Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

LOL! Here's what Tuesday's hunk looks like in a shirt instead of a dish towel.


Great improvement, don't you think?

Friday Fun!

While many of us can relate to Maxine,



























Do you suppose this fellow has a similar problem?

Thursday Thoughts

I'll be talking with my agent this morning, discussing my future plans as an author. The funny thing is, I don't have an idea for another series at the moment, which is what Sourcebooks is interested in. I feel as though I created the ultimate alien lover when I invented the boys from Zetith, so I'm not sure another series like that would be feasible, or even interesting to me as a writer.

I've been having a lot of fun writing the erotic novellas for Siren, but even they will get to be boring eventually. When you're writing menage, what becomes difficult is explaining why a group of people, rather than a couple, can fall in love with each other. It is, however, much easier to fill out the pages when you have multiple points of view, something I discovered when I made the move from first person to third, but that's sometimes a matter of quantity, rather than quality.

And so, to aid me in finding a solution to this dilemma, I went in search of inspiration by Googling "thoughtful hunks." Here are a few that popped up.

Hmm... While I could try my hand at writing the next series in the Harry Potter vein, but I'm not sure I'm up to it, nor do I want to be accused of writing a Potter rip-off.



















Vampires are definitely out. They've been done to death!



























How about MM? It has it's appeal, but I do like having the female voice in there--and not just as an innocent bystander. Still, the male body is so much more fun to write about, whether from the point of view of a woman or another man. Something to think about. . . .

















Historical? I was a great reader of Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances, but after reading some by more contemporary authors, while I do enjoy them, there are just so many dukes and earls left to write about. Particularly those who are worth writing about. Then there's all that historical research one must do. I think I've gotten spoiled by creating my own "history."






















Contemporary? All those I sent my editor were contemporary, but a series of that nature usually involves brothers or sisters and how they each find love, something I could write, of course, but I'm not sold on the idea.



























In my Google images search, this picture popped up from last year's RT convention, something I found most interesting, indeed! I could write a series titled "Hunks That Cheryl Brooks Has Been Photographed With." The research would be fun, but I'm not sure there'd be much meat to the story.





















So there you have it! While I realize that these may not exactly be riveting thoughts for the average reader, you ladies of the CBEB have given me ideas before, starting back as far as Fugitive. So, this Thursday, instead of my thoughts, let's hear some of yours. What sort of books would you like me to write?

Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

This is Monday's hunk from the front. Do you see now why you couldn't see his YD from behind????


Sorry this post is going up late. Turns out I had to work Tuesday night when I thought I was off. Messed me up bigtime!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Tasty Tuesday Italian Sausage Pasta!

Time for another great recipe and hunk from our own Diva Donna!

Here's a little Italian Pasta Sausage & Pepper dish inspired by a description from the novel "The Godfather," a favorite of my family. I add crusty bread, a salad, a dry red robust wine.
Add a Nice Natural Italian Hunk and you have a satisfying meal to please the Yah-Yahs too!

Ingredients(serves 4)

• 1 (8 ounce) package tube type pasta
• 4 (4 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
• 5 assorted bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
2. While the pasta is getting started, slice sausages lengthwise, and remove the casings. Brown sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of the olive oil. Remove sausages to a platter, and keep warm in the oven. Add the bell peppers, garlic, oregano and basil to the skillet, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Saute over medium heat until peppers are tender.
3. Toss the pepper mixture with the drained pasta until well blended, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving platter, and arrange the sausages on the top. Garnish with Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese.

   

Monday Moons!

Well, we've seen a preliminary cover for Volume 1 of the Sextet anthologies, Sharing, but I'm going to hold off posting it here until we get the final version. It's pretty hot, but we had a few issues with it, so I don't know what we'll wind up with. We're still anticipating a May 13th release. Hope it doesn't turn out to be bad luck!

