Hideous Swine Flu fom China.

I'm sure that's what I've been afflicted with. One of those hideous, knock-you-on-your-ass-and-you-better-stay there wasting sicknesses that come from the far reaches of the world just to irritate me.

Alright, so I've got the regular old flu, but it feels worse. It almost surely feels like death warmed over. I've never really understood that phrase, but still I'm sure that's what I feel like. So I am certain you will forgive me for missing a few posts. I've not had anything to report anyways, since I've spent the bulk of the time on the couch sleeping fittfully (while dreaming about kittens, yes kittens. In fact, kittens lost inside an imense cemetary) or watching BBC America along with re-runs of Family Guy and catching up on this season's Nip/Tuck. Oh, and of course, there are my Sports Night DVDs.

I was really hoping that I had learned something meaningful and that I would come to me during this blog, but alas, no. Sports Night is always very inspirational for me. The dialogue is killer, but I was feeling so yucky that all I could do was lay there and do that pathetic chuckle which gradually disintegrates into a cough thing that flu suffers the world over know so well.

I can report that my husband has a new nickname for me and I will use it as I sign-off. More tomorrow as I return to the land of the lving or, at least, death not warmed over.

See ya!
Hip-Hop Jen

Sorry

Sorry about the lack of blog today. I've been running around not getting anything done all day and I am just about ready to snuggle up with my new copy of the Sims 2. More blog and an update tomorrow.

A quick book note. Did anyone notice that S.E Hinton has a new book out. I think it's been something like thirty years since The Outsiders came out and I am so excited to read "Hawkes Harbor." This one is actually an adult novel and it definitley has some dark themes. I'll let you know as I get farther into the book.

That's assuming I can tear myself away from iTunes. I am so addicted to downloading music.
Night all!
JGro

Vamping the Vampire

Just a quick blog today. Finished Undead and unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson yesterday and absolutely loved it! The whole undead series has been fun, but this one was cool because Sinclair got mucho air time and this is a very good thing. I know that this is Betsy's story, but he is so freakin' hot and he and Betsy are so freakin' hot together, I just constantly yearn to see so much more of them.

Betsy is one of those heroines that will annoy you from time to time, but that's her beauty. She is so fatally flawed that you can't help but root for her. She does things and you should be irritated, but its so true to her character that you see it coming a mile away and instead you find yourself smiling.

Obviously, start with book one, Undead and Unwed. You can't fully appreciate the next books without it.

Night all!
Jen

From the New York Times...
Posted by Jen

Katie's Dishy Guys

Anyone who reads Katie Macalister has probably been to her web site and seen her diary. Every week, she celebrates Dishy Guy Monday (DGM.) On DGM she puts a picture of a really hot guy for readers to ogle and enjoy. I think this is one of the very best ideas ever. So cool, in fact, that you should go over right now and check it out. (And, if you haven't read any of her kick-ass books yet, check them out there to.)

Katie's Diary

Now, it is in no way my intention to try and copy DGM, but I thought you might like to see some pictures I recently downloaded. I am currently "casting" the hero in my next book. I find a few pictures which show the features I want him to have and which match the personality I am trying to create. Here are a couple I'm considering as inspiration.


Intense. OOOh, something important is about to happen...



Sunglasses just do it for me. Actually glasses of all types are very sexy...



Important because I always like for my heros to get hurt and wet at least once in every WIP...



Okay, this one has no bearing whatsoever on my WIP. I just like it so much...

Now I have a theory about what book heros should look like. First and foremost, they cannot be overly pretty. Perfectly perfect is great for the big (or little) screen, but it just doesn't work in a book. It's boring and he comes off as just being a generic hot guy (and anyone who watched the olympics knows those guys are a dime a dozen these days) instead of someone you'd want to stare at for say the next fifty or sixty years. This is fantasy, so of course we've got the washboard abs and the rippling muscles and the self-effacing, aw-shucks "i'm not a hottie, I'm just a regular guy" attitude. But the look has got to be something interesting or it falls flat on the page. 6' 2", puppy dog brown eyes, perfect guy hair doesn't do it for me in a book. I want to hear about a guy with eyes you can't forget and a face that makes you totally disregard all the look-a-like hotties on your "Fireman of the Month" catalog.

I'm digressing here, but the point is, my hero won't actually look anything like Clive Owen (or act like any of the characters he's portrayed, of course.) But if these pictures end up being the ones that inspire me, he'll have a great face with all kinds of cool planes. And after the car accident scene, he'll have a little cut on the side of his face that will just be healing when he and my (very lucky heroine) finally hook up.

I doubt, however, that he will be a 5th Century Roman Knight. He will, hopefully, be someone my villan considers worth killing....

Have a great day all!
Jen