Friday Kat Attalla is talking about Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWauthor #Suspense #BooksWeLove

Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Do your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

I write both contemporary romance and romantic suspense. And while I read all genres those are my two favorites. One genre that I particularly enjoy reading is techno-thrillers but I would never attempt to write one. I'm not sure I would be willing to take on horror either.

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?

I think my favorites are the heroines. I like them spunky with attitude and a little sarcastic. A lot like me. My heroes are alpha males. I was married for 30 years to a beta man and I wouldn't change it for the world but our great romance would not be a page turning book. I think the villains come hardest to me. I don't think or at least I don't want to think that there is Evil. Even villain has a story. But then in the end I end up making them too sympathetic.

 3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 I think that the most important thing about a hero is that your reader falls in love with him by the end of the book. I usually have an idea for the plot first. Then I choose the hero. I like them strong, flawed and oozing with sexuality

 4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Once I have an idea of who the hero is I imagine the exact opposite to pair him up with. I heard once that if your hero is a firefighter your heroine should be a pyromaniac. A bit extreme but it makes the point. External conflict is easy to create but internal conflict comes from the characters. They need to be at odds with each other to carry the book.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

I have gotten a lot of my story ideas from the news or just from observing like around me. My latest works have been novellas in the series I titled Married to a Prince. They are all set in fictitious countries in the Middle East where the alpha male rules. A smart and ambitious woman who is aware of what she wants and knows how to get it, matches wits with the man who says "not me."  Usually the stories do not involve villains. Probably the biggest issues are the cultural differences.

 6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

 My latest release is The Prodigal Prince. Rashid is the black sheep of the ruling family who walked away from his title. Mona is the princess of a neighboring country who wants to study abroad without the constraints of palace bodyguards. The hero is hired by her father, the king, to protect her but never let her know that she is being watched.

7. What are you working on now?

My current work in process is a story between the older brother of the hero in the Prodigal Prince and former roommate of the princess, a feminist with a tragic past.  Despite their opposite beliefs an undeniable attraction has them agreeing to a no strings pure sex relationship. The villain of the story is not so much a person but the paparazzi who find hunting Royals a popular sport and a huge conflict for a woman hoping to prove herself as an equal when they are determined to paint her as no more than a mistress.

 8. How can people find you?

www.kathrynattalla.com  website

Facebook Kathryn Butti Attalla

http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Attalla/e/B001K8ME1E