Weekend Wind-down - Handbags

This weekend we have our Natasha talking about one of her little weaknesses .....






Hands up who loves a good handbag???

Okay, we'd better pause here and get our terminology straight. A 'purse', to me, is the thing you directly put your money into. A 'wallet' is something carried by a man. I'll stick with that because I have deadline brain.

But, don't you just loooove them? Handbags and shoes. Well, truthfully any great fashion accessory which doesn't necessitate me eating lettuce and two small carrots gets my vote.

I like to think my obsession has come from having spent so many years being pregnant. My shoe size and ability to carry a bag being the constants in my life. Even so, whilst thinning out my wardrobe this week, I was a little staggered by the rainbow of bags I own. What's more you can pretty much chart the course of my life when you look at them.


Obviously there are some ongoing preferences. I'm a city girl so there's none of those open 'reach in and grab' bags in my collection. Even though I no longer battle my way around London on the tube I still opt for a secure fastening.

That aside there are the 'a handbag to match every outfit' years, the long strap years (so chosen so I could oh-so-attractively wear it across my body whilst juggling a double buggy, assorted toddlers and a nappy bag), the 'big' bag years (where I carried a collection of pencils and drawing paper in case of offspring boredom and assorted used sweetie wrappers) and now I appear to have entered the era of the really-too-expensive handbag.

And that got me thinking ...


Your handbag says a lot about you, doesn't it? Why you've chosen what you've chosen. How you look after it. (I've got a friend who vacuums out the inside of hers, wraps the buckles in tissue and stores them in pillowcases!! That's going to have to go in a book some day.) What you put in it.

A quick peek in mine and you'll have a very clear idea of the woman I am. What my heroine keeps in hers is very indicative of the woman she is too!!

So, for the record ...... in mine I have:

A purse. It's black leather. Shiny because I've owned it for so many years despite the fact it's a stupid design. You unzip it and coins always fall out because the inner bit doesn't come up high enough. It's annoyed me since the day I bought it.

I have visa slips. Always. Sadly I am a 'stuffer'. I like to think that's because I don't like to hold anyone up in the queue behind me.

A sanitary towel - because I like to be prepared.

A notebook - for those moments of brilliant inspiration. Mine is gorgeous. It has a pocket at the back where I 'stuff' work receipts in a vague attempt at organisation.

A pen.

A spare pen.

A few business cards.

A metal tape measure - because I have an auction habit and you always need to know if something will fit.

And, in the bag currently by my side and for a reason which entirely escapes me, I have my eye prescription.


No make-up (because I can't be bothered). No comb (ditto). No tissues (because I give them to my daughter). No mobile phone (because I hate them. When I'm out I'm out and I don't want to be got).

Look into my daughter's bag and you find - a purse, a book in case she's bored, a small hairbrush, make-up bag, tissues (she has hayfever), a sanitary towel (she's my daughter, after all), a pink phone and her address book.

My late mother, in addition to the more usual things, always used to carry 'after-bite', baby wipes (which always came in useful when happening upon unsavory toilet facilities), nail scissors, peppermints and her glasses.

So, what about you???? Is your handbag a window to your soul? What's the oddest thing hiding in the depths of your bag and what secret does that reveal about you?

Much love
Natasha



Natasha's latest Harlequin Romance Wanted: White Wedding is on the shelves in Australia now. It's available in the UK here. And in NA here!

Romantic Times Magazine says: 'Natasha Oakley's Wanted: White Wedding (4.5) has its share of deeply touching moments, but what makes it stand out are the humor and the wonderful characters.'

You can find out more about it on her website and you can hear her moan about her sheikhs and other assorted disasters by visiting her blog.

Her contribution to the Niroli series, 'The Tycoon's Princess Bride', is available here and won the Romantic Times Magazine Best Presents of 2007 and is nominated for a RITA®.

'Crowned: An Ordinary Girl' has finalled in the National Readers' Choice Awards.

Friday Film Night ::: Treacherous Beauties

This week's Friday Film is the sixth in the Harlequin Mills & Boon adaptations made for TV in the early 90s, Treacherous Beauties, reviewed by Bronwyn Jameson.

When I checked the cover blurb for Treacherous Beauties, I clapped my hands with glee. A mystery to be solved, a dangerous attraction, and set against the backdrop of a thoroughbred stud farm. My kind of film and slightly serendipitous, as I picked up the DVD to watch the same day I'd blogged about the upcoming Silhouette Special Edition series Thoroughbred Legacy.

