LOVERS ROCK WEEK (Day 2): Hosted by Candace Havens

UPDATE: The winner of TAKE ME IF YOU DARE by Candace Havens is Sue (okibi_insanity). Congrats! Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.

When Jia asked me if I would be interested in writing a blog about Lover’s Who Rock this week, the first couple who popped into mind was a fictional one – Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy from the Bridget Jones Diary series. Now, I have to admit this isn’t usually my first romantic couple I pick when asked this question. But they have a special place in my heart right now.

Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy helped to launch my career. No, I’m serious. I was writing my first book CHARMED & DANGEROUS in diary format and I couldn’t figure out how to get it to work technically. A friend suggested I read the Bridget Jones book. I did, and that’s when I figured out that I just had to talk to my readers as if they were friends. It worked.

But something else happened when I read that book. I fell big time for Bridget and Mark’s relationship. Sure there were some over the top moments, but it felt more real to me than a lot of relationships I’d read in books. Things were messy and their timing was never quite right.

Isn’t that the way life is most of the time? You’re in one place and he’s in another? I loved that Bridget had, in much the same way as Jane Austen’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE, a bad first impression of Mark Darcy. She thought he was a pompous ass, and he didn’t know what to think of her. That felt very real to me. It’s tough to get past those bad first impressions, but it just gives the couples a more interesting journey.

When the movie version came out, I was ecstatic about the casting. I have a crush on Colin Firth whether he’s play Mark Darcy, Mr. Darcy or a gay guy in THE SINGLE MAN. He just does it for me. There’s something very earnest about him in every role he plays. And I may have a slight crush on Rene Zellweger too. In the comedies, she has that everywoman quality that is so endearing.

That final scene in the movie where she thinks he’s left after reading her diary and she runs out in the snow to find him is one of my all-time favorites. When they kiss, it’s almost as if the universe isn’t such a bad place after all. *happy sigh*

So that is why Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy are my favorite romantic couples. I’ve had many favorites through the years, but these guys helped to launch my career.

Following along those lines of inspiration, you can win a copy of my latest book, TAKE ME IF YOU DARE, which was inspired by the Bourne films and the television show Burn Notice, by posting a comment. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced tomorrow afternoon.

Best,
Candace

www.CandaceHavens.com