Meet the Hot Guy On the Cover Of Your Favorite Romance Novels

Jason Baca has a regular desk job by day, and then by night (or weekends), all bets are off: He’s Mr. Romance Novel Cover Guy. Chances are you’ve seen him on the front of a juicy romance novel—he’s appeared on hundreds of them. Have you ever wondered what this fantasy guy is like in real life? Well, you’re in luck. Baca opens up to Glamour about how he landed the gig, plus what his real life is like.

Glamour: How does one even become a romance novel cover model?

Jason Baca: When I first came up with the idea that I wanted to be a cover model, I got let down often. I’d contact people in the business and they’d tell me to contact some other person, which led to a dead end—or [they’d tell me] that I looked good but I wasn’t in good enough shape. I had been a clothing model before, which requires someone to be in shape but not awesome shape. After spending several months in the gym getting up at 6 A.M. doing strenuous workout after workout, I did a new photo shoot. I sent those shots to some random romance authors and shortly after, I got a call from an author that wanted to use me for her next big book. She sent my info to the publisher which in turn contacted their photography team to [photograph] me. That was my first cover shoot.

Glamour: What do people say when you tell them about your modeling career?

Baca: “You are joking right?” …and then there is a pause. They look at me with a most unusual look on their face and try to decide inside if I’m telling the truth to them. [Meanwhile], I’m looking at them trying to decide if I want to keep this conversation going!

Glamour: You’re married. What does your wife think about your unusual career?

Baca: She laughs at it most of the time, seeing me acting the way I do for the covers. She sees me as Jason and not Gladiator.

Glamour: Before you were married, had you ever gone on a date with someone you’ve modeled with? Do you get romantic feelings by having to create them for a cover?

Baca: That’s a question I get all the time, [and the answer’s] no. Everything is all done on a professional basis. Sure, you have to step into a bubble with the co-model and really focus on what you are doing. You have to send that vibe out there that the two of you are passionate for one another. If you don’t, then…it’s not going to work.

Glamour: Is there a move that you’ve always found make women weak in the knees?

Baca: I love this question! I have noticed the really over the top shots of me holding a woman with her hair blowing in the wind seem to really bring out that innermost fantasy for romance readers. The two of us are in this embrace, enchanted by one another, captivated by our stare. Yes, we all want the stuff that’s found in our wildest dreams, and it’s my duty to give readers that visual.

Glamour: Do you have a signature pose?

Baca: My best signature pose is my side profile back shot. I consider it my solo untouchable pose. I’ve seen other publishers try to pose their models in the same way but they don’t quite nail it.

Glamour: How long does it take to shoot one cover?

Baca: They [actually] shoot four to five covers at one shoot. They will have a massive wardrobe along with a hairstylist re-doing the hair for each different outfit. In one shoot I could be Tarzan, and then Mr. Sexy Businessman in the next. Then what they do is hold on to the photos until they have a book coming out with that theme. A typical shoot can last from three to five hours.

Glamour: What do your buddies say about this? Are they secretly jealous?

Baca: I remember having a beer with a few of the guys when I told them of my dream and they thought I was nuts. They thought I could never do it. Fast-forward eight years and hundreds of book covers, and they changed their tune.

P.S. In addition to great abs, Baca also has a sense of humor. Here’s a hilarious little “gift” he sent to us, because it’s Friday, and we could all use a little LOL.