Today it is an absolute pleasure to welcome Carol Thomas back onto my blog as a guest, with a charming, light-hearted post about leading men in fiction…
Carol writes contemporary romance novels, with relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads. So onto Carol’s article:
One of the questions writers frequently get asked is whether their characters are based on people they know. Generally, most writers will say no to this. But some will confess to borrowing features from friends, family, work colleagues, and so forth.
Another question that crops up is, who would you pick as your dream cast to play your characters? It’s a good question and coming up with an answer during the early stages of writing is not a bad exercise to help you pin down the fundamentals of your character type. I know a thriller writer who always has a big screen action hero in mind while writing.
And if you are submitting to Choc Lit, expect to be asked to describe your hero in terms of chocolate!
That was a new one on me. For those who are intrigued to know how I responded, regarding the leading man in The Purrfect Pet Sitter, I said: He is tantalisingly tempting to be around. He is delicious and desirable, able to provide melting moments that are satisfying and sensual, and yet solid and dependable – no matter what the occasion.
While none of my male leads are directly based on men I know, I do borrow features I like. Not wishing to make a lovely male lead sound like Frankenstein, one character I wrote had my dentist’s eyes, physical build and surname, and the happy trail of one of my husband’s friends. I wasn’t peeking on purpose; he stretched up while standing next to me and it was revealed.
It was a bit of a, “Oo hello!” moment, and I wrote it into my debut novel.
As for my dentist, I later confessed and got his picture holding my book (I thought it was funny, though I am not sure if he doesn’t now consider me weird – it’s a good job he changed practice!).
When I am creating a hero, I consider their role in the story, their age, job, mannerisms, name, background – all things that might have a bearing on their final appearance and characteristics. In The Purrfect Pet Sitter one character is a landscape gardener. As a result of this, he is tanned; his hair has highlights from the sun, he is muscular and has arms and hands that reflect physical labour. He is not one of the leading men, but I grew very fond of him. I also try to include different types of men, to appeal to different readers.
So if I was choosing my dream cast, who would I pick to play the leading man in The Purrfect Pet Sitter? My vote for the lovely Nathan Baker would go to Chris Hemsworth – sigh! His blond hair, blue eyes and muscular build fit Nathan perfectly. He has strength while looking like the type of man you could happily spend an evening snuggled up in front of a roaring fire with. Perfect!
The blurb:
Introducing Lisa Blake, the purrfect pet sitter!
When Lisa Blake’s life in London falls apart, she returns to her hometown rebranding herself as ‘the purrfect pet sitter’ – which may or may not be false advertising!
But being back where she grew up, Lisa can’t escape her past. There’s her estranged best friend Flick who she bumps into in an embarrassing encounter in a local supermarket. And her first love, Nathan Baker, who, considering their history, is sure to be even more surprised by her drunken Facebook friend request than Lisa is.
As she becomes involved in the lives of her old friends Lisa must confront the hurt she has caused, discover the truth about her mysterious leather-clad admirer, and learn how to move forward when the things she wants most are affected by the decisions of her past.
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Ruby Fiction, the new imprint of Choc Lit
Buying Links:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/TPPS-AmazonUk
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-purrfect-pet-sitter
Ruby Fiction: http://www.rubyfiction.com/dd-product/the-purrfect-pet-sitter/
View the book trailer:
About the author:
Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively young Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer at her local Cancer Research UK shop. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book.
Website and Social Media Links:
http://carol-thomas.co.uk
http://facebook.com/carolthomasauthor
http://twitter.com/carol_thomas2
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/carol_thomas2/
https://www.instagram.com/carol_thomas2/
Blog:
http://carol-thomas.co.uk/blog
Same Face Different Place 
Thank you so much for having me on your blog discussing one of my favourite subjects, Helen 😉 xx
David Beckham would take some beating, without the tattoos.I’m looking for writers who use Sussex as a setting. Would one of your books fit? Julie.
Great post! Got me going in the afternoon!!
Thank you both for your comments and I’m pleased it’s going down well 😉 xx