Male on Monday - The Heidi Rice Bad Boy Hall of Fame

Modern Heat author Heidi Rice celebrates the release of her new book featuring a bad boy British duke (yes really!!) by taking a trip down memory lane and enjoying all over again some of the great movie bad boys of her youth... Plus some recent additions.

All right, so anyone who knows me, or has read any of my books, knows I've got a bit of a weak spot for bad boys. Tough, taciturn and dangerously irresistible, the bad boy is an archetype that I have always adored. With his battered cowboy boots, his worn jeans, his t-shirt stretched over rippling biceps and that oh-so-sexy glint of mischief in his eye, he oozes the sort of smouldering sexuality that just makes me drool. But quite apart from the sexiness, and that devil-may-care attitude which promises the thrill of a wild ride to your happy ever after, what really makes the bad boy so appealing I think is the vulnerability that lurks beneath the tough exterior. Bad boys have baggage, they have scars, they've had to struggle to survive and it's only when you find that tender spot that you will be able to tame them....

So now I'm going to take you on a sentimental journey through some of the best bad boys ever to grace the big or small screen, IMHO!

First off has to be James Dean in East of Eden. He's perhaps best known for his role as the iconic American fifties teen, the emblem of misunderstood youth, in Rebel Without a Cause (which is another of my favourite movies) but I always think his uniquely tortured performance as the rejected son in this John Steinbeck adaptation has the edge for me. Cal Trask is a boy who has never had the love of a mother and whose father has never understood him, and as he struggles to win his father's approval teenagers everywhere can't help but identify him. I certainly did! Plus there's the tentative romance with his brother's girlfriend Abra (beautifully played by Julie Harris) - a good girl drawn to Cal's wildness. Watch this film and then watch Robert Pattinson's performance in Twilight and you'll known exactly where RPatz is coming from...

Okay, so Jimmy Dean is the quintessential bad boy. But what happens when the boy becomes a man... Hold on to your hearts ladies, cos three actors in the fifties and sixties made these parts there own.

Marlon Brando, who before he became the size of a small-semi detached house, exuded raw sexuality in films such as Streetcar Named Desire and The Wild One. My favourite though has to be On the Waterfront. I've blogged about it before, so I won't rant on about it now, because frankly I could write a novel about how good this film is. Surfice it to say, Terry Malloy, the beaten down ex-boxer in the film is the perfect combo of tough and tender. Inarticulate and tortured by guilt, Brando's performance is a work of genius... Not least in the justifiably famous 'I coulda been a contender' scene where he takes his gangland brother to task for selling him and his hopes of becoming a real fighter down the river. It's a heart-breaking scene done with just the right balance of tenderness and disillusionment.

Then there's Paul Newman. Almost too beautiful to be real with those piercing blue eyes and chiselled cheekbones, he's at his sexiest in The Long Hot Summer, where he plays the ultimate outsider (another important bad boy trait!!). A man who's hustled and cheated and charmed his way through life and seems to have very little substance until Joanne Woodward's smart sassy spinster discovers the truth... That what he's really doing is running from a miserable childhood and punishing himself for  the sins of his father.... My heart was lost, and Joanne's was too - the pair fell in love while making the movie and boy does it show.

And finally, Steve McQueen. Who was actually the real McCoy, a guy who had survived a stint in reform school as a teenager to become a Hollywood star. My favourite of his film roles is probably The Magnificent Seven, in which he has about three lines as a laconic mercenary but manages to steal the film out from under  it's star Yul Brynner.... And can fire a six-shooter with pin-point accuracy while leaping over a wall! But here he is smouldering fabulously in Bullitt. They didn't call him the King of Cool for nothing.

Those four are my favourites. Let's face it they don't make bad boys like that anymore... Or do they? I've gotta give a few honourable mentions to more recent screen bad boys who have certainly captured my attention... And been inspiration for a few of my books.

Josh Hollway's Sawyer in Lost is a delicious example. The McQueen-like con-man with his whip-cord lean physique and straggly blond locks was the dark side to Jack's heroic doctor. Skulking around in the background on that beach in Series One, cheating the rest of the survivors out of the spoils from the plane crash and busy making everyone hate him... But of course, he's a bit more complex than that, and the scene in which Kate discovers that he isn't nearly as bad as he wants to make out is an absolute doozy....And this being Lost, of course Sawyer kept getting more and more complex! Another great moment comes in Series Two (or was it Three!!) when Sawyer and Kate finally get it on in a cage.... Oh my, I'm fanning myself here just thinking about it.

