DO WE HAVE TO LIKE THE MAIN CHARACTER?

DO YOU HAVE TO LOVE THE MAIN CHARACTER?
By Lynde Lakes

John Grisham showed us in his page-turning novel, THE BROKER, that the main character does NOT have to be admirable. The lead character steam-rolled over everyone his whole life for monetary gain and ended up in jail. When he is pardon by the president and whisked away into hiding, we start to garner a smidgeon of sympathy for him. He is forced to live on-the-run in Italy, a country where he can’t even speak the language. He fears even his “protectors” might be planning to kill him and are merely waiting for the right moment. He gives them only slight trust while remaining alert for situational shifts that scream danger. (We readers know that his situation is even worse than he thinks. He was pardoned only to be killed.)

Slowly we begin to identify with him. He doesn’t just lie down and take it. He makes plans. We find ourselves supporting his goals and no matter what a scumbag we think he is, we admire his gumption and when he starts feeling remorse for the bad things he’s done and wants to make amends, we suddenly want him to win his battle to reach this noble goal and are willing to take his side, no matter how much of a selfish, money-grubbing, slime bucket he has proven himself to be in the past.

Our desire to put aside our natural disgust of him transpires when he experiences extreme loneliness. We are not lonely, but we can understand his feeling because at some point we’ve experienced similar feelings in our past. Through this empathy, which is more powerful than sympathy, we get closer to him. We feel his growing stress and buoy ourselves up when he takes a positive step to improve his situation. We admire his guts, clever thinking, and determination not be a pawn at the mercy of his expanding list of enemies. The author has moved us beyond mere sympathy. We now feel the power of empathy.

We have this image of this guy willing to do more than learn Italian, he must become Italian. He must be cunning, cautious and he must win over others in the story to gain their help. But we see a change here. He works them, not only for his benefit as he did in the past, but he now gives his heart and concern to others. Suddenly this man, who we feel received what he deserved, is becoming human to us and we suffer with him. The world is ganging up on him. But a few of us are on his side. We don’t want his supporters to get in trouble. We realize without their help he is a dead man. The power of suggestion is at work. We feel what it is like to be him, looking over his shoulder. We feel his hesitancy to put others in danger. We feel the love and tremendous trust the woman character brings into the story. We don’t want him to disappoint her. She is a good person and her positive view of him strengthens our belief that he is changing. With sights, sounds, pains, smells and the romantic connection of one character to another triggers our emotions and transports us into a plenary state where we are totally involved and our real world disappears. The push-pull decisions this man must make now are now of a moral nature and will have grave consequences. He is in the throes of great inner conflict. He’s not only messing with his own life, he has to consider others. Then he makes the big change. His honor or self-worth is at stake. He has to make it right at all cost. Can he pull it off? We cheer for him when amazingly he does—in a surprising way that we would never expect. Hence the book is a bestseller. So,if we trust the author to produce a great story, THE Broker proved you don't have to like the main character in the beginning. But he had better be redeemable, as Luke Ryan is in Lynde Lakes' LASSO THAT COWBOY.

Cowboy Secrets and Double Trouble

Howdy all, I'm wearing my Stetson and cowboy boots today. My quote today is: "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, coined my beliefs and I hope to bring some sunshine into your life.

I'm the author of BILLBOARD COP, MIDNIGHT DESTINY and the Ryan Ranch triolgy: COWBOY LIES, LASSO THAT COWBOY and coming soon, UNDERCOVER COWBOY. My books are available at amirapress.com in both E-book and Print format.

I write romance intrigue, paranormal, mainstream, etc. I like humor and while I take my writing seriously, I don't take myself too seriously. I like to laugh, and in spite of a world, that has many problems, I work hard to find the joy: in the smiling faces and hugs of children, in a single rose, in a rainbow, in sharing my thoughts with you. This past weekend I met three new friends ( I try to reach out to at least three a day) who proved the good of humans. As I move through life I find invisable energy all around me, caressing my soul making me into, hopefully a better person. I believe this energy is available to all of us.

If you know me, or not, and want to comment, I'd love to hear from anyone who comes from love.

I write love stories, I live a love story and believe in the power of love.

When you want a romantic, humorous romp through a web of danger with characters who have strong goals and determined personalities try the Ryan Ranch Trilogy. Here is an excerpt of #2 LASSO THAT COWBOY

Talk about a bad day, Amber is roughed up by thugs, left for dead and wakes up next to a dead body. As if that isn’t enough, she is lassoed by a wise-cracking cowboy who she later finds out is her prospective boss. Then we switch to Luke. Out on the Ryan Ranch In South Texas, Luke has been up for hours, in fact, being the bad boy that he is, he is just dragging in from his wild night out and is as ornery as a Brahma. Then he spies a woman he mistakes for a local Wh... Whoops, I’ll get into that a little later. You are wondering about now if Luke is the "hero" type. Well, Luke is one of a kind, but he sure as shoot’n has the bad, bad boy brand on him. What he needs of course, is a gal who will stand up to him, ride him like a bronco and tone down his alpha, macho ways. We like 'em all male, protective, but we like the beta tenderness. Can Amber whip Luke into shape or is she too busy running for her life? I invite you to find out.


