Guest Blogger Michelle Rowen

BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE by Michelle Rowen

I love love triangles.

I never realized how much I loved them until I recently realized I included one in pretty much everything I write.

Not only do I love to write them, but I love to read them. The Edward/Bella/Jacob triangle is only one of the most recent that I’ve appreciated in books, but it’s the one I’ve noticed has gotten the most attention. I even own a Team Jacob tank top.

In the first two books of my Immortality Bites series my triangle allowed readers to be either Team Thierry or Team Quinn, and readers seemed to be very split on who my heroine, Sarah, should end up with. But, like Bella, Sarah had very specific thoughts on this and nothing I said seemed to sway her.

In my new paranormal series starting next May with The Demon in Me, my main character Eden is torn between her crush on an upstanding and good looking cop and the snarky, trouble-making demon who possesses her.

In my Nightshade urban fantasy duology out in 2011 that I’m writing as Rachel Connor, my heroine will be torn between a battle-torn dhampyr and a vampire king.

In the second book of my Demon Princess series out next June, lo and behold -- a love triangle forms between the demon princess Nikki, her servant/boyfriend Michael...and another otherworldly guy who comes into her life. Chaos ensues.

I find that the love triangles I like to read about and write about are specifically guy/girl/guy. Two guys battling to win the heart of one girl. I am less enchanted with two girls after the same guy. I suppose this is because I want the hero to be madly and passionately in love with the heroine and willing to fight for her -- both figuratively and literally. I want him to go to great lengths to prove this love, even being willing to change his true nature in order to do so, i.e.: the villainous vampire who seeks redemption as per Spike* in Buffy.

(* However, I don’t consider Spike/Buffy/Angel a true love triangle since Spuffy only happened after Angel had left Buffy...for her own good. Yeah yeah. Whatever Edward. Err, I mean Angel.)

And yeah, this devotion does lead to some questionable choices sometimes and heroes that can come off as a bit obsessive.

But that’s kinda hawt, right? Mostly because we know without a shadow of a doubt that the hero would never, ever, ever, ever hurt the heroine. This is why Edward works so well, I think. Edward detractors think he’s a creepy, dangerous stalker, but fans know he is devoted to Bella and would never let anything bad happen to her -- at his own hand or someone else’s.

I don’t have love triangles in my stand alone books. If the heroine has a boyfriend at the beginning, she isn’t truly in love with him. Her heart is open to the hero. Why don’t love triangles work in stand alones? Because they’re messy and they take more than one book to sort out.

Love triangles are vital (in my opinion) to a series. After all, if the hero successfully wins the heroine at the end of book one without anything threatening their relationship -- what the heck should happen in book two? There’s nothing more boring than a happy couple. But throw in another worthy man and the threat that the heroine will be stolen away by her own choice...and you’ve got yourself a romantic series that will have readers emotionally invested enough to see how it will all turn out.

Some other love triangles I’ve enjoyed:

From the movies...

Gone with the Wind -- Rhett, Scarlett, Ashley
Pirates of the Caribbean -- Will/Elizabeth/Jack (I was disappointed that they didn’t do more with this one)
X-Men -- Wolverine/Jean Grey/Cyclops (Team Logan!!)

From TV...
Felicity -- Ben/Felicity/Noel
Lost -- Jack/Kate/Sawyer

From books...
Early Anita Blake -- Jean Claude/Anita/Richard
The Hunger Games -- Peeta/Katniss/Gale
Vampire Academy -- Dimitri/Rose/Adrian
Harry Potter -- Harry/Hermione/Ron (okay, this one’s wishful thinking, but wouldn’t it have been awesome??)

One problem with love triangles is that when all is said and done, one guy is going to be the loser. There are a few solutions for this --

No, don’t have him pairbond with a newborn baby whose mother is the woman you were originally in love with. Sheesh.

1) Have him sacrifice his life to save the heroine and give her a chance at happiness.

2) Turn him evil and vengeful, thus making him the villain.

Or, my favorite, of course...

3) Give him his own book and a worthy heroine who can help him mend his broken heart!

See? Easy.

So... what is your favorite love triangle in books, movies or TV? Whose team were you on and why?

Leave a comment with your answer and I’ll randomly pick a winner on Sunday, October 25th at 9:00 pm EST. The prize is a signed copy of your choice of any one of my 2009 releases: Stakes & Stilettos, Tall, Dark & Fangsome, Demon Princess: Reign or Shine, or my November Harlequin Blaze, Hot Spell!

For more info on Michelle’s books please visit her website at http://www.michellerowen.com/

EDITED: This contest is now over. The winner will be announced soon.