Creating the Perfect Leading Man
By Romantic Suspense Author Amber Lea Easton
Oh, the leading men we all lust after, the guys who get us all
steamy just thinking about them, and the characters we wish would manifest in
front of our eyes with the snap of our fingers.
I salivate just thinking about some of “my men” who’ve graced my
imagination and the pages of my novels.
What are the ingredients that go into creating that perfect leading man
in a romance novel? (And why do I feel like I’m a witch creating
the perfect spell? Ha!)
Romance heroes are usually far from perfect, regardless of their
physical description. Despite the idea
of Fabio ripping his shirt off--which isn’t a bad image--the ideal man needs to
be somewhat flawed to be approachable.
What do I mean by this? Well, let
me tell you.
* Internal
conflict. Broken-hearted? Jaded?
You bet. We all love the tortured
hero, the guy who looks like he has it all but is lonely behind closed doors,
the man who’s heart is as big as his pectoral muscles, the bad boy who isn’t quite
as naughty as the world makes him out to be.
* A
gentleman. Even in this world of
independent women who get it done with sass and class, we all like a man who
would lay it on the line for us and who knows how to make a woman feel like a
lady.
* Sexy. A man can be beautiful on the outside, but
not be sexy. So what is this elusive
quality called sex appeal? When writing
a leading man, it’s the subtle nuances that say “power” that equal sexy. Yeah, that’s right. Power. Whether it’s his self-control, his
ability to stare you down, his confidence or the non-verbal cues that scream
“good in bed”, sexy is a characteristic that is essential to our leading
men.
* Secrets.
We all have a few skeletons in
our closet, but our leading men have mummies entombed in their basements. These secrets are usually tied into the
aforementioned heartbreak, which makes them that much more appealing.
* Smart. Who wants an idiot no matter how gorgeous he
is? Smart is sexy, I always say, and
that applies to both the hero and heroine.
It’s imperative that the hero be a smart man, a leader (even if he’s in a vulnerable position in
the story), a guy the reader can see in the role of “hero”.
* A
good friend. I’ve always said
you can judge a man by the company he keeps and that goes for leading men,
too. Having secondary characters who
reflect who the man is to them, how they feel about him, his loyalty to them,
etcetera goes a long way in determining if he’s actually a good guy or not. Even if the relationships are edgy, his reaction
to them in the story will reveal his true nature to the readers.
All of these elements need to be in place for a leading man to
take center stage in our hearts and imaginations. Physical description pales in comparison to
the character development that truly pulls at a reader’s heartstrings. After all, when writing romance, it’s
important to have the readers fall in love with your man...and no one falls in
love with an empty shell.
==========
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction
author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of journalism and
advertising with a brief detour into the financial
industry. Although she holds a BA in Communications &
Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who enjoys taking courses on a
wide variety of subjects when time allows. Smart is sexy, according
to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have
their flaws and challenges, but who ultimately persevere.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the
Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view
outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets,
nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's
writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."
Visit Amber at:
Website - http://www.amberleaeaston.com
Twitter - @MtnMoxieGirl
You can find out more about Amber Lea Easton, Riptide and
her World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/a2azncg
