What makes a good hero? Six pack abs? Bulging biceps? Rippling pectorals? Well, always a plus, but we expect a bit more from our men in Christian novels. A loving heart? Sure, but he still shouldn’t be a pushover, right? We like strength. Be he an Alpha Male or a Beta Male, we like our heroes to have a spine, but compassion. To love the Lord (by the end at least), and to adore our heroines. We want them to be good, godly men. Real men.

I love crafting a good hero, and my critique partners have been known to sigh dreamily over a few. But with Jewel of Persia I couldn’t just create my leading man as I wanted. Given that the whole point of the story was to integrate Herodotus’s HISTORIES with the book of Esther, I kinda had to stick to the Xerxes we learn about in those two books. And boy, howdy, he had his moments where he left me banging my head against the table going, “Really? This? This is what I have to work with? This is supposed to be my hero??”