“Imperfect” Heroes

Why do I use the phrase “imperfect hero” sometimes to describe the men in the stories that I write?  Do I think that men who have disabilities are not perfect?

Not at all!  I think their bodies are absolutely perfect.

I use the phrase because it is a common euphemism for disabled male characters in books.  I need to tag and have that phrase connected with my website so that people who are searching for the kinds of stories I write can find them.

It is not only devotees who enjoy these books.  Some like to read what is known as “wounded hero romance” because they are tired of Fabio heroes who don’t feel true to real life. Others have a deep seated sense of compassion and like hurt/comfort stories where a woman nurses a man back to health.

However, there are plenty of people with devy tendencies who have no idea that’s what they are feeling.  They search the Internet for these kinds of “safer” words, like “imperfect” and “wounded.”  They are not ready to admit what they are really hoping to find.

I want to guide those people towards the stories they long for.  I want to guide all the people who search for male characters who are physically disabled towards the material that will bring them happiness.

So forgive me for using some of these inaccurate phrases.  I’ve done research to see what it is that people search for, so that’s where these phrases come from.  In reality there is nothing imperfect at all about a disabled body.

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