Industry Insider: Cover Model Kyli Knaack

This month's Industry Insider interview guest is the cover model from Donna Alward's Hired: The Italian's Bride - the gorgeous Kyli Knaack.  Welcome to the PHS, Kyli, and thanks for taking time out of your crazy schedule to answer a few questions!


How many book covers have you done?


This is the only cover I have done so far. I will be returning to New York soon, so hopefully I will get the opportunity to shoot more book covers.

What was your favourite part about being a model for this cover?

I enjoy trying new things. I had never been a model for the cover of a book before so I found it interesting. When I purchased the book at the store, the face on the cashier was priceless when she realized it was me. My friends and family (especially my mom...a big romance novel fan) got a kick out of seeing me on the cover too.


How much are you told about the character that you are supposed to be portraying beforehand?

I was only give a brief summary of the story. I knew that I was supposed to be the employee and Robert was my boss. I didn't get a chance to read the story until it came out several months later.


Can you describe a cover shoot for us?

For this particular shoot, I did my own hair and makeup. The clothes were provided for me. We were given a quick summary of the story and shown a general idea of what they wanted for the cover picture. We got dressed, took our places in the shot, and proceeded to pose. The look that they want is planned out; it's almost like a science.

After a shoot, how do you relax?

Modeling is a job, just like any other. After work, I like to hang out, eat mexican food, make jewelry, watch movies....the usual things.

How long does a cover shoot take? Is there a lot of waiting around?

The entire shoot took only about an hour. It's so well planned that I basically show up, get dressed, pose, and we're done. It was amazing....very organized, easy, and quick. Everyone was great!

We had your cover partner, Rob Nuzzie, guest with us a while back. Now we’re dying to know…what was he like to work with???? ;-)

Robert was very nice and so easy to work with. He made me feel very comfortable. He has done many covers and so he knew the routine and was really helpful to me. I would love to work with him again!


What are you up to now?

I am planning to move to New York in the next few months in order to be closer to the modeling "action". In the meantime, I am working and making jewelry as well. Please check out my modeling and jewelry sites below!

Do you have a site or blog where we can check out more of your work?

You can see more of me at http://commencequest.com/PORTFOLIO-NewFaces-KyliKnack.html and http://www.facebook.com/kyli.knaack.

My jewelry site is http://www.etsy.com/shop/bykyli

Destination LIfe: Stepping into History

PHS Editor Michelle Styles reveals her passion for Living History Museums and in particular Williamsburg!
In keeping with my Weekend Wildcard post about 1776, I wanted to write about one of my favourite Living History Museums -- Colonial Williamsburg. It is rare for me to encounter a Living History museum that I don't like. I enjoy them and enjoy the experience of seeing the past come to life.
The first time I went to a Living History museum, I was ten and we went to Fort Snelling in St Paul. Since then I have been to a number in the US and in Europe. My local Living History Museum Beamish is celebrating its 40th year and has been extremely inspirational in getting me ideas for my Regency and early Victorian set books.
But the one Living History Museum that stands out is Williamsburg. I first read about Williamsburg in a Barbara Michaels' Gothic romantic suspense novel The Patriot's Dream about a woman who discovers she is falling in love with a ghost. Later still I encountered when my daughter became entranced with American Girl dolls, in particular Felicity. Thus when my mother moved to Virginia, Williamsburg was near the top of the list.
It never disappoints. There are many different paths that you can take when visiting. If you have children with you, it is possible to hire bits of costume. Costumes are a big part of the Williamsburg expereince. they have been recreating 18th century costume since 1934. Because of the American Girl connection, you often see girls wandering around with their dolls.
The entire experience is hands on as the vistor wants to make it. You can ask questions and learn bits of information. For example, at cabinetmaker’s, I learnt about the dragon guarding the pearl symbolism that many 18th century chairs have. Because the cabinet maker makes furniture in an 19th century style, it is possible to see the furniture at all stages.
When we visited the wigmaker, I had a very interesting conversation with the woman who was supposed to be running the shop. Unfortunately she didn’t know how to pronounce Ede and Ravenscroft who remain the premier wig and robe makers in Britain. Ede has a d like dog with a silent e at the end, not a dee. But she was knowledgeable on the day to day care of horse hair wigs ( a subject for a variety of reasons close to my heart).
Through out the day, there are special events where visitors are actively encouraged to take part. For example the drilling of the militia or a tea party. There are programmes for children to *become an apprentice*.
With four different taverns, it is possible to get an 18th century dining experience. In the gardens that are connected to the houses, it is possible to learn about different techinques. for example they use skeps for bee keeping as hives with moveable frames were not yet invented. And the vegetable gardens are different from today's vegetable gardens.
In the shops, they sell a variety of items that harkens back to the 18th century – for example stone ground grits, boules and a receipt book.
Although it is great to spend time in the restored houses, the museums on site also provide a wealth of info about how people lived, the textiles they used and how their rooms were furnished.
My experience with Williamsburg is that it lived up to its outstanding reputation and should be visited. Go and failing that take the time to visit a living history musuem near you. You will learn so much about the past.
Does anyone else know of outstanding Living History Museums? And what was the most memorable bit about your visit to a Living History Museum?
You can find out more about Michelle Styles's books by visiting her website.

