SINFUL by Charlotte FeatherstoneReleases May 1, 2010
In Victorian England vice of every kind can be purchased, and Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, makes certain he avails himself of every possible pleasure. Bored and jaded, he is as well-known for his coldness as for his licentious affairs with beautiful women.
While these numerous dalliances fulfill Matthew's every physical need, they secretly leave him numb and emotionally void. Until one night when he finds himself beaten, eyes bandaged and in the care of a nurse with the voice of an angel - and a gentle touch that soothes the darkness in him and makes him yearn for more.
Yet Jane Rankin is a lowly nurse, considered shy and plain by most. There is no place for her amongst the lords and ladies of the aristocracy - despite Matthew's growing craving for the fire that burns behind her earnest facade. And then there is Matthew's secret. A secret so humiliating and scandalous it could destroy everyone he loves. A sin, he fears, not even the love of a good woman can take away.
Check out my review HERE!
Please welcome to LMSR, Charlotte Featherstone and her SINFUL hero, the Earl of Wallingford!
VFG: Thank you both for appearing today on my romance blog. I'm so excited and in a bit of awe over having two amazing people under my journal-esque magnifying glass.
Wallingford: Charlotte dragged me here by my hair. She knows how I feel about talking about myself!
Charlotte: Charlotte admits she did, indeed, force his lordship. But he can be a bit temperamental at times! Thank you, VFG for having us! This will be fun. I’m actually quite excited to see what Wallingford has to say!
VFG: Alright, so I've got some tough questions lined up for you guys so 'nuff with the welcome, time to get down to the juicy nitty-gritty. Starting off a bit light here, lets discuss the beautiful cover for SINFUL. Lord Wallingford - May I call you Matthew? How did you feel about posing partially nude for your cover? Do you feel that the darkly erotic pose conveyed the overall tone of your story well? Charlotte, how much say did you have in the creation of SINFUL's cover? Can you explain the significance of the green swirls?
Wallingford: Nudity does not shame me. I have done many more shameful things in my life than stripping to my breeches for a photo. I am not easily embarrassed by sexuality, so posing half naked for this was not difficult. However, having my expressions, my vulnerability on display is. Is the tone of the cover a good representation of the book? I believe so. I appear aloof and cold, almost poised to start a fight, which I would, if I felt as though someone was prodding too close to something I wanted to keep deeply hidden. I am a man that gives everyone his back, because I cannot allow people in. I think the photographer understood that about me, and like any good artist, exploited it to make a lovely piece of art. I look at it and wonder if this is how Jane saw me. And by the by, you may, indeed, call me Matthew.
Charlotte: Well, I for one, love this cover. I think I might have forgotten to formally thank the art department at Harlequin, so let me do so now. Thank you for such a wonderful cover and for getting Wallingford down pat!
Now, as to your question, at Harlequin we fill out a very detailed art fact sheet. They ask many questions, most of which are quite extensive, especially in regards to tone, feel, and the primary characters. They also ask for a description of a defining scene in the book that the author feels is crucial in the story. Harlequin Spice does an excellent job of branding their authors (personally, I think they’re the best in the industry at this!) and I knew that Sinful would have a similar feel to its cover as Addicted. I believe (but I’d have to look at other Spice covers to be sure) that Sinful has the distinction of being the only cover to have a male only on it. And really, it says a lot to the reader, the importance of him as a character, to be the sole person on the cover.
Back to the fact sheet, I described Wallingford, his appearance etc…but I did spend a lot of time on his demeanour, his fears, his goals etc…and the art dept. went from there. The green smoke fits in well with the red smoke (opium) from the Addicted cover. Only this cover, the green represents absinthe, which was known back in the Victorian times as the Green Fairy. Wallingford does drink absinthe, and it’s not because he enjoys the taste! Although, not a habitué of it, the drink does play an important part in the story. I think it all came together beautifully, most especially his stance. It’s tense, alone—apart from everyone. It is very much a Wallingford pose.
VFG: Lord Wallingford - I mean Matthew *flushing to my roots*, knowing that your art is a very private, very exclusive area of your life, I'll try not to pry too much. What or whom introduced you to painting? Also, knowing that you enjoy painting erotic female portraits, I found it interesting that despite your complete disdain for women, you were able to put your muses at ease. Care to tell how you did that? Charlotte, were you as surprised as I to discover that Wallingford was an artist? While it makes sense now, his brusque demeanor hardly made it so initially, at least for me. Was this artistic facet of a hero something that you always wanted to explore?
