Q&A with Sam Cheever discussion

For me it's being too whiny. I don't respect weakness in a heroine. She can be conflicted and/or scared, but she can't just stand around wringing her hands and saying poor me. That drives me crazy. It's like, in the movies, the woman is always the one who falls down when the bad guy is chasing them. Give me a break!

I completely agree Sam. Whiny, needy, wishy-washy woman drive me nuts. Have a little backbone and I'm all good. I also have a slight aversion to a heroine that is just too hard and strong willed. I always want to crack her over the head with something. Stubborn is one thing but being purposefully obstinate is another.

OMG yes! Especially when there's no good reason for her to dig in her heels. That drives me crazy.

Exactly. Doing it just do to it doesn't make me happy. There is such a thing as logic. Making a heroine unbendable in any direction makes her one dimensional and boring. I end up wondering if the hero wanted a doormat or to argue for the rest of his life. Neither sounds like a good relationship at all.

That's really the key isn't it? Aside from how her behavior makes me feel, I need to understand why the hero and heroine want to be together. If I don't I can't buy into the story. That goes for the hero too, if he's a total jerk, I have to wonder why the heroine even wants to be with him.