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Friday, April 4, 2014

D Is For Dangerous







Dangerous men.

They come in so many different packages.  In real life, there's the truly dangerous guys, you know the ones.  The ones where popular urban myth has us thinking lurk at every street corner to steal our valuables, ravage our persons and the persons of those we love and cause mayhem in our lives. 

As a child of the frozen north I repeatedly heard the story of the shack man.  He was the man who took care of the shacks at the ice rinks where kids would go to warm up after an afternoon's skate.  He'd open the shack and man the wood fueled stove.  He also kidnapped children and did horrible things to them.  At least that was the story that every child told over and over again as we shivered under our blankets at sleep overs and beamed flashlights into the shadows to dispel the image of shack man. 

As adults, logically we all know that danger is not lurking in every stranger's eyes.  Nope, he's out there but he's not the shack man who was more than likely a gentle grandfather who would have given his left arm to help any of us.  And life is not a mine field of people out to get us - unless, of course you step into the world of romantic suspense.

So here goes, the other type of dangerous.  This is my favourite type.  He's dark and dangerous, lurking in the shadows to save the day and steal your heart.  This guy is unfortunately, fictional.  Not that this guy may not exist - girls don't give up your search just yet.  But in fiction he's the guy who often makes an appearance in romantic suspense.  He liquidates danger, captures the heroine's heart and carries her away to future bliss.

Okay, so even romantic suspense isn't that easy.  The hero?  Well, he mostly has his issues.  Not that he isn't to die for attractive.  C'mon, this is fiction guys.  He's my hero and I say he must make me want to smack him for being more good looking than me or any other woman I hang around with.  Of course not every hero is a pretty boy.  Some are just beautifully proportioned and ooze more self-confidence than any human should be allowed and that alone makes them dangerous.

And then, there's the villain.  Forget the yellow rain-coated chap at the end of the block waiting to leer or worse.  No, this villain can be quite charming, quite good-looking and have his own basket load of problems which of course is what makes him the villain.  But it is his charm that is his most dangerous feature.  Not all the time but  you know - some of the time.


Danger, in the land of romantic suspense has many different faces.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

4 comments:

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Ryshia,

Love the Knight in Shining Armor type!

The Shack Man would certainly be a scary person for children.

Thanks for the great post!

Mary Montague Sikes

Ryshia Kennie said...

Hi Mary - It was strange to remember how scared we could make ourselves - I'd forgotten the shack man stories until today and the word dangerous.

randi lee said...

OK shack man seriously creeps me out, even now!! (But I'm admittedly a scared-susan!)

Ryshia Kennie said...

Hi Randi Lee - Wow the power of a story and one probably made up by an eight year old.