Had a great time in Kentucky with my sisters Marcy and Bonnie this past weekend. On Saturday we took a tour of Ashland, the home of "The Great Compromiser,"Henry Clay in Lexington. Beautiful place with a garden to die for!





















That's Bonnie on the left and Marcy on the right. This bell came from the USS Ashland, a Dock Landing Ship from WWII.





















You couldn't take pictures inside, but the grounds were beautiful. After seeing this garden, Bonnie wants one like it. Of course, this one is maintained by a garden club. It would be a full time job for any one person, and Bonnie has to milk the cows twice a day. Not sure it's feasible!





















Me, I'd settle for a rose garden that looked this neat!





















I didn't get the chance to go riding with Bonnie (who seems to have about as many horses as she has cows!) due to all the stormy weather, but riding this fellow would probably be a whole lot more fun than riding a horse anyway!



























Nothing quite like putting a bridle on a naked man, is there? Sort of makes me want to write another bondage story. . .

Sunday's Hunk of the Day!

Happy Easter, everyone!


Anyone up for an Easter Egg Hunt?

Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

Nothing witty to say about this one.

I was just in the mood for some dangly bits.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday Fun!

I'm blogging on Casablanca Authors today, talking about procrastination.

I'll be heading out to visit my sisters this afternoon, and Bonnie doesn't have internet, so I may be kinda scarce for a while.

In the meantime, I know I can count on the Yah Yahs to hold the fort and keep smiling!

Thursday. . . torsos?

I'm running short of time this week, so I'm skipping the usual "thoughts" to talk about something else that begins with a T.

Normally, I don't care for the headless torso pics, but this one has been in my files for a while now, sadly forgotten and ignored because I also tend to ignore my Torso file.

However, he caught my eye as I tucked yet another torso shot (not headless this time) into the file and I decided that with so many other attributes, his lack of a head may be overlooked this one time.

Particularly when his other head is such a nice one!

Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

Like I said before, when you go hunting for guys with hairy balls, sometimes you get the scary ones, but then, on occasion, you get treated to something like this.

I might keep this one, too. Looks like he'd be a great boy toy.

Tasty Tuesday Mexican Style Casserole!

Looks like Donna has sent us another scrumptious recipe!

Here's a recipe and just a sexy guy with all his clothes on. I just think he's a tasty guy I'd like to be one of your story heroes.

Chicken Cornbread Bake(Makes 12 servings)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix
• 
  
• 2 1/3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons canned green chile peppers, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) jar chopped mushrooms, drained
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt margarine in a small skillet over med-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender, 4 to 6 minutes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine corn, cream style corn, salt and eggs. Beat in muffin mix. Fold in cooked onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, green chiles, mushrooms, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spoon over corn mixture to within 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle top with cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

   

Monday Moons!

I don't care if it's only a half moon shot. This one is MINE!!!!

Here's a little update on the Siren Anthologies. They will be released on the second Friday of each month, starting in May and continuing until December. After that, who knows?

We still haven't seen the cover, though. The folks at Siren are still trying to decide if they like the cover that's already been done or if they want to design a different one. We shall see!

I'm up over 10,000 words on Loner, and it's starting to click. I know I've probably said this before, but that's the most fun part of writing. I begin with a general premise and a basic plot, but when I start the actual writing, I discover things I never knew were going to happen, and they surprise me just as much as they will surprise my readers later on. In many ways, writing a book is like watching a movie after reading the blurb in the paper. You have an idea of what it will be about, but the details are what make it worth watching!

Sunday's Hunk of the Day!

"Hello, Yah Yahs!



Am I hairy enough for you?"

Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

I don't think I've used this one before, but they're all starting to run together in my head.

Scary thought, isn't it?

Friday Fun!

This is such a hoot, but just in case Blogger isn't wide enough for this one, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0LvKg5aCG0

Thursday Thoughts

Looks like he's thinking about something very nice, doesn't it?

Me, I'm working T,W,TH this week, so all I'm thinking about is getting through it. Tonight's the last night, though, then I'm off until next Tuesday.

