Sexy

I've been watching Showtime's The Tudors and have been drooling over an actor named Henry Cavill. He plays Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.



There isn't a whole lot of info about him. He was born in '83, which makes him only 24 years old. A bit young for my taste, but hey, he's serious eye candy. Yum. He's a total hottie, ladies. Be sure to check him out. *g*

Dark Heroes

I read Karen's post about dark heroes in romances. Do you like them? I do. To me, a dark hero is just as appealing, sometimes even more, than one who isn't. I like angst. I like baggage. I like a man who's weathered storms that have helped shape the man he is now. That gives him character and depth. Yum. So much more fun.

Of course, being dark doesn't mean the hero can be abusive, whether physical or verbal. I have never liked or agreed with a hero who physically hit the woman. But then again, there are exceptions. Now, now, before some of you get in a snit about that, let me clarify. If the slap--and I won't let the hero get any further than a slap--works within the plot and the characterization, then I don't mind it as much. It makes me cringe, but if its done well, it works for me.

For instance? Brenda Joyce's Promise of The Rose, which I read years ago. Loved this book, by the way. I love Joyce's historicals because her heroes are dark and tormented, strong and very alpha. In Promise of the Rose, the hero Stephen discovers his wife's Mary's alleged betrayal (whoa, is this is big ol' misunderstanding plot? *g* It does exist, then)when she left him and fled to her the family castle in Scotland when she overheard Stephen talking about laying seige against her father, Malcolm, the King. Stephen surmised that Mary had been spying and left to warn her family. If I remember correctly, she was deathly afraid for the lives of her brothers and parents. Mary fled to a monastery after hearing of her husband's anger at her perceived betrayal. To make a long story short, Stephen eventually found her. Mary tried to beg him to understand. He was so angry he slapped her (and unbeknownst to him, she's pregnant here) and banished her to some faraway castle.

Okay. This was a powerful scene for me. Why? Stephen was understandably angry at her betrayal. Instead of staying by his side, which was her duty, Mary left him to go to her family. Was the slap warranted? I thought so. In the context of the time setting, during those days when the man had absolute authority over his wife, I believed it. I'm as much of a feminist as the next woman, but when I'm reading a book, it has to stay true to the time setting. Promise of the Rose's plot revolved around politics, betrayals, arranged marriage, spying and royal intrigue. In this case, Stephen slapping his wife--once--worked. Joyce handled it well, I thought.

Don't get me wrong, though. If a hero is cruel and likes to beat a woman senseless just to get his kicks, then that's repulsive to me. Can't read something like that.

So yeah, I prefer dark heroes all around. I love to show the contrast between being a strong male, yet coping with some torment of sorts. It makes him real, somehow. Still larger than life, but real.

He's Gone

Sanjaya is finally gone. The voters got it right last week and voted him off the show. He cried and I honestly felt bad...for a second. Really, if you think about it, he doesn't belong there. I saw on the news that he made an appearance in Washington DC this weekend. Great. He'll probably be able to extend his fifteen minutes of fame to...a month?

Hmm. I wonder who'll be going next in American Idol. I have a feeling it'll be Phil Stacey. Can't wait to find out!

It's Release Day

Logan's Fall is now available. You can buy it here. Yay!

Now I can take a deep breath. LOL.

Time for him to go

Country music was the theme of American Idol last night. I'm not a country music fan, but there are songs that I like, songs which are extremely easy to listen to. Martina McBride is awesome. She has this song "Valentine" which I really love. Classic. Her voice is just amazing.

Phil Stacey surprised the judges (and me) last night. Maybe country is his niche. His performance was better than the previous weeks. About Jordin...what can I say? For a seventeen year old, she showed poise and control. Her voice is just powerful, you know? I'm telling you she's the dark horse of the competition. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended in the top three or even two.

Lakisha sang "Jesus Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. Simon was blah, and so were Randy and Paula. I think it comes down to song choice for Lakisha. She's very talented, but she needs to pick better songs. On the other hand, Blake Lewis has the uncanny ability of picking the right songs. Last night he sang a Tim McGraw song--the title escapes me at the moment--but he pulled it off. Great performance. Melinda Doolittle, as always, was perfect. Sassy, sexy and fun. I hope Chris Richardson survives this week. I thought he sang well, but Simon thought he sounded nasally.

