Winter Wonderman Blog Hop

My apologies if this post is incoherent. I’m currently dealing with some sort of bug which has my

brain feeling a bit mushy.

The topic for the blog hop is what makes a male character in a book or movie sexy?”

Hmm. The first character that comes to mind is The Phantom. I don’t remember a time when I haven’t loved this character. The problem with having a crush on this character is that … well … he’s pretty much a horrible. This is a guy who basically stalks an impressionable young woman, takes over about every aspect of her life, and then brainwashes her. There’s also a point when he gets so angry with her he breaks a chandelier and sets fire to an opera house. And that’s just the version from the movie and play. In the actual

Since this movie, I've had a thing for Gerard Butler!

He’s cute, has a great accent, can sing Music

of the Night, likes dogs, and from what I can

tell, has a fantastic sense of humor

book by Gaston LeRoux, The Phantom is a terrifying psychopath who doesn’t have a single redeeming quality. And yet I have crushed on them him for years.

I fell head over heels in love with dark, brooding, heartbroken, Snape the first time I read The Sorcerer’s Stone and not once did my resolve falter. The 7^th book came out I ran around the barn yelling I was right at the top of my lungs. That was a day no one is going to forget any time soon.

   

My current crush is everyone’s favorite high functioning sociopath, Sherlock Holmes, though I have to admit in this particular case I suspect that my

interest has less to do with the actual character, and more to do with the fact that I find the voice Cumberbatch uses for the role incredibly sexy.

Real life literary figures? I have to admit that I have always had a thing for Edgar Allen Poe. Even thought, by today’s standards, his short stories are downright chaste, I’ve always found something about his writing style to be just a little erotic and consider the author to be incredibly romantic.

Looking at this list, I’m starting to suspect it’s a good thing I’m currently single, because apparently what floats my boat is a penchant for dark clothing, unapproachability, intelligence, sarcasm, and well, quite frankly, insane. Not the kind of guy most parents want their daughters to settle down with.

What about you? What do you find incredibly attractive in your male characters? Any characters on your list of fictional crushes that you find surprising! 

I’m currently working on story where the main character has several of the traits I look for in my fictional characters. Meanwhile, Oliver, the male lead in my novella, Snowflakes & Beeswax, doesn’t
have any of the traits that make the characters I mentioned sexy. I modeled him after the type of guy that I’m attracted to in real life. He’s sweet, a little funny, and knows when to take a stand. He’s also pretty cute and likes animal. If you want to know more about Oliver and the woman he falls in love with, leave your email address in the comment section. Doing this puts you in the running for a free, electronic copy of Snowflakes & Beeswax. 

After you do that, check out the linky list of authors participating in the Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop.

Where's the Love Blog Hop

Heather at the Between the Sheets blog generously created the Where's the Love blog hop to help celebrate Valentine’s Day. The rules were pretty simple, participants should post an amorous, but nothing x-rated, scene they've written. What could be more fun.

Source: dasophoto.blogspot.com via Brook on Pinterest

I toyed with posting something from DWARFED, but since I always use that for my Sunday posts, I  decided to post a snippet from a novella I started writing a few weeks ago. When all is said and done, it’s going to be a sweet (chaste) historical romance. Since life knocked me off schedule last week, I had to jump ahead and hurriedly wrote my snippet late last night. It’s still very much a first draft so I apologize for the mistakes,  and for going a bit over the 250 words.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my Valentine’s Day post.  I hope you take the time to check out the other romance writers who decided to take part in this romantic blog hop. 

I'm pretty sure the snippet stands on it's own and doesn't need much explanation or set up. I am hunting for a title and welcome suggestions. It's going to be a shortish, Regency era Christmas story. The main character, Maria, creates bee's wax sculptures.

           “What are you doing?”

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via LitWits on Pinterest

            Oliver rested his cheek on Clover’s roan flank and studied her. “I assumed it was obvious.”

 “There’s no need for you to do the milking. I’m well enough to handle the chore myself.” As soon as the words were out of Maria’s mouth, she wished them back. They sounded so harsh, so unappreciative and rude. Considering everything Oliver had done for her over the past few days, everything he’d sacrificed, he didn’t deserve to be mistreated, her only excuse was that the sight of him wearing his expensive clothes while milking Clover unsettled her.

            Amusement danced in the depths of Oliver’s gray eyes. “Is that so?”

            Something in his voice unleashed a sensation, equal parts anxiety and anticipation, in Maria. The uncomfortable sensation spread from the middle of her chest all the way to her toes. She sucked in her breath and took a step backwards.

            Oliver moved the bucket of warm milk out of the cow’s way and rose from the stool. A smile hovered about the corners of his mouth.

            Maria swallowed, desperate to ease the dryness in her throat. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she twisted her fingers together and pressed them to her jumpy stomach. “Yes.”

             Oliver loomed closer. She shifted backwards until a support beam pressed into her spine. He lifted his hand, Maria smelled a faint hint of Clover’s clean, earthy scent clinging to his skin, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, allowing his fingers to linger. Oliver leaned in, his warm breath washing over her face. “Good.”

            Maria licked her dry lips. She gestured blindly at Clover who watched the pair of them, her expression one of pure bovine patience. “I can finish the milking … and the rest of the chores while you prepare to return to London.”

            Oliver placed his brow against hers and chuckled. “I don’t want to.”

            “Oh, than what do you-“ His mouth covered hers, silencing her words and wiping her mind of thought.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my snippet. 

Source: Uploaded by user via Melissa on Pinterest