Hello fishy friends! I hope everyone is well and having a great week. Recently, I attended my first San Diego RWA chapter meeting and it was wonderful. As luck would have it, I got to meet our honorary merman there too. I was very humbled and excited when he said yes to coming to the pond for a chat about the male perspective as it pertains to writing romance heroes. You may recognize Julian from some of your favorite romance covers as that’s his “for fun” job. Whether you’ve seen him as a Rogue, Cowboy, Fallen Angel, Navy Seal, Highlander or Pirate, the word I’d use to describe him best is Gentleman. Please enjoy our chat and be sure to leave a comment. I’ll be drawing one lucky person’s name for a special giveaway at the end. Without further ado, I give you a really great guy, Julian…

Carlene: Hi Julian! Thank you so much for agreeing to dip your toes into the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon. Lots of happy writers and readers out there, for sure. So one thing that jumped out right away from listening to you talk was your love for the ocean. I pulled over to watch the sunset at Cardiff recently and it made me wonder, where is your favorite sunset? What’s the last completely spontaneous thing you did?

 Julian: Sunset is my favorite part of the day actually. Nothing beats the sunsets here in California with the sun setting over the ocean. Last spontaneous thing? Hmmm I try to live my whole life spontaneously. 

C: Very nice. Now I’m thinking about spontaneity and that one perfect moment in romance novels when the hero feels a physical spark as he comes in contact with Mrs. Right for the first time. Can you tell us if you have ever felt this and if so, how would you describe the feeling? Or do you think this electric sizzle is merely a romance novel myth?

 J: It’s definitely not a myth. There is a definite physical spark that ignites. However getting to know someone for their inner beauty turns that spark into a flame.

C: Hold on, do you hear that? I think it’s either hearts melting or one giant collective sigh spilling out and making waves in our little pond. While our readers catch their breath, can you please tell us what is your favorite song and why?

 J: Not sure if I have a favorite. I love all music that inspires, up lifts and makes me feel. 

C: Cool. My favorite for those reasons is “Take Me to Church” by Hozier. The lyrics are very honest. That makes me wonder, does your language change when you’re around your guy friends as compared to when you’re with ladies? I believe one of the ways we distinguish “voice” between heroes and heroines in romance novels is by showing the hero talking a lot more loosely amongst his buddies and I wondered if this is really the case.

J: Well I’m not much of a swearer or vulgar language user so I couldn’t tell you about others. Just not who I am. 

C: I think we can definitely all respect that. Let’s think of other ways we can show a hero’s grit. What is your pain tolerance? When is the last time you did something that really hurt? Continue reading →