LASSO THAT COWBOY Desperate, Luke hires a nanny with no credentials. Amber, is the only prospect for the job on his remote South Texas ranch. He might not be so quick to hire her if he knew she had a loaded .38 in her purse. Her secrets could destroy
everything he's worked so hard to build--and get him and his daughter
killed.

All books available from Publisher, Amira Press, at: www.amirapress.com

Below excerpt Of Book #1
________________________________________________________________________
COWBOY LIES RYAN RANCH-SOUTH TEXAS
Author Lynde Lakes
Available in print and E-book format
Book # 1 in the Ryan Ranch Trilogy.
Four-Star review from Romantic Times Book Reviews, April 2009 issue

COWBOY LIES-Lynde Lakes- ISBN#978-1-935348-05-4

Nothing felt right—nothing felt familiar—nothing jogged memories. Even her own name sounded strange to her ears, if it was her name. Molly Ryan? That mellow name didn’t fit the fire blazing in her gut and that scared the hell out of her. Married. Was she really married to this cowboy pacing next to the fireplace like a fenced-in wild stallion?

She’d begged to stay at the hospital. She’d felt safe there, and had grown to trust Dr. De La Fuente during her months of treatment. That is, until he released her to this stranger in tight blue jeans and told her to trust the guy. How could she trust a Stetson-wearing hunk of testosterone like him? The initial shock of learning that she might be shackled to this hard-edged cowboy slid closer to full-fledged panic. Did he expect her to share his bedroom tonight?

Lamplight reflected and magnified his shadow on the wall, his movements feral, agitated. Did he resent that she’d been thrust on him in this bewildered condition? Would he turn that barely-contained anger on her? She shivered, fighting an urge to bolt. “I can’t be married to you. Nothing seems right!”
He paused, and his piercing gaze locked with hers—the intensity sent chills along her nerve endings. “You’re gonna have to trust me on this one, Molly,” he drawled. “We’re hitched.”

There was that trust word again. Before she could respond, he wheeled around and headed out of the room. This was unreal. The possibility that she’d ever loved this man, let alone married him, was as remote as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Fighting the warning instinct twisting her insides, and using the strength of that growing fear, she chased him down the hallway, running to keep up. “Not so fast, cowboy. What did you say your name was again?”
He’d told her a number of times—she’d repeated the name Matt Ryan over and over in her mind, trying in vain to trigger anything that would indicate a past with him—but she wanted to keep him talking while she attempted to put things together in small circles, feeling her way.
He paused and gave her a hard look. “Okay, one more time,” he said in a low, tight voice. “I’m Matthew Ryan, Matt for short, is that so danged hard to remember?”
It wasn’t; so why didn’t his name trigger a memory? With searching fingers, she touched the tender spot where the needle had gone in. The drugs the doctor had shot into her veins to keep her calm during her long helicopter ride from the private hospital somewhere along the Mexico border to this South Texas ranch had pretty much worn off, and her head was getting clearer by the minute. The doctor had diagnosed her memory loss as traumatic-amnesia, fugue state, whatever that was.

Matt turned his back on her again and continued down the hall. His tall, lean body was custom-built to wear those hip-hugging, faded blue jeans. When he reached a closed door down the hall, he opened it and entered.

Before crossing the threshold, she peeked in. Please don’t let this be his bedroom. She sighed in relief at the sight of pastel walls, a rocking chair, baby articles, and a crib. An image of an empty crib and blood-splattered walls flashed in her mind. She stiffened until she saw the baby inside, kicking its feet in delight. She had an urge to gather the baby into her arms and run, but where? Why?

Available at: www.amirapress.com
COWBOY LIES BUY LINK
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Below excerpt of BILLBOARD COP
__________________________________________________________________
BILLBOARD COP BOSTON
Author Lynde Lakes
Available in print and E-book format
Four star review from Romantic Times Book Reviews


WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION WHERE JEN IS FACED WITH ONE OF THE MANY DECISIONS THAT DRIVES BILLBOARD COP AND HEATS THE ROMANCE:

"We're batting zero," York said. "I'm going back to the
department. I'll drop you off at your office. Finish up whatever you need to do there. I'll be back at 5:00 and we'll head for Salem."

Jen blinked in surprise. "The trip's still on after what I wrote?"

"Why not? Like you said, it's old news."

Jen's stomach fluttered, and then knotted. "How can we leave with so many things hanging?"

"This isn't a big trek, Jen. If we need to get back it'll take us less than an hour. Besides, maybe Hawthorne has the info we need to fill in the gaps." He squeezed her hand. "We can discuss this more on the way to my folks' place."

