Casting Call: Heroes Sign Up Here!

*What did you do last summer? I wrote this post! :) This is a revisit simply because it was too much fun!*

Calling all Heroes! Spineless, chauvinistic jerks need not apply.

Every girl has a type. And thank heaven our tastes aren’t all the same! Can you say global cat-fight? I myself tend to favor a more rugged, less polished type of man. A man’s man with callused hands, five-o’clock shadow, sun-kissed skin, and a certain country boy swagger. In other words, not a man that requires more upkeep than I do.

Brad Paisley’s Song “I’m Still A Guy” comes to mind and always makes me giggle…

“These days there's dudes gettin' facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can't grip a tackle box

Yeah, with all of these men linin' up to get neutered
It's hip now to be feminized
But I don't highlight my hair, I've still got a pair
Yeah honey, I'm still a guy”

Not my thing though, to be fair, those are the just the initial things we notice on first impression. The true measure of man is determined by far more important things underneath. (And don't go gettin' all randy on me, I don’t mean what’s under his clothes!)

Sense of humor. Integrity. Loyalty. Compassionate. Strong. Honest. Brave. Sensitive. Intelligent. Suave. Loving. Tender. Oh, the list of attractive qualities could go on and on.

But…

Since no man is perfect our heroes will naturally have some less than desirable flaws.

Arrogant. Temperamental. Jealous. Gruff. Stubborn. Proud. Unfaithful. Overbearing. Controlling. Indifferent.  

Now we may be married and monogamous, but as authors we get to take our heroes out for a test run in our imaginations. And more than likely, you will not be writing the exact same man over and over throughout the course of your writing career. Variety, in this instance, is the spice of our writing life. Ahh, yes, a fictional boyfriend. Who knew we’d revisit our 12-year-old starry eyed selves as adults. Good times!

But even though I favor a certain type of man that resembles my husband, whether I’m creating a hero or reading someone else’s, I can still start falling for a hero who colors outside my preference. Sure I love a laid back hunky cowboy type, ooo or say a firefighter with that charming yet arrogant swagger. But I’ve also written heroes that are the suit and tie kind, or the goof ball best friend type you might just overlook at first. The stoic hard-edged soldier. The smooth-talking bad boy. The antisocial intellectual. Yes, we take the good and the bad and despite our “type” we can still get snared in that hero’s web. 

I'm don't mean to "type-cast" because there’s always that moment when the country boy cleans up and WOWSA! But that’s neither here nor there. Forgive me, just picturing my man clean shaven in a suit and having a pre-menopausal hot flash. ;)

What about these examples of unconventional on-screen heroes you KNOW you swooned over…

Nick in The Wedding Date. Charming. Clean cut. And a PROSTITUTE. 

Benjamin Barry in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Tough. Competitive. And out of control egotistical.

Declan O’Callahan in Leap Year. Quiet. Playful. And opportunistic. 

Ben Wrightman in Fever Pitch. Quirky. Funny. And Obsessed.

George Wade in Two Weeks Notice. Successful. Self-centered. Needy.

Amazingly enough, NONE of those guys are my type. Shoot, if I’m being honest, I don’t find a single one of those actors attractive. And yet… they reeled me in. Had me pulling for them. And falling just a little.

Maybe we just root for the hero regardless. Or maybe there’s a special ingredient, that chemistry that makes you swoon in spite of your preference. The point is… there is no right or wrong way to write a hero. And you pair him up with the right woman your reader wont stand a chance. 

So let’s dish… What’s YOUR type? Also what type of hero are you currently writing and who would play him? Tell me about the two men in your life! (And er… if any men read this post turn the tables on us… tell us about your women. One real and one fictional, please and thank you!)

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little tow-headed mischief makers, one pretty little princess, and wife to her very own swoon-worthy hero. Represented by the oh-so-wise and dashing Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.