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Showing posts with label Love Potion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love Potion. Show all posts

Monday, June 24, 2019

Tattoos On Men--Love Them? Hate Them? Indifferent?





Tattoos are very popular now, with men and women, young and old. How do you feel about tattoos on men? On anyone, for that matter?

Several years ago I decided I wanted a small, classy tattoo on my ankle. Many of my female co-workers had them. When I announced this to my family, my father-in-law blew a gasket. I was shocked at how angry and appalled he was for a woman to get a tattoo. He was close to ninety then, a generation to whom tattoos were reserved for sailors and lowlifes.

I certainly wouldn’t let my father-in-law’s attitude stop me. To see if I’d like having a tattoo, I got a temporary one on my ankle and wore it for about a week. I hated it, absolutely hated having that “thing” on my ankle. My feelings surprised me. Needless to say, I didn’t get my tattoo.

I like most tattoos on others, but tasteful ones, strategically placed. I don’t like seeing them all over a person’s body. Lady Gaga has several, but the one that gives me pause is on the underside of her upper arm. Does she have any idea what that tattoo will look like when she’s older and has upper arm flab that flaps in the breeze? Tattoos should be placed on those body parts that don’t turn to fat, like ankles or forearms.

A well-placed and creative tattoo on a man can be very sexy. You’ll see from these pictures here just how sexy. I like giving tattoos to my romance heroes, but only if the artwork has meaning for them. In my short story Love Potion, my hero Jonathan has a tattoo of a snake on his arm. That snake is to remind him to be careful who he trusts because two people he loved betrayed him in the past.




In my novel, A Groom for Christmas, Love On a Dare Book 1, Jake has a tattoo of a falcon on his arm. In high school his nickname was The Falcon. He has the tattoo to remind him of how shabbily the close-minded townsfolk treated his family. He’s back to exact his revenge, only things don’t go as he planned.






My latest hero sporting a tattoo is Josh Tanner, hero of Josh’s Salvation, Redemption Book 4. Josh is a badass undercover agent working to bring down a California drug king. I hadn’t planned on giving him a tattoo, but a reader suggested I do his story and give him a tattoo.



How about you? In general, how do you feel about men having tattoos? Do you like romance heroes with tattoos?

Buy Links: 

Love Potion


A Groom for Christmas (Love On a Dare Book 1)


Josh's Salvation (Redemption Book 4)




 



Saturday, March 24, 2018

Thirty-three Best Romantic Comedies of All Time




I thought I’d do something fun this month. I got this list of the thirty-three best romantic comedies of all time from the digital site, Thrillist. As a romance author and reader, I love romantic comedies.
Thrillist said their criteria in compiling this list was that it had to be a comedy and romance had to be central to the story. I don’t know that I agree with all on this list.

I love Hallmark movies, as do many of us. I would love one of my books to be made into a movie. What author wouldn’t? Did you know authors can submit their books to Hallmark for consideration? I include the link to Hallmark below. Although many of my books are similar to Hallmark movies, or so I believe, they don’t qualify for a movie. Hallmark wants lengths of between 65,000-80,000 words, and the stories must have NO sex. I can write sweet, but I struggle to write anything over 50,000 words.

I happen to be a film buff for old black and white rom-coms. My favorite rom-com of all time isn’t on this list. It’s The More the Merrier, 1943, with two of my favorite actors, Jean Arthur, and a hunky Joel McCrea.

Here’s the list with some notes from me.

33. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) (Seen this a few times. Lots of fun. Marilyn Monroe is one of the stars)

32. Boomerang (1992)

31. Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

30. My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) (Like this one)

29.  Hitch (2005)

28. 27 Dresses (2008)

27. The Holiday (2006) (Love this one, as does my husband)

26. My Man Godfrey (1936) (An old black and white that I love)

25. Imagine Me & You (2005) (Never heard of this)

24. Strictly Ballroom (1992) (Never heard of this)

23. Desk Set (1957) (Another good one I’ve seen several times. It’s got Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. How could it not be good?)

22. 13 Going on 30 (2004)

21. Obvious Child (2014) (Never heard of this one)

20. Brown Sugar (2002) (Never heard of this one)

19. Love Actually (2003) (Good movie but I can’t watch it any more due to that one story with Laura Linney. Absolutely upset me. There was no reason why she couldn’t be with the man she loved and still take care of her disabled brother. Heartbreaking and made no sense.)

