And apparently, that day is today—in the book I’m writing, at least. I’ve been married to my real-life Prince Charming for thirty-three years and have currently been quarantined with him for two months. I almost lost him three years ago to a double stroke, so I know just how blessed I am right now—even if his puns have been coming fast and furious.
But back to the new guy. I’ll be honest. When I was in the planning stages Rocky Mountain Family, my six-book miniseries for Harlequin Love Inspired set in the fictional town of Whispering Pines, Colorado, I only had a few solid ideas in mind. Six siblings run a Christmas tree farm called Winslow’s Woodlands, along with a dog rescue and service dog program called A New Leash on Love. I have a good handle all six siblings—Avery, Sharpe, Molly, Ruby, Frost and Felicity—what makes them tick and how they interact with each other. Then it was just a matter of setting them each up with the absolute worst perfect match for them. What kind of hero or heroine would create the greatest conflict for this person? And what kind of service dog would best work for the story?
For Book One, The Black Sheep’s Salvation (Out June 20th!) the hero Logan’s little boy is on the autism spectrum and the dog is a sensitive Great Dane named Rufus. It’s a precious second chance at love/boy next door story and I hope you’ll pick it up.
In Book Two (Opening Her Heart, January 2021), rich businessman Jake comes screeching into Whispering Pines with a big corporation backing him, ready to build a resort that will ruin the small-town vibe. What’s worse, he wants to tear down the cabin Avery intends to remodel into a bed and breakfast. But Jake’s daughter has epilepsy and Avery’s dog Sissy can help. One of these two dogs with one bone is going to have to give way—but who?
In Book Three, which I’ve just this week written the proposal for (synopsis and first three chapters), I thought it would be fun to write a Prince. I have no idea what I was thinking when I created the idea of a Prince seeking out his biological son by disguising himself as a cowboy, but here we are…and here we go.
I didn’t know what I was getting into, that’s for sure. I think I had a vague notion of some random fictional Scandinavian nation with a blond-haired, blue-eyed royal, but after much thought and research, I ended up with a fictional, mostly Christian island just south of India and a totally gorgeous dark royal (I prefer dark-haired men, anyway).
And from there—I’m making up the rules as I go. There are just so many things I didn’t consider when I blithely put “Prince” as the hero of my story. Is Anand a true monarchy or is it run by a parliament (in this case, the second…). What is Prince Dev’s place within the society? Why didn’t he know about his baby? Did his parents arrange a marriage for him? (Yes, which is why they didn’t tell him about the baby but rather dealt with it themselves.)
The biggest thing when I make up my own rules is to make sure I follow those rules. One way I differentiate Dev from Felicity is he doesn’t (does not??) use contractions when he speaks. He bows rather than shakes hands. And he has to learn what constitutes love and respect in Colorado versus where he’s from.
Sound fun? It totally is. Especially with the quarantine keeping everyone home, it’s fun to get to create someplace completely foreign and fictional, and most especially to get to know Prince Dev and watch him fall in love with the son he never knew he had.
So my question to you today, based on the changes I made to my hero early on—do you prefer your heroes blond, ginger or dark haired? And a second question—what actor represents the kind of hero you prefer?
Me? I’ll go for dark-haired, blue-eyed every time. The perfect actor to show my preferences is the wonderful Dale Midkiff (Love Comes Softly).
How about you?
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
I don’t mind what colour hair they have, but I do love blue eyes. Chris Hemsworth perhaps.
I like blue eyes and would say blonde hair but then one of my favourite actors is Welsh and dark haired. Ioan Gruffudd and of course I can go past Hugh Jackman. I tend to go more for the character than the colouring.
Those books all sound good! I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for them. I’m a huge Love Inspired fan. :) I prefer blue eyes in a hero but I can’t think of a celebrity.
I definitely like dark haired men😀!!
I don’t have a preference when reading a book. I look at their character traits.
I’ve always liked the dark haired men!! James Drury, Peter Breck, Pete Duel, Robert Fuller, Dack Rambo, to name just a few! Of course, Doug McClure as Trampas, but he wan’t blonde blonde, either! I love green and blue eyes! However, there’s also Shamar Moore!
I like variety so different types of heros are g0reat for me!
This series sounds so good. I have a six-book series in the works featuring sextuplets who stay in the national spotlight because of tragedy, and each sibling gets their own book. It is a fun challenge to work a plot this way. I love your premise, I’m a sucker for a tree farm!
I don’t think hair color makes a difference regarding my enjoyment of a story, but I do prefer dark hair.
In novels I never spend much time thinking about the character’s description (unless he is scarred from war, etc & it affects) since aren’t they all mostly tall and handsome – lol. I just want them to have developed great character qualities – trustworthy, persevering, intelligent, man of ethics, capable & good with their hands (rancher, hard hat diver abilities), a sense of humor being a plus. I’m okay with a touch of arrogance or straightforwardness since I appreciate – “what you see is what you get.” Basically, I look for someone like my hubby. :D
In movies I am attracted to “rangey” body types rather than the “beefcake” – a body well acquainted with physical labor. Matthew McConaughey (dark blond?) and Hugh Jackson represent the type. It will be fun “google checking” others responses. Lol.
Oh, yes. Very nice!
It’s interesting how character plays into what we think of a hero or heroine’s looks. I think that’s true in real life, as well. The better I get to know someone, the better they look to me.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them. I’m so excited for the first to be out soon.
Me, too. When I was in high school my best friend liked blond and I liked them dark, so we never fought when it came to boyfriends. :)
Interesting. Does the cover influence you at all?
Oh, yes, Shemar Moore is a lovely example of a handsome man!
LOL. That’s a wonderful way to look at it.
Deb, your series sounds great. I like all types of heroes.
I ended up writing 17 books set in Texas when I only meant to do three, so I’m really happy to be able to set a series in my home state of Colorado.
My problem as an author is I always want the hero to have dark hair and blue eyes. It’s much harder for me to “like” blond hair when writing, but not as a reader. Hmm…interesting.
Dale Midkiff is the perfect “rangey” character. He’s 6’2 and broad-shouldered. I had the blessing of meeting him in person, and I love that he is sweet and wonderful in real life. For some reason I have issues watching shows with actors I know aren’t nice people, which I guess makes me kind of weird. On TV I’ve got to say I like the beefcakes, though. SEAL Team is one of my favs right now.
I’ve enjoyed your heroes, Merrillee. It’s a real blessing being an author and sharing your talent.
Awesome post, Deb!
I’m partial to blue eyes, but really I’m pretty much open to whatever a hero looks like as long as he makes me laugh, and makes me feel safe when he’s around! 😍 Chris O’Donnell and Dan Stevens are good examples of my preference in heroes! 😍
Oh, very nice! That tells me a lot about you. I also enjoy humor in novels. I don’t consider myself all that funny, but my characters crack me up sometimes.
I prefer them dark-haired. No idea why, but I’ve always been drawn to them.
(Have always enjoyed Dale’s acting.)
I think it’s their voice which inspires me, like Gerard Butler, Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan :)
I love prince books! I’ll lean more toward blonde, but brunette princes are fine too!
Lots of good examples here! My first thought was Hugh Jackman. But Ioadd Griffin ( sp) or Rufus Sewell are great! Or how about Girard Butler? And you can’t beat Tom Selleck or Sam Elliot!