Greetings from New Mexico! I'm at Gay Rom Lit this week, and writing from my lovely hotel room in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. As I write, I'm looking out over the miles and miles of desert, where the lights of Albuquerque sparkle in the dark from miles away.

Right now, I'm in a lull between books; The Bacchi released a couple months ago and Dream Hunter will come out in December. The interesting thing about these books is that they're both m/m, and the heroes have such diverse personalities. And...neither book features a truly alpha male, except in a supporting capacity. I suppose you could call Lefi and Afton from the Bacchi beta males, while Travis (Dream Hunter) is bordering on being an omega. And Dylan is a dominant man, but too much of a loner to be a real alpha.

When I think of an alpha male, I don't generally think of the lone wolf, strong silent type, nor do I think of the over-aggressive, over sexualized male. Because I have so much background in animal behavior, I see alphas are nurturers. They are care-givers and protectors. Sexually, they are often dominant, but not always. Sometimes my alpha males like to be tended to and protected, handing the reins of control over to their partner. It's what I see in the pack structure of my Siberian Huskies. My alpha male doesn't only control the other dogs, when they're out together he watches over them as they doze in the sun or play together. He breaks up squabbles and leads them in their happy howling sessions. He is also serviced by the other dogs, who clean his ears and wash his face. Levi (my alpha Siberian) is one vital cog in the functioning unit of our "pack."

The most overtly alpha male I've written to date is Chase Montenegro from the Truckee Wolves series. He's followed by Armand de la Croix in Belle Starr and Dane Blacque in Blacque/Bleu. Helios Dayspring lands in this list as well. With the exception of Helios, all the others are shifters from various paranormal series. Helios is unique because he's not only a human, but he projects himself as more of a beta male. However, Helios is firmly in control of his people and his family, though he rules with a soft touch. Armand is also very easy-going and isn't afraid to delegate. However, he knows that he's the one who makes the tough decisions and lives with the consequences.

Dane Blacque, on the other hand, is so alpha he's almost disturbing to write. He knows what every member of his pack is up to at any given time. He controls the breeding in his pack and generally is the only active male contributing to the bloodlines. Dane makes imperious demands of his adult children and expects to be obeyed. At the same time, he adores his children, grieves for years over the death of his estranged mate and will lay down all that he is to protect his pack. In the upcoming book "Dream Hunter," his son Travis notes that Dane is so in tune with his children and pack, that he knows the moment a crisis hits.

In the Truckee series, Chase hasn't yet developed the finely honed connection to his pack that Dane has, but grasped power by force, forging a pack from a rag tag collection of shifters who were imprisoned in labs and hunted by Abraxas. (a criminal organization) He took men, women and children who'd never walked free and forced them into the fringes of mainstream life. He helps them find jobs and learn simple skills, such as driving a car. Like Dane Blacque, he makes decisions for others and always acts in the best interest of his badly flawed pack, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness.  Chase will lie, steal and kill for his pack. Since his story plays out in an otherwise human world, the risks he takes are fraught with hazard. In fact, two of his lieutenants are given the specific task of disposing of bodies when pack members are forced to defend themselves.

Many, many people have asked when Chase's story is coming. At this point, I don't really know. I do know who is heroine is, though. I know the bare bones of his story but much of it needs to be told through the eyes of those who he serves, and who serve him.

What sort of alpha male do you enjoy reading about? What kind do you hate? Remember to leave a comment for your chance to win in the drawings for the Alpha Male Blog Hop! And be sure to visit all the participating authors!

Belinda
www.belindamcbride.com

The Legend of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis

I learned something last night.

Well, I probably already knew it, but over the years, too many stories and myths get muddled up in my brain and this struck me. I was doing some research for an upcoming novella, that revolves around Greek mythological characters. In particular, I was looking at Hermes, best known as the messenger of the gods.However, Hermes was also a fertility god, and and in a sense, he was the male equivalent of Aphrodite. In fact, they got together and made some whoopee, which resulted in a son so beautiful and perfect...so much like his parents, he was named for them: Hermaphroditus. 

Hermaphroditus lived a normal young godly life until the age of 15, when he ventured out to see the world. At some point, he found a clear pool of water protected by a naiad named Salmacis. The moment she saw young Hermaphroditus, Salmacis fell desperately in love. She attempted to seduce him, and when that failed, she distinguished herself as one of the only known naiads to attempt a rape. As she wrestled with the boy, she prayed to never be parted from him. In classic…’be careful what you wish for’ fashion, Salmacis and Hermaphroditus were melded into one person, who was both male and female. Stunned and ashamed, Hermaphroditus cursed Salmacis' pool, so any man who bathed there took female traits. (Ranma 1/2, anyone?) He then became the god of effeminate men. 

As I did a Google search for images, I was stunned at some of the beautiful artwork depicting Hermaphroditus, particularly the sculptures.He was portrayed as beautiful, yet strong and powerful. Exactly as I envisioned my Valorans.

Why this hit me is because in all the research I did for the Valorans of the Coalition Universe, particularly Afton Teris in The Bacchi, I never thought about looking into Greek mythology. I looked at historical accounts, science, documentaries, and even drew on my friendship with an intersexed girl when I was growing up.  But I never looked into the origin of the word, which would have undoubtedly led to further development in the species. 

So maybe in future Coalition books, I might have to look a little closer at the legend of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis, and perhaps integrate it into the origin myths of the Valoran. Of course, that means another Uncommon book...or maybe another Belle Starr...

Summer Stuff

Here it is, August in Northern California. Whew...we seem to have survived an extended heat wave without too much suffering. It's hot, make no mistake...but the swamp coolers are doing their job fairly well this year.

One of the victims of our hot spring and summer were our wild blackberry vines. There's a big patch in the middle of my dog yard, and another by the creek that borders our property. This year, they didn't do so well. The berries that grew were puny and dry and extra difficult to harvest. Last year we had milder weather and the harvest was amazing! It had been quite awhile since they were so lovely.

While I was coming home from a dog show a few weeks ago, I stopped by Pedrick's Produce Stand (Just to the west of Davis, CA) and to my delight, they had some locally farmed berries. They were huge, luscious and perfectly ripe. I bought a half-flat and rushed them hope, tossing them in the freezer till I have time to make jam. Of course, we enjoyed a few handfuls, marveling at how perfectly sweet they were.

Of course, I'm never one to leave good enough alone, so I decided I'd put on my jeans and boots and check out what the creek vines were doing. After wading through knee-high stickers and overgrown berry brambles (bad me for letting it get out of control!) I discovered that there were a few really nice berries, but the effort to pick them was just not worth it.

Well, it wasn't until I popped one in my mouth.
Wow.

The lovely farmed berries just don't hold a candle to the wild berries that struggle though barren soil, blazing heat and limited water. They were tart but sweet, and the flavor was intense. I gathered all I could, little more than a cup or two, but I had to make the effort. Because who needs tame when there's wild?

When I finally finish my current project, I'll bring all the berries out of the freezer and I'll make my berry jam for the year. Yes, the farmed berries are a little dignified and mellow, but you know, a handful of wild will shake up their flavor just enough.

All winter, we'll use the jam I make and once again, I'll remember that doing it the easy way just doesn't pay the same rewards in the end. I might get hot and sweaty, scratched up and full of stickers, but that little bit of wild will remind me that a bit of extra effort makes a whole lot of difference. :)

Same as in writing. Same as in life.