Do your characters breathe?

A Cinnamon Bun Hero

I know a lot of romance writing has the grunting alpha male. My writing? Not so much. Grunting, if it occurs, is a means of shaping this character's reserved nature. He lives internally. His actions speak for themselves in a clean and honest way. He has rules by which he frames his life. He has high expectations for himself, but also for those whom he lets into his private life. And, one a fraction of those individuals will be given access to his most honest and vulnerable facets.

The Sunshine Heroine

I don't think this woman should be all energy and contemporary fashion. Nor should she necessarily be the dark, misunderstood rebel. She may have undirected energy and optimism, yet be bruised by a world that doesn't cooperate with her vision. She may not fit culturally, or by gender, in the world she thinks she wants. She must have a vital core made of iron. Her story has to be a journey of growth, one that involves accepting what is broken and repairing what is salvageable to come out stronger.

The Story Trope

I gravitate to the ideas behind upcycling/restoration. It is a rich metaphor that works so well for romance. It reaches out to those people who have tried life and have been bruised but redeemable. I also find that small coastal towns are a rich, changing backdrop for these characters to grow and to instill a believable three-dimensional existence. In such a setting, the characters not only find their reality but also find room to breathe.

The Driftwood Sound Series

I am deep into developing book 1 about a heroine, Mariam "Moxie" Olsen, whose promising life as a designer in Seattle blows up. She must face deceit, humiliation, and her own anger to find the road to recovery. And it is literally a road--a cross-country trek with a total stranger who is her ride-share. Conner Sterling, a merchant marine with a steady compass and a heart tried by disappointments and missed opportunities. He is loyal to a fault and communicates with a unique economy of words and action. The story ends up in a small coastal Massachusetts town with an established maritime history. A derelict bait shop awaits Moxie to restore. Her future and Conner's intersect in Seattle, but they are destined to reconnect in Driftwood Sound, where they find a synergy in each other that flourishes alongside their salvage.