According to one website link, Treacherous Beauties was the first of the 12 Harlequin movies made and was aired a few short months after filming in 1994. Sadly that haste shows, in the script, the acting, the editing. But that didn't stop me enjoying the high melodrama or lusting after the fabulous stable complex.

The movie stars popular soap actress Emma Samms as photojournalist Anne Marie Kerr who learns that her only family, brother Alan, has been shot and killed in an alleged hunting accident. Anne Marie's suspicions are aroused by a visit from a woman claiming to be Alan's fiance. Tiffany believes that Alan's employee, the powerful, moneyed Jason Hollister, is responsible for his death.

Anne Marie arrives at the small town of Devil's Gorge--and, yes, there is a slight air of gothic to the movie's tone--and rents Alan's cabin under an assumed name. Using her talent with a camera she secures a job photographing the Hollister horses and preparing a catalogue for an upcoming auction. She meets the family matriarch played by Tippi Hedren, the charming younger son Brent (Mark Humphrey) and his beautiful, polished wife Simone (Catherine Oxenburg.)

Finally she meets Jason, played (often sans-shirt) by Bruce Greenwood. He is set up as mysterious, autocratic and fierce tempered. It's obvious that something shady is going on at Hollister Stables, and that this may be linked to Alan's death, but gathering evidence will not be easy. The family owns the town. There has been a less-than-thorough investigation. And although Jason might often forget to put a shirt on, he is no fool and Anne Marie's arrival in town has raised his suspicions.

Watching this movie was an interesting experience. It felt almost as though I was reading a romance novel told entirely (apart from the omniscient opening) from the heroine's viewpoint. This added to the gothic, old-fashioned feel and increased the air of dangerous mystery that surrounded Jason. The major romantic conflict was an issue of extreme trust: Anne Marie was attracted to the man who may have killed her brother. There is much drama--even melodrama--as the truth unfolds and the attraction heats up.

Anne Marie is a heroine to admire. Plucky, courageous, driven to discover the truth. Unfortunately she also succumbs to several TSTL moments, which leads to the exposure of her true identity and an attempt on her life. I have to say that the who-shot-Alan mystery plot was not as engaging or suspenseful as it could have been, but the romance and the family dynamics provided a dramatic counterpoint. Not a good movie, but an interesting viewing experience for any fan of category romance.

Treacherous Beauties is adapted from a 1993 Silhouette Shadows of the same title. It appears to be the only published book by Cheryl Emerson.

Horses are one thing I find hard to resist if mentioned in a book or movie blurb. Is there an element, a job or a setting that you find nigh impossible to resist? And are you even more picky about the details and any research inadequacies because of your intense interest in the subject?

Bronwyn Jameson's latest release Tycoon's One-Night Revenge features her version of a dangerous mystery man in Donovan Keane. A spin-off from her 2005 trilogy, Princes of the Outback, this Silhouette Desire is a June release in Australia and still available in America. Check her website for details.

THURSDAY TALK TIME - V is for Virtual Vacations

Presents Extra/Modern Heat author Heidi Rice joins us today with a Grafton-esque title topic -

V is for Virtual Vacations.

Or rather, how I learned to turn procrastination into an art form and finish my damn book.

I have a little secret. Actually, it’s not much of a secret because I brag about it to everyone I meet. But I think of it as my Thelma and Louise secret. It’s the way I cope with all those crap days when my writing’s going nowhere, the kids are bickering, the laundry’s not doing itself or I’ve just had another killer list of revisions.

What’s my not-so-secret secret?

Every two years I make a date with my best mate Catri and we leave husbands and kids behind and take two weeks off to hit the open road in the US. Catri lives in Kildare, Ireland and I live in London so, barring the odd low-cost Ryan Air flight, we don’t see nearly enough of each other. Those trips keep us sane, reconnect our friendship and give us two precious weeks of being young, free and almost single again. (I love my husband and my boys, but you know what I mean, right?).

Why America? Because it’s the can-do society. It’s got so many different and wonderful landscapes to explore and people to meet and because Catri and I are both mad keen movie fans. For us, being in Monument Valley, or the Great Smokey Mountains, or the Shenandoah River Valley is like being in a movie — of course, on one memorable occasion, we thought we might have ended up in a slasher movie, but that’s another story.

