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Camille

March 15, 2018 at 12:30 PM UTC


Nerdy and shy but 100% loyal

Kim

March 15, 2018 at 01:38 AM UTC


My interest was piqued by “Batman-esqe” haha. 🙂

Imagine what someone like that would be like in a fairy tale/fantasy story? Lots of possible traits come to mind: Fiercely intelligent, loner (but with a big, loyal “family”), skilled in combat (but not invincible), self-sacrificing (possibly with an flippant, devil-may-care playboy façade) but with many personal and emotional flaws. It’d be entertaining to see some Batman outside of the gloomy streets of Gotham and with a proper female foil/[life] partner.

Aoife

March 14, 2018 at 12:24 AM UTC


– a wolfish that makes heroine blush every time
– a foolish jester that is secretly a spy genius

Elle

March 08, 2018 at 06:36 AM UTC


~Jokester but a genius deep down and can be serious when a friend needs him
~ Hero directly competitive with heroine

Jocelyn

March 10, 2018 at 06:29 AM UTC


Oof, I’ve read books with the second–it’s almost always a total buzzkill for the romance story line unless they work out their competitive mess (or just his, depending) early on in the story.

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Nina

March 08, 2018 at 07:22 AM UTC


Yes! I concur, both of those would make for a very entertaining story.

Maegan

March 05, 2018 at 08:43 PM UTC


The wounded healer/broken leader type. Like he has his own issues and struggles going on, but he still protects and leads and the people he protects adore him for it.

foxinsox

March 05, 2018 at 10:44 PM UTC


Yes! Like an Odette type sorta thing, right? 🙂

Krista

March 05, 2018 at 03:13 AM UTC


Villian is the good guy. Example like instead Peter Pan believed was the good guy but it actually is Captain Hook that is. Just a idea.

Rebekah

March 05, 2018 at 09:38 PM UTC


Oooh, genius!

Shanti

March 03, 2018 at 07:32 PM UTC


Sarcastic but fiercely loyal–constantly snarks at friends in private but defends them to strangers/enemies

Nina

March 08, 2018 at 07:24 AM UTC


Ooooh, I like that idea.

Lenni

March 03, 2018 at 05:36 PM UTC


Great sense of humor, dark, and secretive. Adventurous!

Claire

March 03, 2018 at 10:49 AM UTC


A villain turned hero

Lisa W

March 03, 2018 at 04:19 AM UTC


I would love to see a cute nerdy type! Or a bit slap-dash, but still awesome, ala Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle! It was so hard to pick just 3!! I love so many of your heroes! I definitely agree that the votes should be upped to 5.

Rebekah

March 03, 2018 at 03:20 AM UTC


Captain America type hero. The friend who is kind of scrawny but turns into the bulked up hot guy. And a little sarcastic snark is always entertaining. And I loved the character of Emerys. This is probably my favorite out of the fairy tale books.

Nina

March 03, 2018 at 12:35 AM UTC


WHY?!?! So stinking hard. I think the votes should be upped to five because of the new books. *blinks innocently* I like Devin, and Farrin, and Asher and Aaron and Emerys and Merlin and Friedrich and Conrad. Three is far too few to appropriately cover even my favorites…
The entertaining heroes are my favorite. The more sarcastic, the better. And Asher and Aaron….Man, they’re great.

Kitty

March 04, 2018 at 04:36 AM UTC


…You know…It never occurred to me to just give you guys more votes due to the additional books. WOOPS! Lesson learned, I’ll do that next year! 😉 Thanks Nina!

(And I love Asher and Aaron, too!)

Nina

March 04, 2018 at 05:41 AM UTC


YAY!!! Thank you thank you thank you! Maybe you could give more options for the heroine/secondary character polls this year? Or would that be unfair to the heroes? 🙂

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Nina

March 03, 2018 at 12:41 AM UTC


Oohh…type I’d like to see. Sarcastic-but-sweet. Emerys is an excellent example. Or Asher and Aaron…

Jocelyn

March 02, 2018 at 10:47 PM UTC


Dang, this is a hard call :-). I’m debating between Fredrich, Emerys, and Merlin.

As for hero-type…I think I’d like to see more “kick-ass academic” types. I don’t mean that he’s a ninja and a scholar, more “look at me solving problems with my brain and only necessary brawn” kind of deal :-).

Kitty

March 04, 2018 at 04:38 AM UTC


Friedrich is one of my favorites, but that’s because his humor is veeery similar to mine so he was ridiculously easy to write. 😉 I think besides him, my favorites are also Emerys, Arion, and Asher & Aaron!

(I’m a sucker for the funny guys, or the stoic type!)

Jocelyn

March 06, 2018 at 04:59 AM UTC


Oh, and yeah, I like Arion. I do have a soft spot for the stoic man with a great heart :-D. Not my favorite, though, possibly just because he isn’t in a series where he can pop up later again and give us another little glimpse, and because I think Cinderella and the Colonel is just all-around in contention for my favorite book in that series!

