Saturday, January 30, 2010

What's His Kink?

Before I get to today's topic, we must indulge in some man candy. As promised to E.H., I found a gorgeous, more masculine hottie for today's post, and not some pretty young thing. I figure he's got to be at least 25 yrs old - he's got some facial scruff going on and he doesn't appear to have an ounce of lingering baby fat to soften the lines of his muscles. :)

Between Shawn Lane's recent post on writing sex scenes and an email I wrote to a friend tonight about two new characters, my mind has firmly fixated on kink (not a bad thing to fixate on *g*). On Tuesday, the muse bit big time, and since then I've been mulling and typing up notes for a new book idea. The thing is, the guys have yet to tell me their kink. I've got the plot and romance down, but as soon as it comes time for them to get it on...well, I don't yet know those details. They haven't told me what they particularly like when it comes to activities of a horizontal (or vertical) nature.



Characters have likes and dislikes, just like us. Traits that make them unique people. Some are more mild - like a preference for kissing at every possible opportunity. There are those who adore foreplay, and those who like to cut directly to the main event. There are the guys who like to boink for hours, and others who like it hard and fast. Some are true romantics at heart, infusing a sweetness into every sex scene. Some are more...distinct in their preferences.


For example, Clark Sterling from Most Likely to Succeed by Shawn Lane liked the added thrill that came with the possibility someone could be watching him during sex. He preferred the drapes to be open, and sex on the balcony of his highrise building...oh, he definitely liked that. Payton Townsend from The Englor Affair by J. L. Langley discovered he had a fondness for Simon's jock strap, and Ryan Kellar from Tabloid Star by T. A. Chase had a thing for licking his lover's tattoos.


When I create new characters, I try to make them as real as possible. That includes figuring out their sexual likes and dislikes. What they'll do, not do, and what really gets them hot. I tend to veer more to extremes or stronger traits. Part of it is because, like Shawn mentioned in her post, I want the scenes in each book to be unique from other books. As such, Vincent from the Bound series will most likely be my only hero who likes to chain his lovers. Oh, I plan to do other books with D/s elements, but those heroes will enjoy other elements of BDSM. There are lots of things to choose from in that particular bag of kink ;) Giving a guy a distinct kink also gives me something to play with when I write a scene.


Back to my new guys. No BDSM in this one...at least I don't think so. So...um...what will they each like? And those likes/dislikes have to match up in some fashion for them to be compatible in bed. Um...I'll have to mull the guys over some more. At some point, I'm sure they'll tell me. And maybe they'll surprise me. Like with Leopold from Convincing Arthur, I knew early on he was a slut without limits. I didn't realize he'd be a dirty slut until his first BJ scene with Arthur.


Since we're on the topic of kinks, of all the books you have read, what character kinks have stood out for you? Which ones were memorable, in a good way? And please, not the fried chicken with special sauce sort of memorable that poor Eyre endured recently while reading a book. LOL

And this last pic is courtesy of Lily over at I Love Books. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to snag it. *g*

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Shiny, Pretty Things

He's not shiny, but he is pretty :)

I've reached the point where I need to just step away from Photoshop. I've grown much too fond of it of late. Made 3 ads last night for online advertising, and for the past week+, I've been messing with a postcard. It's not set up to be mailed, more for promo purposes. I was itching to make something shiny and pretty for my m/m books, so since I had time and no looming deadlines, I indulged myself.

See, isn't it pretty? And it will be all glossy and shiny when it's printed *G* (sorry - I get a little overly excited about promotion materials). The back isn't completely done yet, since I need From Afar's cover, but everything else is done. When I get them back from the printers, I'll let you all know, and if you want one, I'll happily snail mail you a few.

Anyway, I do believe the time has come to quit messing around with Photoshop and the myriad other misc writing-related things I've been doing to fill my evenings, and get back to writing. The muse bit big time today, so I'm going to see where it takes me and just write.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Contest Winner and The Name

I put the names of everyone who offered up a name in the Name the Hero contest into the randomzier, and the winner is...

Lindsay!

Congrats!! Send me an email at ava (at) avamarch (dot) com and let me know if you want a copy of one of my released books, or if you want to wait until 2/23/10 for a copy of From Afar.

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions for Lord Nameless! I'm happy to say he's no longer nameless. Lord Nameless is now Garrett Hathaway, Viscount Rivenhall. Thanks to Sherry F for the suggestion! And I found another picture of him. In case you were wondering what he looks like in his undies (and I'm sure there are a few of you out there *g*), here you go -

I think his hero - the pretty, young, blond Victor Barrows - is going to like him a lot. :D Of course, I don't have a title for the book idea yet, but it is on the list of books I want to write in 2010. Now that the men have names, I can really get to work mulling over the plot and getting it to the point where I can eventually write it.

I hope you all are having a great weekend, and thanks again for helping me pick a name for Garrett.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Name the Hero Contest

I've been mulling over a new book idea for a few months now. I really like the idea, and one day I hope it will make its way onto the page. But I have a bit of a problem with one of the heroes. He doesn't have a first name.

He was originally Robert, and in my notes he's "Robert (need a new name for him)". I've got another hero in another book idea who has decided he's Robert, or Rob as he prefers. Since I can't have guys with the same name in different books, this dude needs a new name. I have a list of over 100 possible male character names. Been over it at least a dozen times, and nothing's sticking to him.