18. Coming to America (1988) (Enjoyed this one)

17. Moonstruck (1987) (Good but overrated)

16. Pretty Woman (1990) (Love this. Seen it many times.)

15. Down with Love (2003)

14. Bride and Prejudice (2004) (Never heard of this)

13. Splash (1984) (Love this. Tom Hanks was so young)

12. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

11. While You Were Sleeping (1995) (One of my favorites)

10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) (Another favorite)

9. Sabrina (1954) (Love Audrey Hepburn. Intensely dislike Humphrey Bogart, and won’t watch anything he’s in. Also, Hepburn is so young and fresh and he looks worn and old)

8. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

7. You've Got Mail (1998) (Love it)

6. The Princess Bride (1987) (Love it)

5. Notting Hill (1999) (Love it)

4. Roman Holiday (1953) (Another with Audrey Hepburn. This time she’s with Gregory Peck whom I like much better than Bogart, but again he’s too darn old for her)

3. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) (Love it. Read the book)

2. Clueless (1995) (Love it)

1. When Harry Met Sally (1989) (Love it)

 

That’s the list. Agree? Disagree? What ones would you put on this list? Which would you take off?


New release!! Spring Fling: A Limited Edition Collection of Romance.
Many stories in this set would make good movies, although some would be too steamy for Hallmark.


My contribution is a fun fantasy romance, Love Potion.




“For uptight veterinarian Nicole Caruso, a fortuneteller's prediction, a vial of gold liquid, a handsome man with secrets and some very strange happenings prove there's no escaping the magic of love.”

Get your copy of Spring Fling now. Just released on Amazon. Available for pre-order on other sites with an April 20 release date. It won’t be available for long. Only 99 cents.

Universal buy link: http://books2read.com/u/b5MnjO



As promised, here’s the link to the Hallmark site that will tell you how to submit your book for their consideration as a movie:



Monday, March 24, 2014

Tattoos on Men--Love them? Hate them? Indifferent?

Tattoos on Men--Love Them, Hate Them, Indifferent?


Tattoos are very popular now, with men and women, young and old. How do you feel about tattoos on men? On anyone, for that matter?

Several years ago I decided I wanted a small, classy tattoo on my ankle. Many of my female co-workers had them. When I announced this to my family, my father-in-law blew a gasket. I was shocked at how angry and appalled he was for a woman to get a tattoo. He was close to ninety then, a generation to whom tattoos were reserved for sailors and lowlifes.

I certainly wouldn’t let my father-in-law’s attitude stop me. To see if I’d like having a tattoo, I got a temporary one on my ankle and wore it for about a week. I hated it, absolutely hated having that “thing” on my ankle. My feelings surprised me. Needless to say, I didn’t get my tattoo.

I like most tats on others, but tasteful ones, strategically placed. I don’t like seeing them all over a person’s body. Lady Gaga has several tats, but the one that gives me pause is on the underside of her upper arm. Does she have any idea what that tat will look like when she’s older and has upper arm flab that flaps in the breeze? We all get that upper arm flab. Tattoos should be placed on those body parts that don’t turn to fat, like ankles or maybe forearms.

A well-placed and creative tattoo on a man can be very sexy. You’ll see from these pictures here just how sexy. I like giving tattoos to my romance heroes, but only if the tats have meaning for them. In my short story from Boroughs Publishing Group, Love Potion, my hero Jonathan has a tattoo of a snake on his arm. That snake is to remind him to be careful who he trusts because of two people who betrayed him in the past.


In my novel, A Groom for Christmas, Jake has a tattoo of a falcon on his arm. In high school his nickname was The Falcon. He has the tat to remind him of how shabbily the close-minded townsfolk treated his family. He’s back to exact his revenge, only things don’t go as he planned.

I intend to have other heroes with tattoos. It can give a story another dimension if the tattoo has meaning.


How about you? In general, how do you feel about men having tattoos? Do you like romance heroes with tattoos? 


Blurb, A Groom for Christmas

Finalist-2013 Snow Globes Award Contest
2014 Readers' Choice Nominee, Best Couple, Love Romances Cafe

Family pressures might just make her do something crazy...

This sensuous romance is like a Hallmark Christmas movie with some intense love scenes.
This title is also available in the Wedding Dreams Boxed Set.

 When a young woman hires her hometown's former bad boy to be her
pretend fiancé for the holidays, she finds she can't wrap up her feelings as
easily as a Christmas gift.


