My heroes don’t smell like sandalwood
Well, they don’t anymore. When I was working on a single title contemporary romance several years ago, I had this idea that the hero smelled like the sandalwood soap he used in the shower. I’ve burned sandalwood incense for years, not only the sticks and cones but also sandalwood chips over charcoal. I sometimes buy the essential oil to use in diffusers, as well.
When I did some market research on contemporary romance, I found to my horror just how many other heroes smelled that way. Yikes! It seemed as though every book I picked up had a hero that smelled like leather and sandalwood.
I still wanted to keep the idea of a sandalwood-like scent, so I looked into some possible substitutes. What I found put me off the idea altogether. According to the articles I read, scientists at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom have isolated a pheromone in male underarm sweat that smells just like sandalwood. They found that the pheromone is unusually attractive to women, and they’re considering making an aftershave from it.
I couldn’t get past the idea that my hero had bought some tacky “Drive the Wimmen Krazy” cologne or just had sweaty, smelly pits. Yeah, I know, I thought he’d be the kind of guy to buy sandalwood soap, but those other possibilities kept getting in the way. Last year, I turned the story into an urban fantasy and toned down the romantic elements. The hero now smells more like sage with a hint of lime.
One lingering side effect of learning about the pheromone research is that whenever I use sandalwood nowadays it smells just a little like old gym clothes to me. :-)
Posted: January 30th, 2007 under Writing.
Comments: 19
Comments
Comment from Sara Dennis
Time: January 30, 2007, 8:25 pm
… armpit funk smells like sandalwood? Who knew?
I like sage and lime, though. *sniffs your new hero*
Comment from Lynne
Time: January 30, 2007, 8:30 pm
Hi, Sara! :-)
I bet there are some other things in underarm sweat that make it less pleasant than pure sandalwood, but now that I know about the pheromone connection, I keep associating sandalwood with sweat. Crazy!
I thought sage and lime would be masculine enough but with a trace of the woodsy and exotic. Glad you like it!
Comment from James
Time: January 31, 2007, 10:02 am
You’re going to give away all my tricks, aren’t you?
Comment from Lynne
Time: January 31, 2007, 10:10 am
I’m trying to think of something absolutely ridiculous to make up about you, James.
Comment from John
Time: January 31, 2007, 11:56 am
Yeah, James. Smelling like old gym clothes was *my* trick, but Lynne says it like it’s a bad thing.
Comment from Lynne
Time: January 31, 2007, 12:47 pm
I was going to accuse James of turning his kitchen into a pheromone distillery instead of “remodeling” it, like he claimed.
Comment from Jody W.
Time: January 31, 2007, 3:13 pm
don’t forget musk. the dudes smell like musk. which makes me think of ferrets, who do NOT smell good.
Comment from Lynne
Time: January 31, 2007, 3:23 pm
LOL, Jody! Do you think the people who write those descriptions actually know how musk smells? I kinda doubt it. :-)
Comment from Rebecca/Kate
Time: January 31, 2007, 4:35 pm
ROFL, that’s too funny, Lynne. Who knew? I’ve always thought my heroes smelled of pine, earth and leather. Woodsy. Please don’t tell me that’s feet or something.
Comment from Lynne
Time: January 31, 2007, 4:40 pm
I think those would smell great together! Pine’s a lovely scent. Thanks for the reminder — I’m flat out of pine EO.
I don’t know what the aromatherapy equivalent of “feet” would be! :-)
Comment from LaDonna
Time: February 1, 2007, 12:19 am
Too damn funny, Lynne! I wonder if readers know how much effort is put into the lovely book they grip in those hands? I was trying to think about some “smells” I give my guys. Basically, I like them fresh… LOL. Duh? Soapy smell is good. I had a thing for the Irish Spring guy growing up. Seems he’s Matthew Perry’s daddy. Yep, I could be that guys mama!
Comment from Lynne
Time: February 1, 2007, 10:30 am
Hi, LaDonna! Yes, I think smelling like soap is a good thing. I’ve used that in a description at least once.
I remember that Irish Spring guy! And the woman who said, “Manly, yes, but I like it, too!” I’d never heard about the Matthew Perry connection. Ya learn something new every day, I swear.
Comment from Rebecca/Kate
Time: February 1, 2007, 6:16 pm
No kidding! I always liked the Irish Spring guy too. Mmm… fresh out of the shower guy… yum! (Now I feel like Homer Simpson drooling over donuts!)
Comment from Edie
Time: February 1, 2007, 8:24 pm
Fresh out of the shower is a good smell. I like the pine, earth and leather smell too. I have 3 women protags in my wip, and one of them smells like cinnamon and nutmeg. In other words, pumpkin pie, lol. I put sage in the rice stuffing I make for the Thanksgiving turkey. Maybe I should have one of the men smell like that, then I’d have pumpkin pie and turkey in bed together. :)
Comment from Lynne
Time: February 1, 2007, 9:30 pm
I’ll have to find out what Irish Spring’s aromatherapy equivalent is. :-)
Comment from Lynne
Time: February 1, 2007, 9:30 pm
Edie, you’re making me hungry! :-)
Comment from TessaD
Time: February 2, 2007, 11:00 am
Oh, Lynne – This post cracks me up. Like someone else up there, I also have my hero smelling like pine and leather, and a third element that changes depending on the scene – soap sometimes, wind if he’s been riding (yes, I really do think that wind has a smell, and a nice one at that.) I think I have my heroine smelling like pears and honey.
Honestly, I think it’s all a bit silly. At least, I feel a bit silly everytime I write those things. I just do it because it seems one must. Which probably isn’t a great reason to do it. At the same time, I’m not fond of cop-outs like “he smelled like a man,” or “his tantalizing male scent” either.
At the same time, scent is so powerful. I read somewhere that the sense of smell is the most effective sense for triggering memories, perhaps because the olfactory nerve is the shortest link to the brain. And it’s also true that if I write, “he stood next to an old pine tree,” everyone is going to picture that tree differently. If I write, “he smelled of pine,” every reader has an immediate understanding of exactly what I mean. A scent is one of few sensory experiences that you can communicate precisely in a few words.
Comment from Lynne
Time: February 2, 2007, 6:27 pm
Oh, pears and honey are a great combo. That sounds lovely. :-)
I agree — the sense of smell is very powerful. Those centers in the brain are among the most primitive, and I think that’s one of the big reason smells have such an impact on us. The older, deeper parts of the brain are faster than the newer ones like the cerebral cortex, so they tend to “know” stuff and make connections before the intellect can catch up.
Comment from Jim B
Time: February 14, 2007, 11:31 am
Matthew Perry’s Dad was the Old Spice guy, not sure about Irish Spring.
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