Laura K. Curtis on overcoming the alpha/beta divide
Laura K. Curtis, author of Echoes, the latest in her Harp Security series, explains why she loves an alpha hero … with caveats.
Laura: The current fashion in heroes is very alpha. So alpha, in fact, that they verge on being — in my opinion — "alphaholes." Let me be clear: I have no desire to tell anyone else what to read or write, but for my own enjoyment, I prefer heroes who treat others well.
But here's the thing: I also like romantic suspense. I love romantic suspense. It's my favorite of all the romance genres (followed closely by contemporary romance). And in romantic suspense, the heroes must be strong, more capable than the average Joe. But strong doesn't have to mean domineering, and I think that's where the current definition of alpha hero fails us. I often get asked whether I write alphas (because, hey, romantic suspense should have alpha heroes, right?) and it's always difficult for me to answer.
On one hand, I write men of action, so yes. On the other, I write men who work in teams and rely on others to assist them, so no. My definition of an alpha has three components:
1) He knows what he wants.
2) He has the self-confidence to believe he can achieve his goals.
3) He is a leader.
If he lacks any of those three qualities, he's not alpha. If he takes what he wants without consideration, or leads only by force, he's not an alpha but an "alphahole."
It could be argued that very few romance heroes know what they really want. They think they only want sex, for example, when what they really want is true love. Still, they have goals. A man without goals isn't just non-alpha, he's not hero material at all!
So we have our hero, and he wants something. If he's an alpha, he's confident that he can get it. If he aims to solve the crime, save the cat, put out the fire, he's sure it won't be a problem. Luring the heroine into his bed? Definitely not an issue. (In fact, one of the most appealing things about the alpha hero is watching him when he loses confidence, which happens when he realizes that he loves the heroine and may not be able to make her love him back.)
The true alpha hero is also a leader, which is a concept as tenuous as that of "alpha." He's authoritative but not authoritarian. He commands without creating resentment in those under his care. And that is, perhaps, the defining characteristic of true leadership — he does care about those under his command. Perhaps this is why we see so many "bodyguard" romances — we can see the hero's protectiveness right from the beginning, long before he falls in love.
This is why I enjoy writing (and reading) ensemble/series romantic suspense. The hero doesn't have to be totally sure of himself as long as he has confidence in his team. Sure, some guys have that alpha confidence, but some don't.
I introduced Harp Security in my last book, Lost, which had a decidedly insecure hero — Jake Nolan, former FBI agent, current burnout. I hadn't considered, to that point, writing a series. But once I started writing the characters who stepped in to help Jake, I realized I had to give them all stories, too. (That's the way it works for me — I'm a total pantser. I once killed off a character three-quarters of the way through a book who I thought up to that point was the killer!) Suddenly, I understood that I could continue to write what I have thought of as traditionally "beta" guys and still have them be romantic suspense heroes.
That's not to say I don't love me some alphas, because I do. And you'll certainly find more than a few working at Harp Security. But there are also men (and women) who have challenges that make them less confident, less inclined (though no less able) to lead. Does that make them beta heroes? I guess. But my heroines don't see them that way, and in the end that's all that matters.
Here's the blurb about Echoes:
Who is she?
A single photo of herself as an infant on a beach, taken before the date on her birth certificate, throws everything Calliope Pearson knows about herself into question. Hoping to find answers, she takes advantage of her job as a travel writer to make a reservation at the Caribbean island resort in the picture.
Resort security chief Mac Brody distrusts Callie on sight. After all, she looks exactly like his deceitful missing wife, Nikki, who owns half the resort. But when Nikki's found dead, Mac's facing murder charges, and he's sure that Callie must hold the key to proving his innocence.
The deeper Callie and Mac dive into the mystery of her past, the more bodies surface. And they'll have to learn to trust each other, or become victims of a dark danger neither could've imagined….
Find out more about Laura and her books at www.laurakcurtis.com.