What Makes a Love Interest Swoon Worthy?

What makes a love interest swoon worthy? Is it the way he looks? Maybe his swagger? Or maybe it’s the relationship with the main character. Every person interprets what is sexy in different ways, which is why some people go gah-gah over a fictional love interest while others are like, meh, what’s the point?

For me, a love interest becomes smexy when he does something that makes you sigh. Take Peeta, for example from, THE HUNGER GAMES. He had me from the bread story. Or how about Balthazar from the EVERNIGHT series? He totally self sacrifices for Bianca, a girl he knows loves another but loves her anyway. *Sigh* Both of those guys were my favorite with their unrequited love.

So my question is, what makes YOU, as a writer, decide to make a love interest a certain way. Do you make him have characteristics you find appealing, or do you do research, find out what the majority of people find attractive? For me, I do a little of both. I seem to find the cocky, jerks most appealing. Most people tend to be a fifty-fifty split on those types of guys, so it’s a fine line when you try to create one for your own novel. A good love interest totally pushes your novel to the next level.



Love to hear your thoughts on this topic!! Shout out!!

~Annie~
http://www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com/

Flashback Friday: Everything Emo I Learned From Eponine: A Les Miserables Tribute

Welcome to Week Nineteen of Flashback Fridays where the old and new collide on everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations. This week we're flashing back to my experience with the musical Les Miserables and how Eponine brings the Emo!

Flashback to March, 1997... the moment of truth. After grueling auditions for Les Miserables at my high school, I inched forward outside the theater windows, desperate to see the cast list. I’d belted out I Dream a Dreamed the best I ever could. Would I get the part of Fantine? All the dreams of seeing my name in lights I'd harbored since I wowed audiences as Auntie Em in Buffington Elementary School's production of The Wizard of Oz hinged on this moment....

My name wasn't there.

*I AM FORTUNE'S FOOL!!

Losing out on the part induced epic emoness....for awhile. Theater had been one of those Godfather type activities for me in high school: just when I thought I was out, it drew me back in. I'd kinda given up on doing much until I took a drama elective senior year, and BAM, the drive was back!

Fortunately, I did get to see Les Miserables live at the fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta, and during my teaching career, I have used the song lyrics to I Dreamed a Dreamed to help teach poetic devices and figurative language. And from time to time, I might belt out I Dream a Dream at home where only my dogs and cats can have their ears offended!

But at the moment, I wanted to examine the character of Eponine and how she brings the Emo and could easily transport from the French Revolution to a modern day YA novel.

(1). Emo brought on by The Absent or Negligent Parents
A YA cliche seems to be absent parents or parents who are oblivious to what is going on with their children. Charlie sleeps tight each night not ever imagining Edward Cullen is upstairs getting his stalk on with Bella. In Les Mis, Eponine has got some epically craptastic parents. Sure, they might have one of the best musical numbers with Masters of the House, but the Thenardier's are not good people. They are money hungry opportunists who are more than willing to sell Cosette, their ward, away, and they’re the first ones on the battlefield ready to strip the Revolution corpses of valuables.

(2). The Love Triangle
Les Mis brings the love triangle, and it wouldn't be a YA these days without a love triangle, right? I say that with all due reference since I have love triangles myself. Here's the abridged version that sounds kinda like Adam Sandler's rendition of Love Stinks in The Wedding Singer: Eponine loves Marius. But Marius loves Cosette. Cosette loves Marius, and Eponine is basically screwed. It's the true, "You Belong to Me" Taylor Swift scenario since Marius only sees Eponine as a friend and even has her play errand girl to find out about Cosette. FAIL! Yeah, and *spoiler alert* the only time Eponine really gets some huggy, huggy, "Oh, I love you time" from Marius is when she's dying from a bullet wound. *Cue the music to A Little Fall of Rain*

Eponine's great "I love him, he doesn't love me, my life sucks" musical number is On My Own. Here's some of the great lyrics.

And now I'm all alone again, no where to go no one to turn to,
without a hope without a friend without a face to say hello too.
And now the night is near, and I can make believe he's here.

Sometimes I walk alone at night when everybody else is sleeping.
I think of him, and then I'm happy with the company I'm keeping.
The city goes to bed, and I can live inside my head.

On my own pretending he's beside me.
All alone, I walk with him till morning.
Without him, I feel his arms around me.
And when I lose my way, I close my eyes, and he has found me.

(3). Using the Emoness for a good cause aka Teenage Rebellion

Regardless of her emoness, Eponine does have a moral compass despite her unfortunate lineage. And in true teenage form, she rebels against her parents' less than noble deeds to do the right thing.

So what are other musicals that have great YA potential?

Love Triangles: Why Do We Love Them?

Okay, so I've been thinking a lot lately about love triangles. I'll admit, I'm guilty of googling books before I read them, searching out spicy love trifectas. There's just something about two boys fighting for the love of a girl that makes me melt. For me, this crazy obsession started when I was about eleven, back when I couldn't get enough of the Saved By the Bell war for Kelley. Both guys were totally hot, in their own way, and both really cared about Kelly. I just couldn't choose. LOL

 From Team Edward or Jacob and the saucy love triangle in the Hunger Games Trilogy, creating teams is now the cool thing to do. My question is: Why do we love them so much? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Are you still down for more stories with them or are you gonna go on a book burning binge if you see one more? Comment below and weigh in.

(PS. Shameless plug time: Win Paranormalcy over at my personal blog: Reading, Writing and Waiting)

~~Annie~~