Male On Monday : Aaron Douglas

Pink Heart Editor Donna Alward brings a little Canadiana to the Male on Monday theme today with Vancouver native Aaron Douglas.

Aaron Douglas first hit my radar as Chief Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica.  I liked him from the moment he met a very arrogant Apollo and gave a little derisive sniff at Apollo's crap attitude - never mind that Apollo outranked him AND was the Commander's son. I liked him as a union leader on New Caprica and I adored him as a Cylon in the last season.

I was really, really happy for him when I heard he was getting his own series here in Canada called The Bridge.  He plays Frank Leo, a cop turned cop union leader and I love love love the show.  It's been renewed for a second season (hooray!) - I just finished watching the first season and OMG if there was ever a case of who do you trust....

So who exactly is Aaron Douglas? Well, despite the stern, scowly pictures he has a rep of being quite a jokester and easy-going...

Aaron Douglas was born in and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he films and stars in the critically acclaimed Sci-Fi television series Battlestar Galactica.

Having gotten his professional acting start later in life Aaron quit his 9-5 workaday life to attend the William Davis Center for Actors at age 27. By the end of the school year Aaron had an agent and was well on his way to becoming one of Hollywood North's most successful actors.

Before becoming Chief Tyrol on Battlestar Galactica, Aaron appeared in many of the television series shot in Vancouver, among them The Outer Limits, Stargate SG-1, Smallville, Andromeda, Jeremiah, and many others. On the big screen Aaron can be seen in X-Men 2, Final Destination 2, White Noise, I- Robot, Catwoman, Paycheck, The Chronicles of Riddick, Butterfly on a Wheel and many others.

Aaron's jersey is the perfect combination
 of hockey and BSG!

Aaron is a rabid Vancouver Canuck NHL hockey fan and has been on skates since he was aged 2. Aaron still plays hockey and is selected by many TV and Film crew teams to play goalie. He can usually be found at Canuck home games screaming at the referees along with his close friends Dan Bacon of Stargate Atlantis, Dan Payne also of Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis and Ryan Robbins of Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica.

If you see him at a game, he and the lads will talk hockey with you all night in exchange for a pint.

Aaron does a lot of work for charities and the majority of his efforts go to the Canadian Cancer Foundation and Canuck Place Children's Hospice.  He has a son and lost his wife to cancer several years ago.

The Bridge is slotted to appear on CBS Stateside in beginning in July.  Now that the season's over, I know it's a really great show because the final episode is sticking with me - I can't wait to see what happens next season.  Meanwhile, I can get my Aaron fix from my BSG dvd sets...

Donna's latest book is a reprint of HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE in the anthology Mediterranean Men and Marriage.

