“But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.”
“The hero in a romance is the most important challenge the heroine must face and conquer. The hero is her real problem in the book, not whatever trendy issue or daring adventure is also going on in the subplot. In some way, shape, or form, in some manner either real or perceived on the heroine's part, the hero must be a source of emotional and, yes, sometimes physical risk. He must present a genuine threat.”
“There's no excuse for the young people not knowing who the heroes and heroines are or were”
“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”
“To be a hero or a heroine, one must give an order to oneself.”
“Find out what your hero or heroine wants, and when he or she wakes up in the morning, just follow him or her all day..”