Today I welcome sister rose, author Lynne Marshall who’s going to tell us women what men really want. I’ve been married 30+ years, and I still can’t figure it out. lol! And since today is also the day after my birthday, I’m going to draw a name from those who leave a comment today and give that person a free PDF copy of my historical romance, Slightly Tarnished.
So, Lynne, what do men want?
WHAT MEN WANT by Lynne Marshall
I recently noticed an article on Yahoo about what men notice first about women. Surprisingly, it isn’t a super figure. Nope. Seventy-four percent of the men questioned said it’s the hair that makes them first notice a woman. The article said gorgeous hair trumps a curvy figure every time. Surprise, surprise. Here’s the link:
Is it any wonder authors write the characters that most attract men? The point of the story in romance is to find two people, often complete opposites, and make them fall in love, so first they have to notice each other. As a woman who has had short hair for many, many years, it is difficult to accept that men only want long, lustrous hair. Especially since my husband likes my short hair! However, looking back, I did have long hair when we met. Maybe he’s just humoring me now? Something to think about anyway.
I think the key to this immediate attraction is being well groomed. If you read the article, you’ll notice that grooming is a big part of the equation when it comes to attraction. Continuing on with the theme of attraction, one thing, both men and women have in common in many surveys is that a physically fit person is very appealing. As romance writers and readers, I think we all know that. All anyone has to do is look at the latest batch of romance novels and it is very apparent the fitter the model, the sexier the book cover.
Good thing Paul Valverde, the hero in An Indiscretion, my latest book from The Wild Rose Press, is a slim hipped Spanish-American who knows how to dance the rumba and Paso Doblé. Who also takes total control of his partner in many inventive ways, and is a top notch doctor at St. Stephen’s Hospital in Los Angeles, despite his setbacks earlier in life.
In An Indiscretion, my current offering in the Champagne line, one of the first things the hero remembers about the heroine (they’d known each other as young teenagers) is her gorgeous red hair. See, there was a method to my ponderings. The book cover doesn’t feature this trait because Carrington Hanover, who is an RN, is wearing surgical garb – a mask and OR cap – but her beautiful blue eyes tell a story all of their own. By the way, I was given a special dispensation from WRP editor – Kinan Werdski – allowing me to write a red-headed, blue-eyed heroine JUST THIS ONCE! According to her, in submitted manuscripts, 99% of the women on the planet have “auburn tresses and emerald (or blue) eyes.” See Rachel Brimble’s blog – March 15, 2012. http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/2012/03/interview-with-wild-rose-press-editor.html
I’ve also seen reader boards at Amazon chastising romance authors for writing too many red-headed heroines. According to some of them, it is an ongoing joke amongst readers.
Yes, maybe redheads have been overdone in romance novels, but I think it all goes back to what the guys find most attractive about women in that article – beautiful hair! How often have we noticed a woman with natural red hair and thought, wow, that’s the most gorgeous color I’ve ever seen? And what do we suppose is the most popular hair dye color requested by women in salons? Just look around.
Here’s a picture of the lady with great hair that I envisioned when I wrote Carrington Hanover.
An Indiscretion by Lynne Marshall:
A doctor…a nurse…an indiscretion. RN Carrington Hanover leaves her money-hungry fiancé at the altar insisting the next man in her life must love her, not her rich father’s money.
All work and no play has made Dr. Paul Valverde an unfulfilled man, and the resurrected redheaded crush from his youth is driving him to distraction, but can their complicated past become untangled by their newfound attraction–or will their love be doomed by mistrust and long-held resentment?
What is your favorite color of hair on guys or ladies?
I’ll give one of my backlist books away to one commenter.
Thanks so much for having me, Lilly!
Great post, Lynne. So, there’s a chance today to win one of TWO prizes if you leave a comment.
Now, as to a man’s hair color, I love a bit of contrast. I love to see a handsome man with blond hair and brown eyes or dark hair and brown eyes. And although my husband once had very dark hair and blue eyes, his hair is now silver leaning toward white with a few dark strands remaining. Oh, and of my two daughters, the oldest has the most beautiful long red hair and blue eyes. So, I don’t find the abundance of red haired heroines odd at all. Now, if every woman in the same book had red hair…
Thank you so much for joining me today, Lynne.