I've been working on Loner, and it's such a change from the Sextet stories, which move at a much faster pace and get to the fun stuff without all the buildup. Loner isn't going to have much in the way of love scenes until later in the book, and I'm still not sure how it will all play out. That's the scary thing about starting a full-length novel. You might get halfway through it and realize it's going nowhere, whereas a novella is easier to scrap.

Not that I've ever scrapped a story once I've started it. I keep fiddling and fixing until it works, and sometimes I don't really get it until well past the first few chapters. Then I have to go back and fix the earlier stuff to fit what happens later. It's putting the cart before the horse, I realize, but sometimes, that's just the way it works out.

Sort of like this fellow. He's all ready to ride, but guess what? No horse!

Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

This was supposed to be one with hairy balls, but I'm thinking those might be veins, rather than curls.

Your thoughts?

Tasty Tuesday Mini Meatball Subs!

Seems I'm not the only one having trouble finding new hunks to post. Who knew there were so few good ones out there?


Anyway, here's another one of our own Diva Donna's great recipes, brought to you by Cody Cummings!


She writes:

Even though I'm running low on new hunky guys. I found this Cowboy Cody to dish up his sort of fun. He's no mini meatball. But I'm sure he'd make a nice meatball sandwich filler. We need to add our own sauce. LOL

Mini Meatball Subs(Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef ( or Sausage of choice)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (26.5 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 dinner rolls, split

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, crackers, and egg in a large bowl. Season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper; mix well. Form mixture into 8 meatballs. Place meatballs in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Pour the spaghetti sauce into a large saucepan; bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir baked meatballs into the simmering sauce. Do not turn oven off. Simmer sauce until meatballs are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. Place one meatball, a sprinkle of mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a bit of sauce between each roll. Place sandwiches in hot oven; bake until cheeses melt, about 7 minutes.

Monday Moons!

Don't you just love a pair of nice, wet buns???

I finished my contribution to the Sextet's toy story anthology on Friday night and started writing CSC #9, Loner, after the INRWA meeting on Saturday. I'm, already up to two thousand words. Whoo hoo! Only 88,000 to go. . .

Sam and I went to Walmart on Sunday to buy him some shirts for his new job, which he starts on Wednesday. He has to wear a red or black shirt with a collar, and, as luck would have it, there was no such thing hanging in his closet. He wasn't crazy about the idea, but I made him drive the truck, so I have now ridden with him! I should've had him be my chauffeur before this, since I go a lot more places and take different routes than he and Budley had gone. He's not quite ready to go it alone in town, but driving to his job should be easy. Navigating Walmart's parking lot was a bit of a challenge, though I did think of a way to make it simpler for him. Unfortunately, I didn't think of it until we were halfway home. Figures. . .

He's going to drive me to the bank today, which is close to where he'll be working. We'll also go buy some parts for the lawn tractor. I asked Budley to change the oil yesterday, which he did, but we didn't have any new oil filters. So, he put the old filter back on and then we tried to start it, but the battery was dead. I used to plan these things a little better, but with all the writing I've been doing, I tend to forget stuff like that.

But at least I haven't burned up anything on the stove lately.

Sunday's Hunk of the Day!

How about a nice chocolate sundae to help you enjoy your Sunday?

Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

Here's another pic from Alicia's files.


Can you guess why she likes this fellow????

Friday Fun!

Here you go, Yah Yahs.


Can't wait to see what you have to say about this one!

Thursday Thoughts

Just a few weeks after getting his driver's license, my son Sam got a job. Words cannot express how excited I am. It's close to home, an easy drive, and the people there seem very willing to help him learn.

This is one of those moments that I couldn't have foreseen back when he was a kid and still learning how to speak intelligibly. Teaching him to read was a battle of wills. The speech therapy was a long, tedious business. Homework was a daily nightmare. Thankfully, my husband is a better teacher and much more patient than I am. Without his help and all the research he did into new therapies, Sam wouldn't be where he is today.

