A quick observation.
I’ve never been particularly interested in writing damsels in distress.
Not because there’s anything wrong with rescue scenes. (I love a good rescue scene.) But because the moments that stay with me happen afterward.
When the danger has passed.
When the adrenaline fades.
When the hero realizes the woman beside him doesn’t need someone to take over…
She needs someone willing to stand beside her.
That’s a very different kind of strength.
The heroes I fall in love with don’t admire a woman because she’s helpless.They admire her because she’s capable.
She has ideas.
She makes difficult decisions.
Sometimes she gets it spectacularly wrong. Sometimes she saves the day. Most of the time, she does a little of both.
And that’s what makes her interesting.
I think that’s one reason I enjoy writing protector heroes. Protection isn’t about taking someone’s choices away. It’s about making sure they still have the chance to make them.
Nick never wanted Kate to become someone else.
David never expected Lena to stop challenging him.
Zach eventually realized Emma wasn’t a liability to protect from danger—she was a partner with strengths he didn’t have.
That’s the kind of romance I come back to over and over again.
Not “I’ll do everything for you.”
But…
“I’m here.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t have to face it alone.”
Speaking of people who stand beside each other…
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the world of Phoenix Shield lately, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite places to write.
While the Storm Series is built around three found brothers, Phoenix Shield asks a slightly different question:
What happens when complete strangers earn each other’s trust until they become family?
I’m currently drafting an exclusive origin story for newsletter readers that shows how the company came to be before the novels begin.
It’s been a lot of fun exploring how this team forms—not because they’re alike, but because each person brings something the others need.
And the first member of that team to step into the spotlight?
Viper.
He’s quietly becoming one of those heroes who says more through his actions than his words.
(Which, admittedly, is another weakness of mine.)
I’m looking forward to sharing more of him—and Phoenix Shield—with you very soon.
Until then, I’d love to hear from you.
What’s one quality that instantly makes a fictional hero unforgettable?
Reply and let me know. Your answers always make my day, and they’re one of my favorite parts of writing this newsletter.
More soon,
Jena Wilde
Where passion meets peril… by the sea.
