In a world of man buns and declining sperm counts, the last thing we needed was four men gracing this year’s red carpet at the Met Gala in flowing gowns. But like it or not, this is our culture. So as a conservative author of romantic comedy books, how do I develop likable characters that today’s female readers want to root for?
I can do it and believe I have, but have I lost touch with today’s mores? Is there anyone left who still wants to read about two seemingly normal potential lovers caught in funny or interesting scenarios? My job is to create entertaining plots that don’t betray my core values. Such a task for a conservative author in the romance genre feels as futile as trying to sell a fire extinguisher to an arsonist during a BLM riot.
An author striving for success does not dare depict the leading male character as a normal, grounded, masculine man. That won’t fly in today’s leftist publishing world. I know this truth well enough that I didn’t exert an ounce of energy seeking a traditional publisher for my latest book. Conservative publishers do exist, but they are few and far between. They tend to publish nonfiction books by movers and shakers on topics such as culture and politics.
The trend in romance books is to either emasculate or demonize the male characters. Too often, in this leftist book world, the one-dimensional male character’s only discernible traits are those needed to successfully
