How do you take YOUR heroes?

FIRST -- Congrats to ERIN L, winner of last week's giveaway! Now, back to today's post . . .

A while back I posted about Bulletproof Kinks, and though I didn't list it at the time, I think one of my major kinks is the Jaded Hero. Lately, a certain TV show has made me wonder about the Jaded vs. Idealistic Hero, and what sort of person is drawn to each.

First of all, the Jaded Hero has Gothic origins (Gothic is another bullet-proof kink of mine!) in that it seems to trace back to the Byronic Hero. Characteristics of the Byronic Hero include:

-- Distaste for social institutions and norms
-- Exiled, outcast, or outlaw status
-- Arrogant
-- Cunning and able to adapt
-- Cynical
-- Self-destructive
-- Troubled past

(Learn more here)

I've been a fan of the Byronic Hero since college, but long before I ever followed Childe Harold on his pilgrimage, or pondered the Byronic appeal of Milton's Satan, or swooned over the seductive powers of an irascible land baron named Edward Rochester, I fell in love with a particular Jaded Hero named . . . Han Solo. He was world-weary, sarcastic, pessimistic, living outside the law, prone to act before thinking, and generally dark and dangerous. The sexiness of this was slightly lost on me back when I first saw Star Wars, but by the time Empire Strikes Back came to theaters, I realized that Han Solo had it going on. (Princess Leia eventually clued in, too!)

The opposite of Han Solo was young idealist Luke Skywalker -- earnest, thoughtful, and principled. Luke was a dreamer who was more concerned with saving the world than his own skin. And he didn't have a problem expressing his feelings. In fact, he seemed to have the problem of TOO MANY FEELINGS -- at least until Yoda's training finally kicked in.


I see this Idealistic vs. Jaded Hero dichotomy in films and TV all the time, and always, always I am drawn to the darker, flawed, emotionally constipated Jaded Hero. But then I have friends who most often seem to go for the Idealist. (Which makes us very compatible in our fangirling.) Where do you stand?

[This is where I wrack my brain for Idealistic/Jaded Heroes from TV and film]


Jack O'Neill (jaded) or Daniel Jackson (idealistic)? (Stargate SG-1)


Stefan (idealistic) or Damon (jaded)? (Vampire Diaries) (FYI: I've met ONE person who goes for Stefan!)


Steve Rogers (idealistic) or Tony Stark (jaded)? (Avengers) (Don't even get me started on Loki!)


Dean or Sam Winchester? (Supernatural, aka "Star Wars in Truck Stop America" and my latest FIXATION*) I don't even have to tell you who's the jaded one, right? The scruff and averted gaze speak volumes.

So, Jaded or Idealist? Can you explain why you go one way or the other? (I can't, really.) My theory is that most people are drawn to one or the other almost exclusively (this certainly seems true among my friends), but perhaps there are people who flip flop? If so, EXPLAIN! Also, it seems no matter what side you're on, there's always a moment (or episode/season) when the jaded hero has an outpouring of FEELINGS, or the idealistic hero goes dark. And those moments are very special, my friends.

I know I'm not saying anything new here. My main purpose is to collect data. Can you think of examples of books, movies, or TV shows that feature this hero (or heroine) dichotomy? Seems more prevalent in SciFi/Fantasy. I want to make a list!

*This is all Glenda's fault.

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Celebratory GIVEAWAY!

Guess what? I have a new look to my website! Also to Twitter, Facebook, and even this blog. Thank you for the fabulous makeover, Xuni.com!

To celebrate, I'm giving away a pile of books. This past week I had the privilege of retreating with a bunch of amazing YA authors. Six of them debuted along with me in 2011, and I wanted to share their first books with you. Here's the prize pack:

Blood Magic, signed by Tessa Gratton
Hereafter, signed by Tara Hudson
Hourglass, signed by Myra McEntire
Die For Me, signed by Amy Plum
Across the Universe, with signed swag from Beth Revis
The Near Witch, with signed swag from Victoria Schwab



ENTER BELOW!

(You get extra entries for follows, tweets, and for checking out the new website!)

Writers' Retreat

Wouldn't it be great if I could write 20k words in 4 days?

Dream on, Sonia . . .

A tea for February

Before I get to the tea: I want to announce that the winners of REVEL and THE DARK BETWEEN preorder, chosen through the mighty power of Random.org, are Carrie K and Regina Garvie! Congrats to both of them!

Now . . . TEA!

January was crazy, but I'm back with a tea recommendation for February.

In my early days of tea exploration, I shopped a lot at Stash. You often can find their bagged teas at the supermarket, but their loose leaf tea is quite good, too. The Stash website is a great place to spend some time, especially if you're not quite sure what you like and don't want to invest a great deal of money in sampling a few things. I've always been pleased by their offerings.


If you like a smooth black tea, you can't go wrong with the Kenilworth Estate Ceylon from Stash. Here's their description:

Long attractive leaves, exquisite flavor and subtle body. Excellent afternoon tea.

Ceylon teas from the Kenilworth Estate enjoy the seasonal monsoons which encourage the growth of the teas in the districts of Dimbula, Uva and Kandy. Select tender leaves picked after the first monsoon and processed during cooler weather, result in a creamy character unique to this estate. With long attractive leaves our Kenilworth Ceylon Orange Pekoe has the smoothness of a great Ceylon tea with the intriguing creamy top notes this tea is known for.

I agree that this is a great tea for afternoons -- it's not quite as dark and brisk as an Assam.


Last week, it seemed the perfect choice for "second breakfast." (Not just for Hobbits anymore!) Steve and I had an early breakfast at Panera -- one scone shared between us -- and by 10:30 I was starving. So I made a pot of Kenilworth Ceylon and enjoyed it with a slice of homemade cherry orange loaf.

[The recipe originally called for fresh cranberries, but I couldn't even find frozen ones this time of year, so I substitued tart cherries. They worked fine, but I will try with cranberries in the fall. You'll find the recipe here.]

What's your favorite tea for the cold month of February?

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Revel in mystery, monsters, & love -- enter my GIVEAWAY!

I'm a huge fan of Maurissa Guibord. Her debut novel Warped, the story of two young lovers from very different places and times, captivated me with its romance and suspense. I've been waiting with great anticipation for her new novel, Revel.

Check out the official synopsis:

There's an island off the coast of Maine that's not on any modern map. Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn't her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia's not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night. Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it's Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water's edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? Wouldn't you like to win a copy of your very own?

I can help with that!

To celebrate the release of Revel, I am giving away TWO (2) copies of the book. And I'll sweeten the pot by adding a couple of pre-orders of my own book The Dark Between, due out from Knopf/Random House in August.

This giveaway is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents!

--To enter, all you need to do is comment below with your name and the best way to contact you.

--I'll give you an extra entry if you tweet this giveaway. Make sure my Twitter handle is in the tweet.

Here's a tweet you can copy and paste -- easy peasy!
Revel in mystery, monsters & love! Win @Maurissa_G's REVEL & pre-order of @soniagensler's THE DARK BETWEEN. goo.gl/QKbTA Pls RT!

This giveaway is open until midnight (CST), Thursday, February 21. I will announce the winners on the following day.