Why my heroines are always beautiful

I’ve read a lot of books and blogs and articles about creating characters. I’ve read that readers don’t want to read about heroines who are perfect – they should have flaws and be someone readers can relate to. Much of the advice centers around the personality of the heroine – making her three dimensional and likeable enough that the reader wants to spend time in her head. As for physical characteristics, I've heard that readers don't want to read about someone who’s too perfect to be true.

I always put a lot of thought into my characters’ physical appearance as well. Often I try to find photographs of a model or even actor who I think looks like my character. I won’t necessarily describe the heroine in great detail, but will give enough information so the reader can form a picture in her own mind.

I recently realized that all of my heroines are physically attractive. Why? I don’t actually know, except that for me romance is a “fantasy” and in my own fantasies, starring me, I’m slender and fit and beautiful. Hey, it’s a fantasy, I can be whatever I want. And I guess when I get inside a character’s head as a reader, I want to be beautiful.

For the most part, I think my heroines are somewhat oblivious to their looks. I’ve never written a heroine who thinks she’s gorgeous. On the other hand, I’ve never written a heroine who is convinced she’s ugly. Or fat. I’ve never written a plus-size heroine who worries about her weight; but I’ve also never written a heroine who’s slender who thinks she’s overweight or a heroine who worries about the size of her thighs as the hero is stripping her naked. That’s not sexy to me. I find it sexy when a woman is confident and secure – not conceited, but not overly concerned with how she looks. I do think I will write a heroine who worries about her thighs at some point. That’s just reality. But maybe because I’m kind of like that – my thighs are fat, my stomach isn’t flat, my boobs are too small – a sexy fantasy for me is to be a woman who’s unconcerned with those things.

But I think the real reason my heroines are beautiful is because they are most often described through the hero’s eyes. I try not to use that “heroine looking in a mirror” cliché and have her describe her own looks, but for the most part my heroines don’t think a lot about their looks. But some of them do see themselves differently than the hero sees them.

Here’s an example from Taming Tara, my latest Ellora’s Cave release. This is Tara, comparing herself to her sister Sasha:

She introduced Joe to Sasha, who looked him up and down with unabashed appraisal. Tara couldn’t help but compare her faded jeans and cotton tank top to Sasha’s silk dress and sexy sandals. Sasha was just totally different, her hair highlighted to a much paler blonde, flat-ironed to perfect straightness, her lips shiny bright pink.

Tara had always felt dull and boring beside Sasha, but it didn’t usually bother her. Tonight, however, she wished she compared more favorably to her younger sister seen through Joe’s eyes. Damn him. Why did she even care what he thought?

And here’s Joe looking at Tara and Sasha in another scene:

Her sister stood by her side in a sparkly red dress, her hair pale blonde, her skin tanned, the nails on the hand clutching her martini glass long and manicured. Her full lips, so much like Tara’s, were red and shiny and she wore a lot more make-up than Tara did. They did look alike, but Sasha’s vivid sexiness did nothing for him. It was Tara’s understated beauty that drew his eyes back.

And another example from my soon-to-be-published (stay tuned for details!) Breakaway - this is Jason meeting Remi for the first time:

Jason looked down at the tiny little blonde standing there with her hand on his arm. Was she even old enough to be in the bar? Amusement tickled inside him. He was used to girls hitting on him, went with the territory, but this little pipsqueak teeny-bopper blonde was hands-off material. Not even close to his type, anyway.

Later the same evening, after Remi discovers Jason just broke up with dark-haired super model Brianne Haskett, this is her point of view:

“What I mean is, I’m not normally attracted to cute little blondes.”

Cute little blonde? Yeah, that was her. How she wished she had mile-long legs and big boobs and full lips like Brianne Haskett. Stephanie Seymour. Laetitia Casta. All those other Victoria’s Secret models who looked like that.

No, she was teeny weeny, skinny, flat-chested, with wispy blonde hair.

But Jace seemed to find her attractive.

And still later that night, the attraction between them has developed even further, and this is what Jason thinks of her now:

And the top and the skirt came off too, both down over her hips and legs, leaving her lying on the couch in her lingerie and yes, her panties were black lace, too, a tiny triangle held on by a slender black ribbon over each hip. Her skin was incredible—creamy smooth everywhere, her body dainty and perfect.

He had to just stop and stare, breathing hard.

“Jace?” She put a hand out to him and he lifted his gaze to her face. Uncertainty shadowed her eyes, her mouth soft and pouty.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he muttered. “I have to look at you.”

