Kicking the Heroine Addiction

I recently had a note about one of my female leads not engaging in “heroine-like” behavior. It’s a common thing that comes up in Romancelandia, from editors and reviewers alike: Your heroine’s not acting like a heroine, your hero’s not acting like a hero. How much are we, as writers and readers, hamstrung by those words and their meanings? “Heroine.” “Hero.” At the core, they imply courage, nobility, feats that are somehow more than human. And I don’t know about anybody else, but I tend to write about guys that are clueless doofuses and gals who are, at best, a hot mess. They’re not noble, they’re not brave and you’re not supposed to look up to them. You might not even like them. They’re just people. They’re flawed, and it’s strange to have them held up to a higher standard just because they’re trying to navigate the pitfalls of love.

Six Weeks of Spice: Giveaways Galore!

In honor of the November 20 release of Bollywood Confidential book two, Spice and Secrets, I'm doing six weeks' worth of Twitter-based giveaways! So follow @suleikhasnyder for freebies and fun!

Week of Oct. 15 - Two copies of Jeanne Cooper's (Katherine, Y&R) memoir, Not Young, Still Restless.

Week of Oct. 22 - Cleis Press erotica anthology pack: Game of Thrones-inspired Thrones of Desire and hotel hijinks-filled Suite Encounters, featuring a short by yours truly.

Week of Oct. 29 - Kicking it YA-style, but historically. Win a copy of Willful Impropriety, an anthology featuring works by Leanna Renee Hieber, Mary Robinette Kowal and more.

Week of Nov. 5 - Kicking it more YA-style: urban fantasy genius Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering in paperback and The Calling in hardback.

Week of Nov. 12 - Tessa Dare Spindle Cove prize pack! A Night to Surrender, A Week to be Wicked and A Lady By Midnight.

Week of Nov. 19 - Release week! Hurrah! A Bollywood Confidential twofer: Spice and Smoke and Spice and Secrets in the e-format of your choice!


Books will be given away via trivia questions, random number generator and "Hey, you...I kinda like your face" moments. Spread the word, join the crazy and spice things up!

Spicy Saturday: Ra.One

Presented without comment (i.e. my usual biographical rundown), in honor of New York Comic Con: Arjun Rampal as the titular video game villain from 2011's Ra.One.