Wild Card Weekend -- 1776

On this Fourth of July weekend, PHS editor Michelle Styles attempts to explain the glory that is 1776

The cast is almost entirely male. The action takes almost entirely in a single chamber. The subject matter – politics, specifically the late 18th century. It is a musical that should never have been. It became a huge hit and was made into a movie. It is still performed across the US today. 1776 – the musical.
The musical tells the story of John Adams’s struggle to get the Declaration of Independence passed. For a number of reasons, it is one of my favourite musicals of all time but it is not your normal light fare. It is full of dry wit and songs which get into your mind.




I first really discovered it in the summer of 1980, having taped it on hot Fourth of July. There was just something about William Daniel’s portrayal of John Adams. He was obnoxious and disliked, did you know that sir? But he was a man willing to fight for his cause. A life long admiration of John Adams and his wife Abigail began. Adams’ relationship with his dearest friend provides the romantic element of the story. The songs between Adams and his wife are taken directly from the letters he and Abigail wrote to each other. Yours, yours, yours and Compliments show the loving relationship they had. I also adored the mini series John Adams but that is a whole other blog!
Equally good to my 16 year old self was that having watched it several times, I found AP US History an absolute doddle. Triangular trade – not a problem with the song Molasses to Rum to Slaves! 1776 also showed the divisions within the Continental Congress were not clear and that men had differing opinions. It also proved a good way of discovering who was who in the American revolution. As my father pointed out, Adams’s nemesis in Congress John Dickinson (Cool Considerate Men is brilliantly song -- orginally at the request of President Nixon, this sequence was cut from the movie but restored on the dvd) may have refused to sign the Declaration but he went and fought for the American cause as a private. He knew full well the meaning of integrity and hold true to one’s principles. Dickinson College is named after him, and he helped to frame the US Constitution with all its checks and balances. And once having gained a reputation for being good at history, I became determined to keep at it and really started reading around the subject.
The song Hey Mama Look Sharp which is about the dispatch rider’s remembrance of the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the death of a close friend shows the poignant horrors of war.
The song Is Anybody There goes through my mind whenever the Crows of Doubt strike. This was particularly true when I was waiting to hear about The Gladiator’s Honour and various people in the know told that it would never happen. It is underrated but it speaks to passion and vision of Adams. It encapsulates for me the importance of believing in dreams, commitment and holding true to your ideals.




The musical also affected my life in another way. I forced my younger sister to watch. Several years later, she fell into a conversation about the musical and how great it was with a man at a party when she visited a friend at UCLA. That man became her husband!
Because I live in the UK and the film has never been released here, it was a long standing joke that they would get me a copy...They sent me a cd of it years ago. The cd is played every Fourth of July. For some reason my husband, a very loyal British subject just doesn’t get it! I think I lost him with the line – And to England I say goodnight for ever good night... Anyway in the interests of good Anglo-American relations, I deemed it politic not to get the dvd and make do with the cd. I play the cd as I am making the various foodstuffs for our annual Fourth of July bash, rather than having it playing during the party.

If you haven't seen it and get a chance, do. It is the perfect fare for a Fourth of July weekend.

Michelle Styles writes historical romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. You can learn more about her works at her website.

Winners!!!

Julia Justiss has drawn the winners of her contest:
Robinl and Laurie.

If you could send your postal addresses to thepinkheartsociety at hotmail dot com, they will be passed on to Julia.

Must Watch Friday - Some Kind Of Wonderful

Today on Must Watch Friday, Fiona Harper gets all nostalgic and delves into her movie treasure chest…



Sometimes you want to see something new and exciting when you turn on the television or go to the cinema; sometimes you just want to turn to old favourites. They’re like a cup of hot chocolate, a beloved pair of slippers or a warm bubble bath. Comfort food for the eyes and soul. Romantic Comedies do this for me, but my absolute must watch, never get tired of films are Eighties Teen flicks. (Guess I’m giving away my age now, huh? Oh, well…)

My absolute favourite is Some Kind of Wonderful. I didn’t know why at the time, but now I look back on it, it’s probably because the love story works the best for me. Keith (Eric Stoltz) is dreaming of a date with the popular and beautiful Amanda Jones – a girl way out of his league – and much to everyone’s surprise when he asks her out, she says yes (mainly to make her jerky boyfriend livid, but he really deserved it). Keith’s faithful best friend is Watts, a tomboy who lives for her drums, but she’s harbouring a secret… Despite the fact Keith hardly sees her as a girl, she’s had a crush on him for ever. When Keith’s big moment arrives, and it’s time to impress Amanda Jones with a dream date any girl couldn’t resist, he starts to realise that maybe Miss Jones isn’t really his dream date after all…

