Oh, Daddy!

The first time I went to see Twilight was a dark day indeed.
The preparations began weeks in advance, including (but not limited to) a re-read of the novel, some light website stalking, People Magazine purchase, obsessive outfit selection, new shoe purchase, goth make-up tutorial and, of course, the theft of one of my husband's handkerchiefs so that I might delicately pat the drool away whenever Edward Cullen made a screen appearance. Imagine my surprise when, at the conclusion of the film, I found my kerchief saturated with drool, generated not by the urbane young Edward, but by (wait for it)-- Bella's dad.
That's right, of all the hunky man-meat in the movie, the one who most reliably lit up my nerve endings was not the elegant and talented vampire, nor the hot-blooded werewolf to be, nor even Edward's easygoing vampire brother Emmett (who, let's face it, is way hotter than Edward). It was the boring old guy with the fishing addiction and the cautious attitude.
And so you sit now, confused, stroking your chin and thinking, “WTF, really?”
Don't feel bad for thinking it, either. I, myself, stood paralyzed in front of the popcorn kiosk while my husband patiently tapped his foot and muttered, “Um, can we go now?”
“I just don't get it,” I kept saying. “I like danger. I think vampires are sexy. I would get naked with a werewolf.”
“Well,” he shrugged in the manner of husbands everywhere, “Bella's dad is more age appropriate for you.”
I gasped, hand flying to my delicate, ever-so-suckworthy throat. Age appropriate? Surely my darling husband didn't mean to imply that Hollywood Supermegastar Robert Pattinson would not be honored to make out with me in all my thirty-four year old glory. After all, was I not the same sprightly mischief-maker who had sneaked backstage to talk to Keanu Reeves at an outdoor production of Shakespeare's The Tempest? Was I not the vixen who had woken up (more than once) in the back of a tour bus wearing a British guitarist's t-shirt and boxers? Was my husband truly suggesting that a twentysomething Hollywood actor might be... inappropriate for me?
I gazed at Hubby, the love of my life, as he coaxed the popcorn kernels out of his gums with a toothpick. He stared at his watch, ticking down the seconds in the faint hope that we might make it home in time to put the kids to bed.

I sighed. “Yeah, that's probably it.”

And so it was there, at the Wehrenburg Theater concession stand, that I became a woman.
The sad truth is, I'd take my husband any day over those dashing young vampires (and not just because he looks like Ryan Reynolds... though it totally helps). Hubby's a good man, and a great dad, and his butt is nothing to sneeze at. But most of all, the simple fact is there's just nothing sexier than a man caring for his children.

So, today I raise a bottle of formula to all the other sexy daddies out there. I've compiled a list of my top five favorites. Feel free to add yours.

5. Mark Wahlberg

4. Billy Burke

3. Ben Affleck

2. Hugh Jackman

1. HGTV's Eric Stromer (Give this guy fangs and I might trade in Hubby for the weekend...)

Something Cheeky

I thought for my first turn on the blog I'd post something, well, cheeky. I've had the pleasure of viewing these fine looking buns since they first walked by me in the hallway of my high school nearly 20 years ago. Yup - that's right. That's my DH's derriere.

He's such a good sport really. When I told him that I was joining the Ass Cheek Angels, his reply was a two part question - Is there a chapter in Manitoba and is leather mandatory? BTW, ladies - he's still waiting for that thong cozy that one of you promised you'd knit for him. And what guy would willingly put his rear-end on display for the amusement of others? Well, he would, and he did it just for me.

This just goes to show that he has a sense of humour. That is something I appreciate in a man once I've finished ogling his behind. I believe my man hooked me at a party with a dirty joke involving Little Red Riding Hood being eaten by a wolf, and I wish I could remember it, but what I do recall is the way he laughed when he told it. I love to laugh and I love a man who is not afraid to put himself out there to make me laugh. Laughter may not always make things better, but it makes things bearable while you're waiting for a solution. One thing I can always count on in my life is my DH making me laugh.

The third thing I check out in a man are his eyes. My guy has soft brown eyes, the kind you can get lost in when he's giving you that tender "I love you" look. Eyes truly are the window to the soul. You know those lines we use in our romance books like "flicker of desire" or "flash of annoyance", or the one I read in Julie James' Something About You "You know the Tom and Jerry cartoon where Tom hasn't eaten for days and he imagines Jerry looking like a ham?" They aren't just words, or pretty pick up lines. Words aren't needed when you can tell everything you need to know just by looking into someone's eyes. I'm fortunate that, even after nearly 14 years of marriage and 4 kids, my DH still looks like me like I'm the tastiest steak on the menu.

And speaking of eyes, I'd like to introduce you to my eye candy crushes. First, Mr. Connor Trinneer. I fell in love with him on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. Then after only 4 seasons they had the audacity to cancel the show, reducing me to searching the net to get my fix of this tall, blonde, hunk of man.

Second - Mr. Sam Worthington. (did you hear the gushing lilt to my voice, and the dreamy sigh there at the end?) I can't say that I liked the movie Terminator Salvation all that much, but seeing him shirtless certainly didn't hurt the experience. I enjoyed his performance in Avatar, and his voice is so sexy with that accent of his slipping in from time to time. I've rented Clash of the Titans tonight just to see him in armour. (Is it bedtime for my kiddies yet?)

