Guest Post by Julianna Scott (The Holders)

I have with me today one of the best guest posts I've ever read. And it's on beta males! There are dictionary references thrown in, a showdown between a beta male and an alpha male & a few mocking pokes at the quintessential bad boy which every girl dreams of.  In short, this post completely won me over. Totally worth reading :)

17-year-old Becca has spent her whole life protecting her brother - from their father leaving and from the people who say the voices in his head are unnatural. When two strangers appear with apparent answers to Ryland's "problem" and details about a school in Ireland where Ryland will not only fit in, but prosper, Becca is up in arms.

She reluctantly agrees to join Ryland on his journey and what they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together information about their family's heritage and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for. 

Then, Becca meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, her and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but destiny gets in the way, and they are all in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind forever.

THE HOLDERS is a modern day fantasy about incredible powers and extraordinary people.

The Beta Male

Why They Are More Swoon-worthy than Alphas

By Julianna Scott

Ahh… the beta male. Say what you will about the appeal of the macho, alpha, bad boy, but I have always had a soft spot for beta heroes. They are sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, and often as soft spoken as they are in control. And while all this might be painting the image of a whimp in your mind, don’t be fooled—beta heroes are anything but weak. It has nothing to do with the appearance, or physical attributes, nor does it denote cowardice or frailty. Urbandictionary.com defines beta male as…

“A man who is content with nontraditional gender roles; i.e., he is not threatened by intelligent and/or powerful women, and he does not have to be in control of every situation to maintain his sense of self. (Frequently, he does manifest a quiet kind of confidence and control over his surroundings, but it's not important to him that this is noticed by others.)

A beta male is often introverted, intelligent, and introspective. Though he may have been branded a "nerd" growing up, the adult beta is frequently a thoughtful, capable, and fascinating individual whom many women find appealing.

Alpha males, especially those of lesser intelligence and abilities, tend to feel threatened by beta males, who are increasingly preferred by women in modern times.”

…and personally, I love this description.

I think deep down we all want a beta male. Sure the image of the alpha is appealing at times, and who hasn’t heard someone say “I love a bad boy”. But, sorry, I don’t really buy that. I mean think about it—no one really wants a bad boy, they just want the ‘bad boy’ image. They want the hot guy in leather with the chip on his shoulder, but who is actually a romantic at heart and will say pretty things to you behind closed doors. Or they want the leader of the pack who might be ‘too tough’ to say romantic things, he feels them and you can see it in his eyes. Or maybe it’s the guy who has slept with hundreds of women but it ‘didn’t mean anything’ until he met you. Those all work great for romance novels, but that’s about the only place they work.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good tortured alpha or romantic bad boy every now and again, we all do. But I have long thought that beta heroes are underrated both for their general appeal and their hotness-factor, and I for one, am out to change that.

And on that note, allow me to introduce, Alex Bray.

Alex is a twenty one year old young man, and is the male lead in The Holders. He was raised in Texas, though unfortunately he didn’t exactly have a normal or even happy childhood. Alex is a Holder whose specific ability is called Casting. This means he is able to make others see and hear things that are not there. For example, were he in room with two other people, he could make one of them believe that they are standing in the middle of the street in Paris, have the other believe a window in the room thay are in is open when it is in fact closed, and anything in between, and all at the same time if he so chose. In his ‘castings’, he can change as much or as little as he likes, while he remains able to see both reality and the images he projects. When he was fourteen, he was brought to St. Brigid’s academy in Ireland where he learned to control and use his ability, and he has lived there ever since. Now he is one of the scouts who go out and look for other young Holders so that—if need be—they can be brought to St. Brigid’s.

He is sweet and definitely a caretaker at heart, always doing what he can to help all the people in his adopted family at St. Brigids. He is very smart, speaks Irish Gaelic, and has completely embraced being a Holder. Though the best thing about him has to be that despite his horrible childhood, he isn’t broody or distant. He appreciates the life he has now and realizes how truly lucky he is. Now that isn’t to say that his past doesn’t still haunt him, as of course it does, but he doesn’t let that define who he is now.

The only downside is that being one of the youngest Holders living full time at St. Brigids, it can get lonely at times. Not to mention that romantic relationships don’t exactly come all that often for Holders. If they come at all. However, all might not be lost, and I have a feeling that should Alex ever fall in love he will do so absolutely and completely.

Alex is, in my opinion anyway, is a great guy, totally swoon-worthy, and someone I would have dated without a second thought. Here’s hoping you fall for him too, and fight the cause for all beta males out there. Nice guys don’t have to finish last! :-)

ABOUT THE LADY BEHIND THE BOOK

Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she'd been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she'd never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she'd gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.

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