Comments Elisa Beatty says: Great story, Jamie! I love the idea of starting to think in Times New Roman. Combat-trained army medic, saving a life on Christmas Eve, shirtless? Yeah,that’s pretty swoon-worthy! I know. It was ridiculous! I spent most of the day shaking my head and rolling my eyes, but it also made me realize, without a doubt, that I knew a certifiable Alpha. Then I got to thinking about how much insight I’d have into the formation of the personality type — I watched him grow up, understand him from a unique point of view. Strange as it seems, my brother WILL provide inspiration for future romantic heroes. I can totally feel your pain. My brother’s a firefighter, and he seems to be allergic to shirts (at least, that’s my husband’s theory for why we never see him wearing one – except when he had to for our wedding). Even worse, for years when he was growing up he wanted to be a SEAL. He talked about it all the time and tried to train himself to be ready. He totally ruined my ability to read romance novels with a firefighter or SEAL hero. That’s a lot of books off limits! You just can’t stop the shirtlessness of the Alpha! May as well try to stop the sun from shining. My dad’s a firefighter, but that’s never stopped me from flipping through a firefighter calendar.  Diana Layne says: What a story, Jamie! Y’know, I’d give my eye teeth for a big brother. Ok, even a little brother. Maybe a sister. But no, definitely a brother. There’s a reason I have six children and my kids all know why, too, that growing up an only child/only grandchild sucked. So how lucky are you! And to have one that inspires Times New Roman thinking, lol. I did know one alpha and have some stories myself; unfortunately the alpha I knew was not of the “modern” variety that Gwyn mentioned and so…that’s a whole ‘nuther story… My brother was a PITA to grow up with. We had some good times, but Alpha boys are a volatile breed. Add an Alpha father and you’ve got a recipe for dynamite. Luckily, this particular Alpha *loves* women. By the time he hit his teens he’d stopped picking on me and turned his attention to girls. He was always such a sucker for a pretty face and a sob story!  Darynda Jones says: Wow, this is fantastic and I have to admit to a certain amount of awe for your brother. What a fantastic story, Jamie. Thanks for sharing it with us. ~D~  Tamara Hogan says: I don’t have brothers, so please let me **swoon** over yours. Granted. He and I look enough alike to pass for twins, despite our four-year age difference, so imagine me with, uh, messier eyebrows and a harder chest, and you’re halfway there. My guess is that’s not doing the trick for ya…  Shea Berkley says: LOL, um, yeah. I think you need a little more work in the description department. I’ll say this about my brother: He isn’t an overwhelmingly big man, but he has that strange, wiry strength that men of his adrenaline-pumping nature always seem to possess. No matter how old he gets, he’ll always be able to toss you over his shoulder and run out of a burning building.  Elise Hayes says: You’ve tapped right into my big brother fantasy, Jamie (what a great brother you’ve got!!). I always wanted an older brother who would bring his gorgeous, smart, athletic friends home… Instead, I had an older sister and her friends, while nice, just weren’t as exciting. Sigh/ So…a question. Why the shirt over the mouth? What does it protect him from since (ok, sorry for the ick factor here) most fluids can pass through cloth? A) His friends were only occasionally gorgeous, smart, and athletic. When they were, I pounced on them. I don’t know if he knows that, so if he reads this, uh-oh…. B)The shirt over the mouth was, indeed, to protect him from the worst of the diseases that might be passed via mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He had no other option. The police officers should have had a barrier on hand. They did have a defibrillator, which was no use because the guy had a pulse. My brother vowed to buy some CPR barriers and keep them in his truck for emergencies. I think plenty of people wouldn’t have done CPR on a stranger without better protection, but Alpha heroes aren’t most people. It’s so strange to me that my brother is one of these guys. Sometimes I can’t believe my husband was in the Navy in the submarine force. My husband? Five foot nine, weighing in at one fifty after a big meal. I mean, come on, I’ve seen him sick. Pound for pound, there’s not a bigger baby in the world. I can only imagine if he were ever captured by the enemy and if they were to just mumble the word torture in a foreign language, my husband would spew everything he knew. Maybe I’m wrong. But he has been known to pull over and help anyone who needs it, even a cop trying to subdue a suspect. I asked him to please not make a habit of that. …he tried to help a cop subdue a suspect? Yup. Might just be an Alpha Hero. I’m thinking of a comedy routine now… I’m always thinking of a comedy routine. Great story, Jamie! I found it interesting that, having no clue what your brother looks like, just describing the actions he took that day was enthralling and, okay, sexy. (Seems weird to say that about a Ruby Sister’s brother!) My brother is trained as a paramedic (through the volunteer firefighters) and then became a cop. Now he’s retiring to become “Mr. Mom” with his firstborn son. Should be interesting! Hmmm…. perhaps there’s a story in there… Ew. He’s charming, I’ll give him that. But I think we’re pre-programmed to find men who perform heroic actions handsome, or at least attractive. Really, how much hotter did Bruce Willis get after he started the Die Hard franchise? I