[Everything I’m about to say can be applied to female characters, too!]

I’ve been placed in a perplexing state of mind — though most of my states of mind are peculiar, this one is a real biter.

What sort of relationship does an author/writer have with their leading male character?

Personally, my leading man is the type that I am attracted to (dark eyes, mysterious, sardonic), thus I can accurately describe the feeling of the leading woman’s attraction to him. Others might base their star off a significant other, hero, father, or a prince charming that has yet to arrive.

Please reread that sentence before continuing to the next paragraph.

Bestselling YA novels have sparked some rather disturbing concepts regarding fictional men. Young women (and men, too) have claimed ‘husbands’ from their favourite books, and the actors that represent these characters on the big screen are instant sex gods: posters, fan fictions…