My Unconscious Obsession

Daniel Craig

On the heels of Cecily's "Crush" post, I finally became aware of my obsession recently, and even though I've retraced my steps, I cannot find where it all started. As I edited a manuscript scheduled for release soon, I noticed my male character was blond haired and blue eyed. In the past few months, I've written a couple of stories in which the hero is blond and blue-eyed. 

Simon Baker

Sean Bean

One day, I posted a pic on facebook in my readers group of Simon Baker. He's blond and blue eyed and oh so dreamy to stare at. Then there's Chris Hemsworth, Paul Walker, Connor Trineer, Daniel Craig, Sean Bean, and my new cover crush whose face adorns my facebook cover, my business cards and my banner... you get the idea. (insert cheesy grin here) I don't even want to say his name, you know to protect my precious... *ahem*

Chad Kroeger of Nickelback fame has blond hair and green eyes. Eric Dane boasts the green sparklies.

Chad Kroeger

As I wrote this post, I thought back to high school when the blond haired, blue eyed new guy sat near me in math class. An older guy coming back to finish up high school, he frequently asked me for test answers. Did I give him those answers? Damn skippy! Hey - he was hottie and although I was well aware he was using me, one flash of his grin and I'd turn a fetching shade of red, and my ears would burn 'til they were purple flames. I loved the ill-gotten attention. *hangs head in shame*

Sam Worthington

I have had a couple of trysts, let's say, with men who were either blond haired and blue or green eyed. At least this time, I knew the female power I possessed and had only to flash my t-- teeth (you know big, sweet smile? get your mind out of the gutter people!) to capture their attention and turn them into putty in my hands.  Can't say as any of my time was wasted with either of them!

Henry Cavill

Jason O'Mara

Julian McMahon

Perhaps it's not even the blond hair. Jason O'Mara, Henry Cavill, and Sam Worthington have darker hair, but amazing blue eyes. I fell in love with green-eyed Satan himself, Julian McMahon on Charmed. And who could forget Gerard Butler?

Gerard Butler

What is it about a pair of green sparklies or baby blues that mesmerizes me? Is it because I feel like I'm staring into the soul of my savior, or because I see the devil inside that wants to be set free?

Alas, I don't know. But I realize this "eye thing" at the very least is an obsession. An unconscious one, but still, perhaps a little therapy is in order. Admitting I have a problem is the first step to getting help, right? But I don't see a problem here, do you? *skips off to google*

How about any of you? Any "obsessions" you care to share?

THE GENRE SWITCHING MYSTERY

There are several favorite writers of mine that switched genres in the middle of their careers. They went from writing historical romances to writing thrillers or mysteries, leaving me scratching my head and wondering how they could go from one to the other, since they were so different, not to mention leaving me heart broken when they stopped writing romance. I’d been writing romance for years and never had the urge to write in another genre and just didn’t understand.

When I returned to the world of writing, after being absent for several years, I was surprised by how the romance genre had taken on a life of its own, breaking into so many sub-genres that it boggled the mind (my mind). 

Two years ago, while watching documentaries one night, I was inspired by two stories: one about a little girl who was sixteen, but had the physical appearance of a four year old, and the other about children of serial killers. Although sad stories, my mind started asking what if questions, and low and behold, two new stories were born. Much to my surprise, one is shaping out to be a thriller, and the other a medical suspense. Both have strong elements of romance, so far, but more importantly, helped me understand why writers chose to write in other genres. It’s not so much a conscious choice (although I’m certain some writers made that choice), but the stories or characters that reveal themselves and writers can’t and shouldn’t ignore them. After all, it could be the one that gets us published, our names on the map, or the next best seller, so how can we resist?

How open are you to writing in other genres? Are there stories or characters that moved you into a genre or sub-genre you never thought you’d find yourself?

