2012 is off to a great start for the Heart to Heart blog. Why? Because New York Times Bestselling author Robyn Carr took time from her busy schedule to write us a little something about her latest book, Hidden Summit (Virgin River Series #15) .Take it away, Robyn!
There is a certain kind of man who takes my breath away. He might only be handsome to me, I don’t know. But he is in so many ways selfless. He does the peoples’ work – he serves. He’s not afraid of hard work, he relishes it. He is loyal – loyalty is a true gift of love. He shows respect – another gift of absolute love. He is often a military man, either present or past, which requires those values. But he is sometimes a protector of the innocent in law enforcement or savior of the victim as a firefighter or paramedic. I seem to have found him in some other jobs that require integrity, strength, creativity and sensitivity – building homes for families, serving up a drink or cup of coffee along with a smile for a friend or patron, giving us guidance in worship, growing the food we eat or tending the animals we love.
He is every man. He is an average guy who embodies those qualities that make him an extraordinary man at certain times in his life.
I’m naturally drawn to people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. I want people in my life and my books who sometimes surprise me with their fearlessness and humanity. My heroes are as likely to volunteer in a soup kitchen as they are to have remembered and learned from hard times of their own.
Whoever he is, what makes him a true hero is that he gives. He loves. He protects and he honors his commitments. He might not be in the fight on a daily basis but if called upon, he gets pretty tough. And then there’s that side of him we don’t see too often but is always glowing under his skin – he is tender. He wept when his first child was born; he carried an old woman out of a burning house and kissed her brow as he loaded her into the ambulance. His everyday heroism shines.
We all know and admire him; we married him, gave birth to him or moved next door to him. He is a brother, friend, neighbor, cousin. And he’s not flawless, oh no! In fact it’s his imperfections, those things he doesn’t understand or works so hard to overcome that make him unique and even desirable.
If you met this guy in a romance novel, maybe with luck a Virgin River novel, chances are his features are chiseled and his shoulders wide and strong. But that’s the only part of him that’s made up. I’ve seen this guy in the books of Jill Shalvis, Kristan Higgins and Susan Andersen. He hangs around the novels of Christie Ridgway and Marie Bostwick in various forms. He’s a very popular kind of guy.
I tried to re-create this man in various Virgin River novels – the newest of which is Hidden Summit. Conner Danson is an ordinary guy; he’s owned a hardware store for years, not exactly high profile. Not a SEAL or secret agent or movie mogul. Just an ordinary guy who works construction, puts his life on the line to testify against a killer, takes care of his widowed sister and her five year old sons, falls in love with a good woman and backs up his friends. I LOVE him.
Join me back at the river. It’s more romantic than ever.
You can read more about the latest Virgin River novel, Hidden Summit (Virgin River Series #15) , by clicking the links in this article. And keep up with all the best romance news by joining our Facebook page or visiting us at Romantic Reads.