Lynne Marshall is a multi-published author of contemporary romance for Harlequin Special Edition and The Wild Rose Press, and Medical Romance for Mills & Boon. Her latest book for Special Edition is, Courting His Favorite Nurse, March 2012. Lynne hopes you’ll give her redheaded heroine of An Indiscretion a chance at her happily ever after. You can find out more about Lynne at her website: www.lynnemarshall.com
Lilly Gayle Romance 
Hi Girls – what a great interview. And happy birthday Lilly for yesterday! Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog too, xo I'm reading An Indiscretion at the moment and that man is EXACTLY how I pictured Paul to look! Sigh…. and drool…. my perfect man 🙂 I'm a sucker for a dark-haired dark-eyed man. Just to mix it up though – I'm writing my first sandy-haired hero 🙂 I had no choice in the matter!
Hi Ladies,Great blog. I always thought men favoured blue eyed blondes.CheersMargaret
Sigh…I love blond men, always have, which is why my hubby of 36 years is blond…oops, he is actually silver, now, but in my dreams he still has his Fu-Manchu/George Custer mustache and blond hair to his shoulders.I also spend $$$ every few months to keep my hair sun-kissed. (I am MUCH younger than him, of course) Good luck on the book!
Great post, Lynne and Lilly! An Indiscretion sounds like a wonderful book. I'm intrigued by his dancing skills!Favorite hair color on guys: I have to say a rich chestnut brown.And I have to confess to wishing my skin tone supported dying my hair a luscious auburn. I love red hair and I think it goes back to my favorite book as a child: Anne of Green Gables!
Black hair, hands down. Especially when it's peppered with gray. Now pair that with pale eyes? Oh Lawd! Swoon.
Very interesting observations, Lynne: Yes, I read those forums, too about redheads. I think there is something to that hair thing. When I started writing, for every story, I decided that my heroine would have a different hair color per book. After reading comments about Barbara Cartland that every character was fashioned after her, I wanted it clear that each character I was writing about was her own person. I have brunettes, a woman with auburn hair, a platinum blonde, and the book I'm writing now, I'm back to brunette.What a relief it's not other body parts. I am a pure romantic and hate ogling men! :)))) Sure home eyes come after hair Great post.
Personally, I love a red-headed heroine! And a dark-haired man with blue eyes…Great post, Lynne!!Anne
Ha! I loved this topic. My hair color often changes with the season, but it's been shades of red for a couple of years now. I can give you a personal observation on how men see long hair…When I was a police officer, about half way through my career, I cut my hair short for the ease of taking care of it. Now that I'm retired, I've let my hair grow long. I can say that I am getting more glances from men. Of course, they could be thinking, "That hairstyle would look much better on a younger woman."
Great interview! I always *think* I like tall, dark and handsome men but my daughters point out a lot of my favorite movie stars are blond LOL! I tend to give my heroines very curly black hair, NO idea why since I'm blonde….but I can't keep a curl in my hair to save my life so maybe that's it!
Hi LaVerne – I'm so excited that you read Paul the same way I saw him when I wrote him. Hard to resist a guy that gorgeous, isn't it?I love sandy-haired heroes, too. And Isn't it funny how our characters take control – you had no choice. Love it!Thanks for commenting.
Hi Margaret – some men definitely do favor blue-eyed blondes, but I think what makes the world go around is different strokes for different folks. According to the article it isn't the color but how healthy it looks!Isn't it funny how romance writers overdo the red-hair though? 🙂
Well, I married tall, dark and handsome so brown on brown must be my favorite! (Although I find it hard to resist blue eyes on any man. )
Nancy – being from California – I see lots of blond-haired guys. I like just about any color of hair on men. I must confess, it isn't the first thing I notice! LOL
Ah – great point Karyn! I loved Anne of Green Gables, too! Maybe she had more influence on a future generation of authors than we realize?I'm glad you mentioned considering your skin tone when dying hair. So many times I see people who really shouldn't color their hair light blonde or red – they wind up looking like they have liver disease. (nurse in me talking there)Thank you for reading, and I'm guaranteeing some very intense scene while dancing (especially the rumba later in the book)
Andris, that hair and eyes combination you've described drives me wild too. I think that's why so many Irishmen (dark Irishmen – as they're called, I believe) drive women wild.
