Books
It turns out that there is a whole sub-genre of romance books about “wounded heros.” I had no idea!
From what I can tell from the descriptions these seem to be usually over-the-top, sappy stories emphasizing the tragedy of the situation. Apparently, the hero is almost always bitter and angry about his disability and shuts himself away from the world until he is brought out of his shell by the feisty heroine.
Far from perfect, but I guess it’s a start. I think it’s good to have sexy lead characters in romance novels that also have disabilities. I’m waiting for it to not be the main focus of the story! Also, I wonder where the female characters with disabilities are. I’ll have to dig and see if that plot exists in romance novels…
Some reviewers on Amazon will say things like, “People with disabilities have love lives too and it’s important to show that.” I completely agree, however I don’t think most of the books that review is being applied to are accomplishing that goal. Don’t give too much praise for the simple act of having a character with a disability, too often those books have little research behind them and luxuriate in stereotypes.
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I can’t resist taking this opportunity to mention my own book. I am a novelist and short story writer and I write almost entirely about characters who have disabilities in the hopes of giving people a different perspective and some realistic insight that there isn’t a huge divide and non-disabled people don’t have to ignore or feel uncomfortable around people with disabilities.
So far I only have one book out, and it is about something known as devoteeism, check out more details and read the first chapter here: (W)hole
I just reread it recently and I have to admit, I’m darn proud of the thing!
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Progress Trackers
At proofreaders; available for pre-order
What Is Meant To Be
Second draft
Homework & Homicide (working title)
Second Draft
Book Montage
RFW winner October 7, 2011
I’ll admit to having a few of these in my “box” – there are a few good ones out there. Let me know if you’d like specific titles of ones that I think are worth hunting down…
That would be great! I struggled through one HORRIBLE one and a couple okay ones, but it would be nice to know which ones are good.
You’re on! (Just so you know what I look for in this kind of romance: Well-developed characters who grow throughout the book and who relate well with each other; well-researched and realistically described disability elements – I hate disability used merely as a “plot device” and I HATE soppiness and cheesiness); a good story – I like character-based books, but I also want something to happen in the book too!). Here we go – and I guarantee NO MIRACLE CURES 🙂 !
Paraplegic hero:
“The Write Man for Her” – Christie Walker Bos
“A Man like Mac” – Fay Robinson
(In theory I should also have liked ” A marriage to fight for” by Raina Lynn. It wasn’t bad but somehow it didn’t “do it” for me quite like the above 2. Maybe I just need to dig it out and give it another shot…)
Amputee hero:
“The morning side of Dawn” – Justine Davis (as well as the other two books that go with it – “Stevie’s Chase” and “Left at the altar” – which tell the back-story to “Morning Side” and feature a single ATK amputee hero.
Blind Hero: (there are more of these around, but also more rubbish out there). I can HIGHLY recommend:
“Miss Ware’s Refusal” by Marjorie Farrell (as well as two books books that feature and develop the hero/heroine’s story further: “Autumn Rose” and “Lady Barbara’s Dilemma”. These are my ABSOLUTE favorites 🙂
“This is All I Ask” by Lynn Kurland.
(These are both historical, which isn’t my usual tipple, but they are beautifully written with a high Dev factor!)
I also enjoy “Blind Curve” by Annie Solomon and “Holiday Confessions” by Anne Marie Winston – (LOVE the hero in the latter, but the story doesn’t quite move enough for me – sort of fizzles out a bit at the end…)
Other disabilities: I recently read “Flowers from the Storm” by Laura Kinsale (Hero has a stroke early on in the book). Thought it was really good and it’ll definitely be going in my “re-read” box.
Any not on my list that you enjoyed?
Against all Odds by Tom Helms is one of my favorites. It was written in the ’70’s but you can still find it. The author is telling his own story and he tells it well – no woe is me stuff. In the epilogue it says he’ s at work on a new novel but I’ve never been able to find anything else.
http://www.amazon.com/Against-All-Odds-Tom-Helms/dp/0446815462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305390847&sr=1-1
There’s a scene in a restaurant where Tom and a friend are having lunch and the friend tells Tom a girl across the room is interested in him. He says she’s flirting with her eyes, trying to get him to notice her or something – I can’t recall – and Tom says it doesn’t count because he was there first. When his friend questions him he explains that the girl hadn’t seen him come in so didn’t know he was disabled. The friend doesn’t believe him until they stand to go and she sees Tom’s leg braces and everything changes – her eyes are then full of apology for having stared and treated him as “normal”.
Oh my gosh! How awful. Just my luck, none of the guys I ever “flirt with my eyes” at ever turn out to be disabled! j/k 🙂
Excellent, this is going to definitely keep me busy!
Tom Helms is a great author. I just finished reading Against All Odds. I haven’t found anything regarding a new novel. Hopefully it will come out soon.