Deal Breakers

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I was reading pages for a cp this weekend, the beginning of a story. She introduced the hero as having a goatee. I'm like, okay, RDJ, I can go along with that. A few pages later she mentioned he had springy curly hair.

SCREECH. He went from RDJ to Zohan.

I heard a workshop that talked about not going into too much detail about your hero, because what one woman finds sexy, another might find a turnoff. I know I've toned back descriptions of my last two heroes because what I find attractive in the two, others might not. And things I've never found attractive before, I do in these two. Does that make sense?

Then there are some things I include in my heroes - almost all - that other women might not agree with. For example, I love stubble. Most of my heroes are stubbly at one time or another.

Anyway, some of my deal breakers - something I have to consciously avoid thinking about when reading a hero if the author mentions it - are these:

1) hair long enough to put in a ponytail (unless it's a historical)
2) moles
3) excessive tattoos - I love Jeffrey Dean and Justin Chambers, but too many tattoos! In fact, in my books, only my heroines have tattoos.
4) excessive body hair

You know, I had more when I was thinking about this, but now I'm blank. What about you?

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6 comments:

Marianne Arkins said...

Uh oh... my hero in "Kitchen Matches" has hair almost long enough to put in a pony tail.

And I find it incredibly humorous that your heroines are the ones with tattoos. I'm with you on too many, though. I couldn't stop cringing during American Idol this year because of Carly and her DH (nicknamed "Darth Maul" in our house). Too many are a real turnoff for me. One can be sexy... but...

Amie Stuart said...

*wants a new tattoo for her b'day*

Anyway there's not much but honestly, over-large appendages. I'm sure you know the kind I mean. It makes me laugh and it's not sexy to be hung like like a racehorse

Tracy Montoya said...

I just finished a book I loved where the hero had a moustache. Eeeeeuw. Goatee, fine. Stubble? I agree with you---mmmmm. Soul patch? OK, but he'd better shave it off in medias res. Moustache? NASTY!

I just tried to forget about it as I read, but then the author would spring it on me just as I'd finally exorcised it from my mental picture of the hero.

I have to say, I've never read a hero with excessive body hair. Where are you finding these, Mary? ; )

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I can't think of any dealbreakers for me.

Tracy, I can't remember reading a mustached hero in the recent past, and don't really want to, but that's funny because I've never seen my husband's upper lip, in nearly 20 years. :)

Trish Milburn said...

Really? I love heroes with longer hair. Look at that -- a difference between us. :)

Jennifer Shirk said...

Oh dear. My hero has long hair AND a tatoo. And that SO doesn't appeal to me either, but it fit with his occupation, so I had to go with it. LOL!
(Don't know what I was thinking though) LOL!

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I'm a mom, a wife, a teacher and a writer. I have five cats and a dog to keep me company. I love bookstores and libraries and Netflix - movies are my greatest weakness.
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