Hi Donnell – great idea about writing each character with different hair color. If I examine my backlist, I tend to write honey colored heroines – BUT the guys are all over the map on hair color.The editor said she'd like to see more female protagnoists who look like most of us – brown hair and brown eyes. Well, Anne Grady in Courting His Favorite nurse came close with brown hair and hazel eyes.Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
For me, it's brown hair and green eyes (my hubby). But my latest hero in black skinned, with bright blue eyes. (Yeah – he's complicated!)
Hi Anne! I'm so glad you like red-headed heroines! 🙂 I do too. As we all know, it's not about the color of hair of the character, but how well the book is written, right?
Kathy! You hair looks great both ways! I think those men are checking you out because you are well groomed and keep yourself fit! The hair may catch their attention for that first moment, but the rest of you (or any woman) is bound to come into focus really quick for most men, right? LOLPlus – no man would think "That hairstyle would look much better on a younger woman" unless they weren't necessarily interested in women at all? What do you think? LOL
Veronica! I think you hit the nail on the head. We give our characters the color of hair we wish we had? Or the texture.A few years back, I grew my hair out only to discover it hadn't changed much from when I used to have long hair – no body, thin, not the kind of hair authors write about, that's for sure.I love curly hair, too, as long as the author doesn't go for that long overused phrase – a riot of curls.
This is so funny and appropriate for me. I went to the salon yesterday and told my hairdresser to add some red back into my hair. (It was looking too washed out and I'd tired of the warm brown.) I had accented the natural red tones in my hair for years and then switched as I got older. So, Lynne! I'm a redhead. Again.Now, when it comes to guys, I'm always attracted to brown or green/hazel eyes…hair can be any color, or even none at all. ; )
Hmm, Dee J – you're right you did marry TDH, BUT look at the diverse heroes you write. Come to think of it, most of your guys have dark brown hair. I remember a blond or two, am I right?Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hi Christine – I think the combination you've described is stunning. There is something gorgeous about the extreme contrast in color that draws all eyes immediately! The fact that he's probably gorgeous, too, might have a teeny-tiny something to do with it. 🙂
Robena – I love you as a redhead! :)Good – one vote for any color of hair as long as hte eyes are a certain color.This was the first hispanic male character I've ever written, and his eyes are coffee brown, and I got very attached to imaginging looking into those eyes when I wrote the book.Thanks so much for commenting, and congratulations on your recent Golden Heart final!
Lynne, what a great conversation you've generated! Robena, we often forget some men look great with no hair at all. I'm not normally attracted to bald men, but Bruce Willis is looking fine with his bald head and Chris Daughtry from the rock group Daughtry and Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds are definitely on my "hot" man list. lol! I still prefer heroines with hair, no matter the color. lol!
Well I'm all about the redheads – can't get enough of them. When I look back all my best friends were redheaded and then I got the daughter of my dreams. Okay, everyone thinks she's my roommate from college's kid at first glance, but I know better. And I married the only redhead I ever dated. Yeah, come to think of it hair does attract me. Now I write dark haired men with dark eyes (maybe so I won't think I'm cheating) but honestly can you look at someone like David Duchovny and not want to write some kind of romance…As for me, I'm still a blonde and will be as long as I can afford it Happy Birthday again little sis!
What can I say, I love the blond heroes. And for some reason known only to God, I get the biggest quiver when looking at pictures of Prince Harry. Now that's a hot (and naughty) Ginger. Also I don't mind a bald head. Chris Daughtry, NC Native!, is pretty hawt.
Hi Lynne! hair color – not a big deal for me as a reader. And I love red-hair on a heroine. And Marquita is right…Who would have thought that ginger-haired, bad-boy Prince Harry would turn out to be the hero material? 🙂 But he is, isn't he?
Hey Lilly – I like shaved headed guys, too. In fact, my next book from The Wild Rose Press – Too Close for Comfort – features a shaved headed hero, and Bruce Willis is the guy I saw when i wrote him. It's for the Last Rose of Summer line and he is 47 years old. I dug him, and so did my editor, Kathy. 🙂
Donna – One of the things that bugs me about romance is that they don't let us write redheaded heroes. Oh, we can write them, but they don't publish them (for the most part). I LOVE redheaded men! Prince Harry is adorable, don't you think?Loved the comment about being a blonde as long as you can afford it – ME TOO!
