Please help me welcome Maya Tyler to my blog – she’s here  to talk about what defines a hero. Maya, like me, writes paranormal romance and and loves superhero movies!

Maya Tyler is a romance author, blogger, wife, and mother. She has a degree in Commerce and her day job is in Finance. Over the past few years, she decided to unleash her creative streak and get serious about writing. So far, she has published a short story “Just for Tonight” in an anthology titled With Love from Val and Tyne, and has written a few books. Writing mostly paranormal romances, all of her books have a common theme–happily ever after. Dream Hunter is her debut novella. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing with Lego and watching superhero movies with her husband and sons. You can visit her anytime on Twitter, Facebook or her website or sample her quirky writing style on her blog.

 

Maya also has a new release coming soon with Tirgearr Publishing – I can’t wait for this one!

What Defines a Hero by Maya Tyler

Who is your favourite hero (or heroine)? What makes them special? What makes them tick?

The foundation of a romance novel lies with the main characters – hero and heroine (or hero/hero or heroine/heroine). The strength and believability of your characters forms the basic framework of your story. And believe me, even a paranormal romance like I write needs to be somewhat believable… And that’s the crux of why I write. I want the reader to envision what I imagine and believe in the possibility.

I have a particular hero type. I like a tall, strong-willed, dark-haired, muscular man. I like a little mystery to keep me guessing. I like a little bad boy meets dream boat. I want my hero to make my reader drool. I want complete and utter ‘swept you off your feet’ romance.

Gabe, my hero in Dream Hunter, fits my type to a ‘T’ and then some. He’s a guardian angel who communicates with his charges through their dreams. Guardian angels have certain specialities or skill sets. Gabe oozes sexuality from his very pores. Yet he projects a sensitive and protective side as well. He rebels against the rigid rules because he cares so deeply about his charges.

I base (somewhat) all my heroes on my husband of thirteen years, my high school sweetheart, the love of my life. We met in high school and dated for seven years, through my last year of high school to the end of my university career. The day he proposed started with a tragedy – my gym locker was broken into and everything was taken – shirt, jeans, winter coat, backpack, purse, with wallet, car keys, and cell phone – except my winter boots. I called my then boyfriend, at work, in tears. I had his car so he took a cab from work to get me. We did the whole police report thing and I ran around town for a new drivers license card, bank card, social insurance number card, and new winter coat while a friend watched our apartment. The locks had to be changed. My sense of security had been shredded. We had planned to go out and celebrate the end of exams before we headed home for Christmas and I was determined to carry on. We went to an elegant restaurant with a bird’s eye view of the city and enjoyed our meal. After dinner, we sat down on a bench outside the restaurant and he handed me a ring box. He said words I quickly drowned out with my resounding “yes!” He told me later he wasn’t sure if he should go ahead and propose because of my earlier ordeal. The theft was one of the first issues we had to face, but it wouldn’t be the last.

A few years later, we miscarried a baby. It was a devastating and painful experience. I took a week off work and together we channeled our grief into building a side deck. Then, six weeks after our first son was born, my husband took ill and was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It is a horrible disease which severely impacts his functionality and has robbed him of the ability to work. After my maternity leave was over, I stayed home to care for our family. Two years later, we had a second son. When my husband was ‘stable’ and my youngest was two, I returned to the workforce.

It was a surprisingly easy transition for all of us. I did well at my new job and was soon promoted. Then the harassment began. I was harassed by a co-worker at work for months, but my boss ignored my complaints and nothing was done. Less than a year after the harassment started, I was physically assaulted at work. Still my boss took no action. It wasn’t until I became too ill to function that I was accommodated at work. Then, six months later, my workplace accommodations were removed and I started to become ill again. Years later I am still ill and I have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

So now my husband and I both live with disabilities, our lives drastically changed – his from a neurological disorder, mine from a workplace injury. Yet we remain strong as a couple, as a family. Our sons have been exposed to more than other children their age. Their parents are sick. But I feel they have become more mature and independent as a result. We love our kids and try to give them everything we can, but realize we have to do things differently than other parents.

My husband and I have been together for over twenty years. We have seen happiness, we have experienced heartbreak, we have faced uncertainty. But everything we have gone through, the good and the bad, has been together, when we vowed ‘in sickness and in health’ we meant it.

A hero stands up for what is right, fights the villains, and protects those not able to protect themselves. Who helps others, not for praise and adulation, but to make the world a better place. I admire my husband’s strength and courage, in his fight against his disease, and am grateful for his support and protection, in my fight against my injury. That is why I draw the characteristics of my heroes from my husband. He is a hero.

My hero.

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