What is your ideal hero/heroine made of? Are they human? Are the superhuman? If they have special powers, what are they? If they aren't human, are they shifters? What kind of shifter? Does this shifter have other special abilities? Is the Shifter an alpha? Or otherwise? Is your Hero alive? Or undead? If he is a vampire does he/she “sparkle”? What characteristics does your ultimate Paranormal hero have?
Everyone has his or her own ideas on what he or she likes or does not like in a hero. For me, it is especially true in the paranormal stories that I read. I (sometimes to my own distraction) have certain ideas on how certain characters should act, even more so in my favorite authors' books. 
However, what I really want to know from you, the readers, is how would YOU create your own hero or heroine for your own paranormal story? What characteristics would you give them? Compared to stories you have read, is your hero better? Have you read about heroes that you think are just “off” the mark? If you were the writer, what would you do differently?Have you ever had a hero killed off in a series you liked? What was your reaction when they killed him or her?
Plotting: What do you think of cliffhangers? What do you think of authors who use or create a “deus ex machinas” to save the story at the end? Do you like real life settings, or do you want everything to be made up?So many authors, so many stories. If you were the writer, how would you do things? How would you decide how the setting is created? How would you create your hero?
It is really hard to decide what type of hero I like. I read many different types of paranormal stories. Some of the authors I read have really hot heroes, and bad guys (See e.g.--Sherrilyn Kenyon, http://darkhunterseries.com/). Some heroes look like a tall thin man with a duster (see e.g.--Jim Butcher, http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden) . Then there is the author who writes the hero as the married guy next door (See e.g.--M.R.Sellars, http://www.mrsellars.com/books.html). These are just three of the authors that are in my house. As far as settings, I read so many different authors. Some are written and based in the city I live in, with some poetic license changes that anyone here may be able to figure out, such as:
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake” series; http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/ or M. R. Sellars “Rowan Gant”series) Some mix and match and have some footing in this “real” world and alternate worlds as well (Jim Butcher's Dresden Files finds Harry in Chicago and the “Never Never”). There are also others who write in alternate realities. Who do I read? Ahhhh. You should see my TBR shelves. So many books too little time.Who do you read? Who are your favorite authors?
More to come soon from the MOMCAT