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Jocelyn

March 06, 2018 at 04:55 AM UTC


I JUST read Asher and Aron today…they’re fun, too, though I have to say that Life Reader is probably my least favorite book so far (though I still enjoyed it!). I did wonder if you were modeling a lot of Friedrich off of someone, he was so natural :-). Thank you so much for your works!

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Jocelyn

March 02, 2018 at 10:49 PM UTC


Sigh. *Friedrich. Typo! And I have to admit, Stil is tempting, too…I like a lot of these guys (as we should, I suppose).

Nina

March 03, 2018 at 12:37 AM UTC


Oooh, I forgot Stil. He’s hilarious.

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Jocelyn

March 02, 2018 at 10:48 PM UTC


Sigh. *Friedrich. Typo!

Kaitlin

March 02, 2018 at 06:50 AM UTC


Too good for his own good. He’d be frustrated (not closed off, but afraid of getting hurt) because he wants to do what is right in the world and find a faithful girl, but has had his heart broken one too many times.

Kaitlin

March 03, 2018 at 02:09 AM UTC


After I sent my reply, I took another look at your comment and got confused when I saw your name is Kaitlin, too – I didn’t remember typing that comment!? XD

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Kaitlin

March 03, 2018 at 02:07 AM UTC


^ This sounds like Severin, except for the fact that Severin can be BRUTAL to people he doesn’t know face-to-face.

Lauren

March 02, 2018 at 04:38 AM UTC


The twins are always at the top of my list for this one, so I’m really excited for the next Life Reader book, whenever it comes out.

That being said, here are some I’d really like to see:

Notre-Dame type (disabled or atypical, possibly abused/neglected, but still awesome and friendly; maybe anxiety, depression, stimming, etc.?)
Best friend forever (ie, the boy who’s been certain he’d marry her [and made declarations on the subject] since they were little bitty [maybe platonic?])
Unapologetically nerdy, especially about books/music/etc.
Really insanely intelligent, without being arrogant (I’d like this to be paired with any and/or all of the above)

Haily

March 02, 2018 at 03:07 AM UTC


The very stoic type that pats you on the head.
Or the jokester that can enrage the heroine with their pranks and one liners.

I would like to see a hero that’s been through some hard things and is probably suffering from PTSD and is maimed. (Maybe has a peg leg) someone that’s incomplete and is searching for oneness again.

foxinsox

March 02, 2018 at 12:05 AM UTC


– A guy who likes to laugh but knows when to be serious
– Who gives hugs and makes you feel special

Also. I eliminated it down to the 5 heroes who are stoic and really masculine. (What does that say about me? 😉 )

Kitty

March 04, 2018 at 04:41 AM UTC


Hahahahaha, I love that you are taking this so seriously! 😀 It’s a real compliment!

But I hear you. My favorites are all the funny guys or the stoic types. (I’m looking at you, Friedrich, Asher/Aaron, and Arion!) I LOVE the stoic type, but they’re a bit of a challenge for me to write since I usually make them stoic by making them talkative.

Lara

March 01, 2018 at 09:51 AM UTC


Been thinkin’ about the whole hero thing. Calling to min some of my all-time favorite heroes, here’s what I’ve come up with.

Calm, super-competent, but with an absurd sense of humor.

Suffering but honorable (preferably poor)

The faithful lover–I’m a sucker for the guys who’ve been in love with the same girl since they were 12.

Jillee

March 01, 2018 at 08:11 AM UTC


melodramatic commitment-phobe

Megan

March 01, 2018 at 07:23 AM UTC


Best friend who plays second fiddle to the main hero: Ron to Harry Potter or Gonff to Martin the Warrior. I’d love to see a focus on that kind of character, and the focus and maturity it takes to play second fiddle like that (I’m a bossy person who likes to be the center of attention, in case you can’t tell).
I’d also love, just once, to have a hero turn up and the bad guys recognize him and freak out, because they know they’re about to get creamed.

Sarah

March 01, 2018 at 07:19 AM UTC


Villain turned good for girl. (or a guy that you start off not liking but grow to love like Falk; but I like Farrin more)

Diane

March 01, 2018 at 03:44 AM UTC


Tough guy, but marshmallow to his love

Jessica

March 01, 2018 at 02:11 AM UTC


You had me at “stoic marshmallow.” Haha

Tina

March 01, 2018 at 11:23 AM UTC


Right!?!?

Genevieve Tyrrell

March 01, 2018 at 01:14 AM UTC


Gruff but secretly a total push over

Megan

March 01, 2018 at 07:16 AM UTC


That’s one of my favorite hero archetypes! Possibly because growing up, we had an elderly neighbor my mom referred to as “Eeyore”. He sat on his driveway and scowled at the world, but he was a big pushover with a soft spot for kids, and we all loved him. He had a bristly beard and a gruff voice, and a heart of gold.

Kim

February 28, 2018 at 11:54 PM UTC


You’ve given us such a wide array of heroes already. But I do like the idea of a hero like our little white dragon. He started out very small and unimposing and but perhaps as he shows his strength he gains strength and grows, realizing that he can become all he dreams of if only he would believe in himself and expend the effort for someone he loves.