Granted, his new job is not rocket science. He's working at a convenience store, cleaning and stocking for four hours, three days a week. They did say they might teach him to make pizzas, and I'm sure he will learn to do it well. Sam usually does a great job of anything I ask of him. He might fuss and grumble, but he will do it, and he won't piddle around, either. He takes his responsibilities very seriously, and I'm sure he will make as good an employee as he is a help to me.

And bless his heart, he told them he couldn't work on Sundays because that's when he does the laundry. *sniff*

Whopping Weasel Wednesday!

Before we move on to today's whopper, check out the new Hero book trailer! This was part of Hero's winnings from Whipped Cream Reviews Best Book of 2010. I had a helluva time trying to find pictures that worked for it, but I thought it turned out rather well, thanks to Judy and Marianne at Goddess Fish Promotions.

Give it a look and see what you think! Blogger isn't wide enough for you to see all of it. Click on the title in the upper left corner of the video (it will pop up when you put your mouse pointer on it) and it will take you to YouTube where you can see the whole thing.



And now for a view of John Holliday as photographed by the "Alicia Cam."



























LOL! Alicia really knows her camera angles, doesn't she?

Tasty Tuesday Eggplant Casserole!

One of my faves I've forgotten over the years is eggplant casserole. I loved it, but the kids didn't, so it sort of fell off the menu. But the kids are grown up now, and the other day, I was in the grocery and spotted the most beautiful, perfect eggplant I'd ever seen. I simply couldn't resist the temptation.
To refresh my memory, I checked out some online recipes and found one on Allrecipes.com that looked good. I made a few modifications, and thought it turned out rather well!

Hamburger Eggplant Casserole

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and garlic powder mixture
1 1/2 lb hamburger, browned
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sprinkle hamburger with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder mixture, then saute it with the onion and garlic for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat. Stir in the tomato paste, water, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil. Set aside.
3. Slice eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds. Place a layer of eggplant in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x12-inch glass baking dish. Then place a layer of the hamburger mixture over the eggplant, followed by a layer of sliced onion. Top this with 1/2 the breadcrumbs and cheese. Then repeat the layers: eggplant, hamburger mixture, sliced onion and remaining breadcrumbs and cheese.
4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes.

Find a hot hunk to share it with and ENJOY!!!! This is a fellow that Alicia sent me recently. I think he'd be good even without the eggplant!

Zebra Striped Monday Moons!

Hey, gang!


Remember my friend Vincent in Wisconsin, aka Snow Ho?



Well, he's sent me a couple more pics, showing off his fancy zebra striped man ho string, as he calls it.



He says it's still too cold in Wisconsin for him to go outside to maintain that all-over tan.


*snicker* But summer's on it's way!



So, Yah Yahs? What say you?

Sunday's Hunk of the Day!

Just in case you haven't already seen enough of this fellow, for your information and continued enjoyment, his name is Leighton Stulz.

Google him and you'll find more. ;)

Saturday's Hunk of the Day!

In the search for great hunks, sometimes you just gotta go with the tried and true.

Need I say more?

Friday April Fool Fun!

For your Friday Fun on this April Fool's Day, here's one I got from Suzy....

A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail with her girlfriends when Steven, a tall, exceptionally handsome, extremely sexy, middle-aged man entered. He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off him.

This seasoned yet playful heartthrob noticed her overly attentive stare and walked directly toward her. (As any man would.) Before she could offer her apologies for staring so rudely, he leaned over and whispered to her, "I'll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for $20.00...

on one condition..."

Flabbergasted but intrigued, the woman asked what the condition was.. The man replied, "You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words."

The woman considered his proposition for a moment, and then slowly removed a $20 bill from her purse, which she pressed into the man's hand along with her address. She looked deeply and passionately into his eyes, barely concealing her anticipation and excitement, and slowly and meaningfully said.....

"Clean my house."