So, there you have it. The three things I look for in a man - a fine rear-end, nice eyes (not to mention easy on the eyes), and a sense of humour.

To my fellow Angels, it was a great experience meeting you and I look forward to more great posts from you all! Visit me at http://www.kelliejwin.com/ or on facebook - just type in Kellie J. Winzinowich into the search bar.

De-stressing with a Butler

Last week I knew stress. I knew a lot of stress. I knew that tears were not going to erase my stress or cause a knight to swoop in and save me. So, I struck my thinker pose and thought, "What will help me with my stress?" Of course, I knew all of the easy answers: wine, chocolate, shopping. (I tried all three and they did work to some extent.) Their affect just didn't last long enough.

My husband suggested sex as a means of handling the stress. Did God create even one man who doesn't believe sex cures all ailments? If he did, I haven't met him.

None-the-less, his cure led me to strike my thoughtful pose once again and ponder the question, "What do I find sexy in a man when I'm stressed?"

I decided a man with butler tendencies is what I would find sexy under extreme stress. You know a man who has dinner ready when you get home. Who does the laundry, sweeps and mops the floor. Meets you at the door with your favorite drink. You get the picture - right?

So, I went on a hunt for a sexy butler. Boy, did I find what I was looking for. I hope you enjoy him as much as I did.

Gerard Butler

Image via http://static.reelmovienews.com

Some fun facts I discovered about my butler via an article written by Pinar Tarhan and published on Fact Oidz are:

1. Gerard Butler was born in 1969, Paisley, Scotland.

2. He has both Irish and Scottish heritage.

3. He stands at 6′ 2" (1.88 m).

4. He is a trained lawyer.

5. He was an active and a successful student.

6. He used to sing in a rock band.

7. He didn’t have any singing training before landing the lead role in The Phantom of The Opera.

8. He got kicked out of his job as a trainee lawyer due to the fact that he showed up hungover during the big music/theater festival in Scotland.

9. He took a year off from studying and came to the States. He got arrested often because of drunken fights.

10. He hated wearing suits and having to be in the office.

11. He got his first acting gig at the age of 25.

12. He is famous for being extremely sincere on his interviews and he doesn’t making talking about his humiliating moments to entertain the audience.

(This man is a prime candidate for my next written hero.)

Lisa Wells

www.lisawellsauthor.com

Chuck Wicks - Hold That Thought

My men of Inspiration: Nick Ballard and James Otto

Okay, ladies...I'd like to introduce you to two men in my life. The first is Nick Ballard, my inspiration for Jackson Broussard..the MAN in my contemporary romance "Last First Kiss".



Nick is a local boy from Moss Bluff, Louisiana who's recently broken into acting. I haven't met him yet, but I hope to one day soon. Doesn't he look like a sensitive, caring, yet brilliant and sexy Civil Engineer?


















The second is James Otto...all 6'5" and 255 pounds of him, whom Trish and I have met in person, as you already know if you've visited my website and seen the photos we took with him. (Incidently, he's the exact same size as Jeremy Shockey, my favorite New Orleans Saint player...can you tell I like 'em big?) James Otto is responsible for the song for which I named the book. "Last First Kiss" is a bluesy and soulful ballad about a guy who hopes he's found the love of his life, so he hopes he has just given her his very last first kiss.


As you can tell, I'm very inspired by music and men. I've got a soundtrack for every one of my books, and actors or singers picked out for every character. When I hear a character's name, I see him, hear him, know everything about his nature, his likes, wants, NEEDS. Oh yes, baby, definitely his needs! : ) (Yeah, I know what the girls look like, too, but I don't feel the need to focus on them, because I'm not gay. If I ever decide to come OUT I'll let ya'll know. LOL)

So, for now, feast your eyes on two of MY inspirations..Mr. Nick Ballard, and Mr. James Otto.

Keep blogging and writing!

Lori (Cajunflair)

Jake Owen's "Tell Me"

Now, how can you not love this video?

And here he is again, courtesy of Sports Illustrated...sans jersey #88...thank GOD and his good genes. Thanks for the help, Jen. It worked this time.
Lori

Okay, let's see if it works this time! Here's my favorite New Orleans Saint, formerly of the New York Giants, Mr. Jeremy Shockey...complete with wings!

Welcome to our blog! We are a group of romance authors who met at the 2010 RWA conference and became instant friends. Though we all write in different sub-genres, we all face the same challenges; we all face the same blank page whenever we start a story. With that in mind we established our mission statement: To provide inspiration and stimulation for romance writers.

First the inspiration. Sometimes the hardest part of writing is coming up with the initial idea. I thought a list of prompts might inspire. (I hope my fellow Angels will add to this list)

1) The last time she saw him he was dead........
2) Of course the first cop on the scene of "naked lady trapped in XXXXX" would be her ex-husband/lover....
3) When they got to PLACE, she was going to kill him.....
4) Though she usually wouldn't complain when a dead-sexy man was on top of her, a dead man was another story......

Next the stimulation. Let me introduce our honorary member, Jake Owen. If you're not familiar with his name or his music --- why not?? Look at him for goodness sake! LOL
He is in fact the image I think of when I picture the hero in my work in progress.

Which brings me to a question . . .Do you use photos of men - famous or not - for inspiration? Or do you have pics of your hero/heroine? If so, who are some of your favorites?

We'd love to hear from you!