Wallingford: laughing! My muses were women of a certain class. It is their business to be comfortable with men. I chose them specifically for that purpose. There was no awkwardness on either side. I was able to relate to them on a level they understood—a transaction for coin. It does sound rather mercenary, doesn’t it? But back then, when I painted that portrait, I was focused on one thing. Money to purchase my gallery. So you see, I cannot accept any praise for higher sensibilities. I was quite without them, then.
As for discovering my talent, I cannot quite recall, but I believe I found I was rather good at doodling when I should have been listening to my lessons in the schoolroom. I also learned from those days, that painting took me to another place where I was someone else. I could get lost for hours while sketching or painting, and I liked not being found.
Charlotte: When I wrote Addicted, both Wallingford and Lindsay were fully born in my mind. I knew Wallingford’s secrets, his personality etc…so, when I came to the part, where he and Lindsay arrive back in England from Constantinople in the midst of a snowstorm, and Wallingford talks of the beauty of the vale in the snow, when he says “I’ll shall have to paint this when I get home,” that’s the first time I ever thought of him as an artist. It took me by complete surprise, and I remember sitting back, looking at the paragraph and wondering how much of it was true. But then I began to realize it was. Art was a piece of him that he hid from the world. It was an escape, as he mentioned. He was a different person when he painted, and I knew then, that Wallingford had many different layers, and that what I thought I knew, was only just the beginning.
VFG: Charlotte, you've mentioned on your website that you initially got Lord Wallingfor's heroine, Jane, wrong. So wrong in fact that you tossed out 200 pages of your written manuscript. What was wrong with Jane? How difficult was it to push that delete button? How was your working relationship with Charlotte during this time, Matthew?
Wallingford: Christ, Charlotte had her all wrong! Even her name was all wrong. Charlotte had penned my heroine as a beautiful, luscious-bodied shrew. I couldn’t abide her. I wanted to bed her, true, but I would have had to muzzle her. Lord, that mouth never stayed shut. She irritated me. Irked me at every possible turn, and I told Charlotte that I couldn’t stand the little baggage, and nothing about her would make me shed my misogynistic attitude, if anything, she was only strengthening it. I flatly refused to talk to Charlotte then. After a week of pulling out her hair, Charlotte saw reason…thankfully! And after that, once she gave me, Jane, my story began to pour out of me. I hope I made it very easy on her after that!
Charlotte: Oh, God, I will never forget that day. My deadline was looming, and I hated everything I had written. The heroine, who even had a different name, it was Emma or Emily, I can’t remember, was just such a monster. She was a feminist ball breaker, to be honest, and she and Wallingford butted heads like two bulls. There was nothing soft about her. She was out to crush him into submission. Yes, she was beautiful, and luscious, but there was nothing inside her that made him pause. Made him think. Made him want to get to know her. Plain and simple, he wanted to bed her and get it over with, then fight with her to the door before slamming it in her face. God, it was horrible. I was really distraught, and didn’t know how to make her into the woman that Wallingford could allow past his iron clad cold defences.
Then, on my way home from the Romance Writers of America conference, I took the bus home. I plopped in my iPod and closed my eyes. Then, Alanis Morrissette’s song, Uninvited came on, and I immediately began to see the shape of someone. I saw a woman standing at a window, back a bit stiff, she was holding back a lace curtain as she gazed out a window, and the look on her face was utterly opposed to her stiff stance. After that, the visual wouldn’t leave, and I listened to the song, over and over. I bet about five or six times, just listening to the words. They affected me in such a powerful way. After that, I had my heroine. A woman who is strong, independent, but vulnerable. A woman who is unlike any woman Wallingford has ever seen, or talked to. I changed her name to Jane, because it is a simple, common name, but when I heard Wallingford say it, it became so beautiful and intimate.
I can’t tell you how much I love Jane. She’s everything I would want in a friend, and I know that I could tell her my darkest secret and she would keep it. I think the beauty of Jane is that she accepts people for who they are. As a nurse, she is aware of the human condition. It gives her an incredible view of humanity in all its splendour and horror. She looks at people for what they are. Human. She looks at herself that way, too, and some of Jane’s introspection of herself can at times be harsh, but its always true.
I respect her. I wish she were real so that I could have her over for tea. She seems to me to be that sort of quiet person, who is content to listen to one’s problems, and never suggest a solution, or an opinion. She is simply an ear, or a shoulder, a non-judgemental friend.