So here's where you all come in. I need help naming him, so I'm running a little 'Name the Hero' contest. Simply offer up a suggestion in the comments to enter. To keep it fair, I'll let the randomizer pick a winner. Contest is open until next Saturday, 1/23/10. The winner gets a pick of either one of the books in my backlist, or can choose to wait until 2/23 for a copy of From Afar.

Restrictions:
-It can't be a name starting with 'A'. I think I've about reached saturation with 'A' names - I've already got an Arsen, Arthur and Aleric, plus 2 other 'A' guys planned for future books.
-Must fit a Regency-set book. So no Cody's or Dillon's.
-No Oliver, Vincent, Raphael, Henry or Leopold, for obvious reasons.

If you are wondering what he looks like, check out today's man-candy picture at the top of the post. Other details on the nameless hero - 34 yrs of age, currently a viscount (though that's apt to change), and he's fond of ropes. Yep, the book will have some BDSM in it and he's the dominant in the relationship.

Good luck and thanks!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Sorry State of an Author on Vacation

I just love this pic. My mind immediately wanders to...what happened next *g* Plus, I love the pic because the guy on top has a beautiful back. ...sigh...I have a thing for backs, if no one's noticed yet. ;)

I'm still officially on vacation from writing. Decided to take a little break after I finished the single title. The other day Devon Rhodes asked me what it was like not having a deadline hanging over my head, or a book in process. She wondered if I had gotten twitchy from not writing. LOL I'll admit, it took about a week to settle into the little mini-vacation. Not even a couple days into the vacation, I was opening up my notes for Bound Forever, because it felt really odd to not be working on something. But now that I have settled into not writing every night...

I've become a TV queen. I've haven't watched so much TV in years. Wednesday night sucks, though. Nothing good on. Last night was a good night. The Little Couple and the season finale for Tabitha's Salon Takeover. *g* And Monday night...oooohhh...The Bachelor. *G* That show is so funny, I can't help but laugh at the chicks. Even characters in bad romance novels aren't as dramatic. And they kicked one off for diddling one of the producers. (insert dramatic gasp) They even filmed her for like 5 minutes as she was packing, or as I referred to it - 'the pack of shame'. LOL. Tomorrow night Pawn Stars is on (I love Chumlee) and BBQ Pitmasters. My idea of cooking is 'beep, beep, beep, *start button*' and I don't even eat meat (...I don't mean that type of meat - get your mind out of the gutter). But for some reason, I've gotten totally sucked into BBQ Pitmasters. And don't even get me started on Millionaire Matchmaker. Patti even matches gay millionaires now, too. squee! Oh, oh...and the new season of What Not To Wear started! Biggest squee of all!!! I *heart* Stacy and Clinton.

OK. So it's pretty darn lame to get so excited over TV shows. Yes, it's true and even I admit it. But I'm not just lazying my butt in front of the TV every night. I've read 11 books since the first of the year. Going through the old TBR pile. Still...I am getting lame and boring. I need to get back to writing soon or I'm going to turn down right pathetic. LOL

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Just Because

Yes, I admit it, I was trolling the web again today for hotties for the blog. *g* And well, I couldn't resist posting these two...they are *sigh* beautiful.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Phillip's New Friend

The kidlet got a new Prince barbie for Christmas from 'Santa'. 'Santa' thought Prince Phillip could use a friend, so Santa snatched up The Prince (poor fellow, he doesn't have a name - he's just 'The Prince' from the latest Barbie movie). Of course, I just couldn't resist snapping this pic. I think Prince Phillip would have looked cuter in his Sleeping Beauty coat, boots and tights (or hose, or whatever they used to call them back then - I'm definitely not a medieval expert), but the kidlet changed his clothes and I have no idea where his original outfit went. Anyway, I think Phillip's getting along swimmingly with his new friend. *g*

I'm still in wait-mode for the final cover art for From Afar. I got edits from my editor the other day and finished them up last night, so that's done. By next week, I plan to really get to work on Oliver and Vincent. The little break has been fun, but I'm getting the itch to write again.

And now I'll leave you with some real man-candy. Enjoy!


Saturday, January 2, 2010

Favorite Find and Other Ramblings

I spent the last couple hours browsing the web for some new hotties for the blog. This one is my favorite of the bunch, and I couldn't resist sharing him with you all. He's actually the same model from my last post (don't those nipple rings look familiar? *g*) Sigh. He's simply beautiful.

I was so looking forward to doing nothing for days, and not writing for days, but I couldn't resist opening my notes for Bound Forever. Got them formatted and laid out in chapters, and added some more notes. I'm a total plotter when it comes to writing. Some authors can start at chapter one and let the story flow from there. Me, I have to plot out every chapter before I can start actually writing. I can't help it. I think it's the engineer in me - the ms has to be organized, everything in its place, all neat and tidy. Then I can get to work.

In other news, From Afar popped up on Book Utopia Mom's list of 5 releases she's looking forward to in 2010. That was a nice little surprise. And I got a peek at a draft of the cover for the book, so hopefully very soon I'll be able to share it with you all. I love covers - I can't help it. They just make me all geeky and smiley.

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's Eve! Hubby and I had a great time. We actually went out - shocker! I'm such a homebody. Went to a dinner show with a tribute to the stars. Celebrity impersonator singers with a live band, and they were really good. Surprisingly good. The Neil Diamond guy was awesome!! He sounded and looked just like him (except about 5 inches shorter) and even wore a sparkly shirt. And Elvis was there, too (the skinny Elvis, not the bloated version). It was fabulous! *g*
 
Barbara