To start on a random note, I really like my nails right now. I don’t normally go for pale colors, but I found a combo I wanted to try: In the Flesh with Vintage Confetti glitter coat on top. Both are Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, which I’ve found wears pretty well. The glitter coat caught my attention first, and In the Flesh is a subtle pale pink that picks up one of the glitter colors, so I thought it would make a good foundation. I’m very pleased with the results!

Also, I’m trying hard to cut down on processed foods, but they make it really hard when they throw things like Lays potato chips in “Cheddar Bacon Mac and Cheese” flavor at me.

I’ve talked a bit about Herc’s Mercs: Line in the Sand before, but mostly I nattered about how Tom Hiddleston was the inspiration for Jon and then I veered off into talking about Herc 3. So I wanted to talk about visual inspiration, which we use a lot in our writing.

Choosing visual references for our characters helps us set a clear image of that character in our minds for ourselves and each other, which means we’re both on the same page in terms of physical description. Usually, we end up taunting each other and trying to whip each other’s muses into a frenzy by linking to sexy photos of the person we’re using as visual inspiration, which is fun if a little distracting. 😉

For Cade “Hercules” Thornton, Ari wanted someone big, buff, and imposing. We were watching Haven around then, I think, and she found the perfect visual inspiration in one of our favorite characters: Dwight, played by Adam “Edge” Copeland.

 

Jude, on the other hand, is not big, buff, or imposing. For him, I wanted someone not as tall or broad or burly as a contrast to Herc’s physique. Since I’d named the character Jude, I decided “what the hell” and went with Jude Law as my visual inspiration. He’s a handsome man who’s good at looking as if he’s about to say something snarky.

With the added bonus of not being afraid to be photographed in bed with another man.

(I love these two so much.)

For Herc 2, yes, I pretty much had Tom Hiddleston in mind for Jon’s appearance and personality, although I made Jon a brunet, so he looks more like this

than this.

 

For Alec “Red” Davis, Ari wanted someone who looks the part of a professional bodyguard, but who wasn’t quite on the same big, buff, and imposing level as Herc. For Alec, we went with an old favorite: Captain Awesome from Chuck, Ryan McPartlin.

Just picture him with red hair:

(You did look at the hair, right?)

I think we can understand why Jon developed a crush on his bodyguard. 😉

Herc’s Mercs: Line in the Sand is coming out in just over two weeks! It’ll be released by Torquere Press on Wednesday, September 3. We hope our readers enjoy it!