So, what’s so virtual about this – and what’s it got to do with my latest book, The Tycoon’s Very Personal Assistant?

Well, I’ll tell you. To get the maximum enjoyment out of our trips (and to stay sane until the next one comes along), Catri and I do lots and lots of online planning. We check out luxury resorts (which we can’t afford). We investigate possible excursions (like a mule-train trip into the Grand Canyon which Catri totally chickened out of), We salivate over B&B menus and generally live these holidays in our heads and on our computer screens and via email. We rarely book anything because we like to be spontaneous but all that virtual travelling keeps the flame alive and builds the anticipation until we’re practically hyperventilating by the time we meet at the airport. Not to mention providing me with a great form of procrastination in the months leading up to take-off.

Google is our guilty pleasure. Expedia.com our nirvana. Deferred gratification? You betcha.

So, for our trip last October we were planning the heck out of California and at the same time I was trying to jump-start an idea that had totally stalled. Needless to say I went into denial and instead of working on my story, I spent all my time googling cabins in the Redwoods, motels near Death Valley, driving distances from LA to San Luis Obispo and the like. And while I was Virtual Vacation planning — and busy giving that uncooperative manuscript the cold shoulder — I discovered a luxury resort in Big Sur on the Central Californian Coast.
It was breath-taking. Dramatic cliff-top cabins, open fireplaces, hot tubs on the deck, huge four-poster beds, private coves, a luxury spa, a cordon bleu restaurant, the works. And inspiration struck. I thought, I can so see my ex-gambler-turned-hotel-tycoon hero wanting to leave his life in Vegas behind and live here — and driving him wild when he got there would be my heroine Kate, a penniless English girl who’d been caught in her bra and knickers trying to beat down a door in his Vegas hotel.

You see, so far I’d only written that opening hook. Kate wrapped in her bathrobe and a bad attitude being interrogated by a sexy Vegas hotel tycoon — and after that my story was a complete blank, and getting blanker by the day. But once I’d spent a morning browsing the delights of my Big Sur resort all those blank sheets just seemed to fill up and slot into place. Zack’s hopes; his dreams; the traumatic incident from his childhood that had formed him; Kate’s recklessness, her independence and the fear of being powerless that lay right behind it; and even an exceedingly hot strip-poker scene.

Three months later, Catri and I went to Big Sur and watched the sunset over the Pacific with a cold beer in our hands on the deck of our Yurt. (Don’t know what a yurt is? Look up the Treebones Resort on Google. Better yet, go stay there.) And during that holiday I got an email from my editor accepting Zack and Kate’s story (having taken a bit of time out from all my virtual vacation planning to actually write the flipping thing). Holidays, virtual and otherwise don’t get much better than that.

So, here’s a sneak peek of Zack and Kate and the strip-poker game inspired by my virtual vacation in Big Sur…

Kate watched Zack frown at his cards and couldn’t resist a grin. Another bum hand for Mr Poker Man. After trying every seductive trick she could think of in the last twenty minutes his game had gone to pieces.

Pretending to study her own more than adequate pair of tens, she slipped her fingertip under the lacy edge of her bra and ran it down the plump swell of her breast with a lazy sigh.

He swore under his breath.

‘Pair of twos says you take the bra off, now,’ he snapped, throwing the pitiful hand face up onto the rug.

‘Well what do you know.’ Kate waved her cards in his face, savouring her moment of triumph. ‘It appears my pair of tens wins.’ All he had left on were his Calvin Klein boxer shorts. She pointed at the obscenely-stretched cotton, her own sex throbbing with anticipation. ‘Hand over the Calvins, buster.’

‘Not till I get the bra.’

‘Sorry, no can do.’ She flapped her tens at him again. ‘I won.’

To her utter shock, he clamped strong fingers round her wrist, whipped the cards out of her hand and flung them into the fire. ‘Game’s over, sweetheart.’

‘You can’t do that!’ she shouted staring at her winning cards as their edges curled up in the flames.

‘Wanna bet?’ he said, standing up and hauling her with him.

In one smooth move, he trapped her arms behind her back, manacled them in one hand, and covered her gaping mouth with his.

Now if you want to tell me your favourite Virtual Vacation destination (a place you’re planning to visit, want to visit, or just dream of visiting) I’ll pick a winner for a copy of The Tycoon’s Very Personal Assistant — which is my July Modern Heat release in the UK and will be out as a Presents in the US in September.

