Shaken, not stirred…holding out for an (older) hero
Many years ago when I was in my early twenties a group of women from the office took a trip to Chippendales, the male exotic dance club (okay, I might have arranged the outing). We had a good time hooting and hollering as the men danced and stripped down to g-strings. Afterwards, one of the ladies, a fifty-something woman made the comment that the men reminded her of her son.
On various blogs, 20-something and 30-something authors have posted photos of men they consider to be sexy. The men appear to be in their 20s, possibly 30-max.
I gotta say, they remind me of my son, if I had one. Now that’s a splash of icy water.
While I can admire male beauty for its own sake (as I did the one night when I watched a young male model do one armed pushups on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills—oh baby!), for me to truly find a man sexy now, he has to show some living, carry a few battle scars…show some character that is in some way reflected on his person. When I see a young man who is perfect and buff, he looks unfinished to me, like he’s not quite ready for the world and it’s hard to take him seriously as the romantic lead.
As a teen-ager and young adult I read Harlequins, which not infrequently, featured barely legal heroines and 40-plus heroes. I don’t want to return to those May-December days, but why not have 40-year-olds looking for love and finding it with other 40-year-olds?
Does anyone besides me want to see some older romantic heroes…men in their 40s…50s who’ve lived little?
Cara Bristol 
THANK. YOU. I was starting to feel bad because yesterday I saw a reviewer complaining that the h/h of a book reminded her of her parents because they were in their 40s (ouch) and MY latest heroes in my m/m/f book are 42 and 47. I can’t make them younger because they’re characters from a previous book, and I wouldn’t even if I could. I’ve always much preferred men who’ve got some mileage on them.
Thank you! I’d glad somebody else likes older heroes. What’s the name of your m/m/f book with the older characters?
Shaun’s a little old for me, but George is right on the money! And I love a man who lets the natural gray come in. (and the natural bald–the combover should be outlawed) That says confidence to me.
BTW My current hero is 30, and the heroine is 19. She needs a man who can take charge 🙂
Yeah, Sean Connery’s a little old for me, too! But I think he’s an example of the quintessentially sexy man. He’s aged very well.
So has George Clooney. He’s better looking now than when he was younger.
Oops I meant Sean…
Hey, Cara, good post! Since ff&p are my subgenres and I stay from writing so-called Earth human heroines and heroes [as they are typically seen in our society], age is not always relevant in the way you’re describing.
However, I can’t get into the young immature look as I think of it, or EVER write that kind of hero. Oh sure, some of the guys [not men] are pretty to look at… however, they do nothing to turn up my sexual heat. I want real men, regardless of their age.
My heroine in When a Good Angel Falls is 61 and her hero, a carnal cherub, is young… but, he’s mature in the ways that count.
Your genre is a great place to be, Savanna. You have a lot of leeway with age.
One thing I’ve noticed about vampire novels, is that while the vampire may be 200 years old, he or she looks 25, because that’s the age he was when he was turned. Apparently no sexy 45-year-olds ever became vampires. There are older vampire villians, but no heroes or heroines.
I’d love to be able to pimp my release, Cara, but I’m still waiting for an acceptance from my editor. *bites nails* The book is Carnal Compromise, the sequel to Carnal Harvest. That was mostly a fun sex romp (otherwise known as Fantasies of a Farm Wife *grin*) but readers kept asking for Joe and Brent’s story because there were obviously hidden depths there. It turned out to be a novel and now I’m waiting breathlessly to see if my new editor likes my writing as much as my last one did. Wish me luck!
Good luck, Robin! I’ll be biting my nails for you!
I’m waiting with baited breath, myself. My editor said she was sending a contract for my latest, “Spanking Melania,” but I haven’t received it yet. I never want to count my chickens before they hatch. At least the waiting is giving me time to get further along in the sequel to that story, Disciplining Emma. Once the contact comes, I’ll have to shift into editing mode again.
Loved your blog! It would be wonderful to see some older heroes AND heroines! I just turned … well, forty-something we will say, and I sometimes find it hard to ‘connect’ with a younger hero/heroine. Granted, if they are well written I’m hooked regardless of their age, but truth is … I’m a sucker for an older man. If Patrick Stewart were to cross my path … *waggles*
Patrick Stewart is pretty sexy!