It's easy to fall in love with the likes of Clive Owen, Robert Downey, Jr., George Clooney, etc. etc., because we can see and hear them...but those of us who are book-lovers, who devour the literary hunks, know that it's just as easy to find a literary crush.
I mean...Bones. Need I say more?
Okay, how about Roarke? Hmm?
I thought so.
And then there's Mr. Darcy. *sigh* And Rhett.
Yes, yes, I've had my share of literary crushes (and some of them were even my creations--which I think helps when writing a book. You have to love the hero or your heroine won't!)...but it's not just a recent thing.
No, indeed. I've had literary crushes since I was back in middle school, maybe even grade school. I think my very first one, which I vaguely remember, was Rudy, the red-headed boy in Carolyn Haywood's Betsy & the Boys. Now, that's going wayyyy back to maybe second or third grade. And it was because he had red hair. (I have a thing for redheads.)
And then of course, I was enamored with Ned Nickerson, but he never even held Nancy Drew's hand (although he certainly seemed to rescue her an awful lot). Wimpy, I thought.
Interestingly enough, even though I read all the books, I never fell for Joe or Frank Hardy. (Except for the TV version of Frank.)
Nor did I think Almanzo Wilder was all that exciting, until I recently re-read These Happy Golden Years...that's when I realized what a total stud he is. (All those muscles pulling on the wild horses...driving through blizzards to drive Laura home...I mean, the guy's nickname was Manly, for pity's sake!)
*crickets*
Um, are you still with me?
But my first real, true, long-lasting literary crush was Trixie Belden's Jim Frayne. Yep. It's that redhead thing. (Which is why Ron Weasley is the one who makes my heart go pitter-patter, not Harry.)I admit, I read those books in grade school...and then I went back and read the good ones in middle school. And maybe even high school. And maybe I even have sought out some Jim/Trixie fan fiction...so what? In my mind, they're still teen-agers, and I'm ready for them to get on with things, thankyouverymuch!
So...what about you? Who was your first literary crush? 'Fess up!