Her eyes widened, then drifted closed and the corners of her mouth tipped up. “Thank you. I’m not…”

He lightly rested his fingers on her mouth. “Don’t even say it.” He didn’t know how, but he knew what she was about to say, and he didn’t want to hear any comparisons between her and anyone else, because there was no comparison. Jace himself was a little taken aback at how stunningly beautiful he found her.


What I like (and what I often write) is a heroine who is not overly concerned about her looks but perhaps a little insecure, and a hero who thinks she is absolutely, breath-takingly gorgeous. He’s attracted to her, if not immediately, as with Jason the first time he sees Remi above, but certainly as he gets to know her. He can’t keep his eyes or his hands off her, she’s so beautiful and sexy.

So what do you like in terms of heroines and their looks? Big and confident? Gorgeous but insecure?

Get to know the girls...

...the girls in our stories, that is! For the last few weeks, we've interviewed our heroes, but this week we're talking to the girls. First up:

Docia Kent Toleffson, Venus In Blue Jeans, by Meg Benjamin.




My DH, Cal, had his chance a couple of weeks ago, so now I get to give you my version. Revenge is sweet, Calthorpe!

1. Favorite way to escape after a hard day at work?


(Laughs) Go drinking with my husband! Seriously, we met at this really dumpy bar in downtown Konigsburg, Texas—the Dew Drop Inn. It’s so dumpy only locals go there, but you get to see your friends and, in my case, your lover. After a crappy day in the book trade, I love to grab a big table at the Dew Drop with Cal beside me and see who shows up. Most of my brothers-in-law drop by, usually with their wives who are also my friends. My friend Allie shows up with her fiancé Wonder Dentist. And my friend Morgan, who has the hots for my brother-in-law Erik. Believe me, Erik really needs somebody in his life. And after we have a few beers or glasses of wine, we can wander down the street to the best restaurant in town, Brenner’s, run by my friends Lee Contreras and Ken Crowder. Konigsburg, gotta love it!

2. What do you do for a living and how did you get into that?


I own Kent’s Hill Country Books in downtown Konigsburg and I run it with my friend (and sister-in-law) Janie Dupree Toleffson. How did I get into it? Well, I had this (ahem) bad experience with a jerky guy in Dallas, so I decided to get away from everything and move to the Texas Hill Country. I’ve always loved Konigsburg, and it was far enough away from my parents (in Dallas and San Antonio) that I figured they wouldn’t be intruding in my life. That hasn’t been entirely true, but they’ve stayed out of my business more than they used to. Of course, I had a few problems when a rare book dealer decided to hide some of his merchandise in my store without telling me, but thanks to Cal everything worked out okay.

3. What’s the first thing you noticed about Cal Toleffson?

Oh my, my, my—you mean besides the fact that he’s drop-dead gorgeous? Okay, his height. All the Toleffson brothers are over six feet. I’m six feet exactly and I’ve spent my life looked down at the top of guys’ heads when we danced. With Cal, even if I strap on three-inch heels, I can still look up to him, although four-inchers bring us closer to eye-to-eye. And, of course, the rest of him is in proportion. Oh my god, I can’t believe I said that!


Keara Callaghan from Irish Sex Fairy, by Kelly Jamieson:



1. Favorite way to escape after a hard day at work?

Now I'm managing the Kilkenny branch of Palladium Bank, I work a lot less hours than I did when I lived in Los Angeles. I love going home to Shane after work and cooking dinner with him and then doing things around the house – Shane apparently inherited a love of gardening from his dad and is obsessed with planting all kinds of things in our back yard, but I enjoy working out there too. Shane also seems to have inherited his parents’ love of parties and we often end up with a houseful of people. And sometimes I go visit my Aunt Maeve or help her out in her store (and come home with some new toys!)

2. What do you do for a living and how did you get into that?

As I said, I’m the new manager of Palladium Bank in Kilkenny. It’s a very small branch compared to the one I managed in Los Angeles, and I’m not on the fast track to an executive position any more, but that’s okay. My dad was CEO of Palladium years ago. My mom was a vice president at Ezron Savings and Loan. They both wanted me to follow in their footsteps. They helped me take the best courses in college and encouraged me. I was just starting my career at the bank when they were both killed in a car accident. After that I wanted to do my best to make them proud, but I probably worked too hard. Okay, Shane says not “probably”, I definitely worked too hard!

3. First thing you noticed about Shane Dunstan?

I met Shane when I was 17 and spending summer vacation with Aunt Maeve. I don’t even remember for sure what I first noticed about him, but I do remember how he made me feel – all warm and fluttery inside. It was the whole package of him – tall, dark and handsome. Actually, it might have been his eyes – he has the most gorgeous blue eyes with long dark eyelashes and when he looked at me, my heart started pounding and my hands stared shaking. (Sigh of pleasure).


