Currently working on: Book 2 and a prequel novella to Book 1
Mood: Excited by possibilities
Welcome to the inaugural posting at Silk And Shadows! We are five authors spanning the many worlds of romance – from historical to paranormal – all with a hint of the dark side. Please join us as we take our first step into the shadows.
Have no fear. We walk with a dark hero by our side.
We searched a long time for him, slogging through innumerable photos of hot guys, handsome strangers and shirtless firemen – oh, the agony – to find Mr. Mystery Eyes above. We wanted to give you a taste of who we see when we close our eyes and imagine the heroes of our darker side romances. But who is Mr. Mystery Eyes?
Compelling. Aloof. Dangerous.
As I contemplated with studiously furrowed brow all those pictures of rippling abs, my sweetie asked (with only the faintest hint of jealousy) what makes a hero dark? I went right to the hero who awakened my budding romantic psyche: Han Solo. Sure, Luke could bulls-eye a womp rat from his T-16, but Han had the way cooler spaceship, a better haircut and vastly snappier lines. Yes, this choice dates me a bit. But I’d bet on Han and his grin and his preemptive blaster against Edward Cullen or Jack Bauer any day. Although Jack does have those intriguing scars…
Potent. Enigmatic. Guarded.
My dark hero is often the outsider, the feral one, wary and proud, who must be guided by a gentle hand into the light. Dark doesn’t mean gloomy or dull. The hard bright glitter of distant stars is in the dark hero’s eyes, even if he doesn’t captain the Millennium Falcon. The beauty of this beast lies in the moment he falls for his woman and makes her the center of his universe for all time. From Regency ballrooms to demon-stalked cities, the dark hero is the man you turn to when the world is going to Hell. In some of our stories, quite literally.
The dark hero has the smart mouth and the silent stare. The hard body and the wounded soul. A terrible past, perilous deeds ahead, and the strength and courage to overcome, never mind the odds. And then there’s that quietly lonely hole in his heart…
Fierce. Deep. Passionate.
Tell me, who is your dark hero? (I’ll share Han. If I must.) Which man whets your appetite for 85% cocoa, red wine dark as rubies, and midnight walks along the wild side?
Subscribe to Posts 
I just returned from NYC and seeing Phantom of the Opera, so I’ve got the Phantom fresh in my mind as a dark hero! Of course, being so enamored of him, I tend to imagine an alternative ending for the story …
by Kim Lenox November 3rd, 2008 at 8:50 amGreat post!!!! I am really excited about this blog! Love the title you gals gave it! And ooooo, the dark boy, bad boy. I guess I’m gonna have to go with Wolverine (Jack Hughman, oh be still my beating heart!). Sure, he had anger issues, but in the end you could totally count on him to do the right thing.
by Delilah Marvelle November 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 amHan Solo is a good choice. “I know” *sigh* But my dark hero is Jason Bourne. A man who can kill you more ways than even he knows, doesn’t know his own past, and is completely dedicated to his one woman (Marie)? Oh… did I mention he looks like Matt Damon? *grin* Forget the JB of the books, that guy was just dark. I’ll take the movie Jason, thank you.
by Joey Berube November 3rd, 2008 at 11:22 amGreat blog! Thanks for pointing me here, Jessa. And hi Annette!
Han and Jason Bourne are two of my absolute faves. And I love that poster, Jessa! I actually love that pose from the movie. It’s very nonchalant. Right before he shoots the guy dead. Love it. I’m also a huge fan of Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday in Tombstone. He has the most fabulous lines, and he delivers them with such killer perfection. Sigh.
by Darcy Burke November 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 amOoh, already three good choices. I always thought Christine shoulda rethought her choice of Raoul over the Phantom. I mean, for the cape alone…
Miss Marvelle, put Wolverine in a cravat and his sideburns would be entirely appropriate in your sexy historicals
And Joey, Jason Bourne is perfect as the man wronged… who makes right.
Doesn’t hurt that they’re all ripped. Even the Phantom, presumably, under his cape.
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 amDarcy, and consumption is SO sexy lol! (It was consumption, right?) The hollow cheeks, the deep eyes… Those fainting heroines had nuthin’ on Doc.
Even Death itself can’t hold a dark hero down.
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 11:37 amLOL - welcome to the blogosphere! Joey has let a bunch of us know you are blogging. So I thought I’d stop by while I have 2 seconds and say hi. (I’m supposed to be working)
Blogging is (of course) a way different animal than writing a book. I can blog after a fashion - I can’t write a book. But I comment better than I do either of the above. One of life’s oddities.