Marquita – I love gingers too! As I mentioned in my previous comment above, I don't think it's fair that publishers don't take books with redheaded heroes. That stinks. That being said, I'm sure there are many published books with redheads for heroes, but I haven't seen them nearly enough.Shaved heads don't get nearly enough respect either. Vin Deisil? that French guy that makes all the action movies?Come on!Thanks so much for commenting today.
Hi Cynthia – I suspect most readers are like you – write a good book, hair color doesn't matter.I'll tell a little secret – when I read romances, I picture whoever I want in the part, half the time I can't remember how the author has described the hero. I make that hero, my hero by seeing whoever I fancy at the time.Thanks for reading and commenting, Cynthia!
Hi Lynne- As someone who always wanted long hair, I can say I envy and look at women with longer hair too. There's not enough to be said about Good Hair Days! I once read too, while editors like red hair on women, it's an absolute no no for men. Red-headed men are not sexy, they say…
A renewed "Ah ha" moment for me. I remember–when I asked my mom why nuns wore those habits covering everything but their face she responded "Hair is a woman's crown and glory" Old fashioned?? maybe not. Didn't the nun in the old film–a nuns story have to be shorn as a noviate? And grooming–ABSOLUTELY! It is a sign of mental health and good self esteem. Even more so–a fit well cared for body. Now that is a lot harder but shows a real love for life and self. I think these observations are right on!Thanks for the great blog, Lynne.Best,Christine Londonwww.christinelondon.com
Hi Charlene – wonderful Harlequin Desire author! Thanks for backing me up on that redheaded hero bit of info.However, with self-pubbing and e-publishing flourishing – I suspect we'll see more redheaded heroes – and I'd personally love it!Thanks so much for commenting.
You're welcome, Christine London! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.Great point about nuns having to cut their hair – just one more thing to help them not focus on themselves.
I love your blonde hair, Donna. Happy Birthday back at ya, sister Aries!
A friend of mine got Chris' autograph on her daughter's report card a couple of years ago. Chris's step son went to her daughter's school…before Chris moved up in the world and put his son in private school. But from what I hear, he's still a down to earth kind of guy. And he's awesome in concert. Saw him a couple of years ago with Bon Jovi…Now, there's a sexy blonde. OMG!
You know this book is going in my TBR pile. lol! Love a good romance with older heroines.
Hair, huh? Who knew? Thanks for the interesting poll results, Lynne. May you have phenomenal sales with this book! Dr. Paul is yummy and Carrington is beautiful!
Hi Calisa!I'm so glad you know you like Paul and Carrington. I loved writing their story, and I'm so glad to be a part of the Wild Rose Press Champagne line, too.
Great post! Come to think of it, two of my heroines had red hair, but both of them were Irish. lolThey didn't have emerald eyes though. I like to switch around hair color. I've had raven haired heroines and the one in my upcoming release is a blonde.
Fun post, Lynne! My heroine has brown hair and her best friend is a blonde. I haven't written a real redhead as a major character yet.Now for the fun part: If I skim my relationship history, I dated men with every hair color except for a (wait, let me think for sure) bleached blonde. But for sheer visual attraction in real life men, I'm curiously drawn to brown-eyed men with salt and pepper hair, and glasses. There's something about a guy in glasses that pulls me in. A subconscious hope that he's an intellectual ADULT, not a boy? Wishing you huge sales and happy readers!Rochelle
Rochelle, you just describe Richard Gere. And I've always thought he was sexy. My husband used to look a bit like him, only my husband has blue eyes. He also wears glasses and had salt and pepper. Only now, the pepper is gone and the salt starting to look like flour. lol!
Hi Susan,Good for you for fearlessly writing redheads. 🙂 I think most of us switch up the color of hair for our characters, but maybe there is such a thing as – you can't really call yourself a romance author until you've written a redhead? LOLThanks for commenting
Hi Rochelle – oh, you've hit on another hot topic: the lack of adult men, not boys out there. I've been told it is really hard to find "men" these days – regarless of hair color, with or without hair etc.I also like seeing flecks of silver in a man's hair and the darker the hair, the nicer the contrast. Thanks for commenting!
