Now, now, mop up that coffee you just spit out, and bear with me for a minute.

I make predictions every now and then. A while back, on Cynthia Eden's blog, I said:

I predict vampires are going to be a much tougher sell. They will sell because they're proven, but the market is saturated so it will need to be really fresh or a new twist, not the same old stuff. I also predict demons / psychic abilities will see a huge upswing in popularity in paranormals.

Demons is the keyword there. And yeah, I'm right, aren't I? How many books with demon heroes / heroines have come out lately? How many people have said they've sold such a thing? And still yet how many more author bloggers are talking about their demon story in progress? I have a pretty good eye for these things.

So now I'm making my next prediction. Alpha heroes are the standard; they're old and tired. On a blog I was reading, Gwyneth Bolton said in comments: "I love me some alpha heroes, but I married me a beta."

Her words got me thinking. On one hand, we have readers calling for more realism in romance. On the other, we have readers protesting that romance is a fantasy, not meant to reflect our everyday lives. It's an ideal and an escape.

Well, hells yeah, it is. Imagine marrying that alpha who makes your toes curl in the book. You've had a hard day, the kids were little dipshits who fought constantly. The cat yakked on the rug, and the dog ran off with your favorite leather shoe. The air conditioner isn't working on your car, and the upstairs toilet hasn't stopped running since Alpha Junior flushed your favorite wristwatch.

Alpha Senior walks through the front door like he owns the place, grabs you up into his arms, not noticing the cornmeal on your cheek or the fact that you can't get the gum off the kitchen counter. He kisses you passionately and says, "I've been longing for you! I must have you. Now!" But you have three kids to feed and fish waiting to fry on the kitchen counter.

You say, "Honey..."

But he won't take no for an answer! He drags you upstairs, despite the fact that you feel sexy as a two-day old tuna sandwich, and starts trying to seduce you. "You're my woman, I knew from the moment I set eyes on you. I must make you mine NOW, before I die of desire."

"MOM!" screams Alpha Junior. "Pogo stole the fish you were fixing to make for dinner off the counter!"

"Ignore them," demands Alpha Senior. "You are MINE! Each moment I spend parted from you at work is an agony of lifetimes. I must fill you with the frothing seed of my loins to mark you as my woman and cause you to burgeon with my child, yet again!"

That's when you hit him in the head and trudge down the stairs to deal with the other fruit of his loins. Don't you wish you'd married a nice beta instead, who would help you cook, and listen to how your day went?

Beta is the new alpha. Women will tire of their alpha overlords and go looking for books with men who can be strong without being overbearing. Mark my words, even in the romance world, this shall come to pass.