So yesterday was my beauty day — the every-three-months salon visit to get my hair shaped, razored, highlighted, and glossed into perfection, or as close to perfection as my hair will ever get. And while I was sitting there, surrounded by fashion magazines, salon workers dressed in black, listening to trendy music, and managing to feel far more youthful and glamorous than the mirror told me I really am, I thought about looks, or more specifically a hero’s looks. And I wondered exactly how important a hero’s looks are to a typical romance reader.
Now I’m not talking about the cover photo particularly, since the author has no control over that. I mean in the story itself. How detailed do you like the physical description of a hero to be? Is there any type of hero who particularly attracts you — or turns you off? Is it more his personality that appeals to you or the physical image you form in your head?
I have to admit that I definitely have my own biases. For one thing, a short hero, or one of average height (under six feet) doesn’t appeal to me. That’s because I am 5’10” and I like my heroes to be big (taller than I am). I don’t care if the heroine is a super-petite 4’10” — I still want him to be tall enough for me. And I am also partial to wide shoulders and beard stubble… not to mention muscles, of course, particularly in the shoulders and arms.
But aside from that, what really compels me about a man is his intensity. I want to feel the heat he feels for the heroine, the anger, cynicism — whatever it is that drives him. That man has to pulse from the page.
So how about you? Turn ons? Turn offs? And since I really care about your answers, I’ll offer up one of my backlist books to someone who answers.
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Oh yeah, I like a good, strong, detailed description of the hero - so I can picture him in my mind. I prefer rugged, tall (6 ft) men, with dark hair, eye color is really optional cuz I adore brown eyes but blue or green work pretty well. No pretty boys - no metrosexuals with shiny faces and hair who look like they are dressed to go yachting. Give me a man in tight jeans a t-shirt, no jewelry, maybe a tattoo or two but not required. Stubble is good, and hair that’s either short or looks all sexily rumpled. Scars are okay - proves he really lives life to the fullest and doesn’t care about how he looks. Make him smart, but not necessarily CEO smart - maybe he grew up in a poor neighborhood or had to overcome some hardship. Give him lots of passion - maybe for his family or his career. And make him fall hard, but not so easily - that’s part of the fun of reading about his “downfall”.
That’s not asking for much, is it? LOL
by Stacy ~
on April 20th, 2007 at 5:39 am
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Stacy - you and I agree completely  And good point about the intelligence. That’s a given for me — intelligent and competent. My current hero is exactly what you have just described — even battled his way out of poverty. And I also agree with you about no “pretty boys.” Now I sure wish I could choose the guy for my next book cover….
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 5:50 am
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Quote: “I still want him to be tall enough for me. And I am also partial to wide shoulders and beard stubble… not to mention muscles, of course, particularly in the shoulders and arms.”
That’s my kind of hero! I’m only five feet tall, and the image of a tall, big man makes me crazy. I also love intense, whether they’re dark or light. Eyes tell a lot about a man.
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My hero should be between 6′1″ and 6′3″ . I want him to be strong in his will and also his body. Broad shoulders and a tan back, you know the kind that shows that he has been outside. I love a short haircut on the guy. I know this is against the grain of wanting to run your fingers through his hair, but there is nothing like the image of rubbing your fans all over a smooth man. I am not a fan of the beard stubble, unless it involves the morning after. LOL
by patty L.
on April 20th, 2007 at 8:38 am
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My perfect hero is Roarke from J.D. Robb’s In Death series!
by Carol
on April 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
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I picture my hero as at least 6′ tall, dark hair, moustache, dimples, a twinkle in his blue eyes. He is compassionate and kind; he draws you to him wanting to find out what lays beneath the surface. Jeans and a T-shirt or a shirt with the sleeves rolled up is what I love.
by RobynL
on April 20th, 2007 at 10:28 am
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he has to be smart, cute, and funny.
by kim h
on April 20th, 2007 at 10:51 am
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Patti - I am a fan of short hair, too. I think the back of a man’s neck with short hair is so sexy. Isn’t it funny how something so minor can really be a turn on? Carol - you aren’t the only one who likes Roarke. I’ve heard that comment from a lot of other women. And Robyn — all my heroes wear jeans.  My mother always says how great she thinks a man looks in a nice suit, but jeans do it for me. Nice, faded jeans that hug all the right places.