Wallingford: My Jane’s capacity to understand her fellow man humbles me. I will never have her ability to accept the way she can. But thank God for that, or else I would never have her in my life. It is Jane’s ability to understand what drives a person that is so wonderfully beautiful. Had she not understood my fears, I would be alone, desolate.
Charlotte: After I discovered Jane, it was then that the story began to just pour out of me. The entire book was written in three weeks. I was merely the vessel for their story, and it was really, really satisfying to write it as such!
VFG: Matthew, Jane discerns early on that you are two different people. You're Matthew and then you’re Wallingford. Why these two separate identities? Why hide Matthew from the world? And now that you have Jane, are you still Wallingford? Charlotte, I think this aspect of Wallingford wearing a mask to shield Matthew was one of the most heartbreaking traits of a character that I've read. We all have masks, of course, that we present to the world but you took it farther and to a point where Wallingford perhaps didn't even recognize Matthew after repressing him for so long. What was this experience like for you? Was it as heartbreaking to write as it was to read?
Wallingford: Now, I am Matthew. But when I met Jane, I no longer knew Matthew. I had not even heard my Christian name in years. He had been buried alive, I’m afraid, and I never, ever attempted to dig him out. I fear him. I knew Wallingford. Could control Wallingford, and that was a comfort to me. There was nothing to fear from him, but Matthew…he terrified me. I couldn’t let him out because I feared everything about him. I suppose, by habit, Wallingford does rear his head from time to time, but never with Jane. With her, I am Matthew, or, as I have come to treasure, Matty.
Charlotte: This is such a great question, although it is making Wallingford squirm! You know, when I wrote this book, I really didn’t have a conscious objective. I just wrote what I was told. That’s how he came. With two sides. One side was subdued, beaten ruthlessly down, the other side, allowed to grow feral and cruel. The cruelty felt comfortable to him, and the kinder side did not. It’s not surprising which side he allowed to flourish. Interestingly, I did not even know his name until in Addicted, when he brings his sister, Sarah to Lindsay’s home. I paused during her dialogue. She had used Brother, and the other guests had been calling him Wallingford, and I thought, “I have to call him something different. Surely his sister calls him by his Christian name?” And I sat back, totally stunned because I had NO idea what to call him. And then, strangely enough, I heard this soft whispering of Matty, and decided that he was fated to be a Matthew. Up until then, even I only knew him as Wallingford.
This is how he came to me. A puzzle, I’m afraid. And writing his story was incredibly easy, because he disassembled so beautifully for me. But writing it was at times emotional agony. I cried a lot. My daughter would come in my study to talk to me and see me crying. She’d run down the stairs and say “Dad, mum’s crying again’. I was a real watering pot while writing some parts of Sinful. But the one thing I know, the tears were worth it. The story is honest and true, and from the heart. This is a flawed couple, who strip each other down until only their souls are visible. It’s a frightening, yet beautiful story how they come to be so honest with themselves and each other.
VFG: What I personally love about Jane is that she's real, a readily identifiable real woman with curves and best of all, with glasses. Charlotte, I love how you write about these real women. I love even more that Wallingford sees through what otherwise would have been a forgettable woman, to the beauty within. Why did set out with your writing to create these real life heroines? And Matthew, in your own words, what do see when you look at Jane?
Wallingford: Words cannot describe Jane. She is an enigma for me. There is such depth, heart and soul to her. Yet she is not without flaws and fears. I think it’s this balance that draws me. But what I cherish about her, is she didn’t try to change me. She allowed me to see where I needed to change, through my own eyes. She allowed me to grow at my own speed, without interference, but not alone. She was always there. That is the beauty of Jane. I have had many beautiful women in my lifetime, but none of them ever compared to Jane. I didn’t need physical beauty. I needed something entirely different. What I needed was something I had never had, it was a woman who fought for me—the real me. Who wanted to know that person that I no longer knew existed inside me. She had faith in me, desire for me, and it was that, that selfless giving that made me fall so hopelessly in love with Jane.
