Give Me a Real Man--Book Bangin' Contemporary

Wow! The month and genre is EPIC to me! I have so much love, so many flails, and ALL THE FEELS for each and every boy mentioned in this video! I LOVED recording it and I am humbled and honored that so many of my favorite authors took time and decided to join us for this month's Book Bangin'! Love each and every one of them and I cannot thank them enough for their genius and stories. So, here we go!

Who are YOUR favorite contemporary boyfriends?! Now, I very excitedly welcome Huntley Fitzpatrick, Trish Doller, Katie McGarry, and Katja Millay to Belle of the Literati and Book Bangin'!

What Does Huntley Fitzpatrick Look for in a Book Boyfriend? And Who Does She Swoon For?...

"I am a ‘let’s hear it for the good guys’  person, completely. Not TOO good, not sanctimonious or phony, but good at heart, generous and funny. There’s a line in a Rumer Godden book I love where she writes that a person was sweet, not as in sugary, but sweet like a good apple is sweet, real.  I had Jase in my head for years before he wandered onto my pages. No book writes itself, but the scene where he first shows up almost did. When he called up to Samantha “Need rescuing?” I was nearly as surprised as she was.  

Kindness and humor are essential for me to fall in love with a book boy. And that he really “gets” the girl—understands what makes her tick, where her strong points and her weak ones are, loves her for both and uses that knowledge for good. Etienne St. Clair in ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, Katja Millay’s Josh Bennett in THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY, Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars, Katie McGarry’s Ryan Stone in DARE YOU TO, Tammara Webber’s  Reid Alexander, Peeta Mellark.  

Wait…was I supposed to pick just one? I could go on and on, clearly."

Yes! Love the good guy argument! I also love that we share some of the same book boyfriends! Josh! Ryan! Peeta! 

Who is Trish Doller's Real Life Alex?...

"Alex was inspired by one of the divers on a sponge tour boat in Tarpon Springs. Alex doesn't look like the real life diver, but as I watched him work, I was thinking that a good-looking guy could probably make bank in tips on the weekends. Although the majority of Greek guys are dark-haired, author Suzanne Young had been begging me for a blonde, so I gave Alex a dirty blond curls and BAM! Total book boyfriend material. 

Also, my absolute number one favorite book boyfriend is Ryan from Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar."

I'm adding that book to my TBR list AND immediately booking a trip to Tarpon Springs in search of my own Alex...

Who is the Man Behind Katie McGarry's Inspiration For ALL Her Swoony Book Boys?...

"The inspiration for my heroes is always my husband. I take little pieces of him and put them into my book guys. :-) Here's what I pulled from my husband to put into my guys:

Noah: Swagger! My husband has this way about him that always makes me melt.
Ryan: The jock with the heart of gold. Yep, that's my guy.
Isaiah: Loyalty. His word is his bond and I just love that!"

Aww, I love this! You are clearly a very lucky lady :)

What Does Katja Millay Look For in a Book Boyfriend? And Who is She Swooning Over?...

"This is tough, because I tend to fall in love quite often when I read.  I made up a list so I could narrow it down and pick one and realized that they all had quite a bit in common with one another, so it seems I have a type when it comes to fictional love interests.  They were all somewhat quiet and reserved but not out of insecurity; rather they were very much in possession of their own thoughts and emotions. I loved that they all had something in their lives that they were intently focused on and passionate about and I think that kind of passion and focus is very attractive.  They were respectful which is always important to me.  And perhaps most significantly, they were beautifully flawed and real. 

So rather than subjecting you to my mile-long list of literary romantic prospects, I’ll give you my most recent which would be Gansey from The Raven Boys/The Dream Thieves who I’m quite certain would love me too if he were real and knew I existed. :)"

I LOVE the phrase beautifully flawed and real. Much of the reason why I love TSoT and Josh and Nastya so much. They are real and beautiful and flawed in their own way. *sigh*

How Did Colleen Hoover Create THE Dean mmm Holder? And Who Her Favorite Book Boyfriend Is...

"Well, as far as my inspiration for Holder goes, it's hard to say. I always have a hard time pinpointing exactly where my inspiration comes from when I write. But when I started writing Hopeless, I knew Holder had to be strong. As strong as Sky was, I knew she would need someone who could help hold her together when things came crashing down around her. Holder has been through so much that he doesn't have a choice but to be strong. I also knew that he would come off as kind of weird, and rude, and stalkerish at first, so I just really wanted to make sure that he was still likable! 

My favorite book boyfriend has to be Augustus Waters from The Fault in our Stars. Is that gross? He's only 17. I mean, I don't exactly swoon over him, but I just love him. He's so great."

I love Holder even more after reading this. I totally think weird rule the world, being normal isn't fun, who wants to be normal anyways, right? The Fault in Our Stars!! Augustus Waters is an amazing character! I didn't swoon either but I love him  

Thanks again for joining in on another month of Book Bangin'! Until next time, keep reading about ALL the swoony boys!