“Perfect boys only exist in books.” I saw this quote online and after immediately changing ‘boys’ to men’ I thought, “WTF?”. I don’t want to read a story about a perfect man. And I definitely don’t want to write it! Perfection isn’t relatable. It’s like a still life in a museum behind a layer of glass. Lovely to look at, but something we know we’ll never own. It lies on the surface and leaves the viewer, or in our case, the reader, wanting more. Where’s the story? Where’s the heart and the heat and the passion? As an author, I just can’t get behind a book driven only by the notion of a “perfect” man meeting his “perfect” mate. It’s… boring. I’ll take the bad boy any day! The one whose claim to fame is a smart mouth and a proclivity for using ruthless charisma to get his way. In other words, he’s as imperfect as the rest of us. Or worse… he’s a bit of an asshole. I have a suspicion most romance readers would agree the bad boys in our books are hundred times more fun than the so-called perfect ones.I shared my opinion about the “perfect man” quote with my husband who quickly responded with “What do you mean? You’ve got me”. Hmm. I rest my case. I don’t mean that in a snarky way. It’s simply the truth. I love my guy because his crazy complements my crazy. He’s funny and outgoing. I tend to be quiet and introspective. He procrastinates on big decision while I grapple with an issue until I’ve analyzed it from every possible angle. And the list goes on.

The man I fell for almost three decades ago was a bad boy. He didn’t have tats or ride a motorcycle (though that would have been seriously hot), but he had a devil-may-care attitude I found extraordinarily refreshing. He was the funniest guy at any party with a commanding presence. If a song came on that he liked, he’d pick up a guitar and start singing. Within minutes he’d have a dozen people or more gathered to sing along or show off their own musical expertise. If I did that (and I wouldn’t), I’m pretty sure I’d elicit embarrassment shivers rather than encouragement of any kind. On the flip side, he didn’t care if bills were paid on time or if every piece of furniture in his apartment at one point belonged to his mother. Insert eye roll here. Careless or carefree? Brave or reckless? It doesn’t matter. I was and still am hopelessly infatuated and head over heels for him.We’re about to celebrate our twenty-ninth anniversary together and he’d be the first to admit he’s mellowed with age. He no longer aspires to be the last guy standing at a party. He’d rather be in bed by ten. Nor does he care if anyone gets his jokes anymore. He knows who he is and isn’t inclined to prove himself to anyone. He doesn’t stress about things he knows I’ll take care of and vice versa. Every couple works in their own unique fashion making allowances for general dysfunction and fallibility. It’s not reasonable to expect otherwise. And truthfully, I wouldn’t trade what I have for anyone else’s version of a “perfect” mate. I’d rather have the man who inspires me to try things I’ve never done and to give pieces of myself I swore I wouldn’t.Any story I write is inspired in part by my imperfect man. He’s Jake in The Wrong Man taking care of his diabetic old yellow Lab. He’s Jack in Better Than Friends, coercing Curt on the back of his Harley. He’s Rand in A Kind of Truth, driven and charismatic but sometimes a little… misguided. Every memorable ‘book boyfriend’ shines in his personal moment of truth. When he fights for something beyond himself with conviction, pride and passion. He’s not defined by his struggles along the way. He is stronger because of them. To my real-life book boyfriend, I wish you a Happy belated Valentine’s Day. Sure, I’m two weeks late, but let’s face it…perfection is seriously overrated.

Happy Reading, Lane Hayes xo

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions in the 2014 and 2015 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and the coolest yellow Lab ever in an almost empty nest.

Books by Lane Hayes (Dreamspinner Press):

Better Than Good, Better Than Chance, Better Than Friends, Better Than Safe, The Right Words, The Wrong Man & The Right Time

And A Kind Of Truth

Contact Information:

Website: http://lanehayes.wordpress.com

Twitter:   @LaneHayes3

Facebook: LaneHayesauthor

Email:   lanehayes@ymail.com