Charlotte: Wow! Feeling the love! Well, for me, I have a very difficult time relating to many romance heroines, mostly because I think they’re too perfect. I believe that we do wear masks, all of us, and it’s stripping it away to find the heart and soul beneath it that is interesting. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s a cliché, but it’s so true. I think we find beauty in many things, and Wallingford found it in Jane. When I write women, they invariably become someone I can identify with. Perhaps I don’t care for what they’ve done, or what they’re about to do, but I can identify with their motives, I can understand and relate to their fears. It’s this that really drives me to explore this underused facet in romance. Every woman has depth, every woman has secret fears, dreams and fantasies. Every woman has a particular strength, and I think all women should be celebrated in romance, not just the perfect ones. And thank you for that compliment by the way, It’s the best one I’ve ever received about my writing! *You're welcome Charlotte! HUGS*
VFG: Matthew, there's been talk about the unconventional ending of your journey. Can you reassure readers, without giving anything away, that you're happy? Charlotte, for me you've become an author who takes risks with your writing. There was much about SINFUL that was risky. Can you explain, again without giving anything away, why you chose the path you did for your characters?
Wallingford: I can assure you, with all my heart, that I love Jane. That we will be together forever. But our journey is unique to us. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that I could have tried to change events. I could have forsaken my honor and got what I wanted. But that was what Wallingford would have done—persuaded Jane to do what he wanted, not what she wanted. This act, my refusal to push at Jane and bend her will was the first selfless act I had ever done. The pain it caused me still makes me shudder, but it was for Jane. I wanted to show Jane that the selfish, cold and spiteful Wallingford was gone, and in his place was her man—Matthew. It was my way of showing Jane my utmost respect for her, of her dreams and values. How else to show my love but to forgo my own wishes, my own happiness for Jane’s was the only gift I could give to her. Our ending was a long journey, but it was right for us. Along the way we discovered ourselves, and grew as humans. I do not know how our happily ever after would have turned out if events had been different. But I do know this, anything worth having is worth fighting for—and waiting for. And nothing is worth more to me than Jane. Her happiness. Her love. I do not believe that everyone is with their soulmate. But I know when I wake up in the morning and brush Jane’s hair from her eyes, that I am looking at mine—my very soul.
Charlotte: Oh, thanks for that, VFG! I think like Wallingford, anything worth having is worth the risk! I didn’t really set out to make anything unconventional, but I do write to one adage, ‘to thine own self be true’. True to me. True to the characters. There are two kinds of authors, writers and story tellers, and I am a story teller. My characters tell me their story, and I write it down. When I’m not true to a character, it shows, like with Wallingford’s first heroine. I’ve learned to listen to those voices in my head. Sometimes by following where characters lead makes it a bit difficult, but then, love is like that. It’s an unknown path that is filled with joy, sorrow, laughter and pain. Love’s path can be light and beautiful, or dark and shadowy. The one constant is, that love’s path is unique to each individual person, and I hope I convey that through my stories.
VFG: Charlotte, I'm so excited for your four upcoming releases next year. Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect? Do you have any future plans of returning to the world of ADDICTED and SINFUL?
Charlotte: I would like to return to the world of Addicted and Sinful and perhaps write some stories about Lindsay’s and Wallingford’s children. But for now, I’m changing speeds and writing an erotic historical fantasy about seven Fey Princes, each cursed with one of the seven deadly sins. To save their cursed court, they must corrupt their opposing virtues! Lust is the first book and will be out in Feb 2011, and Vanity will follow. As well, I’m writing a historical romance trilogy for HQN. They are straight historicals, with the traditional happily ever after romance, but with typical Charlotte Featherstone sensuality and emotion.
Giveaway Details:
Thanks so much for your fabulous interview, and to the visitors, for reading! Now, I think Wallingford has something to say….
Leave your answer to be entered into the contest.
First place, a 50.00 gift certificate to Amazon.
Second Place, a signed copy of Sinful
Third Place, your choice of a signed copy of Addicted, or the anthology Winter’s Desire, featuring Charlotte’s novella, Midnight Whispers.
**Must be 18 or Older to Enter**
***Contest Closes Thursday, April 29th at Midnight U.S. Pacific Standard Time and Winners will be Chosen Randomly and Announced Friday, April 30th**
101 comments:
It's gotta be because of obstacles overcome but still holding onto integrity and such. It's shocking to realize how many people who've dealt with life's hardship turn bitter and take it out on those around them.
I think it's because some of us like having a man that allows us to use our nurturing characteristics. We all have a little mom in us and like to take care of people. That and who doesn't love an underdog.
Absolutely wonderful interview! Thank you all for sharing. Tortured hero? I don't know about real life, but in books I think it's a combination of that nurturing instinct to fix what's broken, and also the hope of the HEA - that love will conquer all.
VFG - thanks so much for introducing me to Addicted and Congratulations to Charlotte on this release!
Wonderful interview! I really felt the love that Wallingford had when talking about Jane. I am so glad that Jane ended up being the one for him!