Rumour has it that John Hughes made Some Kind of Wonderful after the studio producing Pretty In Pink insisted he change the ending (in which best-friend Ducky used to get the girl instead of the indecisive Blaine). I was interested to hear this, because I’d always had mixed feelings about the ending of that film, and had always wondered whether I’d have preferred it if the devoted Ducky should have won Andie’s heart. So, a couple of years later, he wrote another script, flipping the sex of the lead part so it was written about a guy torn between two very different girls. In some ways, I’m glad things ended up the way they did – otherwise Some Kind of Wonderful might never have been made.

And there are so many great moments in this film: Watts’s drumming to Propaganda’s Dr Mabuse as the credits roll (and I love the non-poppy, alternative soundtrack); Keith befriending the detention dudes; Amanda’s no-good boyfriend’s final comeuppance. Oh,yes. Sweet memories.

Here’s a YouTube clip of one of my favourite scenes:

Fiona's new book The Bridesmaid's Secret is available now online in the UK and North America and will be in the shops in July!

In her designer suits Jackie Patterson, editor of Gloss! magazine, can take on the world. Yet the moment she arrives in Italy for a big Bella Rosa wedding, and sees her old boyfriend Romano Puccini, her groomed façade disappears. She has a seventeen-year-old secret to tell him from that fateful, sultry Italian summer…

Thursday Talk Time: Secondary Males

Debut Superromance Author Liz Talley talks about the other important men in books -- the secondary male.

Males on Monday. I suppose we only need them once a week otherwise we could get too distracted and end up staring at the broad shoulders, strong jaws and piercing eyes and forget we’re supposed to be writing. Sigh. Some of them are just too absolutely hot to tear ourselves away. Am I right?

But today, I’m not going to talk about the fantasy heroes we put front and center in our stories. Nope, I’m gonna talk about our secondary males. I know, some of them can be pretty darn cute too – so smoking that we write them their own stories. I guess this subject is on my mind because as my first book hit the shelves a little less than a month ago (Vegas Two Step, June Superromance,) many of the people who read it didn’t comment on the hero Jack. Oh, my beloved Jack, he of the lovely blues eyes and rippling six pack. No. Not him. They wanted to know about Bubba.

Who is Bubba you ask? Well, he is what his name suggests…but a little more. Bubba is a big ol’ heaping of redneck mixed generously with good ol’ boy. He’s big, he’s bald, and he has an uncanny knack for knowing what to say to my heroine. He’s country as a turnip green with a bulbous nose, delicate ears, and a bad sense of style. He makes Larry the Cable guy look like George Clooney, yet he’s endearing. And readers like him.

I’ll be totally honest. I modeled Bubba after my youngest brother who himself can be a little rough around the edges yet still settle down to watch a chick flick at the drop of the hat. Strong and suble. Big and tender. Rude and gentle. Bubba is a big oxymoron and absolutely intriguing to write. I have had such fun with him, and the man pops up in all my books, providing necessary comic relief and spot on advice to other characters. He’s the perfect secondary character, so I had to reward him and give him a sideline romance which will continue throughout books four and five. Hey, the man lost him momma to cancer and willingly puts up with all my other characters. He deserves some happiness with a butt-kicking, tattooed feminist.

Secondary characters are pretty darn important in a story. Now I know in category we have to give tight focus to our hero and heroine and there’s not much room for expanding our secondary characters, but if you can take some time to think about what a secondary character brings, you’ll end up with a person readers want to know more about. And that’s a good thing. :-)

So, I’d love to hear about your best secondary characters…and if he’s male, all the better. Gotta stick to the theme, you know. Leave a description of your favorite secondary character, and I’ll choose a lucky poster to win a copy of my June release and a $15.00 Barnes and Noble gift card.





You can learn more about Liz and her upcoming books at on her website!