Welcome to another round of Romance Writers Weekly! Each week we give you a behind-the-scenes look at our processes, our obsessions and our inspirations. This week, Sarah Hegger asked us all about our book boyfriends (or girlfriends) and we’re only allowed to share three. Hopefully, you just popped over here from Veronica Forand, one of the fantastic authors behind Tackled by the Girl Next Door. Did she stick to the rules?
*rolling up my sleeves*
Okay, here goes.
It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that knows me to see James Alexander Malcom MacKenzie Fraser at the top of my Book Boyfriend list. Jamie stole my heart several years ago, and I think no other BB will ever replace him.
For those not in the know, Jamie is from the wildly popular, genre-defying Outlander novels by Diana Gabaldon. He is tall, rugged and handsome, of course, but also fiercely loyal to those he loves. He puts their well-being before his own at every chance. And when he meets our heroine, Claire Beauchamp, we also discover that he is irrepressibly romantic.
“You are my courage, as I am your conscience,” he whispered. “You are my heart—and I your compassion. We are neither of us whole, alone.” (Diana Gabaldon – Drums of Autumn – book four in the series)
Theirs is an epic, centuries-spanning love story full of passion, danger and intrigue. Much to my joy, Jamie has come to life in the Starz series, portrayed beautifully by actor Sam Heughan pictured above. And boy howdy, can the man can wear a kilt! I’m just sayin’. Je Suis Prest, mmmkay? Oh, uh…hi there Sam! *blush*
I read Outlander long before I ever picked up my first romance novel. One of the first was 
Playing the Part by Robin Covington. Robin does fun, sexy, flirty heroes like no one else.
Mick Blackwell is an A-list, Hollywood action star looking to break into more dramatic roles. Despite being a fairly decent guy, he’s sorely lacking in emotional vulnerability. In short, Mick wouldn’t know what love was if it bit him on the ass. Which it does, naturally, in the form of a romance author (squee!) Piper James.
Mick can’t grasp the emotional motivations of his character, so Piper – as the author of the book the film is based upon – is brought in to school him. Boy, does she. And Mick’s got more than a few things to teach her as well. What follows is explosive, as only Robin can deliver.
He tucked a curl behind her ear, surprised to see his hand shaking a little. Shit, this was such uncharted territory for him. “C’mon throw me a bone. I’ve never been here before.”
“Been where?”
“Here. With you. Hoping to stay there.”
Mick is dashing and attentive, arrogant and yet self-effacing. He is everything we hope our celebrity crush would be, and then some. In my mind, I’ve cast Victor Ross in the role, shown above to the right. And let me just say that I can never look at a beach lounger without thinking about Mick. Ahem.
Finally, I need to talk about my current love (aside from Jamie, of course.) Duff is the hero in my work-in-progress. As much as I have loved the heroes in my stories, I have never fallen in love with one before. Duff is different, somehow, and the more I write of him, the more important he becomes to me.
Duff’s not had an easy life. He carries the weight of a very public shame; one not earned by him, but by his father. Forced to move away from his home, along with his mother, Duff – physically inspired by Felix Bujo, left – returns years later to find that the stigma still burns like a brand. Whether or not its all in his head is the question to be answered, but its clear that he carries the weight of it as if it were his cross to bear.
Duff has traveled the world alone for a decade, never staying in any one place long enough to plant roots. Never making any real connections. Coming home is a reminder of all that he has lost, and it’s almost too much for him to bear. When he meets our heroine, Lovie, the circumstances aren’t great but her pull is too much for him to ignore. He tries and fails spectacularly. Whether or not he allows himself to have something real with her remains to be seen. Duff has a wonderful talent for self-sabotage.
I’ll stop there because I don’t want to give away too much. 😉
So there you have it! Three book boyfriends. There are many more, believe me. (Gideon Cross, anyone?!) Let’s hop over and see who made Leslie Hachtel‘s list. Til next time!
I have a funny feeling Outlander is going to rule the hop this week. 🙂
I think you may be right, LOL! I’m not complaining.
I see we have Jamie in common- I like you even more now. And finish Duff’s book- dying for excerpts.
Oh, yay! Another sister-wife. 😉 I will finish my 1st draft today, and then we will see. Ehehe
Ohhhh. Duff is hot!
Isn’t he? =D
I love Jamie too!!! Can’t wait to read more about Duff and those gorgeous blue eyes!
The sister-wives are multiplying! 😉
Looking forward to reading Duff
Looking forward to sharing him. Sorta, lol.
OMG – I NEED to read Duff’s book!!!!! Great hero picture too 🙂
I adore Robin Covington’s books. She’s awesome.
I also adore the actor who plays Jamie Fraser – but I’ve never read Outlander 🙂
I need to finish Duff’s book, lol! I’m pulling an all-nighter tonight to get the first draft finished.
Sam Heughan plays Jamie on Outlander. When they first cast him, I wasn’t sure but he really became Jamie for me. Love his performance and can’t wait to see what he does in the second half of the season/book. If you haven’t read Outlander, and you watch the show, you might be in for a bit of a shock.
And yes, Robin is one of my book idols. =)
Don’t freak, but I’ve never read (or watched) any Outlander. But now I kinda want to! Awesome blog post today, Xio!
You’re not alone, Eden. A lot of people are being sucked into the Outlander universe via the show, or the fans of the show. You will convert! Er…um…I mean, you know, watch/read it if you want. *shrug* It’s up to you. [Do it!] 😉
Thanks for popping by!
Ahhh, Duff. I cannot wait… =) He’s dreamy. He kind of reminds me of my hero- just a tad.
=) Hopefully, everyone will get to meet him soon.
Fabulous post. I’m loving the sound of Duff, can’t wait to read more about him <3
Thank you! Soon, I hope. =)
Wow your WIP sounds fab! Can’t wait to read it when it’s done. And although I haven’t read any of those books, the list is great. Jamie especially sounds like such a compelling character. And sexy of course! 😉
Thanks, Elaine! Jamie is the King of Men. =) Duff is my prince. I just finished the first draft, so hopefully I can share him with everyone soon.
I’ll look forward to it! 😉
You’ve really got yourself in trouble on this one, darling. We all can’t wait to learn more about Duff. Sharing is caring 😉
Haha! I will share, because I care. 😉 Thanks, Kim!