If you want to read some other Sneak Peeks from Heidi’s books or find out some of the Cool Places she’s visited in the USA and elsewhere go to her website on http://www.heidi-rice.com/ or her blog on heidi-rice.blogspot.com.

For more info on other Modern Heat releases and authors there’s also their super-duper joint blog at http://www.sensationalromance.blogspot.com/.

Writers' Wednesday - Remember You're Not Alone

No, that’s not a threat! This isn’t about Big Brother watching you. This week our columnist Annie West talks about the fact that in the lonely business of writing, sometimes it pays to remember you’re not the only author out there slaving over a manuscript.

Writing fiction can be an absolute joy. The characters grab you, the words flow, the next scene beckons with glittering promise. You just can’t get the words down fast enough. Days, weeks, hours like that are fantastic moments to be treasured. For, like most things, writing has its ups and downs. There are days when writing a decent page is like wrestling a herd of hissing cats, when your characters don’t want to come out and talk to you, much less each other, or when feedback from readers, editors, contest judges or reviewers leaves you feeling less than enthusiastic.

Most writers love time alone just to think and delve into their imaginations. For many of us, too much distraction can be a problem as we try to create our new world. A friend of mine is a newly published author. She lives not far from me. I didn’t know she existed, much less wrote romance, till after her first book was accepted as she wasn’t on the email loops and wasn’t known to the local romance writers’ loop. For her, the important thing was (and still is) focusing her energies on the story she wanted to tell (sensible girl). Now she comes out to play from time to time and I’m so glad as she’s great company and we get a lot out of our coffee chats. In comparison I have other writer friends who thrive on the stimulation of contact with other writers as a necessary part of their daily routine and find that helps energise them for the work ahead. Me? I’m somewhere in the middle.

We each need to choose how much interaction with other writers works best for us.

However, I’m a firm believer in the positives that come from mixing with other writers, whether it’s on a regular basis or just once in a while. There are:
Local or online writers groups where you can chat about books, market changes, or get your work critiqued;
Blogs (like this!) where you can talk to other romance readers and writers and hear their take on things;
Email loops that can provide informal support, answer specific questions or provide a chat forum;
Conferences (from the stupendously large to the small and intimate) where you can mix with other writers as well as editors or agents; and
Writer’s workshops on specific themes.

Here are some of the benefits:
Getting technical know how (from how to submit a partial manuscript to how to write a flashback);
Getting market information;
Understanding the business you’re in (I’m incredibly indebted to a number of authors who’ve patiently explained some of the intricacies of publishing);
Honing your craft (writer’s workshops are perfect for that). I like the way a good presenter can crystallise the ideas I grapple with alone;
Getting personal feedback on your latest story idea or scene;
Receiving support when you need it;
Celebrating good news with friends who understand what a ‘good’ rejection means or who appreciate the thrill of your acceptance b a publisher;
Discovering that whatever problem you’re facing with your manuscript, agent, editor or publisher, it’s probably happened to someone before you and they’ve survived; and
Feeling that you can do it (write the book, submit the story, enter the contest) after all.

Of course, one of the best ways to connect with other writers is to read their books! Reading great stories feeds the creative juices and reinforces the love of the genre. I’ve lost track of the benefits I’ve got from catching up with other writers. For instance, my first book accepted by Harlequin, ‘A Mistress for the Taking’, grew out of an idea that came to me at a romance writers’ workshop, listening to inspiring Harlequin authors Miranda Lee and Emma Darcy.

What’s the most worthwhile experience you’ve had of mixing with others in your chosen field? Do you remember one incident making a huge difference to you?

Annie is currently working on a new book for Harlequin Presents/Modern/Sexy, and drawing on ideas she’s discussing with writer friends. In the meantime, her most recent book ‘The Greek Tycoon’s Unexpected Wife’ is available from eHarlequin or Amazon as a Presents Extra edition.

Temptation Tuesday - The Lure of Intrigue!

This Tuesday we welcome Julie Miller, who wears a number of hats but today is wearing her INTRIGUE one...and shares why this line is so very wonderful to write for! Welcome Julie!

Hey, gang--I'm here to talk about all things Intrigue today. But first, I'd like to thank our hosts for inviting me to be a guest blogger here today!