As for my dark hero… I just watched Iron Man the other night. Robert Downey Jr… oh my! I think this is my new current favorite movie.
A tip on getting started in blogging. Try to write at least one post 5 days a week for a while. It can be as short as a sentence or very long, but at least one daily gets you in the habit. (although you will have periodic angst over WHAT DO I BLOG TODAY!!!)
It also keeps people coming back when there is new content daily… even if the content is only a blurb like “Oh crap it’s raining again and I want to tear my hair out!”
You’ll meet tons of great people while blogging. Enjoy.
by Teresa November 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 amI just watched Iron Man last night! My first thought was, hey, he didn’t grow at all. My second thought was, and I’m okay with that
He was such an arrogant prick… and so likeable. Great hero material (and no easy trick for a writer). I’m rooting for him and Ms. Pepper Potts in a sequel.
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 pmLove that poster of Han Solo! He was *so* much cooler than Luke, for all the reasons you mentioned. (Cool blog site design, too, btw!)
For heroes, how about the dark side of Johnny Depp? (I know, big surprise I’d go there…
Corrupt CIA Agent Sands in Once Upon A Time In Mexico had great lines and got the *really* bad guys (and girl!) even after he was tortured and blinded. Or we can’t fuhgeddabout Donnie Brasco, FBI agent undercover with the mob. There’s a particularly memorable scene of Donnie, ripped and sweaty, working out in his apartment… Ahem.
The other night I watched Thank You For Smoking and was impressed with Aaron Eckhart. He’s blond, but does it make him a dark hero if you can forgive this smooth-talking lobbyist for convincing you smoking isn’t so bad?
by Shirley Karr November 3rd, 2008 at 2:01 pmThe choices, the choices. I do love a bad boy and Doc. Holiday was one of the best ever, he can be my huckleberry. But all time best Dark, tortured bad boy is Zsadist from JR Ward Black dagger brotherhood. Tortured, enslaved and abused, with eyes as black as his soul, to sexy.
by Gypsie November 3rd, 2008 at 3:08 pmThat moment in Once Upon a Time in Mexico where JD’s character is wearing the “CIA” t-shirt is lol funny. And, Shirley, I’ve heard rumors that at least one of your romance heroes sports the JD grin
Gypsie, you’re right about Zsadist. Big + bad = ooh baby. Hmm, actually, all the BDB could wrestle for the title of Sexiest Bad Boy. Anyway, I’d pay money to watch. Hoo.
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pmOOhh! Zsadist!! Good vote. Does Acheron count as a bad boy? From Sherrilyn Kenyon’s dark-hunter series? If not, then how about Zarek. He was pretty bad and still one of my favorite tortured heroes. I can vote twice, right? I had a movie hero, now I’m voting for a book heroe. I might have to come back and nominate a tv hero, too.
by Joey Berube November 3rd, 2008 at 3:25 pmOh my gosh, great start topic for your new blog. Love the look of it. I’m also one of “Joey’s bunch”
I can only choose one dark knight?? That is so hard, like trying to choose between dark chocolate, chocolate with coconut or chocolate with caramel.
You’ve all made some great choices and I can’t say that I’d kick any one of them to the curb. If I must choose, I’ve got to say most any Bruce Willis character. Those muscles, that whit and that sexy smirk. I’ve had a thing for him since Moonlighting. Now that ought to give away something about my advanced age.
by Sue November 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pmA friend of your mother’s, just checking out your blog (the first one I have ever checked out) and wishing I were younger. Excited for your book, as we have all been following your progress. Being a Lord of the Rings fan, I’m gonna have to go with Aragorn (he might be closer to my age) though I would have to go with Jason Bourne if I were the proverbial 20 (maybe 30) years younger!
by Jill November 3rd, 2008 at 4:25 pmCongratulations Ladies. This is one sharp looking blog. Hope that you all have a wonderful time here, and great beginning post. Mmmm, let me think… Mr. Rochester in JANE EYRE? The Duke of Avon in THESE OLD SHADES? Wolf MacKenzie of MACKENZIE’S MOUNTAIN? Or his son Zane? Or Diaz from CRY NO MORE? *Sigh* So many to choose from… can I have one of each?
by Frances November 3rd, 2008 at 4:35 pmHi Jill. We’re your first blog? How cool is that? Never mind age — Aragorn or Viggo-as-Aragorn — is a wonderful dark hero: He has the secret Strider identity, the banishment from his home and destiny, the hot elf chick…
Sue, here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re looking at the next six months of dark nights, so we need all the dark knights we can get.
