WHO SAID IT FIRST
eBay has engendered itself into our workplace. As an overview, this phenomenon has taken our culture by Perfect Storm. There it is, so common, that governor Sarah Palin used it to sell a state owned jet. And its stock is considered by money people like Michael Nesmith as indicators as to the direction of our market. We have five computers, of which, one seems to be a virtual eBay satellite. As we have written previously, Zi buys! He finds beauty to behold in treasures that unfold on his screen. Yes, Zi got a few more shirts, today, didn’t need them. The day ended up being quite interesting. We’d be in the middle of discussing dialogue between characters, obviously he multi-tasking, and suddenly he’d yelp, “Gotcha!” He won what he thought was beauty. What’s thought to be one man’s discard is another man’s treasure.
Margaret Hungerford wrote, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” She was an Irish novelist in the 19th century who wrote light romantic fiction. However, this saying first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. I find it ironic and inspiring that a romance writer would be attributed to that quote. Every day we explore and sexplore beauty and its play in love and romance. It is so dag-nabbit-snap-dragon easy to write about traditional beauty. Easy to love a gorgeous woman. It’s equally simplistic to adore a hunky man but give that dude a goiter and he ain’t dating. We believe that love is goiter-blind, and will try to discover a deeper purpose in love.
A movie from 1945 called The Enchanted Cottage played out this concept when what was considered a homely housekeeper falls in love with a scarred soldier. He saw her as beautiful, and she simply could not see his scars. In our new manuscript, LOVE LETTERS, our hero Rich Longar has a burn scar that is predominate on his face. Our heroine Lauren Pike maybe a bit fleshy, hippy, zaftig, voluptuous, much of the Mae West character. We found great pleasure in building their love-ship. And aptly felt a certain requiting when it unfolded before us.
You have to adore Mae West. She once said, “A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.” Additionally, she stated, “A hard man is good to find.” She is attributed with, “A man in the house is worth two on the street.” and “A man’s kiss is his signature.” We simply adore M. West. She said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly”, “Cultivate your curves they may be dangerous but they won’t be avoided”, and “He who hesitates is a damned fool”. Our last two are these, “I didn’t discover curves; I only uncovered them” and “I believe it is better to be looked over than it is to be overlooked”. Lauren Pike is Mae Westian in her sexually overt and vivacious personality as well as her curvaceous appearance.
The question is would every man find her beautiful? And the answer is simply, no. The question is would every woman find Rich Longar attractive? And the answer is simply, no. There is a beauty that each holds that has to find synergy with the other. As writers and especially as romance writers we have to seek that potential interconnect and grow its viability so the reader can feel their raw lust and love. So every day the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we are its agents.
In KILLER DOLLS our heroine purports herself as a tad dowdy and our hero has deep emotional scars that hold him in abeyance to accepting love. Neither perfect but perfectly matched. We hope you enjoy the following excerpt.
EXCERPT
They got a room, asked to use the phone, storm had the lines down, asked about a cell phone and the clerk, a man of advanced age, looked at Taut as if he were an alien, paid in cash, parked out of view, and entered a nice but tacky cabin room.
“I see that shabby-chic is nouveau. The guest towels say… well used. Look, a bottle of shampoo. I used this stuff when I was a kid. It bubbles.” Letti was rambling and gently ranting to cover her fear. She now understood the gravity of the situation; it was real, though she did not know why two very evil men were chasing them. Nor why they had her dolls. Why? The dual whys came out in unattractive rumbling, its blasphemy a cruel sacrilege.
“I am sleeping where?” asked Taut. The room had one bed.
“Between me and the door… and that window.”
ABOUT AUTHORS
Their combined accomplishments include book publications in print and/or electronic versions of twenty-four titles, fifteen romance specific, ten manuscripts pending, EPPIE finalist for three books, Cecil Whig award, Hob-Nob Reader’s Choice Award, written over 500 shorts with numerous published in both nationwide and small press magazines, articles published in various local, city and statewide newspapers, including four as a Guest Columnist in addition to trade articles. Both are members of various writing groups.
KILLER DOLLS IS AVAILABLE: Unaware that bio-terrorists are using her handcrafted dolls to attack the innocent, Letti Noel finds herself falling for Taut Johnson, an undercover FBI agent. Even as deceit is a growing barrier to their love, it’s the stalking terrorists that are a threat to their lives.
We’d love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a GIFT and add you to any future mailings.
CONTEST ~ Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing for a free e-book.
Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS ~ September 2009 SNAKE DANCE ~ February 2010 CHASING GRAVITAS ~ July 2010
angelicahartandzi.com ~ angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com
KILLER DOLLS can be purchased at Champagne Books ~ www.champagnebooks.com
Pam, you are such a sweetie. Thank you for commenting on our blog, and for adding Killer Dolls to your read list. One of the things we adore most about the entire writing process is our interaction with readers. We just so enjoy getting to know them, and finding out what they want. We write to give them (you) their (yours) fantasy. And when we do, their can be no greater sense of accomplishment. I’m not certain if we already have your email addy… If you care to send it to angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com, you’ll be entered into our end of week drawing for a free e-book. We also have secondary prizes. Again, great to see you here, and thanks for the support.