Another top pick has to be Russell Crowe as maverick cop Bud White in LA Confidential. With his buzz cut hair and flash-fire temper, White is at first pretty scary, a violent man with a badge. But when he falls head over heels for Kim Basinger's prostitute we get a tantalising glimpse into his past, and just where that uncontrollable temper comes from and your heart can't help but melt. And given good ole Russ's well documented moments of madness in real life, there's a ring of truth to his performance here that only adds to the impact.

And last but not least there's Jon Hamm as Don Draper in the superlative USTV series Mad Men. A sleek superficial sixties ad man who exudes confident charm on the surface, Don is actually a deeply troubled soul beset by the demons of his childhood and his complete inability to make honest human connections with anyone... Including his wife who he's put on a pedestal but cannot remain faithful to... Yup, Don really is a very, very bad boy indeed. And about as far as it's possible to get from Jimmy Dean's misunderstood teen. But hey, who said bad boys can't come in lots of different varieties?


And needless to say, I love em all!

So do you love bad boys too? And if so, who's your favourite, and why?  I'm always eager to add a new one to the Hall of Fame.

Heidi is currently working on her next book for Modern Heat and doing heaps of bad boy research into the bargain.... Her latest book Unfinished Business with the Duke is in shops in the UK now and will hit the US as a Presents Extra in October. And then she has her Christmas romance Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger due out in the UK in December. Come have a natter on her blog, her website, or her Facebook page...

Wildcard Weekend: Fun with Town Names

Love Inspired Author Winnie Griggs investigates the whys and wherefores of naming towns.

I love to set the stories I write in small towns and rural communities. Having lived in small towns myself all my life, I know first hand the sense of community and family such a setting provides. In fact, the tag line I use on my website, Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace, says it all.

And one of my favorite things to do when I’m starting a new book is to come up with a memorable name for the town it’ll be set in. Being from south Louisiana, my fascination with out-of-the-ordinary or intriguing town names goes back to my roots. My earliest childhood memories are from a period when we lived in a town called Westwego. My Dad hails from Dutchtown (which was actually settled by Germans - go figure) and my Mom is from Lockport. Surrounding towns had such colorful names as Pointe A La Hache, Crown Point, Belle Chasse, Tickfaw, Grosse Tete, Triumph, New Roads and Bogalusa. My husband was born and raised in a wonderful town called Plain Dealing, Louisiana and that’s where we have lived for most of our married life.

Yes ma’am, finding the right name for my town is as important to me as finding the right name for my characters. Come to think of it, my towns are characters in my books. I try to come up with something unique, something with personality, a name that’s maybe just a little bit quirky. It sometimes takes me weeks to find something that really resonates with me. And like getting the right names for my hero and heroine, I can’t move forward with the story until I’ve nailed it.

Town names I’ve used in some of my books in the past are Far Enough, Pepper Cloud, Whistling Oak, Turnabout Sweetgum and Knotty Pine. Each of those names were carefully selected to subtly paint a picture or evoke a feeling that I felt would add another layer to the overall story I wanted to tell.

For instance, take my current book, THE HEART’S SONG. This story was a departure for me in several ways. It is my very first contemporary and it is also the first book I’ve set in my home state of Louisiana. I’ve personally lived in both the SE corner of the state and the NW corner. These are two very different worlds - socially, philosophically, environmentally. So I chose to set this book in the central portion of the state, an area where the Cajun joi de vivre meets the small town cowboy culture. A community handbell choir plays a big part in this book as well.

I naturally wanted was to find a name that had a Louisiana ‘feel’ to it. But I also wanted something with a very subtle musical feel to it as well. For some reason, I thought of the word ‘timpani’ which refers to kettledrums in an orchestra. There is also the tympanic membrane in the ear that helps with our hearing. From that came Tippanyville, a made up name, from a made up word, that nevertheless (hopefully) conveys just the right feel for my small central Louisiana town.

So, do you pay very much attention to town names in book? Do they help set the tone for you at all? And are there real town names you’ve come across that have tickled your fancy, piqued your interest or just plain caught your eye?