Sanjaya sang "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. Puh-leeze. If this guy thinks he can continue winning just on hairstyles and smiles alone, he's dead wrong. Simon even said as much last night when he said, "Come on, people. What are we doing here?" He's obviously fed up because people keep on voting for Sanjaya, who plainly does not belong there compared to the rest. I think this kid is beginning to believe the press, too, because he acts like he can't do no wrong. Reality check here. HE NEEDS TO GO.

Let's hope they get it right tonight and vote off the one person whose time has come.

Tragedy in Virginia

I don't know what to say except I will keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. It was a sad, senseless tragedy. I don't think we will ever understand why one person would go to such lengths. What drove him? Could it have been prevented? So many questions that we hope will be answered in the coming days.

I hope this brings us all together. Let's give our loved ones a hug, our friends a call to comfort and commiserate, and thank God everyday for our lives and blessings.

American Idol review

Too bad Chris Sligh got voted off. I thought he was a great singer, though he had timing problems. The guy always sang just a tad faster than the melody of the song. Oh well, I hope he goes on to bigger and better things. He's talented, that's for sure.



Haley Scarnato caught on fast and started dressing sexy these past few weeks. I think it carried her an extra week or two, but let's face it, although she can sing, she just wasn't as good as say, Melinda (who's the front runner) or Lakisha or Jordin. I figured she was getting the axe last week. But hey, she was in the top ten and I think she goes on to join them in the AI tour. Not bad, huh?

Chris Richardson is cute. I like him. He reminds me a little of Justin Timberlake. His voice is not as strong, but he somehow pulls it off, you know? He's got charisma. Blake Lewis is cool. He puts his own spin on the songs and makes it contemporary. Phil Stacey is not bad, but when he sings, he seems like he's shouting.

And now we get to Sanjaya. I don't know what to say. I really don't. They say he's one of the most popular searches on the internet. He's a good kid, but compared to the others, he's just not as strong. But people keep on voting for him, so much that he's never in the bottom three. This is a singing competition, people. Please keep that in mind. It irritates the hell out of me that he stays and that better singers have been voted off because of him. Grrr!!!

SIGH. Let's hope that this week, we all get it right and vote off the one person who just doesn't belong there.

Oopps...My Bad

I thought I was going to be the featured author over at Sensual Romances this month. It turns out that it will be next month. Oopps...my bad. I'm sorry. It's not April but May.

Don't worry, though, that means you have plenty of time to sign up to receive the newsletter and I'll still be giving away two print books, Insatiable and Pleasure Planet, as well as the Ellora's Cave playing cards and bookmarks.

Sirens of Sensual Romances

This month, I'm one of the featured authors at Sensual Romances. We're a group of thirteen erotic romance authors who put out a newsletter every month. The authors are: Lani Aames, Elisa Adams, Bella Andre, Treva Harte, Katherine Kingston, Titania Ladley, Judy Mays, Lacey Savage, Ruby Storm, Cassie Walder, Samantha Winston, Mary Winter and yours truly.

The newsletter features news about your favorite authors, new book releases, excerpts and even recipes. We also run a contest every month where our members get a chance to win fabulous prizes. As one of the featured authors for April, I'm giving away print copies of Insatiable and Pleasure Planet, plus a couple of decks of Ellora's Cave playing cards. I'll also include a signed Insatiable cover flat and some bookmarks.




The other featured author is Elisa Adams. I'm sure she'll be giving away an awesome prize packet, too. So if you haven't signed up yet, head on over to www.sensualromances.com, click on Newsletter to subscribe and you'll be taken to the groups page where you can sign up to be a member. As a member, you're automatically eligible to win. Join today!

Logan's Fall Cover

I thought I'd share with all of you the cover for Logan's Fall. I just got it today and I think it's very striking. I love the colors, the sexy pose, and the oh so romantic way the woman is cradling the man's face. Very nice!

Logan's Fall will be available on April 18th from Elloras Cave Publishing at www.ellorascave.com