SF Signal Mind Meld: “Holding Out For A Hero”

The Keep of Winds, from "The Heir of Night" -- art by PJ Fitzpatrick

I’m currently participating in a Mind Meld on SF Signal and the topic is:

“What makes a hero (or heroine) a hero instead of merely a protagonist? Is the idea of a straight up hero old fashioned or out of date in this day and age?”

The “meld” part comes in because SF Signal generally invites a range of speculative fiction writers to share their views—and needless to say, as a writer of epic-heroic Fantasy, this was a Meld in whi...