Lucy Greco Cavanaugh from A Taste of Honey by PG Forte:

 

1. Favorite way to escape after a hard day at work?

Cooking dinner for my family. What? You think that’s work? Don’t be silly. Cooking is one of life’s essential pleasures. It’s nurturing. Plus I’m good at it. Well, I am. Ask anyone. But, you know, a hot bath, a good book and a pint of lavender ice cream—that isn’t a bad way to go either.

2. What do you do for a living and how did you get into that?

I help my husband run one of the family’s nurseries. I went to work at Cavanaugh’s right out of high school. I liked it there—they always let me do things my own way, if you know what I mean—so I stayed on. Then I met my husband, Dan Cavanaugh, and the rest is history.

Lately I’ve been branching out a bit. I now produce my own line of herb-infused soaps and massage oils, as well as organic honey, beeswax candles…well, you get the idea. Dan hates the bees, but he sure does love the honey.

3. First thing you noticed about Dan?

First thing I noticed? Wow—that’s tough. I mean, what’s not to notice? My husband is a very noticeable man. You can ask anyone about that, too.

I guess the very first thing I noticed was his size—and don’t go taking that the wrong way, all right? All I mean is he’s a big guy and when we met…well, I’d never tell him this, but the truth is he scared the crap out of me. See, I didn’t know who he was or what he was doing hanging around in one of the greenhouses after everyone else had gone home for the night.

I thought maybe he’d broken in and was there to rob the place. So, yeah, the fact that he’s tall, broad and brutally hot—that was definitely the first thing I noticed.

Oh, and, by the way, if you’re interested in reading Dan’s version of how we met, you can find that HERE.

Bad Girls

This particular musing has its origin in a couple of blog posts here a while ago. First, M.J. Fredrick blogged here about her love of bad boys, and judging from the comments that followed, she wasn’t alone. Then my fellow Niner Kinsey Holley blogged about her discomfort with heroines who are promiscuous, and I’m with her on that too. So my question is this: Do we feel the same about bad girl heroines as we do about bad boy heroes? I don’t think so, or at least not exactly.

In my case, I’m willing to accept bad behavior in a hero (provided it doesn’t last very long), but I’m less likely to be understanding with a heroine. I don’t think this is the result of sexism. It’s more because I can’t identify with that kind of heroine so readily. It’s one thing, for example, if the heroine has been forced into a situation where she has to be promiscuous (like the occasional courtesan heroines in regencies, who are almost always victims), but it’s different for me if the heroine sleeps around because she doesn’t feel she deserves anything better. Maybe it’s cultural conditioning, but I want my heroines to value themselves.

This isn’t to say that sexually active heroines aren’t acceptable. Kerry Greenwood has a wonderful series of historicals set in twenties Melbourne about a detective named Phryne Fisher. Phryne has more lovers than Sam Spade, but we know she’s smart and very much in charge, and we know she has a very clear sense of who she is. She may have a long list of exotic men in her life, but she doesn’t seem damaged in the least.

I have to admit that occasionally a bad girl heroine can be appealing, provided she’s on her way to something better. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has several, although her bad girls are more spoiled than slutty and they’re usually trying to change (which makes them sort of reformed bad girls). There’s the heroine in Ain’t She Sweet, for example, who tries to make amends for having been a bitch on wheels in her youth. You know she’s been awful because Phillips shows you just how awful she was, but you can’t help rooting for her because she isn’t awful anymore.

And sometimes I find myself even liking a bad girl heroine who isn't yet ready to save herself, like Grace Hanadarko, the heroine of TNT’s Saving Grace. I have to admit, I didn’t much like Grace at first. She’s all the things I usually object to: promiscuous, alcoholic, frequently self-destructive. But she’s also brave, forthright, and a very good cop. And she’s a damaged person trying to find herself, much like some bad boys. Like the classic bad boy hero, she slips under your defenses until you end up caring about her in spite of her bad behavior.

So maybe that’s the point in the end. Bad boys and bad girls can be heroes and heroines, but only if they’re not really bad. Somewhere in that welter of bad deeds, there has to be a good person trying to worm her way out. In fact, I doubt that we love real bad boys and girls—they’re usually the villains. What we love are the bad boys and girls who have the potential to be good. And given that we’re talking romance here (with the mandatory HEA), that potential has a very good chance of being fulfilled.

So what do you think? Do bad girl heroines work for you?