Luiza
Luiza asked Robinne Lee:

God, it's SO hard reading your book without picturing Harry Styles. Everything about Hayes describes Harry perfectly. Which would've been totally fine with me, why not imagine Harry as Hayes? Except that screws everything up because Harry never ever showed any interest in women, only in men, so I really can't see him with Soléne. :( Why did you have to make Hayes sooo Harry? :'( He could've been a little different. :x

Robinne Lee Luiza,

Hayes is very different from Harry Styles. I think people who are aware of Harry and/or want to picture Harry will. And that's completely fair, as the most successful British boy band of the last ten years is One Direction. And if you're going to create a twenty-something popstar, you may want to start with a good head of hair and dimples, because why not? But so much of who I wanted Hayes to be -- his persona, his lineage, his upbringing, his education, his experiences, his cadence, his speech, his sense of self -- is very specific, and not at all like Harry.

Hayes is a posh British boy who was born into a certain kind of family, grew up in the "right" neighborhood and went to all the "right" schools, and who has suddenly found himself in an extraordinary profession. And if he hadn't been that person, I don't think it's likely he would have attracted someone like Solène. The British pay far too much attention to class for me to have simply overlooked that in the drawing of these characters.

If you're still uncertain after that, listen to the audiobook, and you will see just how unlike Harry he is.

Thank you for reading, and for reaching out.

Cheers,
Robinne

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