As my (egad!) 31st book comes out this month (in the U.S.--6 months later in the U.K., I believe)--PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS, I'm beginning to think I might know a thing or two about Harlequin Intrigue. If you have any questions about the line (if you're an aspiring writer, they are looking to acquire new authors, btw), I'd be happy to answer them. Here's a little trivia--the very first Harlequin Intrigue came out in 1984--THE KEY by Rebecca Flanders. I read it. I loved it. I was hooked on the line from the very beginning. I've long been an avid reader of Intrigues, and now I'm fortunate enough to be able to write the books I love--sensual, deeply emotional, fast-paced romantic suspense. Usually with a twisty mystery. Always with an emotionally satisfying ending.

In 2009, Harlequin celebrates its 60th anniversary. And, the Intrigue line celebrates its 25th birthday. So I guarantee you, there are exciting things happening with the line to celebrate--revisiting favorite mini-series, books by some of the line's most beloved authors, an exciting continuity that includes everything reads love about Intrigue and more.

Since the "intriguing" excitement is buzzing through my veins, I thought I'd just share a fact or ten about Intrigue.

1. They're all breathtaking romantic suspense books. (no laugh out loud comedies need apply--if the story doesn't have fast pacing, lots of danger (physical and/or psychological), action, great villains.

2. Intrigue is a welcome home for larger-than-life heroes. (Ahh, yes. The #1 reason why I love Intrigues--those big, bad men of honor, whether alpha protectors or genius scientists who use their cunning more than their brawn, will always do the right thing in the end--save the heroine (especially if she was brave enough to save him first!), take down the bad guy, and make a faithful promise to the woman he loves. And, he'll be sexy as all get-out while he's getting the job done.)

3. Intrigue is also home to smart, savvy heroines. Whether cops or criminalists, virgins or single moms, these are strong women. Now mind you, she might not know their own strengths when the story begins, but I guarantee you, by the time the story is done, she will have discovered she's smarter, stronger, more resourceful, etc., than she ever thought possible. She'll have solved the mystery, rescued the hero, faced down the bad guy, protected her family, and stood up for what is right and just. She can be shy or bold, innocent or experienced in life and love. But she's got what it takes to survive and thrive, and to be woman enough to love that larger than life hero.

4. The bigger and badder the villain in an Intrigue, the better. He can be an evil scientist plotting to take over the world. A stalker with an obsessive passion for a woman who doesn't want him. A misguided scientist who believes his ideas are the ones that will save the world, no matter what it costs the innocents in his path. A mobster. An abusive ex. A jewel thief. A cop gone bad and more. The villain in an Intrigue has to be a worthy opponent for the hero and heroine to track down and take down--the more dangerous he is, the more resourceful the H/h must be. Readers want that satisfying sense of justice at the end of a romantic suspense--whether the villain goes to prison or goes up in a blaze of glory--and Intrigue delivers.

5. There's a myth about Intrigues that says they're all about the flash and bang of action and danger. That's only part of the story. Intrigues are deeply-emotional stories. Sure, there's the obvious external conflict between the good guys and the bad guys. But there are deep, well-rounded characters in an Intrigue. After all, it takes someone with a lot of integrity, a deep feeling about a person or cause, a bone-deep sense of honor and justice to stand up to danger and defeat it, right? Emotions run high and run deep in an Intrigue, and that means the romantic emotions are equally intense. Now the love scenes can vary from sweet to steamy, but that sensual, emotional intensity is always there.

6. Mini-series are especially popular with Intrigues. Many of Intrigue's most popular authors established themselves with a connected community of characters. Debra Webb's Colby Agency. Rebecca York's 43 Light Street. Tracy Montoya's Mission: Family. Dana Marton's SDDU military heroes. Delores Fossen's Secret Babies. (and, ahem, shameless plug time...) My own Taylor Clan and Precinct books. My Kansas City cops are back this month to launch a 4-book mini-series called The Precinct: The Brotherhood of the Badge. Faithful readers will recognize a lot of the characters from K.C.'s fictional Fourth Precinct. But you'll get to meet the Kincaid Brothers--all cops, all men, all determined to do whatever it takes to solve their father's murder. You can read an excerpt from the first book, PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS, at my website at . PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS is Sawyer Kincaid's story. In July, you can read Atticus Kincaid's story in ARMED AND DEVASTATING. Then, in October and November, respectively, the mini-series continues with Holden Kincaid's story, PRIVATE S.W.A.T. TAKEOVER, and Edward Kincaid's story, KANSAS CITY CHRISTMAS. Remember what I said about larger than life heroes? I think you'll like these four brothers.