New York jewelry designer Graceann Palmer has two days to find a fiancé to bring home to Pennsylvania for the holidays so her matchmaking mama will quit fixing her up with jerks. The Falcon, a motorcycle-riding, leather-clad former high school crush, helped her out once before. Maybe he'll do it again.
Jake Falco, man of many mysteries, is back in town on a mission--one the people of Spirit Lake most likely won't appreciate. When Graceann presents him with her crazy scheme, it gives him something he's always wanted--a chance to get to know Graceann. It also gives him the perfect opportunity to add fuel to his project of revenge.
But as Jake and Graceann grow closer, their engagement-of-convenience begins to feel like the real deal--until Jake's secrets are revealed.
Can a relationship that began with lies and secrets bloom like a rare Christmas rose into happily-ever-after?

Blurb: Love Potion

For uptight veterinarian Nicole Caruso, a fortuneteller's prediction, a vial of gold liquid, a handsome man with secrets and some very strange happenings prove there's no escaping the magic of love.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Girls' Series & Their Influence



How many of you were fans of girls’, or guys’, mystery series when you were teens? I’m talking about Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, Vicki Barr, Connie Blair, The Dana Girls. I read them all, including The Hardy Boys, but my hands-down favorite was one you probably never heard of, Judy Bolton.
Nancy Drew was the most popular of the girls’ series. However, I always root for the underdog and I like to be contrary. So while most other girls were reading Nancy, I didn’t much like her, mainly because she was popular, wealthy, and self-assured. I discovered Judy Bolton, and fell in love with her and her friends. Judy, the daughter of a doctor, lived in a small town in upstate New York. Like Nancy, and the others in the girls’ and guys’ series, she solved mysteries.
I related to Judy because she wasn’t rich and perfect and beautiful like Nancy and she didn’t drive a cute roadster or have an adoring boyfriend. Judy had faults and she frequently made mistakes. While Judy Bolton wasn’t as well-known as Nancy Drew, Judy now has a cult following. A while back I belonged to a Judy Bolton Fans Yahoo loop. Many of the members make annual trips to the town in New York that was the model for Judy’s hometown. They even reenact scenes from some of her stories. I love the books but I wouldn’t go that far. I have almost a complete set of Judy books that I collected in the Fifties and early Sixties. Although Amazon now sells reissued Judy books, the originals are rare. Whenever I go to flea markets, I look for them. I find copies of all the other series, even Nancy Drew, but never any Judy Bolton.
Judy grew up during the course of the books, and when she was eighteen, she married a guy she’d known her whole life, Peter Dobbs. Peter was five years older, and a personification of truth, justice and the American way. He became an FBI agent, or G-man, as they were called back then. The romance between Judy and Peter started my love of romance and happy endings. I had a crush on Peter and wanted to marry a man just like him. The heroes and heroines in my books all have a little of Peter and Judy in them.

At the same time I was reading Judy Bolton, I devoured the YA historical romances of Elizabeth Howard. While her books were historicals, her heroines all had something in common with Judy: they were spirited and independent, and while not the most beautiful or the richest women, they weren’t afraid to go after what they wanted. I’m in the process now of buying my favorite Elizabeth Howard books from used online booksellers. The few I have so far are in honored places on my bookshelves.
Judy Bolton and Howard’s heroines greatly influenced the type books I write. My heroines may not be so astoundingly beautiful that they literally stop traffic, but they are beautiful in eyes of the men who love them. Of course, my heroes are always drop-dead gorgeous. No matter their looks, my heroines and heroes have faults and doubts, and things haven’t always come easy for them. I love to put my characters in dangerous situations or situations merely dangerous to their hearts and watch them fight for the happy endings they deserve. Just like Judy and Peter. And in the course of fighting for what they want, they grow and learn valuable lessons and open their hearts to the love they crave.
What about you writers out there—what books did you read that influenced what you write? The same for you readers—did the books you read as teens influence what you read today?


 My latest release is Love Potion, a short paranormal romance from Boroughs Publishing Group. Only 99 cents everywhere. Just in time for Halloween. 
Blurb:
For uptight veterinarian Nicole Caruso, a fortuneteller's prediction, a vial of gold liquid, a handsome man with secrets and some very strange happenings prove there's no escaping the magic of love.

 www.caramarsi.com
Twitter: @caramarsi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaramarsi

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