What’s Sexy?

What is sexy to you when you’re reading a book? Ok, I don’t mean lingerie or whips and handcuffs. I’m not against those in the least, but I’m asking about qualities in/of a character. Though, we can discuss the other meanings of sexy later 😉 I tend to prefer the written word (obviously) over my mouth, because once it starts going you really can’t shut me up if I’m nervous and somewhat comfortable around you. I just keep going and going and….you get the picture.

Ok, if we’re going to skim the surface of sexy, I have to name drop a little here, so bear with me. Adam Levin, Sam Hunt, Chris Hemsworth, Luke Bryan, and Stephen Amell. Mic drop. Yeah, those guys up there……super hot. They’re ‘lock me in a soundproof closet with them and throw away the key’ hot. And I know nothing about them, which is probably why I am attracted to them. They’re eye candy.  Guys, I won’t leave you out to dry: Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis, January Jones, and Megan Fox. You’re welcome.

So all of these people are sexy, let’s admit that right now (except Megan Fox’s thumb. Look it up). We strive to be like these people, to read about these characters in books. What it boils down to is that eventually the sexiness of our outward appearance disappears and we’re left with our shining personality. That’s why it’s imperative to create characters that have both looks and smarts.

The following thought has kept me up the last two nights, “The brain is the sexiest body part.” Yes, I may have heard it on the Big Bang Theory, where Penny then says something about how her brain never got her free drinks. The brain should be the sexiest thing about a character. I’m not attracted to someone solely because of their looks, so why should the story revolve around that alone? I admit, I’ve been attracted to a guy just for their looks, and it went no where. (Ok, fine, it went somewhere, but nowhere that I would mention on a blog. A book perhaps…..)

When I create characters, I have to be attracted to them both physically and emotionally. The goal is to connect the reader to the character so that they hate when the book ends because there goes their fictional boyfriend/girlfriend. I can’t make them too sexy, though, because that’s not realistic. They have to have  flaws, because we all have those even if we’re named the sexiest person alive. So, does my personal preference come into play when I form these characters? Hell, yes! I’m not saying all of the characteristics are ones I find attractive, but at least a few of them.

That big, beautiful brain of a person is where it all happens. Where the character grips you and never lets you go. It could be by their sarcastic wit or their ability to make you shudder in desire merely looking at them. My personal favorite is a sense of humor. When the writer makes a character humorous, I feel like I know them and can relate to them. They would be someone I hang out with.

Laughter is sexy as hell. The brain is sexy. I would much rather have a man, who on a scale of 1 to 10, is a solid 6 if he stimulates me both physically and mentally. Beauty fades, personality is there to stay. Thus, my characters need to have a sense of humor plus a body that isn’t shy of fantastic attributes. Come, on now, you like it when the guy has washboard abs, don’t try to deny it.

The desire to have my characters develop into your new fictional crush is important to me. I want you to fawn over the green-eyed hunky attorney with fireman tattoos and a body so delicious that you just want to lick whipped cream off it. I also want you to fall in love with the slightly nerdy, computer guru, college professor with glasses, a f**k me smile, captivating sky blue eyes, and a body that is ideal by anyone’s standards. You don’t have to choose. I write both men, so you can switch back and forth as needed 😛

~Skye~