His folks' place—why did the idea of meeting them suddenly make her palms sweat? "Why don't we put a rain check on this weekend? We're onto something here and should stick with it."

"I already set it up for you to talk to my neighbor about the mayor and Coble."

Darn York. He knew that dangling the mayor's secrets in her face
would make her cave. Yet, how could she forget the rising tide of intrigue here in Boston? But what if York's neighbor had the
missing nugget of information to cut through the snarl of facts,
pinpoint the most likely players, and make everything fall into
place? She had to go, even if it meant an hour of confinement in a tiny sportscar with the sexiest cop in the world...

CLICK Here: BILLBOARD COP Buy Link, AMIRA PRESS:
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_________________________________________________________________
MIDNIGHT DESTINY. HAWAII, with all its local color and ghostly folklore.
Author Lynde Lakes
Publisher Amira Press
Available only in E-book format.


WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE AFTER RICK CLIPS MELE'S CAR TO AVOID HITTING A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN. HE IS SIZING HER UP, KNOWING ALREADY THAT MAKING THE DECISIOIN TO TAKE HER WITH HIM WAS A MISTAKE...

Rick fought the urge to shake her. "Not a chance. If he comes to,
he'll kill us."

"If you're FBI, why not just handcuff him and take him to jail?"

Her musical accent enticed Rick in spite of her bossy tone. "Lost my cuffs when I jumped from the car. And at the moment, jail is not an option. But I'm not at liberty to explain why."

Mele crossed her arms. Her long red Mandarin-style dress clung to
her slender curves like a cranberry sushi wrap. "I won't leave him like this."

Rick stared at her. She merely stared back. Her eyes had a hint of the Japanese slant, merged with exotic Hawaiian almond shape. Throw in glossy dark mahogany brown hair and the blend resulted is one sensational-looking woman. A smudge of dirt on her cheek disturbed him beyond reason. His urge to wipe it away, although irrational, thawed something within him like a smelting furnace liquefies iron ore.

He swore under his breath as his resolve disintegrated. Roughly, he dragged Dom to the edge of the road and left him behind a
boulder. "He'll be safe enough back there. Now get into the damn
car!"

She hesitated. He saw that she was too brave for her own good.
Still, the alert sparkle in her eyes confirmed high intelligence.
He threw his hands in the air. "It's your choice. Get in, or enjoy a nice long walk on a narrow, foggy highway."

Still she didn't move. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine!" Rick almost exploded, frustration knotting his
stomach. "And that's what scares me. As long as he's alive, that man is dangerous."

It fascinated and worried Rick the way Mele's earth-brown eyes
darkened to onyx. Until she climbed into the car and clicked her
seatbelt closed with an exaggerated snap, Rick hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. He would never have left her, but her cooperation made his life easier.

She huddled in the bucket seat, close to the passenger door, her
arms wrapped tightly around her body as if holding herself
together. He slid behind the steering wheel and eased the silver
suitcase onto her lap. "Hold this for me," he said. "I need it up front to keep my eyes on it."

"What's in here?" She stroked the smooth top with long graceful
fingers. "A cell phone, I hope." She pressed the locked clasp and
frowned.

"No phone," Rick growled.

"Why don't I believe you?"

He didn't answer; he flicked on the windshield wipers and let the
steady clicking fill the silence. After the blades cleared away the excess condensation, he flicked them off and fiddled with the radio. He found a station playing Hawaiian music and turned the volume low. Maybe music would soothe her.

Mele dug through the storage bins in the car's center divider,
examining everything. She returned the sunglasses and other small
articles she found, then punched the button on the glove
compartment, no doubt hoping to find a cell phone inside. Rick
fought back a smile when she discovered that the glove box, too, was locked. "Got a fingernail file? Or a pocketknife?" she asked.

"You surprise me, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes." He chuckled. "You'd break into a locked compartment? Risk damaging a rental car?"

"You don't know anything about me."
~

NOTE: THIS COUPLE WILL DISCOVER THAT THEY HAVE MORE TO WORRY ABOUT THAN THE BAD GUY, DOM. THEY MUST ALSO DEAL WITH A GHOST, KIDNAPPERS, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THEIR OWN RAGING PASSIONS....

BUY Link for MIDNIGHT DESTINY:
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General Info recap
COWBOY LIES, RYAN RANCH-SOUTH TEXAS
Available in print and E-book format
Book # 1 in the Ryan Ranch Trilogy.
Four star review from Romantic Times Book Reviews April 2009 issue

COWBOY LIES BUY LINK
http://www.amirapress.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product/info&cPath=38products_id=169

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BILLBOARD COP BOSTON
Available in print and E-book format
Four star review from Romantic Times Book Reviews
BBCOP BUY LINK
http://www.amirapress.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product/info&cPath=38products_id=41

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIDNIGHT DESTINY. HAWAII, with all its local color and ghostly folklore.
E-book only.
All books available at: www.amirapress.com

Midnight Destiny buy link
http://amirapress.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=38products_id=68