Championship Round

I am totally blown away.

MALCOLM REYNOLDS LOST!!!!!!!!!??????????

Never saw that one coming.

AAAAAAAANNNNDDDD...

Wait for it...

You sitting down?

Dean and Raylan TIED! And they beat Harry Potter!

So we have three entries in the final round. And since this is my blog and I'm doing all this work, I have a case to make. *VBG* Sure, Booth is appealing. And I get that Raylan is the flavor of the month. He's all new and stuff, and that blush of first love is upon us.

But think about this. Which hero has taken on the biggest burden? Which has made the greatest personal sacrifices? Who is determined to save the world, and has died trying? More than once?

Now, have at it. Poll closes at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, and I'll post the winner sometime Saturday, depending on my family schedule. Have fun! :)

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NOW it Gets Difficult

Raylan pulled through by only ONE vote!

Harry only won by three!

Mal kicked ass, of course.

But Dean and Seeley TIED.

Therefore...

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Hero Showdown Round 3, and Oh Noes!

Ohhhhhh, yes. It's Nathan Fillion against himself. Mal against Rick. New hotness against old...hotness. (You can decide which is which!).

Same deets as before, but I'm going an hour later tomorrow night for voting. Spread the word!

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Hero Showdown Round 2!

This was TRICKY, y'all! Some very surprising results (at least to me). I'm so sad about the guys I lost, but it's very interesting how 5 of MJ's heroes and 5 of mine both fell off.

So here we go with round two! It gets way more difficult, let me tell you! But I did some finagling so Nathan doesn't have to run against himself. Yet. :) David no longer has to worry about that, alas.

Same deal as yesterday. Vote in each pair, scroll down to get all 7 questions, click "done." Some of you already discovered you're allowed to skip a choice, and you can vote more than once. Astute voters will notice we're missing someone. There was an odd number this round, so I held back Harry Potter, since he's such a juggernaut. :)

Don't forget, you can use the "share" buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word. Voting closes at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Tuesday). Thanks!

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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

The Month of the Hero Showdown, Day 1!

Okay, here we go!

The first 10 questions (first survey) are the heroes MJ and I talked about in our postings all month. The last five questions (second survey) are the heroes YOU mentioned in the comments.

Your job is simple. Pick one guy from each pairing and click "Done" at the end. Please note that both polls scroll separately, and you have to click "Done" twice.

The polls will remain open until 7:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Monday, 3/28). Then I'll post round 2, pitting the survivors of round 1 against each other!

Have fun, and spread the word! You can click the Twitter, Facebook, and blog buttons at the bottom of the post to share. Thanks!

Hero Showdown!

Click for full-size image

The showdown will begin Monday! Though I'll probably post the first poll tomorrow. We start with 30 heroes (including Ted Beaudine, not pictured), and will ruthlessly cull them until we get to one...THE ULTIMATE HERO*!

And don't worry, I'm doing a simple poll, no fussing with brackets. Between the NCAA and DABWAHA, I'm so traumatized I shall run screaming from the very image.

Stay tuned!

*Out of these 30, not to imply that he would be ultimate of all possible fictional heroes ever.

Week 4 Winner!

MJ drew the winner today, and it's Ava Quinn, who commented on my Auggie post! Yay, finally a winner who commented over here! LOL

Tomorrow I'll get the first poll up for our hero showdown. Stay tuned!

Natalie

Real-Life Heroes

I originally said I was going to write this post, but I wasn't sure I could do it justice. I wrote all my other posts a month ahead of time, but couldn't quite wrap my head around this one. I almost considered writing about another fictional hero, instead. Then two things happened.

Last week, a house very close to mine caught fire. It was the first time I've ever seen real-life firefighters and EMTs at work, the first time a tragedy like this has happened in front of me. The house was fully engulfed before they arrived, and I don't think the person who made it out ever had a chance. So there was no dashing-through-the-flames and triumphant rescue.

But that didn't change the fact that those 30+ firefighters are heroes. They were mostly volunteer, and came with the expectation of putting their lives on the line. All our traits—responsibility, dedication to doing the right thing, leadership, and courage, were on display at that site.

The other event, of course, was the disaster in Japan. Hundreds of stories of heroes come out of a situation like that, but the biggest one is the nuclear reactor. What a horrifying situation. My heart aches for those employees who are willing to give up their lives to make the world a safer place for their families and loved ones, and for all of THEIR families and loved ones, and so on. Their courage is boundless, and I have no doubt that somewhere in there is an incredible leader.

We like to talk about fictional heroes because we can get "close" to them. The medium (film or page) gives us insight into their personalities, their goals and motivations, and gives us room to fantasize about living in their worlds. Real-life heroes are different. Some of them aren't the kinds of people we'd want to spend any time with, while others become heroes with such quiet strength most of us aren't even aware of them. But in The Month of the Hero, they deserve the spot at the top.

MJ and I thank everyone who read our posts this month, and extra thanks go to those who commented. Come back next week to vote in the showdown, pitting all our heroes against each other! We'll have daily polls until we get to a winner.

We'll announce our fourth and final $25 gift card winner this weekend, so be sure to check back.

And don't forget to purchase Fight or Flight on Monday, from Carina Press, Amazon orBarnes & Noble, or wherever e-books are sold. It's also available in audiobook!

Jake from Avatar

For our final post on fictional heroes, MJ talks about hunky Jake Sully from the movie Avatar. It's almost your last chance to win a $25 gift certificate!

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I want to talk a little bit about Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press. I had a chance to read it and planned to talk about it during The Month of the Hero, but all the posts were so structured, I didn't really get a chance to fit it in. Which would have been convenient if I hadn't liked it. :) But I did! So here's a quick review:

Cam and Willow have been friends for a long time, so when she calls him for help, he risks losing a personal dream to be by her side. I love friends-to-lovers stories, but it can be really tricky to avoid having one of the characters appear selfish or clueless, or have one subvert their own needs in a way that makes them look weak instead of heroic. MJ strikes that balance perfectly. I loved watching Willow slowly realize what's between them, and overcome her fears to embrace what they can have. The conflict of Cam's job situation created high tension long past the point where you'd expect it to be resolved.

And, of course, Supernatural fans will have fun picking out all the very subtle homages to the show. :) Go get it now! :)

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 Harry Potter

Today, MJ gets to talk about one of MY favorite heroes, Harry Potter! Go over to help us dissect all the ways he showed why he belongs in Gryffindor. I say "help us" because I don't think I'll stop myself from filling up the comments with my own thoughts. LOL

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Buy Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press.
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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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Winner #3!

The winner of the $25 in Omni Bucks for All Romance eBooks/OmniLit (or an alternate gift certificate if she so desires), is Jen B.! Jen, please contact me at natalie AT nataliedamschroder DOT com to claim your prize.


Tomorrow starts the final week of our regular posts. We've got four heroes who we feel embody Courage, and I wrap things up at the end with a discussion of these traits in real-life heroes. We'll have another $25 gift certificate prize, too, so please spread the word!

And congratulations, Jen!

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!