You can learn more about Winnie Griggs' Small Town set, Big Hearted Books with Amazing Grace at her website.

Must Watch Friday - new technology by Kate Hardy

Kate Hardy finds a different sort of screen to watch, this week...

I know, I know, the Friday slot ‘must watch’ slot is really meant to be about films and stuff... but I've been under the deadline cosh and I haven't watched a film in AGES. (I have a big TBW pile, including Bright Star, which I'm really looking forward to seeing soon.) And the only drama I've been watching on TV isn't really a romance (Ashes to Ashes – fantastic show, some romantic elements, but it’s not strictly romance). So instead, my 'must watch' for this week is new technology: the kind of stuff that’s really useful for writers. And the one I'm talking about in particular is a screen...

I've been lusting after a netbook for a while, but the big issue for me was that I'd have to get a removable hard drive (or download Word etc from the net) to get Word on there, and I wanted everything to be easy. Plus I find typing on laptops really uncomfortable (and a lot of the keyboards just didn’t feel right to me – yeah, I’m fussy, but this is my livelihood and it has to be comfortable because I don’t want to end up with RSI). And the wait while the laptop powers up drives me crazy – I can go away and make a cup of tea if it’s the desktop, but I’m mobile I want INSTANT.

The alternative was my PDA – which switches on instantly and can transfer Word files easily via an SD card (necessary, because the memory is tiny), but it doesn’t like handling anything bigger than one chapter. You have to use a stylus for typing; handwriting recognition is hit and miss, or maybe my handwriting is just particularly bad. The predictive text is good, BUT the PDA remembers your typos and won't let you take them out of the dictionary.

So far, nothing was better than a desktop for me.

And then came the iPad. Ha, I thought. Load of hype. It’ll be just a glorified iPod Touch. Can’t justify the price tag.

The kids are on half term this week, so we went into town on Wednesday. They made me go into the Apple shop. And we got to play with one…

I have to say, I was blown away - this was everything I was looking for. Light, easy to use, a really good backlit screen (and it has auto brightness so you can use it outside – not like when I’m diving into the shadows to read a text on my touchscreen mobile phone). Yes, it’s very like a large iPod touch (and you can download iPod apps onto it) but it’s even BETTER. It switches on instantly, like the iPod (and the PDA). The screen is the size of – well, see for yourself (that’s a Harlequin on top of the screen). Perfect.

It can handle Word documents (you have to buy Pages to make that work, but the program costs less than the price of an average CD) and it can also transfer them between the iPad and the desktop PC (though I'm still working on the power management side of things - do Apple think all creative types are messy and disorganised and don't file anything, I wonder?). It has a dedicated e-book reader (but the 'Goodreads' app is actually slightly better for PDF files, which is what all my Harlequin e-books are). It stores music, so I can have a playlist organised for the book I'm working on,. And photos (for research - and also means I can have a pic of my dog as my wallpaper). And you can download excellent limbering-up tools (this is the only reason I downloaded Boggle, honestly…).

Keyboard? Well, there's an onscreen touch one, and the Apple case is beautifully designed so it puts the iPad on the slant and makes it easy to type. Above you can see what it looks like if you use the onscreen keyboard landscape mode. You just touch the screen to press the key.

However, you can also buy a keyboard dock (which I did, after trying one out in the shop) and that’s really comfortable to use. No need for a mouse because you can use the touchscreen to move around the document (and I will no doubt learn keyboard shortcuts when I've used it for a while).

Mine isn't connected to the net, yet, as we have a wired broadband connection (but I'm working on that, too!). But I have to say, this is a brilliant piece of kit. And it's definitely going to make life easier for this writer. Instead of fretting about wasted time, I can work while waiting in the car on the school run (developers have closed the road where I used to park, so now I have to leave earlier to get a parking space - and we're 4 miles from school so walking isn't an option).

I know I'm not the only one tempted by this (waves to Maisey Yates). So tell me - what technology have you had your eye on lately, and have you succumbed to temptation?

Kate’s book Good Girl or Gold Digger? (aka the fairground book) is still available in the US and Australial; and in the UK you can get an early copy of Neurosurgeon… and Mum! from the Mills and Boon website. You can find out more about the books, and Kate, on her website (http://www.katehardy.com/) and her blog (http://katehardy.blogspot.com/).

