Celebrating Independence Blog Hop July 1-4

In honor of Independence Day in the United States, we're hopping about independence and what it means to us, so make sure you hop around to the other blogs to see what's being said in celebration of independence. (Celebrating Independence Blog Hop Blogger List and Details)

Raise your hand if you like needy, dependent types. Any takers? I didn't think so. Ironically, we are drawn to those who are independent and don't "need" us, aren't we? We usually want to be a part of an independent person's life, don't we?

Well, it's the same thing when it comes to book characters. Think about the characters we are most drawn to in the books we read. Do we like the pathetic leech who won't go away, or do we like the Wraths and Frodos of the literary world? We cheer for the independent hero, don't we? We want to be him or her, or we want to be their friend. But we want nothing to do with the hovering life-suckers who simply won't go away. As an author, I have to keep that in mind and give that type of character to my readers.

I write about strong alpha males and feisty females, all of whom run the gamut of being moderately to fiercely independent. I received a ton of compliments on my female protagonist, Samantha Garrett, in my debut novel, Rise of the Fallen, for this very reason. Readers said they liked that she was tough but feminine and that she didn't fall into the stereotype of a female character being weaker than (and dependent on) her male counterpart. They liked that she had a bit of bad-ass in her and carried a Beretta (and knew how to use it). They liked that she didn't take any shit from Micah (the male protagonist) and dished out as much as she took. Sam is a spunky, smart, strong-minded, and independent character, and it showed on the page. She doesn't need Micah to define who she is. She stands just fine on her own. But the two of them together are just POW! awesome! They set the pages on fire with their verbal sparring and sassy give-and-take, and she makes a perfect compliment to Alpha-dominant Micah.

Feel free to check out my books sometime, but in the meantime, hop around and enter to win some prizes from all us independently-minded blog hoppers. And for those suffering in drought this Fourth of July, stay safe and keep the fireworks for a later time. It's not worth the fire hazard, as those in Colorado and Utah can attest to right now.

My Prize:
A $10 Amazon gift card and free copy of my ebook, Rise of the Fallen (if you already have Rise of the Fallen, I'll mark you down for a free copy of Micah's Calling when it comes out).

Contest starts Sunday, July 1, 2012, and ends Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at midnight.

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