Day 15 of the 30 day book talk

Phew...well done, if you've managed to stay with me this far - I've reached the half way marker and what better way to celebrate by talking about my

 Favourite Male Character

James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser, enigmatic Scot and gallant hero of the Outlander series, has been my favourite male character since I first started the books in 1991. He is up there on a high literary pedestal, alongside my other favourite male characters: Fitzwilliam Darcy, Edward Rochester and Gabriel Oak.

When I first met Jamie, it was 1743, he was an injured 23 year old, with a price on his head - but his brand of humour, his innate sense of right and wrong, and his ability to defend what was his, set the store by which I judge all literary male protagonists.

Jamie is my all action superman - gentle as a lamb and as fierce as a warrior, with a heart of gold and arteries of steel. He is as beautiful, as he is bold, wise beyond his years, and as vulnerable as a kitten.

• In tiny Scottish hamlets I've searched for Jamie's beloved Lallybroch..
• I've walked the damp and winding closes of Edinburgh's Royal mile in search of A. Malcolm's print shop..
• I've delved into desperate dungeons hoping to save him from Black Jack Randall...
• I've lingered in Parisian salons in the eager expectation of an invitation to dance..
• and ....I've touched the standing stones that dot my landscape, in the search for a time portal that would take me back in time...

There is endless speculation amongst Outlander fans about who could play Jamie in a movie  - I've never found any one actor who could match up to my ideal...but whoever designed this button, comes pretty close...

And yet, despite my desperate searches, I've realised that my favourite male character is always just a book away..

jaffa's choice

Favourite Male Cat

Septi in The Cats of Moon Cottage is one of my favourite leading cats. He is a bit of an old crosspatch, and likes his own way, but he has a heart of gold, and a winning way and is gentle and wise....just like me !

Jaffa in the garden