don’t care how much hair that man loses. A hero’s appeal never fades. Very true. I’ve thought that about Bruce Willis, too, although I think I’m drawn to his sarcasm, too. I’m a nut for a guy with a sense of humor. And the biologist in me agrees – there must be a pre-programming involved. There would certainly be an evolutionary advantage to having an Alpha male defending and protecting the family, and thus, women would be predisposed to be attracted to them. Shea Berkley says: I think a woman will overlook a lot in the looks department if the man has heroic qualities. I always tell my girls, a guy gets better looking (or more unattractive) the more you get to know him. Point taken, Bruce Willis is totally hot in those Die Hard movies and it has nothing to do with his looks. Bio major here, too, Anne. What on earth are we doing writing romance novels? I’m always thinking about evolutionary advantages to behavior. I also like making things up that sound reasonable to win arguments. No one argues against science, baby! Shea Berkley says: I hear big brother stories and I get all pouty. I’ve always wanted a brother. Even when I got brother-in-laws, I didn’t get much of the brother aspect because none of us live nearby each other. I get the ewww factor though. I’m sure it’s the same feeling you get when you see a guy hit on your mom. It a WTH moment. I’m married to a jock — quarterback and captain of every team he ever played on (and he played every sport out there). He’s an Alpha male with a gooey center. My favoirite kind of hero. I love that man to death. I always get jealous of “sister” stories! Do you have a sis? I’d love for a guy to hit on my mom! She’s a beautiful woman. I like it when my dad flirts with her. It makes me believe that physical attraction really can last more than thirty years. Our husbands are doppelgängers, Shea. They must never meet, or else the world might explode. Shea Berkley says: I have one sister. Sadly, we don’t live anywhere near each other.  Laurie Kellogg says: My daughter-in-law’s brother (age 35) is a total hottie/alpha male. Every time I’m around him, I feel like a dirty old woman. But hey, it’s no crime to look, right? I’m hoping my grandson is lucky enough to inherit a LOT of those genes. My bro’s that age! But no, it’s no crime to look. Just because nature’s beauty sometimes takes human form doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to enjoy it. Visually. Like you would an orchid or a rainbow.  Laura Tilley says: Wow, Jamie! What an amazing – and great – story! Hats off to your brother. Imagine knowing you need to stop even when “help is already on the scene”. And imagine the police not realizing the man was not breathing!! All of the participants were very lucky your brother was there. I think those policemen would have felt horrible when they finally realized they’d stood there while a man died. And on to the Times New Roman part… how terriic your sil and nephew got to see him in action … and shirtless What fun you could move past the instinctive Ewww to lots of great scenarios. I’ll look forward to reading them! Congratulations on a great brother – and story inspiration Laura The fact that he stopped even though there were cops on the scene is what really boggled my mind. I know he — and my father and my mother, who are also trained and experienced in emergency medicine — will stop to assist at an accident if EMTs aren’t there yet, but I didn’t know he’d do it if police were on scene. When I asked him about it, he said he stopped because he had to. It’s part of the responsibility of being highly trained. He didn’t want the cops — who are very rarely going to be as experienced in administering emergency medicine as he is — to have to deal with a challenging situation on their own. He wanted to help the police officers, I think, more than he wanted to save a man’s life that day. BTW, I don’t mean to imply that the police officers on the scene bungled anything. They knew they were dealing with a medical situation, and I don’t know what they would have done had my brother not arrived. I’m not sure what their training and protocols would have dictated, but I can tell you that they were grateful to have a professional medic on hand to take the lead. Awww…I wish my brother was an alpha hero. He’s definitely your sensitive beta type. On the other hand, I call my hubby my alpha hero. He likes to take charge, though he hasn’t saved any lives that I know of. He just takes the lead in all of those little everyday situations. That is unless he’s sick. Then he curls up like a little boy. Oh, I have to take that back. It turns out, he was having awful kidney stone issues on the night of the Rita/GH ceremony in DC. But he still put on a stoic face and went and held my hand. Even duked it out and told me to see all my friends afterward when I asked him if he wanted to leave early. I only learned much later that he spent the rest of the night curled up and in pain after I fell asleep. *sniff* Poor guy! My own Alpha bro had a similar episode with kidney stones late last year. Brought him to his knees. Turns out the male urethra isn’t very amenable to passing rock-like substances. How very noble (and Beta) of your DH to support you through thick and thin. (I adore strong, silent, sensitive Betas. Colonel Brandon makes me swoon.) Gosh, Jamie, what a wonderful story. And it’s not a story, it’s real. Thanks for sharing. I have a funny lump in my throat now, what a Christmas present for all involved. Your brother deserves to star in your book. Sadly, I will never — EVER — allow a man based on my brother to star in one of my novels. He can be peripheral