THE 5 ESSENCES THAT FLAVOUR A HERO

Indiana - a perfect hero

Nature abhors a hero. For one thing, he violates the law of conservation of energy. For another, how can it be the survival of the fittest when the fittest keeps putting himself in situations where he is most likely to be creamed? ~ Solomon Short

The true hero must be a real person with a complex personality.

If they start out big, and strong, and tough, and super-skilled, and super-powered, what is heroic about their journey? They are just doing the same-old.

A hero needs:

·         Flaws

·         Fears

·         Weaknesses

·         Internal contradictions

·         Quirks

To be a hero, the character must be layered in conflicts that, just as much as the physical difficulties, become the source of friction that roughens the path to a successful conclusion.

A hero has to overcome self-doubt and fear to conquer the obstacles in their path.

They are not heroic if the stakes aren’t higher, and the clock isn’t ticking.

TEASER TUESDAY - Christmas Gems - THE STORY OF HOLLY AND IVY Rumer Godden

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of ShouldBe Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Tuesday nights before Christmas, after excitement and looks,

I plan to share stories from seasonal books.

The tales I am seeking were crafted with care,

With the best of the season enfolded in there:

;)

I recently discovered the author Rumer Godden. This probably came as a surprise to her as she was first published in the 1950s and passed away in 1998.

My first December Teaser Tuesday is from: The Story of Holly and Ivy written by Rumer Godden and illustrated by Christian Birmingham

On the opening page of the book it says: "This is a story about wishing:"

        An orphaned girl wishes for a doll to hold and a family to love her

        A Christmas doll wishes for a child to own her

        A childless woman wishes for a little girl to look after

This is the story of three wishes.

Read in instalments, this is a perfect children's Christmas story.

A lamp in the passageway outside gave just enough light. Ivy’s legs began to feel heavy and warm; her fingers and toes seemed to uncurl and stretch in the warmth; while her eyelids seemed to curl up.

I found this book on a display in a charity shop. It's a Christmas gem.

WHICH BOOK DO YOU RECOMMEND I READ BEFORE CHRISTMAS?

http://www.carols.org.uk/twas_the_night_before_christmas.htm

DID I MENTION WINNING THE COMPETITION?

NO, I DIDN'T MENTION THAT I WON IT. 

MY SHORT STORY IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED IN E-BOOK FORM WHEN LAURENCE O'BRYAN'S: THE JERUSALEM PUZZLE IS PUBLISHED IN JUNE.

(IT'LL MAKE A NICE BIRTHDAY PRESENT!)

NOW, TELL ME HONESTLY, CAN YOU SEE ME AS CRIME AND MYSTERY WRITER?

So far, whole life included, I've read six and a half crime and mystery stories. 

Do you think I'll need to read a few more?