I have an idea for a scene where a married couple has just had an argument and the husband is tinkering in the garage. He's very good at fixing things, and the wife walks out to the garage and just watches him for a while. They're better able to carry on the discussion after that.
So much this! Agree about Dick Francis, also Alistair McClean, Hammond Innes et al. Guys who actually DO things are very attractive. I just like being around people, in general, who do things with their hands and aren't afraid of trying to fix or make things. One of my all time favorite "sexy guy" movies is "Guns of Navarrone". A whole team of alpha males with mad skills! My favorite protagonists, male or female, are competent if flawed. A lot of romance novels have female protags who are utterly useless, or at least they start out that way, and I have zero tolerance for that and a good deal of contempt. What would any self-respecting romance hero guy see in a pathetic, talentless heroine? Bleh.
Dick Francis writes them beautifully. He also writes them beautifully with horses in. 😍
Yes! I loved his books when I was a teen, and they likely influenced my choices later on in life.
Oh, I love Dick Francis. I have a bunch of his books.
I have an idea for a scene where a married couple has just had an argument and the husband is tinkering in the garage. He's very good at fixing things, and the wife walks out to the garage and just watches him for a while. They're better able to carry on the discussion after that.
I like this idea very much.
So much this! Agree about Dick Francis, also Alistair McClean, Hammond Innes et al. Guys who actually DO things are very attractive. I just like being around people, in general, who do things with their hands and aren't afraid of trying to fix or make things. One of my all time favorite "sexy guy" movies is "Guns of Navarrone". A whole team of alpha males with mad skills! My favorite protagonists, male or female, are competent if flawed. A lot of romance novels have female protags who are utterly useless, or at least they start out that way, and I have zero tolerance for that and a good deal of contempt. What would any self-respecting romance hero guy see in a pathetic, talentless heroine? Bleh.
Gee, I just realized that some of my fave characters in my Freelan series fit this bill. Yay!