character, sure, but can you imagine writing the sex scenes? *shivers with disgust* Fabulous story, Jamie! I think you made us all fall just a bit in love with your brother Man, I’ve been sitting here for a bit trying to come up with an alpha I know. *sigh* I’m very deficient in the alpha department. I do know one at work, though. Total alpha. He’s one of my bosses so it’s hard to get all swoony over him, but he’s the typical tough, need no one, do stupid “man” stuff to impress the girls, thump his chest type. He’s also got Italian in him, so toss all those sterotypical traits in there too. He’s funny though. Rarely do I see the softer side of him, where he gets all squishy and caring/concerned for someone, but it’s in there. The first time I saw it I was floored. Had no idea that was under all that “manly-man.” Sounds like a Harlequin Presents just waiting to be written! What would the title be?  Addison Fox says: Jamie: What an AWESOME story! I have to agree with Kim – I think we all let out a few sighs reading your post! Addison Blergh! Women sighing over my brother! I guess I should have expected it. He looks like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed version of Sean Penn playing a tough-as-nails Army sergeant, BTW. Dunno if that helps or hurts.  Shoshana says: >> Something about this situation had me thinking in Times New Roman LOL. Great line. As for your question about the alphas in my life, I was just remembering my younger brother telling me about how the last time he went hiking he found an older man who had fallen near the top of the mountain and was having trouble getting up. I was mentally reassuring myself that, though my bro helped the man down the mountain, he didn’t do it shirtless, and therefore this didn’t make him alpha. And then I remembered–he mentioned that he took off his shirt to use as a makeshift bandage because the guy’s head was bleeding. Does that mean I have an alpha bro too? Noooo! Sorry, Shoshana. Your baby brother’s an Alpha. I can’t believe we uncovered another necessary shirt-removal story. I have to admit I’m picturing your brother as the guy who plays Devon “Awesome” Woodcomb on “Chuck.” Largely shirtless but not naked pics of the actor here: http://www.squarehippies.com/actors/2009/03/ryan-mcpartlin-at-last/ Great post Jaimie! Love the New Times Roman line. Too cute. And what a wonderful story. *Sigh* My bro is an Alpha, through and through. Once I started paying attention, the signs were all there. Loves loud music and fast cars. Tough as iron around men. Soft as silk with women and children. And can I just point out that his current facebook status is: “Still cannot find my pants.” Jamie, I’m a day late, but had to stop in to comment. What a great story. Sadly I have no alpha brothers (or any brothers for that matter), so forgive me if I live vicariously through yours, lol. It’s funny about brothers inspiring stories. I JUST finished reading a book by Brenda Novak, who (in the introduction) said her hero was loosely based on her brother. She did a wonderful job writing him–sex scenes and all.  June Trubia says: I’m the Proud mom of the ALPHA male Derek and Jamie Michele. Yes he caused quite a bit of excitement after returning from the airport in a Police jacket. But the truth is the story is so him. He will always stop to help anyone, and complain later. We were very proud of him. He’s and Army medic having done a stint in Iraq, now he trains medics. They have to measure up to his standards, but he trains good soldiers. I hope I never have to read Jamie Michele’s book with Derek as the hero, even I would have to say ewhh! Just disquise him enough so even I don’t recognize him. But as an Alpha he is a good son, husband, father and soldier. Great story Jamie, we are very proud of you. I just have to ask this… Has your brother seen this post??? Wonderful story, thank you for the laugh!! Jenn  Kathryn E says: Really great to know that real-life Alpha heroes exist. Wonderful brother you have.
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I totally understand the “eeww” factor”—after all, brothers can be gross, classless, and annoying as “heck”(I was blessed with four of the little beasts)—but sounds to me like you have an alpha on your hands, or rather your sil does. The good news is the domineering, overbearing, caveman variety are as rare as hen’s teeth. Most modern alphas aren’t threatened by strong women and will willingly defer unless their specific alpha qualities are required—at least in my experience.
Alphas aren’t necessarily good at “sensitive”, but they are aware. They are protective, intense, and can be downright unreasonable when someone they love does something they deem foolish or dangerous. Yes, the chest beating can get a little old, but mostly that’s saved for playing or watching sports with their friends—thank heaven.
WEIRD!
You’ve nailed my brother’s particular Alpha personality type! You must know one yourself.
Our mother is S-T-R-O-N-G and I’m no pushover, so he knows his way around opinionated women who like to handle their own problems. As you said, he’s hyper-aware of human behavior and beats his chest like a silverback. He’s a handful — and Lord, can he get LOUD — but I love him to pieces, and he’s an excellent father, husband, brother, and son.
Okay, it’s official; that took me so by surprise, I spit coffee on my monitor. Still laughing.
(This should have been included in the previous bit, but, remember, still laughing . . .
Okay, maybe it isn’t me. I know I included the bit about “beats his chest like a silverback” the second time, but although it copied to the comment box, it didn’t show in the comment. Sorry.