Modern women like the broken tortured hero like Wallingford because he is a realateable. He has flaws like any person does. He becomes a better man, and wants to, through realizing the incredible love that he has with his heroine. He is willing to conjure up past pain, bare his emotions, do whatever is necessary to convince his lady that he is meant for her. Modern women like myself, are still romantics and want their happily ever after with these type of men who are not perfect but in a sense become so.
I love tortured and broken heroes because they are flawed like real human beings. This makes a character more relatable to the reader, who can empathize with their situations. I alos love seeing them become "fixed" by the heroine.
Loved the interview!!
Great interview!
Oh the broken and tortured, yes what is up with that. I guess for me it is the fact that I want them to be healed and loved. Not to hurt any more
Some woman that reading romance really like that kind of hero, coz they want the hero to be loved, to be healed after such of torture and broken :) Coz We have a HEART !
Hhmmm!
I am not sure that I could really say that type of hero is my favorite but I have come across some of them that I like. Usually I would prefer a different type of hero.
I can agree that if the character is sympathetically drawn, it will tend to bring out the mothering instinct in some women but not all.
Sitting on the fence on this one ?
Thanks
Carol T (International entry)
It never works - at least in my personal experience- but women like to "fix" broken men. Works great in romances, usually in real life one woman "fixes" the broken man - he says 'thanks' then moves on to another woman once he's "whole" again! Grrrr!
:o)
MsM
Fun post!!
I can't wait to read Sinful!! Tortured heroes are fascinating, because they are usually so unreachable and misunderstood, but when they finally find someone who sees past their pain and loves them unconditionally enough for them to open up, it can be so powerful and emotional that it grabs your soul.
"Charlotte had penned my heroine as a beautiful, luscious-bodied shrew. I couldn’t abide her. I wanted to bed her, true, but I would have had to muzzle her"
LOL!! Wallingford cracks me up!! WHat a great interview, VFG, Charlotte and...yes, I'll get more personal...Matthew ;)
As for the question, my answer is this:
I think that tortured and broken heroes are the best kind because they you want to be the one (or rather the heroine, but you're seeing it through her eyes) that finally makes him love and feel happiness again. Out of all the people that surround a tortured or broken hero, the heroine becomes set apart from the rest, she is the one, the ONLY one who can bring him back to life. It not only makes for a great happily ever after for the hero, but for the heroine as well. No other woman ever mattered, even if there was another woman who had initially hurt the hero, it is the heroine who saves him. When you really think about it, there are so many aspects to the broken hero, so much depth to his character because of his past.
As a reader, you want to learn more about them and what makes them tick. You cheer for the heroine because you want to see him finally break free of his demons and be happy again.
That's how I feel anyway ;)
Can't wait for the release, Charlotte and I do hope you return to write more books about Lindsay and Wallingford!!
This was such a great interview and gave even more insight into Matthew and Jane's love story. Thank you both to Charlotte and VFG for making it possible.
I love a broken and tortured heroes the best. I think it's because they have a past, maybe one they aren't proud of but has shaped who they have become.
It gives them so much room to grow and become the person they want to be or deep down are. It's the emotional journey not only of their love story and discovery of each other and their secrets, but their emotional journey as they grow as a person. That's what makes their story so compelling, interesting, and touching.
I haven't had the opportunity to read Addicted yet, but I can't wait to get my booklover hands on it.
Thanks Charlotte for staying true to your writing and the characters. I love your love stories..unconventional endings and all :)
Can't wait for next year !!
The tortured and broken hero is appealing to women because (generally) women enjoy nurturing and healing others.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
what is it about heroes like me, all tortured and broken that appeals to the modern woman?
Women like to "fix" things and people, and I think tortured and broken heroes bring out the compassion and sympathy in a woman, modern and otherwise. Thanks for the chance to win.
cdziuba@aol.com
I think it appeals to our "I want to help" nature. We really care and want to make things better for someone else...we see others challenges and have empathy for them.
it's just sexy! and what an amazing blog! keep up the great work
Because we are women and we need to help make everything better and what is better to help than a SEXY tortured man -- in fact send me one now -- not tortured though just sexy!
Hey VFG, Charlotte and Lord Matthew.
First, I want to say what a wonderful interview you have conducted Vamp. Amazing job!!!! You know no matter what you do, you rock at it!!!! I think you did an awesome job!!! I hope all is well hon... have missed you.