What are you Reading Thursday with Carol Townend

Come see what's on Historicals author Carol Townend's bookshelf!



My tbr books roughly divide into three piles: a research pile; a pure pleasure pile and a travel pile.



My research tbr pile is the one that is tottering most, so that is the one I am concentrating on at the moment. Homer’s Iliad may sound an odd choice, but I’m currently working on a mini-series set in 11th Century Byzantium and since the Byzantines were very keen on Homer, I thought it would help get into the mind of my heroine if I reminded myself of some of the stories she would be familiar with. I recently re-watched Troy starring Brad Pitt as Achilles for the same reason. Well, that was my excuse…

Also on my research pile is Homer’s Odyssey for the same reasons, as well as Thomas Bullfinch’s Myths of Greece and Rome. None of the ancient gods or myths may even be mentioned in the final draft, I am writing an historical not a paranormal, but the mind works in mysterious ways and the odd mention of a labyrinth for example can add extra layers to a story.

The most important book in the research pile is Judith Herrin’s Byzantium, The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. It is fascinating, I have read it several times already and am re-reading it because of my appalling memory!

And a new favourite is Byzantine Costume Paper Dolls. It is not easy finding good pictures of Byzantine costumes so there are to be no comments about this one being for children! (Although I do admit that many children’s history books are great for research.)

In the pure pleasure tbr pile, I have Anne Herries’ The Pirate’s Willing Captive as well as Michelle Willingham’s Taming Her Irish Warrior. I am really looking forward to these, but I am making myself space them out between the research books - management by incentive!

And then there is the travel pile – which is half way between research and pleasure. We are thinking of going to Tuscany for a few days, so Dorling Kindersley’s Italy is being thumbed through, as well as various maps of Tuscany, and a guide to Florence.

Her Banished Lord, the fifth and final title in Carol’s Wessex Weddings series is out in the UK at the beginning of June. For more details about this book and series, visit Carol’s blogsite: http://www.caroltownend.co.uk


ISBN 9780263875904 £3.99

Writer's Wednesday - Waiting

Our regular columnist Annie West ponders on the one of the often unspoken aspects of a writer's life.

When I began writing I didn't seem to have enough time. I was always trying to fit writing between other aspects of my life. That hasn't changed. If anything, it's grown a tad more hectic over the years. But one aspect of my time management has. When I was unpublished the waits seemed inordinate - to the next writers' meeting when I might get feedback on a new scene, on a contest result and most of all, on an editor's response to my proposal or manuscript. But, being unpublished and beholden to noone but myself, I could use those waits any way I wanted. If I didn't want to start a new project I could fritter a few months doing other things. Most often though, I'd be getting stuck into the next project while I waited to hear if anyone was interested in the last one.

As a published author, the waits are still there (sorry if that shatters any illusions!). They may not be lengthy as before, but they're still a factor in any writer's schedule. Most editors have quite a few authors to deal with and their time is sometimes spread pretty thin. Publication is no guarantee of an on the spot answer to your latest story proposal, your manuscript, revisions, or any other questions that might arise.

The difference is that now, working as an author trying to build a career, I need to make the most of that waiting time. If I were to just down tools during a wait, I'd be scurrying madly later to catch up. And I'm no longer just writing to please myself, sometimes it's best to wait for that editorial feedback before plunging into something new and completely different!

So, what to do while you're waiting? Here are some thoughts on ways to use this time, whether you're published or unpublished:

Work on your next project. Maybe write a proposal or two, or at least jot down plot ideas you might use later. You never know when they'll come in handy.

Tidy up your diary to list all your commitments so you don't miss any. Sometimes I find myself with a mass of scrawled notes I daren't throw out but with no time to organise them till I meet my deadline.

Revisit your writing plan. Are you on schedule to achieve your goals? What else did you plan to do this year that you haven't done? Maybe a short story or an article you've been meaning to write for ages.

Research your next story. A couple of days learning about marine archaeology or hospital emergency procedures or the ins and outs of wills and codicils may save you pausing in the middle of writing the next book to check details.

Get ahead on your commitments. When you're not writing your story, you could be drafting a blog for a month ahead or an article you promised that's due just when you're likely to have revisions. Or were you planning to send out a newsletter one day?

Sigh, it grieves me to say it but sometimes a couple of days getting your tax return up to date is a great investment of time. Or other admin things like getting in office supplies.

