posted on October 21, 2015 by Nina Croft

What Makes a Fantasy Man

by Nina Croft

His Fantasy GirlDefinition of fantasy: the faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things.

The thing is fantasy is just that—we build something up in our minds that’s both impossible and improbable. At least, that’s exactly what Logan McCabe, hero of my latest release, HIS FANTASY GIRL, did.

Logan spent one fabulous night with a stranger right before his life turned to pieces. He spent the next year building her up onto his ideal fantasy, and then the following ten years using that fantasy—his idealized image of the perfect girl—to keep real women from getting too close. Because no one could ever match up to his fantasy girl.

Except she’s about to get very real. A dangerous thing for a fantasy.

As a writer, I’m always making up characters. I get to bring my fantasies to—well, if not life, then my own version of it. I have to be a little careful because no one likes a perfect character, but then again, perfection is not something I look for in a fantasy man.

So what are the components that would go into my fantasy man—tall, dark, and handsome—definitely. But it’s not really about looks; rather it’s about attitude and actions.  He’s got to be confident, successful at what he does, but most of all, for me, he’s got to be heroic. That doesn’t mean he’s got to go around performing huge heroic deeds, but he must act in a heroic way, doing the right thing however hard, overcoming personal adversity and natural inclinations (did I mention most of my fantasy men, like Logan,  have a huge streak of bad-boy attitude?)

Logan definitely ticks all my boxes – he’s a stunningly gorgeous, tattooed, ex-con, but when it matters he steps up to the mark and does the right thing.

So here are a few men who for me fit the fantasy category:

Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings. He’s got to be just about the most heroic character in fiction.

Han Solo –I was in love with Han Solo from an early age. Not a natural hero, but he came good when it mattered.

Doctor Who – maybe not a typical fantasy man, but he does have his own time machine, and it’s a total fantasy of mine to travel through time and space.

Jericho Barrens from Karen Marie Moning’s, Fever series. Total bad-ass fantasy.

Jack Bauer – okay he’s not tall, dark and handsome, but 24 is just about my favorite TV show ever. I love the way Jack has to make tough decisions, sometimes doing bad things for good reasons, because someone has to.

Though another strong contender for my favorite TV show is Firefly, and Captain Mal has to be high on my list of fantasy men. Actually though, I’d forgo a lot of my other required qualities for a man who has his own space ship.

And finally… a fantasy man from my own books. It’s hard to pick one (because obviously all my heroes have elements of my perfect fantasy man) but I’m going for Rico from Break Out. Ricardo Sanchez is a Spanish vampire, born in the middle ages, and is now the owner and pilot of the space ship, the Blood Hunter. He’s definitely tall, dark and handsome, and just occasionally, when he manages to overcome his baser urges, he’s also a little bit heroic.

So who’s your favorite fantasy man? Let me know for a chance to win an ecopy of my book, Taking Control, which features Declan McCabe, Logan’s brother and another great fantasy guy.

 

Nina Croft

Nina Croft

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

http://www.ninacroft.com/

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