What a Great Community

Monday, March 26, was like Oscar nomination day in the romance world. The Romance Writers of America announced the finalists in the RITA and Golden Heart contests. *Happy sigh* The excitement, the flurry, the tweets and Facebook statuses (stati?) blowing up with congratulations and heart-pounding messages. Even those of us who didn't have entries in these prestigious contests watched with obsessive anxiety, ready to congratulate or console our friends.

Speaking of...CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR VERY OWN ANGEL, CECILY!! She finaled in the Golden Heart, YA category.

What struck me as I watched my Twitter and Facebook feeds scroll at highway speeds was how supportive everyone was. While I should be used to it by now, it never stops amazing me. Perhaps because I've seen several writing communities become wastelands of trolling and mud-slinging. Or other writers (not romance) non-constructively rip an excerpt to shreds, because s/he "had studied the craft for years," despite never having published any of their work. I've also worked in offices with a lot of women, and within weeks, the atmosphere is replete with back-stabbing, gossip, and politics.

Not in the romance community. At least, not that I've ever seen, even at a national conference, where approximately 2000 women (and a handful of men) are in the same building for four days.

Instead, I've had readers offer to beta read my stories, for no other reason than they love to read. Published authors have offered to critique my work, with no expectation of anything in return. My first online forum was on the Eloisa James/Julia Quinn bulletin board, where I met some of the most amazing women, and Eloisa and Julia often answered questions themselves. Every day, there's a Twitter hashtag where you can go to get motivation to write in the form of a #1k1hr (1000 words in 1 hour) challenge. This one isn't all romance authors, but a lot of them are. Published and unpublished alike.

Some people question why Romanceland is like this, wondering if it's because we are all in a group sneered at by other genre writers. I'm not going to question it, though, and instead be thankful I belong to such a great group of people. They motivate, inspire, and encourage. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Where do you get your motivation? Do you belong to a group like this, outside of the romance community?

All I Want for Christmas Giveaway #2

Hello everyone and welcome to the next two days of giveaways! Here's what I want to know: What is the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?

As a kid, I remember receiving a brown sweater. What's wrong with that you ask? Well, I didn't want to wear it because it was the color of poo and I was afraid of being teased by the kids at school. As an adult, I think the worst gift I ever received was...SOAP! (I apologize to all those little gymnasts and their parents who thought it was a good gift.) To me, soap is kind of personal, like underwear. You see, I'd never go to Victoria's Secret and purchase undies for a friend because of a thing called PERSONAL PREFERENCE! In my mind, different people like different scents so purchasing soap is kind of a crap shoot. Perhaps to the purchaser of said gift, it doesn't really matter because soap can be relatively inexpensive. But people have different skin sensitivities and some soaps can leave your skin dry and flaky if it's not the right kind for you.

Plus, if you're not purchasing those little $5 gift baskets from your local Wal-mart and going to places like The Body Shop, Lush or Bath and Body Works then you're shelling out big bucks on the hopes they'll like what you pick. I'm guilty of giving soap as a gift too (hangs head), and hoping that the smile the receiver pastes on their face is because they like it and not because it stinks! Because not all citrus scents are zestfully refreshing, some flowers should've stayed in the field, and - WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SMELL?

I really don't mean to complain. A lot of soap is packaged ever so pretty. Some of them are such vibrant colors and interesting shapes. When someone takes the time to at least remember you in a small way, it's a wonderful thing. And I have received some soap I absolutely loved. Any  I didn't like, I let my kids use, or I use it to keep my dresser drawers fresh. (Don't look at me weird - my grandma did that all the time!)

Okay - now it's your turn! What is the worst gift you've ever received? Tell us in a comment below, leave your email addy and you'll win.........not soap. LOL I've got a copy of Bridget Jones' Diary to give away and if you have that, I've got loads of other stuff you can choose from! And while you're here, please follow our blog and you can find us on twitter @AssCheekAngels  :)

Beach Love was our winner from the 1st days of giveaways! Congrats :)

Happy Holidays! Kellie Kamryn