If you've done all that, write, anything!

I've saved the most important till last:

Catch up on your sleep. Meeting deadlines or getting revisions in quickly, while managing a household or a day job or sick kids or whatever life throws as you can be wearing. If you've got extra time, recharge your batteries.

Read. It's a perfect time to tackle your tbr pile and 'fill the creative well' by enjoying stories you haven't personally had to slave over.

Get some exercise! Good for the body but also good for the brain. Maybe a massage too as writing tends to kink you up. Or maybe, with this little extra time it's a chance to investigate the tai chi or yoga or kick boxing or pilates class you've been meaning to find ot about.

Spend more time with family and friends. When the deadline is looming you have less time just to have fun with them.

How do you deal with waiting? Where do you channel your energies when you hit a delay of some sort? Do you enjoy the down time as a chance to rest, or do you get on with other things?

Annie's going to spend at least some time this month drooling over her latest release! SCANDAL: HIS MAJESTY'S LOVE-CHILD is part of the DARK HEARTED DESERT MEN series and she freely admits to being smitten by her hero, Tahir. You can read about it on her website or buy it from Amazon, Amazon UK or Barnes and Noble. It's a June UK release and a July release in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Travel Tuesday - Sensual Vacations

PHS Editor Donna Alward takes a trip using her senses....

I posted on my personal blog yesterday about being a Type A personality and working hard.  A lot of type A's don't know how to relax.  It's true that I'm so structured I generally SCHEDULE relaxation, but it's better than not getting any at all.  Because I realize I need it.

When life is crazy, it's the little moments that can have big impact, and as a writer I think I'm self-trained in being observant.  Using my senses.  How do things feel beneath your fingertips? What different colours fade into each other in a sunset?  How is the blue of the lake different in September than it is in July? What do you taste on your tongue? Hear? Smell?

What things make you relax and what stresses you out?

When I was thinking of those questions, the answers automatically came to me as ones that make me feel good.  Beneath my fingertips was the soft rills of cordurouy fabric.  A sunset?  Blues, lavenders, pinks and peaches. A September blue is deeper, settled into itself, rather than the hot, brash colour of July. Tastes of homemade bread, cinnamon, rich red wine.  I hear the haunting call of the loons on the lake. Smell: lilacs.  Apple blossoms. Fresh cut grass.

And what does all this have to do with relaxation?

Well, the truth is there isn't always time for a spa day or a vacation.  Sometimes you need to recharge using the little things.  And those little things come via the senses.

A few weekends ago we went to visit my family.  On the Saturday afternoon we found ourselves at my sister's place.  We didn't do much of anything.  We went down to the water for a short while and the dog had a swim, but mostly we sat on the deck. 

The sun was hot, soaking through my clothes, and the air was perfumed.  It was exactly what I needed to recharge.  Lily of the Valley and lilac drifted down from the front yard and below us was a giant old apple tree in bloom.  It just smelled good, and of scents that I adore.  Obviously; if you look at my webpage banner you'll see lilacs and apple blossoms in the graphic.  There's a reason.  :-)  I didn't need anything else but the sun and the scents.  They reminded me of home, and slow afternoons on the porch, or walking in the rows of apple trees in the spring.  They are smells I associate with being contented and happy.

This photo isn't mine, but it's the right area.  Check out Nat's pics on flickr.

Why do we call foods comfort foods?  Because they make us feel warm, take us back to a time when we felt good and safe and protected.  Senses are tied to emotion.  Deeply tied.  A September blue lake immediately puts me in a field overlooking the Mactaquac headpond from a place I called my "secret spot".  The loons are camping several years ago and hearing them in the dusky twilight as we settled the kids for the night.  Sunset is looking upriver and seeing the colours blend in to each other, feeling the warmth on my skin from the last light of the day. Cinnamon is coffeecake and hermit cookies, fresh bread my grandmother - strawberry freezer jam is a must.  As I'm writing, I try to make sure that I employ the senses and the feelings they inspire in my characters. 

I'm not sure when I'm going to get a "real" vacation, but I do know that the few days I spent soaking in the sun a few weeks ago felt really, really good.

The next time you need to relax, take a sensual vacation!  No travel agent required.  :-)

Donna's next book is HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE in the Mills and Boon anthology Mediterranean Men and Marriage, coming in July in the UK.