I guess it’s true: we like our leading men to be handsome. We also like our leading ladies to be beautiful. Or, at the very least, cute. And I have to admit, the main characters in my novels tend to fall into those categories.
Maybe it’s because escaping into a make-believe world, we like the people we’re reading about – who we’re living vicariously through – to be above average, shall we say. And, as an author, I’ve largely adhered to that preference.
The leading man in “The Shade Ring Trilogy” is actually a clone. But a very good-looking clone. Blue eyes and unruly brown hair, one dimple, not two. Not movie star handsome, but rather, the kind of man who is way more attractive than a male fashion model. His brother, Charlie – also a clone – is a handsome, multi-ethnic guy. Barry King, the White House press secretary, is one hot dude, with a perfect, café au lait complexion, and plenty of sex appeal.
The guys in “VisionSight” are hunks as well, including Sam Novak, the director, with his dark brooding eyes; Alex Park, the good-looking Asian-American TV reporter; and Brian Mitchell, the cop. Then there’s the teen-aged leading man in “The Time Telephone,” Kieran Mehta, who looks sort of like a better-looking Dev Patel.
If you’ve read my books, you know the main female characters are attractive young women. But they’ve got girlfriends who are even better looking. Think Neave and Annie in “The Shade Ring Trilogy;” Jenna and Tia in “VisionSight;” and Megan and Rikki in “The Time Telephone.” I don’t think I want my protagonists to be too beautiful. Too much beauty isn’t good for the mind, in my humble opinion.
So, maybe I need to get real in my next book and make my characters look more like normal people? Hm. I’ll have to think about that.
Oh yes… who is that handsome guy in the picture? Well, that’s my dad when he was 18 years old, serving in the Army in Japan.
Looks like he could be a leading man in one of my novels, doesn't he?
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