Today, I’d like to share a bit about my favorite kind of romantic hero: the Gamma Guy. Prince Lincoln, the love interest in my YA fantasy-romance Angelbound, is one such dude.

Now wait, you might say. I’ve heard of an Alpha Male. A Beta Male. What’s this Gamma Guy stuff? Sounds like something you totally made up.

And in reply, I’d say: Nice catch, you! I did totally make this up.

Why would I do such a thing? I found it super-useful for me in my writing (more on that later). But before we tackle the Gamma Guy topic head-on, I thought it might help to level-set on some definitions of what it means to be an Alpha and Beta male in a romantic novel.

For the purposes of this article, an Alpha Male has:

1. A wardrobe of leather. Black. And lots of it. Maybe some creative piercings, too. Definitely a few tattoos.
2. A crappy childhood or ex-girlfriend. Deep down our hero is a nice guy, but most days, he’s a colossal dickhead.
3. Not so much a smart IQ as a smart-ass mouth, which we readers love-hate with abandon.
4. A hair-trigger for fighting, especially when it has to do with defending his lady-love.
5. A blue collar job, or no job at all. Like running a biker gang or sketchy handyman business. How exactly does that translate into a paycheck? Who knows? Who cares? Somehow our guy always has all the kick-ass chicks, leather, and beer that he wants. Life is good.

On the other hand, Beta Males are known for being:

1. Handy. A tire goes flat, the fridge goes on the fritz, or the carburetor stops carburating. Betas know what to do and do it without whining. And probably with their shirt off. Bonus.
2. Smart. In particular, smart enough to know how to spell the words ‘female’ and ‘orgasm.’ Their alpha male counterparts aren’t always that clever.
3. A white-collar job. Maybe something that helps kids or the terminally ill? Oh yeah, and they always look mega-sexy while doing it. Beta male territory.
4. Polite and neat. Sock drawer? Organized. Thank-you notes? Sent. Evil step-mother? Still gets a card on her birthday, even though she’s Satan incarnate. All because it’s the right thing to do…and that’s spicy hawt, too.

And Now, That Thing I Made Up: The Gamma Guy
For me, the very terms ‘Alpha’ and ‘Beta’ are based on hierarchy. In other words, the idea that in any relationship, there’s always a dominant person. And if that’s your thing, good on you. But not all relationships follow that model, and in writing Angelbound, I really wanted to explore more of a partnership dynamic. [SPOILER ALERT] In the story, Prince Lincoln and our heroine Myla end up as a team, fighting and otherwise. In early drafts, I tried to think of Lincoln as an Alpha or Beta male. It really didn’t work. As in, suck-a-roonie.

Long story short, I found that the terms Alpha and Beta held connotations that someone should dominate. Sure, they’re just words, but I’m a writer. Words count. So, I started thinking of Lincoln as a Gamma guy, and it helped me form his personality and partnership with Myla. To me, Gamma guys have:

1. Some Alpha male traits. Gamma guys are strong-willed and natural leaders, but without being a dick about it. You know, in general. We all have our moments.
2. Some Beta male stuff in there, too. Gamma guys are nurturing and definitely able to cry. They tend to be handy in surprising areas as well, like in the kitchen or with nun-chucks. Their sock drawers tend to be a mess, however, unless they have servants.
3. True partnerships. And by partnership, I mean sharing the load on every-freaking-thing. For example, if a Gamma guy and his lady-love get into a battle, one of them doesn’t fight the baddie while the other cowers in a corner. The non-warrior will still bring their a-game by cheering on their partner, calling the cops, or—at the very least—throwing a shoe. You get the idea.
4. A stalker-free zone. Sure, there are situations where a Gamma Guy will follow his lady around. But in general, if you’re in a partnership, you don’t feel the need to track the other person because you’re together all the time anyway. Stalking from across the couch? Not really happening.

On a final note, I want to be clear that I love me a good Alpha and Beta male story. But we all develop our preferences over time, and what I’ve come to define as the Gamma Guy is my personal fave. And I’ve been thrilled with how many Angelbound readers have felt the same way, too. Please know that your positive messages and reviews have given me the kind of virtual partnership that makes writing so worthwhile. Thank you.

And on that note, I’ll get back to writing more Gamma Guy stories. Fun!

Like my fake advice to imaginary novel characters? Check out these posts below:

• Romance Novel Dudes: Are you in the friend zone forever?
• 5 Signs You’re an Alpha Male
• 4 Signs You’re a Beta Male
• 3 Signs Your Paranormal Girlfriend Will Dump You
• 3 Ways to Tell That You’re a Paranormal Heroine