Now to answer Matthew's question.. what is it about a tortured hero that us modern woman love so much... The flaws, the pain, the emotion... when an author does her job, these feelings flow through the paper and into our hearts. Yea, we like to think we can fix them, that there is a part of them that is redeemable, but the truth is... they are real to us. Even the heroine. Their pain is ours, their love is our... And besides a tortured hero is just plain sexy.
It's the same reason why some women go for the 'bad boys' - to be the one responsible for turning them around.
Great interview! Ah, the tortured and broken hero, who could resist? I think the first reason behind the appeal is that it presents a challenge…your going to help them regardless thing…and second, you know if and when you break through, they will be devoted…I’m sure there’s plenty more reasons, but those are mine!
the fact they are vulnerable.
What a wonderful interview, VFG! Thank you so much for inviting not only Charlotte but Matthew as well. It sounds like a great book.
I think what I love most about broken heroes is watching them heal through love. I know, it sounds sappy, but seeing them realize that life isn't horrible and having a wonderful heroine be there for them...it just make my little romantic heart go pitter pat. :)
Hi Charlotte, The Earl of Wallingford, and VFG:
This is an awesome interview, the questions and answers are extremely well thought out. Thank you so much for the invite and for sharing.
As to your question: what is it about heroes like me, all tortured and broken that appeals to the modern woman?
I think maybe it is when love helps a tortured soul to heal it is all the more satisfying? It is also wonderful to see a good man emerge from the tatters of what has previously been a difficult life for whatever reason.
As an aside Charlotte, I've seen "Sinful" on the shelf here in a couple of bookstores and the cover art is even more striking up close and personal.
It's the saviour impulse. Women want to save the tortured soul from his torture (very.good.grains@gmail.com).
we have an inert desire to tame the bad boy or fix the broken.
Fantastic interview... loved hearing Matthew's comments! I especially loved when he said that when he wakes up in the morning and sees Jane, he is looking at his own soul! *sigh*
What I like about a tortured hero is knowing that he carries around this burden and pain and nobody can help him get through it until the heroine comes along. It's like the hero is waiting for that special someone to help him to heal and the only person who can help him is the love of his life... I think women today want to feel that way, like they are someone so special and important to that their very presence in that persons life is vital!
Well, since the man is a hero, we know that there will be alot of good in them. If they are flawed, then they can be seen as a diamond in the rough. Something that can be fixed. Because of the hero quality, it would be worth the effort. Also, I feel that they would be more likely to stay in a relationship. That makes them even more attractive.
debp
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
Great review.
In answer to the question I think it's in our nature as women to try and fix what is broken, like a tortured man.
We want everbody to be happy, so we are bent on fixing our men.
Women like to nuture and heal. It's our job.
rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com
Hi Charlotte, Matthew, and VFG!
First, I have to call Wallingford Matthew because he will never really be the Wallingford he portrayed himself to be. He was always Matthew deep down inside.
Thanks you Charlotte for giving us such a great story, Matthew's was heart wrenching due to circumstances not of his own doing.
And thanks VFG for giving us such a nice interview with both Charlotte and Matthew. It really showed Matthew true flavor and Charlotte's personality. Thanks for sharing.
Dottie :)
I can not stand to see someone in pain, to see them suffer physically or emotionally especially if I can do something about it. The 'tortured hero' often suffers to protect others or to pay for something he perceives as owed with little thought to when the debt is paid. What many perceive as weakness to me is a type of strength. There's something within me that responds to someone with that kind of strength...annhonATaolDOTcom
I think that it just calls out to our need to understand him better...we want to help and heal and that's why flawed heroes are oh so appealing.
hugs,
Anna
s7anna@yahoo.ca
I think women relate to other women who have seen and been through a lot, women who are strong, have faced obstacles and hardships and have risen to the occasion.
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
What a great interview. Thank you Charlotte and Wallingford.
Charlotte, you always have an amazing ability to write with such depth and feeling. With your books, I feel like I am right there, going through the same emotions as the characters, sometimes love, hate, despair or hope. No matter what emotion it is, I can experience it through your books. I'm sure Sinful will be no exception.
As to your question Wallingford, a woman such as myself sees you as someone who is desperately, deep down inside your soul, crying out for someone to save you and more importantly to just love you as you are. I know you are appalled by that and vehemently say "HELL NO THAT"S NOT WHAT I WANT'. The truth of the matter is, women want to nurture. They want to feel needed and when they see you all gruff and the world be damned attitude, they can't help but want to save you and feel like they have made a difference with at least one person's life. So there you have it Wallingford, like it or not, that's the way it is and there is nothing you can do to change it.
