…in a literary WURLD of stereotyped characterization, my dear friend, Authoress and Playwright, Manda Pepper Langlinais, (who shares my fascination with all things Sherlockish), bids yeez take another view…
Bad Boys Need Not Apply
M Pepper Langlinais
There is a common thought or saying that girls always want bad boys and that “nice guys finish last.” Books these days are littered with muscled alpha males—or I assume they are based on the half-dressed, tattooed men on so many covers. And these books sell, so I guess there is some truth to that old saying.
Well, I always knew I was weird.
I don’t dig alphas. I’m not into muscles. I don’t mind tattoos, though I’m not particularly drawn to them either. And I certainly don’t enjoy men with repressed anger issues that a main female* character needs to get through to find the guy’s ooey-gooey center. The idea that, if only she puts in some effort, and that only she can redeem him . . . It doesn’t work for me. Not even as a fantasy.
So what do I go for? Tall, thin, smart, well dressed. Even better if there’s an accent of some kind.
I suspect my taste in leading men was largely shaped by a formative addiction to the movie Young Sherlock Holmes. Holmes as a character had already been firmly established in my life—my father read Doyle and Meyer and watched the Granada television series. On the somewhat comedic side I’d seen The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore take on Hound of the Baskervilles. Dad also had this Sherlock Holmes Scrapbook that I enjoyed paging through. So I was perfectly primed for a Holmes tale aimed at my age bracket. Nicholas Rowe’s portrayal of a teen version of the great detective became a template upon which to embroider my pre-teen daydreams and eventually my writing.
Which is why you will find, aside from the Doyle-inspired Holmes himself, characters who fit a similar description in my books. Reserved, intelligent men who sometimes come off as cold. Instead of anger issues, my leading men have difficulty showing their hearts for fear it will undermine their brilliance. Instead of the heat traditionally associated with alpha males and bad boys, I lean toward ice. The fun is in chipping away at them until I (and the readers) discover what it takes to boil their otherwise frigid blood.
About Manda
M Pepper Langlinais is a produced playwright and screenwriter as well as published author. She is best known for her Sherlock Holmes stories and is also the creator of the gay British spy Peter Stoller. Her foray into YA fantasy arrives on August 5 with Changers: Manifesting Destiny. Find her books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M-Pepper-Langlinais/e/B008FBOSPE/ and Like her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mpepperlanglinais
…thanks for this, m’Lady, Manda… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!...
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Seumas Gallacher elegantly hosts author M. Pepper Langlinais who authors stories of the legendary Sherlock Holmes.. Her preference for leading men is similar to my own.. down to the accent.. Head over and introduce yourselves and of course share the post.
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..thank you, m’Lady, Sally…mwaaah 🙂 ( she should perhaps have added the quality of being ‘Scottish’ ! :):)
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That was obviously a given! hugs
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Pingback: Bad Boys Need Not Apply – PepperWords
Fascinating post, thanks so much for hosting her. Enjoyed this no end.:)
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,,,cheeeeeers , m’Lady, Jane:)
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And to you too m’lud. 🙂
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Thank you again, Seumas!!! *mwah!* (that’s me blowing a kiss!)
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..mwaaaaaah 🙂
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Thanks to M. Pepper Langlinais for sharing the interesting information on her books. I love Sherlock Holmes and her books sound great. Thanks, Seumas, for having her as your guest. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Great post. I like my men tall, slender, smart, witty, and preferably with an accent too!
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