Thanks. I just aspirated Celestial Seasonings. Now my lungs will be zingered all week.

MEl makes a VERY interesting point!!!! More food for thought but I’m full of cake and my brain is dead.

Besides my current heroine is a bleach blonde with bright blue tips on her hair and tattoos out the yin yang and we won’t even talk about her occupation, or the occupation of the one before her. Yes I know we can’t define a character solely on occupation but it IS part of the package.

Ok gonna try and comment on mel’s comment. I think eventually the box shifts and changes with the times.

it’s not so much a box as it is……….wait for it……..THE MATRIX

Is the not setting his Lexus on fire a deal breaker?

I’ve written inside the box, outside the box, on top of the box, and (a few times) set the Lexus, I mean box, on fire and toasted marshmallows over it. I like the toasty ones best. They may not be as pretty on the outside, and usually burn anyone who takes a taste, but they’re so much better than all the safe bland Mary Sue heroines who never made it out of the bag.

Raine, I think publishers are afraid of offending people. And lets face, what DOESN’T offend people these days? So how dare we create a workaholic obese heroine who doesn’t want to have kids and is a b*tch on top of that.

People are so short sighted these days. I *like* to see characters grow. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?

I had family over today (My mother being one) and my brain is a little too fuzzled to think straight, but, I think I LIKE the gals who are different. I am not a svelt, tall, uber-brain with here to there knockers so I don’t want to keep reading about them and it seems a lot of the stories are like that. I want to realte to them and live through them. Sure I want to be svelt, etc, but I want to see the non-svelt kick some major ass and get the guy too… makes sense?

Isn’t a large part of the appeal of the Cinderella story that the lowest of the low could find romance, riches, and a happily ever after?

Oh, you are so right. Cinderella would not have been the same if she didn’t have have the torn-up clothes, and evil step-family.

But, I do have to disagree that there are a few of out-of-the box heroines. The problem is they are just popular and it becomes in the box. I look at the history of romance and the first heroine’s were all virgins. Helpless. Some too stupid to live until the hero came along. Look at the time those heroine’s were written. Women were working outside the home. Some were embracing their sexual freedom. Some were saying–god forbid–I don’t need a man to rescue me.

And, then romance authors came along and broke out of the box and wrote heroine’s that had careers, had a sexual past and weren’t afraid to use it to catch the hero. Fast-forward a little bit more and then you have heroine’s who save the hero. One’s who didn’t have the perfect body, but the hero still loved them.

.. and even if their figures aren’t perfect, they turn out to be just what the hero wanted after all.

That’s part of the fantasy and for some real life stories.

Now what stories are out of the box?

Conversation With the Fat Girl
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie (okay, damn near any title by Jenny Crusie)
Size Twelve Is Not Fat
Time Off For Good Behavior by Lani Diane Rich (the heroine, in my opinion, has a serious drinking problem 2/3 of the book)

Yes, there could be more that I’m not naming. So, they are out there. Yes, there could be more written, but will they be published? Who knows. People love the fantasy.