I like to try and fix them, to make things better for them after everything they've gone through. I'm the fixer in our family and I hate to see people hurting so it's instinct with me to help.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
I think it plays into our instinct to take care of others or to fix them and make things right.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
Women are nurturing by nature. We wish to care for, love, and help heal others. Unfortunately, many have and continue to attempt to "fix" those too broken to be fixed. It goes as far back as Jane Eyre to the present time with the BAD BOY SYNDROME.
rmc1ra(at)aol(dot)com
Yes, even the modern woman still wants to believe they can fix the broken man,...that only they have the power....that they are so special that the man will want to change for them.
I think that the concept is that if you love them and protect them that they will do the same for you and that will give them a reason to reach their full potential.
Thanks!
1bmore @ gmail .com
Fantastic interview! I really enjoyed it!
And I think that, while EVERYONE deserves an HEA, theres just something....*wonderful* about reading a tortured and broken hero get his!
For me it's tied into redemption and the soul of the man. And sometimes it takes great effort to did beneath the layers, but a complicated hero is just so much more interesting, and so deserving of that HEA that we all love to read about.
caity_mack(at)yahoo(d0t)com
I think it's because women want to fix them and make them better. They bring out the nurturing side of a lot of women. Plus they're sexy :)
hafner611{AT}gmail{DOT}com
We feel sorry for underdogs and want to fix you and feel a sense of accomplishment. tlcarroll at gmail dot com
I think modern woman want something to fix, heal and make better. It is a challenge.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
Women are nuturers,emotional nurses and fixers. We also like to believe that our love is strong enough to heal any wound, right any wrong, and tame any beast. In other words we are sometimes completely self deluded.
ewalsh40(at)gmail(dot)com
I think what attracts me so much is the idea that a man is so deep to even be able to have these wounds, that I'm compelled to want to know those depths.
Women love saving men...(I am listening to Savin' Me by Nickleback as I write this...)
The modern woman wants to take care of, heal and liberate a tortured hero!
delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com
Women are nurtures. We want our men to need us beyond just the obvious physical need.
Women by nature take care of others, and this includes their man. When they see a tortured soul, a women can not help but to want to reach out and help.
When a women feels as though they are reaching and healing a heart, their own heart opens even more, filling with love
ctazie(at)aol(dot)com
So, my question is, what is it about heroes like me, all tortured and broken that appeals to the modern woman?
The vulnerability harboured within, the strength it takes to not heel to it whilst holding the promise of unravelling for the right woman. They encompass every contradictory emotion and beg to be healed. (Yes, I said beg.) ;D
HORTON111@AOL.COM
WE LIKE TO HAVE OUR "IN MY DREAMS"
I think a lot of it has to do with a couple of things: Namely, that there is such a tragic attraction that comes from being a tortured hero and many women feel a sense of caring and compassion for such a man. Additionally, there is also an aspect of wanting to care for and nurture a man like that, and knowing that your love may help heal him :)
It is in our nature to heal what is rent; to comfort where there is distress; to nuture and love.
We are product of our environment whether we want to admit it or not. There will be times when the intervention of another is desperately needed.
Thank you for such an intriguing story.
Cynthia
I like tortured and broken heroes because it shows their human and vulnerable side.
nanoarta1 at gmail dot com
Perfection is unattainable in any form, especially human. Therefor, any hero (or any character for that matter) that is anywhere near perfect is always flawed. Its the imperfections, the 'broken-ness' of each character that makes them both special and believable. I want to be able to identify with every single character so that each story, each character, each scenario and situation is personal to me and not just self-indulgent brain vomit of some elitist novelist (no offense :) ).
What an absolute in-depth interview I gobbled it up from first till last word. Now ADDICTED is bumped up to my first five books to read :) Thank you so much for that VFG, Wallingford and MS.Featherstone.
What appeals to me in a broken and tortured hero is the fact that while they will probably growl at ya their need for someone to love them is so intense and overwhelming that it is something they need to hide in the deepest corner of their hearts to be able to function. It takes a special woman and a special journey for these kind of heroes to find a HEA that fits them in the heart and soul!
Love the inverview. Very in deptth
rugerpuppies at hotmail dot com
There is something romantic about danger.
I think most women are nurturers and so am I. We want to help heal and cure.
adr1001025[at]msn.com
I've always said there is nothing sexier than the bad boy made good. He had the experience to know what to do phyically but also appreciats the deeper emotional stuff because he knows how rare it is.