7. Likewise, inline continuities are annual fare in the Intrigue line, and 2009 will be have a special celebration in honor of Harlequin's 60th and Intrigue's 25th--an eight-month long continuity called THE KENNER COUNTY CRIME UNIT. Set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest U.S., you'll meet FBI agents, CSI investigators, a Native American tracker (my hero!), profilers, wealthy inventors and more--all trying to solve the murder of an FBI agent, which leads to uncovering the theft of millions of dollars, which leads to a crime family, which leads to... Twisty mystery. Droolworthy heroes. Strong heroines. Danger and action. Hmm. Even I'm looking forward to reading it!

8. Intrigue is a line that features rookie and seasoned authors alike. So whether you have an old favorite you look forward to reading, or you like to try something new, you'll find a romantic suspense story to love.

9. Some of your favorite big-name, best-selling authors started at Intrigue, and many still write for the line. Suzanne Brockmann. Tess Gerritsen. Aimee Thurlo. Rebecca York. Debra Webb. Need I say more about the quality of the line?

10. Intrigue is popular across the world. We've gotten wonderful fan letters and emails from Iceland, Pakistan, Germany, Brazil, England, Australia, France, Sweden, Italy, and, of course, Canada and the U.S.A. They love romantic suspense. They love a mystery. They love a good romance. Who doesn't?

And little ol' me gets to write for Intrigue? You betcha. Yes, I write other things--steamy military and law-enforcement hero romances for Harlequin Blaze, and ST paranormals--but Intrigue is a good fit for me. It's what I love to read, and I love to write it. And I'm thrilled to know I'm not alone in my love for Harlequin's line of breath-taking romantic suspense!

Thanks again for spending some time with me today!

Happy Reading,

Julie Miller

Male on Monday - Those Canadian Boys!

This Male on Monday Donna Alward takes us north to Canada, for some actors that are well known and some that are not...but maybe should be!

Seeing as Canada's birthday is just around the corner, I thought I should celebrate some of the boys from north of the border.

First up....Keanu Reeves. We saw him in The Matrix, and Speed, and some other stuff, but for me my fave with him is also a fave of Pink Hearter Trish Wylie....THE LAKE HOUSE.

At first glance, you think this is Tom, right? WRONG! This is none other than Brendan Fraser. Now he was born in Indiana, but to Canadian parents and spent lots of his formative years in Ontario, so I figure we have at least an equal claim on him. I LOVED him in THE MUMMY movies.

Aaron Douglas...little known actor but one with scads of credits, actually. He's from Vancouver and we see him reading here on the set of Battlestar Galactica (and don't we love a reader, ladies???). He's an every guy's guy, and his passion for hockey something to behold. Best thing about him: his sense of humour. You might have seen him in The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Ah yes...David James Elliot. Star of long running series JAG as Commander Harmon Rabb. He was born in Ontario and quit high school to pursue a music career....only to decide that wasn't such a good idea. He went back to school, started acting, and made the move to LA. In 2006 he joined the cast of Close To Home and he also starred in a tv movie called The Man Who Lost Himself. This should appeal to all category romance writers as it's a true story about amnesia!

Ryan Reynolds, ex of another Canuck star, Alanis Morissette. These days he's hooked up with Scarlet Johannson, and wedding bells are on the horizon. I know this pic is a little grainy, but my word. The six pack (or is that a dozen, holy doodle) is worth it.

I absolutely loved him in JUST FRIENDS.


And my final selection (and I've hardly skimmed the surface of Canadian hotness) is Tahmoh Penikett.

Penikett was born in the city of Whitehorse, in the Yukon, and his background, which includes strong ties to the Upper Tanana tribe and their traditions, led him to his love of storytelling.

If you're a Smallville fan, he was the Super Soldier in those episodes, and he's also been on Cold Squad and The L Word. Right now he's arguably one of the best characters on Battlestar Galactica....as Helo. He is a real hero's hero.

So...who are some of your favourite Canadians?

Battlestar Galactica is finishing it's run for this season....with another half-season to go next year. Now Donna is scouring IMDB to find out what projects her favourite actors are up to next! In the meantime she's working on her next project for Harlequin Romance.