Frances, you’re right about Mr. Rochester. I hadn’t thought of the wuthering Heathcliff either. Classics both.
Who would be the oldest dark hero? Would that be Beauty’s Beast? Maybe Gilgamesh. Hmm, but he had that thing going with Enkidu… A different sort of romance!
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 5:42 pmSince I’m over 60 my dark heros come from a time before Han Solo, but I can appreciate the present day choices. I prefer a period piece with a sophisticated gentleman, some of the present day men are too rough around the edges for me. They seem to be working too hard at being MEN and not shaving seems to be their quick answer for sex appeal.
by Valerie Davidson November 3rd, 2008 at 6:16 pmI am looking forward to meeting new “dark heros” through the recommendations I’m finding in these bloggs.
Ha! I think I might agree with you. (Frantically scrolling through current manuscript to find description of hero’s chin…)
What other cliches of sex appeal are out there? What shorthand do we use to signal the presence of testosterone? Regardless of answers, I refuse to give up rippling abs.
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 6:24 pmGreat blog, Jessa!
I’ve got to vote for Jason Bourne. Maybe it’s just how Matt Damon played the role, but I got the distinct feeling you could count on Jason for help no matter the baggage he carried with him.
Yeah, okay, the pecs were a big plus, too.
Shorthand for testosterone? Working with men, LOTS of them, I’d have to say it’s sweat. But unlike the heroes we create, these guys flat out stink. (Sigh.) I guess that’s why we love romance!
by ML November 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 pmHey Jessa — LOVE the new blog. I do appreciate the questions you raise through your blogs, maybe I need to incorporate that into mine… as for dark heroes, I will have to vote for Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
by Vanessa November 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 pmML, sweat, hmm? If the euphemism for women is “aglow,” what’s a sweaty hero?
Hey, Vanessa! Choosing a favorite Bond is a blog unto itself. I have to say, I’m liking the new blond Bond.
From Casino Royale:
Bond: “I’ll have a martini.”
Bartender: “Shaken or stirred.”
Bond: “Do I look like I give a damn?”
Not only is that a great line but it totally turned a long-established character on his head and made him new and even sexier. Clever writer!
by Jessa Slade November 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pmHi Jessica,
Can’t wait to read your book! Your choice of sexy eyes was good! Abs are always good too! I probably lean toward the James Bond look, but love Han Solo! Again, am anxious to get my hands on your book!!!!!!
Lovin those eyes and the mystery….
by Pat November 4th, 2008 at 12:45 amPat
Great new blog! Congratulations, ladies!
Ah…dark heroes. We do love them. Anything with Harrison Ford in it makes me drool. As for Han Solo–definitely. It’s hard to pull of cocky, sexy, funny, and vulnerable all at once. That’s why Han beats Luke every day of the week.
However, for dark or tortured heroes of all time I’d have to go with Batman as one of the original dark, tortured heroes. Even in comics in the 50’s he still came across. I must admit the first batman movie with Michael Keaton is still my favorite, though Dark Knight did get to me too.
In books, I love Roxanne St. Clair’s Bulletcatchers and Cherry Adair’s tflac operatives. Now, to really go in the way back machine, I’d also consider Rhett Butler. Really, just looking at Clark Gable could make me swoon. And who could be a better dark, tortured hero?
by Maggie Jaimeson November 4th, 2008 at 2:21 amYou ladies are killing me here. I have to go turn down the heat *fans self*
Pierce Brosnan…check
Viggo as Aragorn…check, check and check
Wolf Mackenzie…check
How about Elizabeth Lowell’s Raven, Nevada, and any Donovan or Donovan In-
law….may I say YUM and deep, heaving sigh.
I also want to say that you did a great job with your man in the upper left corner… check and drool.
by Sue November 4th, 2008 at 6:40 amYes, yes, yes… you’ve got it just right
And Han Solo AND Wolverine (And anyone else Harrison Ford and Hugh Jackman play…) are two of my and my daughter’s all time favorites. She had a HUGE crush on Han Solo when she was seven… so that shows you how deep the appeal of the dark hero goes! 
Geat Post, great blog… can’t wait to read more!
Annie Melton
by Annie Melton November 4th, 2008 at 11:30 amMy sister called and said she was too embarrassed to say she hasn’t been able to keep up with any dark heroes outside of High School Musical 2. So I thought I’d post her comment for her!
by Jessa Slade November 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pmJessa, hugs to your sister, I’m barely out of those days myself. Everytime a “getting to know you” email came around with the question “Last movie you saw” I could only reply “I don’t know, something animated or Disney tween scene”.
by sue November 5th, 2008 at 3:48 pm