Day 3 ~ Samantha Kane

My Favorite Heroes From My Books (And one thing no one but me knows about them.)

#7 Derek Knightly At Love’s Command
I loved writing Derek. It’s that simple. His biting sarcasm and wounded temper tantrums were so much fun to write. It was a challenge to turn a snarky bully-boy into a romantic hero. Derek’s secret: Sophie nearly won their chess matches a time or two, but he’ll never admit it.

#6 Edmund James A Lady In Waiting
A naughty vicar? What’s not to love about that? Again, Edmund was fun to write. Completely carnal and convinced of his unsuitability to be a vicar, but it’s clear he has a caring nature and a deep sense of responsibility even as he seduces the good widow Bartlebyrne. Edmund’s secret: He’d like nothing more than to pin Sylvie against the vestry door and make her scream. Repeatedly.

#5 Bertie Thorne Retreat From Love
Technically Bertie’s not a hero in the book. He’s Freddy’s dead brother, only briefly mentioned in previous Brothers In Arms books. But from the very start I knew that Bertie’s death had shaped the man Brett was. I knew who Bertie was but I knew readers didn’t. I hope in Retreat From Love I’ve given them an understanding of who he was and why so many people grieved so deeply for him. I don’t really want to give away a lot here. But suffice to say that even though he’s dead he’s very much a presence in the book. Bertie’s secret: He would have shared Anne with Brett.

#4 Daniel Steinberg The Courage to Love, Love Under Siege, At Love’s Command
Daniel doesn’t have his own book yet, but he’s already got his own story. In my head, at least. Daniel is one of the most complicated Brothers in Arms. A homosexual Jewish dandy in Regency England, Daniel doesn’t quite fit, in society and even among his friends. He seems bright, vivacious, witty, and yet there’s a dark undertone to him that I only began to explore in At Love’s Command. Broken by love and fighting his inner demons, Daniel’s story is going to be a truly redemptive one. Daniel’s secret: He has horrible taste in men. He always seems to choose the ones who walk all over him and break his heart.

#3 René Dubois Islands
Oo la la, René is a Frenchman to his very core. I loved writing a twentieth-century hero who was openly gay. It was very freeing. And I got to throw in wonderful French phrases and endearments, like m’apollon, which means loverboy. His seduction of Lt. Commander Gabriel Conlan, U.S. Navy Seabee, was a dream to write. I can’t wait for you all to read it! I know, I’m a horrible tease today. Anyway, René’s secret: (I could put anything here. At this point you know nothing!) He love, love, loves anything American. ;-)

#2 Brett Haversham Retreat From Love
Ah, Brett. Always the level-headed one, the calm center in the storm that has so often been Brothers In Arms. Underneath he’s a seething cauldron of repressed desires and guilt. Of course, you say, it’s Brothers In Arms, lol. You’re right of course, but this boy has been seriously repressing. The best part about finally giving Brett his own book was letting all of those repressed feelings free, not just desire and love, but anger and resentment and guilt. And holy Toledo was he a caged beast pacing to be freed. When he finally has a chance to make love to Anne and Freddy he’s a force of nature to be reckoned with. Brett’s secret: Well, that’s the point. He’s got a lot. I mean A LOT. But the most obvious is he’s been in love with Freddy for almost as long as Freddy’s been in love with him. Oh, he also likes to talk dirty. And leather. Oops, not telling any more.

#1 Stephen Matthews The Courage to Love, Love Under Siege, Love’s Strategy, At Love’s Command, Retreat From Love

This is no secret. I think I confessed that Stephen was my favorite over at Nose In A Book ages ago. His character has been instrumental in all the Brothers In Arms books, and he lends a legitimacy to the love triangles in the series as a vicar who accepts these unusual relationships. But there’s just something about Stephen . . . he seems so good that you just know he can be just as bad as he is good. ;-)
His character really struggles with the big theme of good vs. evil, right vs. wrong. He’s a good man in a world that can be very bad, and he struggles everyday to make sense of it for himself and for those around him. Stephen is my anchor character. I’ve shown that he can be pious and caring (The Courage to Love), empathetic and humorous (Love Under Siege), manipulative (Love’s Strategy), and kind (At Love’s Command). We know he’s killed a man but never slept with one, and in Retreat we’re going to see that he has some demons of his own left over from the war. He’s waiting patiently for his story because he knows all good things come in time. Stephen’s secret: He’s desperately, despairingly in love. After all, he’s a romance hero. ;-)