Liked your post, Lynne. It gave me food for thought since I was am starting a new manuscript and was going to have the heroine be a strawberry blonde with blue eyes. Hmm. Now, I might have to change that. No matter though, I'm still very much in the planning stages. I have to say I never noticed an overabundance of red headed heroines. :o)
I'm guilty of writing about redheaded heroines. I was tired of the black as a ravens wings and corn-silk blondes. My upcoming release has a blonde heroine though. My daughter asked me not to make her a redhead. Both my son and daughter have red hair.sandy4lee@yahoo.com
Hi Katherine – I never thought about too many redheads until I saw the comment from the WRP editor at Rachel Brimble's blog, and also saw the caustic line of conversation over at Amazon reader boards. They make it sound as if writing a redhead is a joke. :(Make your heroine have whatever color of hair you want! More power to you. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hi Sandra!How interesting that your redheaded kids asked you not to make your character have red hair. :)Hey- I know what you mean about ravens wings black and corn-silk blondes. Just promise you won't give the heroine cornflower blue eyes?
However, I am partial to heroes with hay-colored hair. 🙂
Hi Lynne! I never would have guessed that's the first thing guys notice. Great post! One year for Halloween I dressed as Ginger from Gilligan's Island (hubby was the Skipper), and I bought spray-on red hair dye. People didn't recognize me! I think red hair is beautiful – but not on me. We did, however, win Best Couple that night.
Hi Robin!I love that story. Though you'll always be cornflower blonde to me! :)Thanks so much for reading and commenting today.
Robin – I meant cornhusk blonde. :/Sorry.
Hi, Lilly and Lynne!Great post. The new book sounds fab, Lynne. I noticed a lot of redheads in novels, but never really paid attention since the romantic story between the hero and heroine was the reason I read the book. But now you pointed it out…:)Good luck with sales. Hugs x
Lynne, I never thought about the color of hair, but I believe I like dark-haired men the best.Love your post! Happy Belated Birthday Lilly!Hugs!Rebecca
Lynne, I had to laugh at the comments about the profusion of red haired, blue eyed heroines. My youngest daughter is (you guessed it) red haired and blue eyed. It's a beautiful combination, but at 13, she isn't convinced! LOLAt the risk of being ejected from my local book club for not reading the book (again), I've had to put yours on hold while I slog through this month's choice. I'm itching to get back to your sexy doctor!
Thanks Becky for the b-day wishes. And thanks to everyone for stopping by. Lynne, you're welcome on my blog any time. And, we'll announce the winners shortly…
Congratulations, Cynthia. You've won an e-copy of Slightly Tarnished. Please shoot me an email at lilly.gayle@frontier.com to let me know where to email your book.
Congrats Becky! You've won a book from Lynne's back list. Either Lynne or myself will contact you soon with details on how to claim your prize.
RBooth (Becky) and Cynthia D'Alba are our winners. Congratulations, ladies. And thanks so much for stopping by. Next week's guest is author Isabella Macotte. Drop by next week. There could be more prizes!
Hi Monique – I think some very outspoken readers brought up the topic of overabundance of redheaded heroines at Amazon reader boards, but the editor flat-out saying that 90% of her submissions had the female as a redhead with emerald eyes, really drove the point home for me. Thanks for commenting.
Rebecca! I'm so glad you stopped by, and now you've won a book on top of that! Yay!I love dark-haired men, too – especially with green or blue eyes. Wow – what a combo. I will contact Lilly to get your e-mail, and we can decide which of my books you'd like, okay?Congratulations. 🙂
Hi Jannine! I'm so glad you think Paul is sexy. I hope, after you finish your book club selection for the month, that you'll enjoy Paul and Carrington's HEA. Oh – and if you like the book – please tell your friends. :)Thanks for commenting.
WOW! Thanks!Rebecca
I received the book, One For The Road! Thanks Lilly and Lynne!Rebecca(Becky)
Thanks for your support, Becky. I have this book too and can't wait to read it.