Lauren

February 28, 2018 at 11:30 PM UTC


Accidentally brilliant
Nondescript genius
Menacing demeaner with a heart of gold.
Clumsy friend next door

Cora hurst

March 01, 2018 at 03:31 AM UTC


“ accidentally brilliant” all I can think of is ruff and tough from how too train your dragon 😆

Hannah

March 01, 2018 at 10:13 PM UTC


I LOVE that series…and those two. When I watch action & superhero movies and everything’s getting smashed I want to rasp out “Such destruction!!” Only no one else will get it. 😀

Kitty

March 04, 2018 at 04:42 AM UTC


I love Rough and Tough, too! They’re hilarious!!

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Cora Hurst

March 02, 2018 at 12:45 AM UTC


hahah season six is probobly my fav. its just the little things they do that makes it awsome

Sarah

February 28, 2018 at 11:09 PM UTC


I completely second the “no nonsense/intense hulking bodyguard” & the “shy/devoted/stands up for you” types.
I also love Emerys’ character – the pretends not to care but slowly warms up and becomes a complete gonner -would love to see another version of him.

Lindsay

February 28, 2018 at 10:45 PM UTC


That was really REALLY hard to just pick three!!

Megan

March 01, 2018 at 07:17 AM UTC


No Kidding!!! Kitty, you’re killing us with only 3 votes and all these amazing heroes!!! XD

foxinsox

March 01, 2018 at 11:55 PM UTC


YES. Every. Stinkin. Time.

(I had to do eliminations 🙁 )

Ellie

February 28, 2018 at 10:33 PM UTC


a jerk/player, you know the guy who is kinda like Devin from MBRC or Peter from the 3rd Entwined Tales book.

i think it would be interesting to see the growth of a character like that.

Rebekah

February 28, 2018 at 10:29 PM UTC


Lover of food (What? It would be hilarious.)

Megan

March 01, 2018 at 07:25 AM UTC


Yes, that would be a riot!!!

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Edel E.M.

March 01, 2018 at 01:13 AM UTC


I second this! So many hilarious possibilities 😀

Haily

March 02, 2018 at 03:17 AM UTC


In the middle of tracking down clues to catch the bad guy he just runs off while yelling “CINOMON BUNS!!” And gets lost in the market.

Or their in a dark creepy cave and he’s just munching on a crunchy apple.

Cora Hurst

March 02, 2018 at 03:40 AM UTC


Yassss Please!

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Kaitlin

March 01, 2018 at 05:56 AM UTC


He and Dylan would end up either best friends or worst rivals! xP

Kitty

March 04, 2018 at 04:43 AM UTC


LOL Probably worst enemies–he’d be trying to sample her food all the time, and she only allows that if you’re “special” to her. 😉

Cora hurst

February 28, 2018 at 10:29 PM UTC


The fun smiley guy who though had some tough times in life still manages to keep a positive out look on life

A puddleglum esque character ( doesn’t have to be a main character)
I alway love a detective type of character ☺️

Edel E.M.

February 28, 2018 at 10:06 PM UTC


-No nonsense, intense, hulking bodyguard

-Disabled/disfigured, hidden/abused, heart of gold (Hunchback of Notre Dame – esque but gets the girl!)

– hero directly competitive with heroine (begrudgingly but thoroughly impressed with heroine’s abilities/skills)

Megan

March 01, 2018 at 07:26 AM UTC


All those in favor, say “Aye!”

Haily

March 02, 2018 at 03:18 AM UTC


Aye!

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Kaitlin

March 01, 2018 at 01:07 AM UTC


^ I definitely second these suggestions, especially the last two! <3

I also am totally on board with Kitty's example of the stoic-marshmallow type. XD

Heather

February 28, 2018 at 09:35 PM UTC


strong, genius hidden behind the funnyman

Hazel

February 28, 2018 at 09:25 PM UTC


Villain turned hero (like Farrin) 😀

Jaydon

February 28, 2018 at 09:21 PM UTC


Shy/devoted/stands up for you.

2018 Annual Hero Poll

And now, the post you all have been waiting for! It’s time for the 2018 Annual Hero poll!


Every year I hold a hero poll in which you get to vote for your favorite K. M. Shea/A. M. Sohma heroes! You have three votes, but you only get to cast your vote once–so choose carefully! (Side note: The heroines get their own poll in summer, so this poll is completely male focused.)

The Poll closes: March 16th!


But wait, there’s more! Once the winning hero is picked, I’ll be holding the second half of my annual poll, in which you vote for the kind of hero you would most like to see in future books. (Alexsei of Swan Lake was modeled after 2016’s winner–the overlooked sweet/good guy—and Emerys was loosely modeled after 2017’s second place winner, pretends to be grouchy/snarky but is kind to friends, so I do take your votes seriously–though I can’t guarantee I’ll use them.)


In preparation for that poll, please shout out what kind of hero you would like to see in the comments below! (Keep your descriptions limited to a few words, like “stoic-marshmellow” or “batman-esque” or “cute nerd,” etc.)


Okay, now vote as you have never voted before, and may the best hero win!

<a href="https://poll.fm/9933875" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Take Our Poll</a>

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