginning that he’s heroic is his loyalty.

You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left—Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.

First, is loyalty to his family. As the youngest son and second-youngest child of seven, he’s got a lot to gripe about. But let anyone else ever say a negative thing against any of his siblings or his parents, and Ron’s ready to make them eat slugs. Literally! :)

In Sorceror’s Stone, during the final series of obstacles, Ron takes over a living chess match and sacrifices himself so Harry can go on and Hermione will be safe. He’s injured in the doing, but never wavers from the course he knows he has to take.

In Chamber of Secrets, he doesn’t hesitate to descend deep below the school to save his sister, even knowing how deadly a creature awaits them. For countless adventures, he’s along for the ride with Harry, even when he thinks Harry’s opinions are daft.

Ron’s loyalty gets tested twice in the series. First in Goblet of Fire, when he thinks Harry lied to him about entering the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It’s not a simple cause-and-effect, though. Hermione points out to Harry that he’s always the center of attention, and Ron gets very little, especially in combination with his brothers, who always overshadow Ron in one way or another. Ron’s feelings of resentment and low self-worth come to a head when it looks like Harry just left him behind. He holds on to his anger until Harry undergoes the first task, and by that point, it can’t hold up under reality. Plus, he misses Harry, and just needs something to trigger an acceptable change in his attitude.

Ron never doubts when Harry says Voldemort is back. In Order of the Phoenix, when Harry’s pain and frustration and fear manifest in anger, making him lash out even at his closest friends, Ron stands by his side. He believes Voldemort’s “kidnapping” of Sirius is a trick, but still follows Harry into battle.

The second, much bigger test comes in Deathly Hallows, when the horcrux feeds Ron’s doubts and fears enough to make him leave. Once outside of its influence, he immediately changes his mind, but it’s too late. He can’t come back until Hermione is ready for him to, and the deluminator leads him to the right place. He doesn’t hesitate to dive into freezing water to save Harry and the sword of Gryffindor, and manages to overcome his weaknesses to destroy the horcrux.

"We wouldn't last two days without her. ... Don't tell her I said that."

That moment is when Ron becomes worthy of Hermione, though she’s pretty tough and makes him suffer a little longer. His loyalty to her is almost as strong as his loyalty to Harry. You could argue that it’s stronger because he’s in love with her. When Bellatrix tortures Hermione about the sword, her screams incite Ron to madness, well beyond what he’d feel if it was Harry in pain. When Ron leaves, it’s Hermione who ignites the light that will bring him back.

Alfonso Cuarón, who directed Prisoner of Azkaban, said in an interview that, narratively speaking, he thought it would fantastic if Ron betrayed Harry. He would have loved to explore the relationships if that happened. As an author, I can understand that interest. But as a reader, I’m really glad Rowling never took it that far, and I never thought it fit Ron’s character. I think Ron epitomizes the trait of loyalty.

What do you think? Is Ron the Loyalty Poster Child? Or are you like Cuarón, interested in a storyline where Ron Goes Bad? Every commenter goes into a random drawing for a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble. And don’t forget, all of the heroes you mention will be added to the showdown at the end of the month.
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The Month of the Hero Winner #1

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the first week of The Month of the Hero!

Using a completely randomized process, we've selected our first winner. The commenter who gets the $25 Amazon gift certificate is...

Remissness

Thanks to everyone who joined us (to read or to comment!) on the first week of The Month of the Hero! I'll be doing the drawing for the $25 Amazon gift certificate tomorrow. Next week we'll be talking about heroes driven by loyalty, patriotism, and the inescapable need to do the right thing.

In the meantime, I've kind of lost track of some recent awesome book releases. I might have tweeted or shared on Facebook, but not here. So let me unremiss my remissness!

First up is Prime Time by Vicky Burkholder. Several years ago, I judged a really taut, awesome opening chapter in a contest. I gave it a high score, and I think it finaled. I signed my name to the judging sheet, so the author contacted me, and lo and behold, I knew her! I was proud when this excellent book sold the first time, and now that Vicky got the rights back, an updated version has been published with Captiva Press.

Next up is another republished book, Passion Model by Megan Hart. An intense, erotic futuristic released this month by Samhain Publishing.

While you're at Samhain, pick up One Thousand Kisses by Jody Wallace. Though this is the second Fey Realm book, it stands alone. I haven't read it yet (it's in my TBR pile!), but I can't stop staring at the cover. Most gorgeous one I've seen in a while! Plus, it has a redeemed "villain," and I love those.

Another "book 2" that just came out is Beyond the Gate, the second book in Sue Gourley's Futhark Chronicles. Demons and sorcerers and a fight to save the world...lots of heart-pounding action in this fantasy.