#SampleSunday- The Jaded Hero

The fun part about writing is developing the characters. In a series, you struggle to keep the reoccurring character’s voice the same, yet give it a life of its own.  When writing a new male character, you want him to be strong and sure like your previous hero – you know, the one every female reader fell in love with – yet he has to be different. Well for Jaded, Zachariah Givens does the trick.

If you’ve meet Yasmine Phillips, you know she has a strong personality. In A Heart Not Easily Broken, she never hesitates to tell her friends exactly what type of man or relationship she’s looking for.  She appears to be happy, then just like that, her dreams evaporate, leaving her heart broken and wary. She’s unsure of her finding a man who will ever love her.

So I asked myself…when a woman has been hurt like that, what type of man would it take to convince her to love again?

My answer: the complete opposite of what she’s used to.

Zachariah is a little older, a loner, and very intelligent. He’s good with his hands and is a technological wiz who can tear electronic equipment down and fix it with his eyes closed. No, he is not a gamer or a nerd. He prefers to sit back and observe people and what goes on around him.  He thinks before he opens his mouth.

I think Yasmine put it best when she says, “He held a quiet confidence that was never to be boasted.”

Zachariah also has some personal issues to overcome, first and foremost, trusting another woman with his heart. Like Yasmine, he too has been jaded.

Here’s an excerpt from his point of view…the quiet, yet very passionate hero:

Excerpt:

Over the past year, my life had turned into nothing but wide-open space and emptiness.

Life was perfect when Melissa and I bought the condo. She found the place just as it went on the market. The loft was part of a warehouse converted into loft condominiums and featured a great view of the city. It was on the outskirts of town, thirty minutes from anywhere, as long as traffic wasn’t too bad.

Large windows ate an entire wall, leaving magnificent views, and plenty of natural light, day or night. I loved the open floor plan of the living room, dining room, and kitchen all in one area with no walls to separate it. A small half bath hid beneath stairs leading up to the open bedroom and master bathroom.

My eyes traveled up from where I stood in the kitchen to the rail that marked the end of the bedroom. Visions of Melissa wearing lingerie to entice came to mind. One look at what she wore and I would be upstairs in a heartbeat.

Back then, the place was full of furniture, life, laughter, and love.

Melissa liked to decorate. Nearly every paycheck she brought home went towards something new to make this place ours. If electronics were my vice, shopping and decorating were hers. I didn’t mind because I made enough to pay the bills.

Man, she knew how to make a house a home. Pictures, flowers …everything modern and clean.

When she decided she didn’t want to wait around to see if my mother lived or died, she cleaned the place out, taking everything except for the bed and kitchen table. Guess those items were too big to move.

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***TRIVIA QUESTION! What is the name of the drummer in Diverse Nation?***

A devastating breakup leaves Yasmine Phillips in shambles. Unable to trust another man with her heart, she focuses on the one thing she can control—starting her own business.

When her computer crashes, taking months of hard work with it, she must rely on computer genius Zachariah Givens to save her. A complete opposite of men from her past, she doesn’t expect the passion that ensues. But just as she finds happiness, she learns the truth about the other women in Zachariah’s life.

 Buy Jaded

Buy The Amazon Bestseller, A Heart Not Easily Broken (Book One of The Butterfly Memoirs)

Amazon     Barnes&Noble     iTunes     Smashwords

 Having fun visiting the blog tour stops? I hope so! There are only two stops left! Two more chances to answer the A Heart Not Easily Broken Trivia Questions for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

Jaded Book Tour Prizes:

4^th: $10 Amazon Gift Card

3^rd:  eBook copy of Jaded

2^nd: Autographed copy of Jaded

1^st: Autographed copy of A Heart Not Easily Broken and Jaded

Once the contest ends, you will have a week to revisit the blog tour stops, or re-read (or buy a copy and read :)) A Heart Not Easily Broken to find the answers and email them to: thebutterflymemoirs@yahoo.com. The winners will be announced on my blog and by email Tuesday, April 9th. Good luck, and thank you for your support!

MJ