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 11:04 am
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 No bad teeth, please - that is such a turnoff!
by Karen B
on April 20th, 2007 at 11:06 am
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I don’t get hung up on the descriptions of the characters in a book (other than being a little ticked when the book desciption doesn’t match the cover…and I know it’s not the author’s fault). My only “requirements” are that the hero is tall, not fat and passionate (about everything he does).
by Jennifer K.
on April 20th, 2007 at 11:12 am
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Yikes. Would anyone really have a hero with bad teeth? I just spent four years in braces having my own teeth straightened (!), so you can bet my heroes have perfectly straight, white, healthy teeth. 
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 11:13 am
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Oh, Jennifer - I know exactly what you mean about the cover not matching. Whenever that happens, I spend the whole book flipping back to the cover, trying to figure out who on earth they put there. At least they got the coloring right for the characters on my covers, and the heroines are perfect, just how I imagined them. However, on the German version of my first book, Where He Belongs, the people on the cover look NOTHING like the characters. Absolutely NOTHING. And they are sitting by some paint — and there is no paint in the book, either! You can check it out on my website.
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 11:16 am
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I’ll admit that I like a thorough description of the hero when I read a book and I like to write that way as well. I’ve never written a hero shorter than 5′ 10″, though I’ve noticed that most of my heroes are over six feet tall. I have a bias in favor of dark haired men, but lately I’ve written three heroes with lighter hair…one with copper colored hair and two blonds.  I love some heroes with long hair and some with really short.
Denise A. Agnew
www.deniseagnew.com
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Well, Denise, obviously there are good looking guys of all hair colors. I’m not sure I could write about a long-haired hero, though, since that doesn’t appeal to me. But then again, it depends on what you consider long. A little shaggy and nearing the collar is okay for me, but not shoulder length.
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
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In real life I don’t care about looks but in my fantasy reading I would want him to be taller than me (5′ 5 1/2″) and I definitely have a thing for strong arms - i like bald and long hair equally lol. my one daughter who is 5′ 2″ (almost lol) and going with an older (14 yrs) guy who has very long hair (usually in a pony tail but very clean which is important) and 6′ 3″. I think woman like that protected feeling lol.
by catslady
on April 20th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
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Yes, exactly. A big guy makes a woman feel protected, even in this day and age!
by Gail Barrett
on April 20th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
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Roarke is my perfect hero, too.
by Minna
on April 21st, 2007 at 9:16 am
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Since I am tall, 5′8″ I can’t imagine a hero under 6′ , even when they are I automatically make them tall in my mind.
by Joyce
on April 21st, 2007 at 10:26 am
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I agree with you on the height. My hero has to be a tall man. And I do not like a hairy man. I prefer a bare chest but a little chest hair doesn’t bother me but a very hairy man is just gross. And I like a man that is not real skinny but with with a some meat on him. I like the idea of a strong man. Not puny (skinny) or sloppy(fat). This is just my idea of my hero. Sorry to be so blunt. LOL
by Kimberly Lane
on April 21st, 2007 at 11:01 am
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There are times when an author gives no physical description at all and I don’t notice. Other times when we get everything in stats right down to the inch and I don’t mind a bit. It’s personality that counts.
Alice
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I like tall too. . . I like a lot of what people have already said, but I really hate a guy who might have longer hair than me. LOL Granted, some guys look great with long hair and carry it off very well, but I’m just not someone who likes it. I want to be the one with long hair. And piercings. . . I like just my one in each ear piercings amongst us both kind of thing. LOL
Lois
by Lois
on April 21st, 2007 at 2:58 pm
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Hi, everyone. I had my husband pick a number between 1 and 21, and he picked #7. So… Kim H. is the winner. Kim - if you email me (gail@gailbarrett.com) and tell me your choice of book, I’ll send one out. Now I’m back to work on my tall, muscled, dark, intelligent, intense hero who battled his way out of poverty and has short hair, no piercings, good teeth, and except for the start of the book, is dressed in jeans…
by Gail Barrett
on April 21st, 2007 at 3:09 pm
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thank you very much.
by kim h
on April 21st, 2007 at 11:38 pm
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congrats Kim
by RobynL
on April 22nd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
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Oh, Gail, ditto — I’m five ten and a bit … and I like ‘em TALL and strong
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