My husband and I are fans of cooking competition shows. And while I would never dream of trying to get on "Top Chef" or "Next Food Network Star," if the challenge was to cook up an erotic hero rather than an exotic dish, I think I could acquit myself well. I've created a good three dozen of them in my years writing erotic romance.

So I thought I'd share a few of my recipe tips. They work just as well as fantasy fodder as they do as suggestions to aspiring authors, so if you like to think about dream sex with hot guys, read on....

The Main Ingredient

Just as a perfect steak starts with a fine cut of beef, your recipe must not skimp on the main ingredient. In erotic romance, that translates to the main personality traits of your protagonist. To be sexually intriguing, he needs to be a man. What do I mean by that? Not necessarily that he is the stereotypical alpha male, overtly aggressive and totally in charge. You can work him that way if you like, but there are interesting alternatives.

One of my heroes was a really sweet, gentle guy, who happened to be a vampire. Bloodlust brought out a whole nother side in him, one the heroine ended up enjoying immensely. On a couple of occasions I wrote guys who were really sensitive sorts, but also tremendously brave and resourceful--that's a combination that works when you're writing a "rescuer." It's also sometimes fun if the hero is outwardly pretty ordinary, but hides a secret alter ego who is sexually aggressive.

The key is to have there be something about the man that will spark a classically feminine response. He should make the reader feel submissive to his aggression, or fascinated by his strength, or in awe of his abilities. His other virtues sell him as a sympathetic and compelling character...but to make him hot, you need him to be essentially male.

The Sauce

Now you need to make that fine cut of meat interesting and even more appetizing; time to work up a complimentary sauce. Now this is the fun part. Hit the condiment shelf and the spice rack for some traits and skills that turn you on. Make the hero good with a sword or with a guitar, design him to be brave or just full of amusing bravado.

Just as chefs know that mushrooms and burgundy make a great sauce, don't worry about using a few traditionally romantic ingredients. Have him be a brilliant artist, or speak French, or captain a pirate ship, or do a fantastic tango. The reason these devices occur so often in the movies and in books is because they work.

The best chefs know how to use those traditional ingredients and add their own twist, so the key here is to add yours. Don't make him just another cowboy; maybe he eschews pistols and only fights with a knife. Make your pirate captain secretly a member of London society (didn't Gilbert and Sullivan do something like that?). Your ultimate goal is to make the hero interesting, exciting to the palate, and surprising. Let your imagination run wild!

The Plating

Last but not least, you have to make the guy look good, and I'm not talking parsley garnish here. I mean one of those fancy plates with swirls of sauce, scallion rosettes, color and shape and perfect composition. What I mean is, it's not enough to say your hero is handsome and muscular and sexy. In romance books, who isn't?

Here's my tip when you're figuring out what your hero looks like: work from life and convey your real feelings. Pick someone whose face and body really turns you on. Now you may be saying, "That's all well and good, but I like blond guys with beards and not everyone does." (Hey, did you know I also like blond guys with beards? LOL) Don't despair. The trick is to get across your feelings, in the guise of the heroine's feelings, about that particular physical type. Think of the first time you got a good look at Elijah Wood's eyes. What did they do to you? Now not everyone will react the same to a photo of Elijah Wood, but a well-done description of those miraculous eyes will move anybody.

Be sure anytime you have one of those "oh-my-god-look-at-that-guy's [fill in here]" moments, you make a mental note. The hair on some guy in line at the store, the shoulders of your favorite baseball player, that smile, those hands, that posterior, all can come in handy when it's plating time for your romantic hero.

Well, those are the tips from Diana's kitchen. Follow these suggestions and whether your hero is Jamaican or Siberian, he will always come out of the oven hot.

Feeling hungry?

Diana Laurence is the author of the Soulful Sex anthologies, and in March 2007 released her latest paperback, Soulful Sex: The Paranormal, Science Fiction and Fantasy Collections. Visit her at www.dianalaurence.com.