Killer Dolls sound like a read I would love. I will add it to my Read list.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
Yea Linda! We’re so tickled that you read our book and enjoyed it. Coming from the author of When The Ocotillo Bloom is a fabulous compliment. You are the writer to read! Oh, and congrats on your new sewing machine. If you ever think you are becoming an e-Bay addict however, here are some of the signs… Did your friends stop inviting you to their homes, fearing it would be listed on ebay tomorrow? …. Is eBay the only label on your wardrobe? …. Do your dreams consist of bargains you found on ebay? In emails from paypal or ebay are you addressed as sweetheart?
Hmmm… I think Zi got one of those emails.
Hey Little Lost Lamb… Oh gosh, your nick is so perfectly adorable. We really appreciate your wonderful comment. Yes, Mae West was a hoot, a woman so totally ahead of her time and so full of humor as well. It’s interesting how we can still laugh at those old jokes… They never seem to go out of style. Something we didn’t note here and most people aren’t aware of is that Mae West was also a writer. She wrote her first play, under the pen name Jane Mast, and starred herself, followed by other plays with salacious titles such as “The Wicked Age”, “Pleasure Man”, and “The Constant Sinner”, they were plagued by controversy. And that didn’t bother her one iota. All this happened before she became a star. You just gotta admire someone that tenacious, funny, and independent.
Cathy M., great to meet you. We’re glad you enjoyed our line, and that you find our book equally interesting if you choose to read it. If you look around in our world, there are very few perfect looking people except those in the entertainment world, and they are usually airbrushed, so that leaves the bottom 90 to look beneath the veneer and find the spirit. Reflecting the truth of our world, we hope makes it easier for our readers to relate to characters. Every now and then we create a oh my goodness look at those…. and that… wow… character… but then we give them something serious to overcome like… A: Like bad breath. Z: No we don’t. A: Didn’t want to give away all our secrets. Want them to read the books. Z: As I always say… I want you….. to read!
Hi Tracey D, Thank you for the comment, and we do hope you enjoy reading Killer Dolls. We enjoy getting into the intrigue of it all, and the romance of it as well. It’s like falling into another world, and when we finish, we feel sad that we had to let it go. Sooo, to combat the sadness, we often start a new book before we finish the current project. That’s why writer’s write… Although, sometimes, writing partners feud. (Smiles at Zi) Good nature feuding that is.
Lisa G., Wonderful comment, and yea, we’re so happy you plan to read the book. We hope you enjoy it. Yes, eBay sometimes interrupts our day. Zi doesn’t think I notice him on that other computer, but he gets this look, you know. Almost as if he’s the driver in a stock car race and has found their zone. Z: Like you never haunt ebay. A: Won’t deny it but I’m an equal opportunity shopper… shop online not just ebay… shop in stores… plan on shopping on the moon once they build a mall. Some say between the two of us, we keep the economy going. Speaking of which… I need new Jeans… be back in a bit. (smiles)
Hey Candace, thank you for the complimentary comment. We can’t wait until you read the book, too! One of my favorite quotes about beauty and one of the reasons we don’t always like to write the perfect heroine or hero comes from Helen Keller, “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart” Being the age I am, I find those words so apt. We are in the age of looking younger, being thinner, tuckin’ this, lipo that, erase wrinkles and plumb up frown lines, pump up abs. So much time is being spent on the outer vessel people forget to fill the vessel up with things that are important like laughing just cause, and eating that cookie just once, and being proud of the wrinkles that have been earned and pump up not just abs but the sagging spirits of those that need it. Z: Sheesh, give you a platform and we can’t get off of it. A: Whoops… (Looks at Candace and points innocently) She started it.
Hey, guys, I loved Killer Dolls and look forward to Love Letters.
Zi, I love to shop on ebay too. Just bought a sewing machine!
I so enjoyed reading the Mae West quotes. What a hoot. As was your heroine’s decisiveness on where Taut should sleep. Great excerpt!
“Neither perfect but perfectly matched”, love that. It makes the characters so much more interesting and based on your excerpt, something to look forward to.
I enjoyed reading the post. I look forward in reading Killer Dolls.
Thanks,
Tracey
I loved your thoughts. Zi, Ebay is my addiction too! I guess I never ever thought twice about Mae West, but you opened my eyes up to reality. I can’t wait to read the book!
I love the thought of putting together a hero/heroine who are less than perfect. It’s hard to relate to the exceptionally beautiful heroine without stretch marks and the exceedingly handsome hero who causes women to swoon.
I love the way you guys write the interactions between h/h. Can’t wait to read the book!