I think most women are nurturers ~ who hope to heal thru "love". And there's nothing sexier than a bad boy made good thru the love of a "good woman". Whew!... it's getting warm in here.
renski17@fortaj.com
There is nothing which touches a womans soul more than a man in pain, especially when it involves his heart. I think it is a female instinct to want to try and mend him and make him whole again. A man who has been hurt means that he is a man who has deep feelings and that is something which is so appealing and sexy at the same time.
I think it is our mothering instincts
There is, in some, a need to "fix" the other person.
theyyyguy@yahoo.com
It's in the womanly nature to nurture others.
I think it's because so many women like the 'bad boys', but then think they can change them!
Show me the money!!!!
Tortured heroes are appealing because many many want someone that needs them. Someone you can take care of and nurture. It can also implies a past bad boy that was hurt and now needs someone to save and rescue him.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
Nobody woman wants a man that is "perfect" and makes you feel inadequate. Instead she wants a man with a little mystery and maybe even somethins she can fix
jmcharries@cox.net
I think it is the empathy.
Women are nurturers, Lord Wallingford. They just want to help you and heal you, and in so doing, to mould you into their perfect mate.
Christina - xristya@rock.com - Since society wants women to be perfect, "broken" women are identified with more easily! Especially if they're more broken than you are!
Women like to fix things- especially tortured sexy hunks with secrets. ;)
I think women are always looking for a challenge. They want someone they can help heal and comfort and also has a edge to them to keep things exciting.
honeybeez80@yahoo.com
Women like to fix things..and people. We like to make people better.
clarkmurdock@yahoo.com
I think it's because it's much easier to identify and empathize with a protagonist who's less than perfect and faces real obstacles and challenges in life -- encountering such a character really motivates the reader to step into her shoes and experience the world through her eyes, to go along for the ride with all of its highs and lows, which is a really emotionally fulfilling and cathartic experience when it happens. Thanks for the great interview!
I don't really care that much for them, especially when they seem to wallow in their despair. A hero with some concerns is one thing, since they can certainly be healed, but a truly broken one might not be brought into a loving relationship.
cgclynsg0 at gmail dot com
I think the appeal is the thought of saving these heroes from themselves. Being able to make a tortured man happy is something special.
dftrew(At)gmail(dot)com
It seems obvious to me. Women are nurturers by nature. So we want to fix anyone who is broken and soothe anyone who is in pain... until we've been married to them for... oh.. say 23 years... and then we realize that they have no intentions of changing and they're perfectly happy having us take care of them for life.
women are brought up to be nurturers- we don't like to see people hurting; we want to help!
Thanks for the giveaway!
email in blogger profile.
We women are nurtures so we feel compassion to men who are hurting. We want to save them. We want to fix them.
Some women like a project...
i think most women feel the need to care for the those in need or the underdog it is just our nurturing instinct :)
Women always think they can fix a man's problems, make all the pain and unhappiness melt away.
We like real people, not robots. How boring would perfection be? How could we live up to that??? Thanks.
women like to take care, love and soothe a broken person.
I think what he is saying is Why do the women like heros like him!
heatherstamper09@aol.com
It's the same reason why some women go for the bad guys to be the one to turn them around.nice blog and giveaway thank you.
I think women are nurturers by nature. A flawed and brooding man who is willing to love is also very sexy. It just makes the HEA so much sweeter when the hero has overcome obstacles.
mizztuts AT bellsouth DOT net
The more broken, the more a woman thinks she can help you out?!
I think it's in the nature of women to try to heal and nurture people. It gives them a sense of being needed and doing something worthy. So women often like a man they can "heal" of "fix". Or one they can take care of.
Thanks so much! pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net
Great review and giveaway!! I agree with woman being healers and wanting to nurture. Also if they show love to the broken then there is a chance they will be loved back just as strongly.
cyclona66(at) aol dot com
It's the sense of adventure and mystery
Women love to nurture and heal especially someone who has done heroic deeds.It suits her nature to nurture. garrettsambo@aol.com
For me, it's looking into other people's lives who are different than I am. Thanks for the contest.
Women are nurturing beings.. it's what we do. We want everyone to feel better, be whole and be well.
women are nurturers ty.
vivianbl@olg.com
I think that tortured and broken heroes appeal to the modern woman because she thinks she can heal and nurture them.
Great interview. I love tortured heros because they are human and have flaws. Perfect heros just seem to me to be so untouchable and unreachable. I like to see growth in a character and if someone is already perfect there is nowhere for them to grow.
Post a Comment