Equal Opportunity Love

Romance in Color asked the neatest question on their Twitter today: Would the hero in the book you are reading now drive a Porsche or a Range Rover?

I answered that Vanya, of "Full Circle," would drive something like a Porsche and Zhenya, of my upcoming book, would drive something like a Range Rover. Then I had another thought. What if the hero of the book drove something like a hooptie?

There's some criticism of the romance genre for its focus on wealth and riches. Honestly, it is very fun to think of wealth. Romance tries to fulfill and titillate the fantasies of its readers, so, the focus on billionaires who love Jane Doe is understandable.  Critics have cried out for heroes unlike these billionaires -- men who can't buy planes at the drop of a hat and don't command vast power in their circles of influence.

What do these heroes look like? I must say, it would be an interesting challenge to write about a regular joe. Several authors -- Pepper Pace, Jennifer Cole, Aliyah Burke -- write about dudes who aren't rich and powerful all the time. I like the way using a middle class hero can lend a touch of realism to the story at hand. There aren't too many billionaires falling for secretaries or ladies that they meet on the street. I've often thought, "Okay, this plot is a little ridiculous!"

The middle class guy fantasy is titillating because there's a higher potential for that fantasy to occur in the reader's world. A sweet man down on his luck, a neighbor, a handyman, the guy that runs the local resort -- stuff like that. Maybe I'll write about one of these guys soon. The genre could stand for some equal opportunity love.