The Dirty Hairy Details: Writing the Hero's Physical Characteristics in an Erotic Romance by Beth Kery

If there’s one thing about erotic romance authors, we don’t glaze over the down and dirty details. (Perhaps you’ve noticed?) And…the sexier you get, the more you’re likely to push some “yuck’ buttons with someone. It’s a fact of life.

What you like, your blog-friend doesn’t, your best friend thinks is disgusting, and your neighbor thinks should be declared criminal. Here’s a relatively innocent example.

In my world anyway.

Hero. General Appearance. Naked.

I hope you don’t mind me getting a little nitty gritty here and taking your pulse (cough) on a few intimate details. It is the island, after all. It’s all in the name of author research. J See, I wonder about some things when I’m coming up with the specifics for a hero’s appearance. So I’m curious as to your responses on a few key descriptors.

Erotic romance can get it ‘wrong’ a lot easier than non-erotics

when it comes to physical description, meaning we tend to have a higher potential to hit someone’s ‘that’s so wrong’ nerve. (And I’m just talking about male features here, not sex. That’s a whole different set of on/off buttons for every person).

It’s one thing to have a dark haired/dark-eyed vs. blonde haired/blue-eyed hero, for instance. That’s something that any romance writer will have to decide, and there will undoubtedly be a portion of readership that is meh-ish about the hero description, at least in the beginning, because she prefers another choice.

But erotic romance authors have much more intimidating decisions to make, because even more intimate description is required. Following are a few hero physical appearance items I sometimes go back and forth on in an erotic romance.

(And trust me, I do wonder what you’re thinking when I’m writing. All the time. It’s just that….as I said above, when it comes to down and dirty sex, I’m a bit more likely to strike your “wrong” bone, although hopefully I get it right at times as well).

Here’s a few basic examples.

Do you like a muscle bound hero or do you like them long, lean and sinewy?

A hairy chest or smooth? A hairy chest can be awesome, but when I say it, the image of dense carpets of hair pops into my mind, and I wonder if it does for readers, too. I sometimes find myself backpedaling and saying, he doesn’t have a pelt! Hopefully this photo of JFK Jr. will help give the picture of what I’m referring to, but of course, no illustrations in books.

How do you feel about penis descriptions? Would you like to know if your hero is well endowed or would you like to just know he’d make an ‘eye-crossingly good fit’? Do you want details of his appearance—shape, size, taste, texture—or would you rather the author left it up to your imagination?

One detail that I often struggle with is clean-shaven privates or au natural. I think people have a wide range of preferences here. Clean-shaven can have a diversity of potential meanings. On the more ‘negative’ side of things, it might mean level of sexual expertise, promiscuity, or even self-involvement (as in a guy who flexes in front of the mirror a lot). More positively, it could connote a hygienic quality, awareness and pride of male aesthetic beauty, and knowledge of the improved potential sensuality with the lack of covering on some of the most acute sensory nerves in the body. (This list is not meant to imply every possibility or preference, just rambling. Feel free to fill me in on your reason for like/dislike).

So you may begin to see what I mean about how dicey things can become for a writer of erotic romance at times, and this is just for basic male body description.

For the shaved/au natural detail, I find myself choosing based on the character of the hero. For instance, Jason in Paradise Rules shaves. He’s a very sensual man who wants to feel every nuance during sex, but more importantly, he has a history of being an Olympic swimmer who would be used to being ‘streamlined’ and well…wearing Speedos. LOL. (Don’t worry, no Speedo moments in Paradise Rules. By the time the book takes place, he’s no longer a competing swimmer and wears surfer trunks…or more likely, just his skin in his private lagoon). However, Sean my hero from Release, while also very comfortable with his sexuality, is more of an earthy bad boy. I just picture him raw and au natural.

Okay, so Lea was nice enough to set up a little poll for me. (Thank you Lea!) You tell me what you think. If the survey doesn’t give you a chance to respond adequately, tell me in a comment. Have there been any hero descriptors in the past that totally threw you off into ick-land? Any that you ended up loving by the end of the story?

Go ahead, give me the down and dirty.

Lea: I'm delighted to say we have a surprise visitor here on the Island today who is great "friends" with Beth and I have to say, despite my heart being all a flutter I had to approach him ask him a question or two.

It's my great pleasure to introduce "Jason Koa", the hero of Paradise Rules! Woo Hoo! Raises Koa Mai-Tai!

Jason: "Why thank you for the nice welcome Lea. Um, cool bikini top." *Jason squints eyes* "Is that a dog you are holding?"

L: "Yup, this is Tori, I think she likes you.." (Yikes, what's not to like?) "Would you like to hold her?"

Jason: *smirking* "Thanks but, no thanks."

L: "LOL I know you are good friends with Beth (after all she did write your story and arranged for you to visit the island), do you know what her next novel is called and what it is going to be about?"

Jason: "She did happen to spill some details after drinking two Koa mai tais. I’m thinking Beth must have gotten her fill of the sun and surf in Paradise Rules—how could that woman have created me?—because her next two stories involve her heroes and heroines being stuck with each other in blizzards, which ends up being a good thing, of course. Holiday Bound is short novel about a woman who is looking forward to getting serious with the older man she’d been casually dating at a ski resort over Christmas. Instead, she ends up being stranded with his bad-ass, gorgeous, rude son in a blizzard and realizes she’s wandered into a family battle zone…which she unintentionally intensifies by falling hard for the son. Holiday Bound comes out in e-book format from Samhain December 1, 2009.

Release is a much darker, intense love story about a man and a woman that wanted each other so much, they agreed to a ménage a trois with the woman’s husband when the husband suggested it. The single night of impulsive pleasure changes their lives forever, because the husband turns up dead…and both the hero and heroine suspects the other of murder. Everything comes exploding to the surface three years later when the woman and man are stuck together in a Chicago penthouse during a snowstorm. Release comes out from Berkley Heat February, 2010.

Nice chatting with you Lea, I’ll get Beth another mai tai and subtly suggest she needs to get back to sun and water sports. "

L: "Thanks so much for taking time to chat with me Jason! And, thank you for the sharing the details about Beth's upcoming publications. :) Enjoy your day on the Island." *winks*

*The four Polls for Beth's Questions are placed in the right sidebar for your voting pleasure. Voting will close at midnight because we are flying home so be sure and let your preferences be known!! I'll pass the tallies from the polls to Beth along with the names for the draw.

Please Note: Entries for the "Paradise Rules" Giveaway is now closed. Beth will draw and announce the lucky winner at her blog on Friday morning (*It will be up to the winner to contact Beth within 48 hours of the announcement at her blog).

A big DIK thank you to Beth Kery for visiting the past 3 days and being such fun and a good sport!

When Beth isn't here visiting on the island she can be found at her website: http://www.bethkery.com/