August 2013s Hunk Actor Jesse Williams

My very first Hunk was "Grey's Anatomy" star, actor Jesse Williams. The photo that was featured at the time was a solo of Jesse. However, with the recent news that he and his wife Aryn Drake-Lee are expecting I felt it prudent to include the beauty behind the hunk. We all know who Jesse is, but not everyone knows he's even married -- although, a quick Google of his name will soon rectify that.

Back in a 2010, Jesse told USA Today of his wife: "She's been with me through all different facets of my career... She's stuck with me through thick and thick and thin." Aryn must have some major staying power, because she has built a successful career for herself as a real estate agent.

Now, while I admire Aryn's accomplishment, and respect her role as his wife, this post is really about Mr. Jesse Williams. He is downright scintillating. He's also young, and relatively new to acting. When Jesse first started out, he had a boyish charm. Maturity is giving him an element of danger. I expect that once Hollywood has Seasoned him a few times, he'll become even more famous as a heartthrob. Aryn, if you ever make it to this page, I've got to tell you, hun: "Your husband's a Hunk!"

September 2013's Hunk is Actor: Joe Manganiello

If you know anything about me, you know I've got a major crush on actor Joe Manganiello. Yep! At 6'-5" tall, and built like a pyramid on tanned marble columns, he's my idea of masculine perfection. Therefore, it goes without saying that the man I chose as 'Hunk of the Month' for my thirtieth birthday was of course was The Divine, Joe. 

This photo was chosen because everything looks even better in black and white.

A Little TLC for Locs

Most of the guys I know say that a woman's hair is one of the first things that gets their attention. In 'Drawing the Line', Brody uses his hands to illustrate why Corvette's long, luscious strands have caught his attention. 

While I don't have hair-to-there like she does, my #locs are attention grabbers too. For the #womenreaders out there, here's a recipe for some TLC that will leave your hair looking and feeling as sexy as you are.

Mix together:  2 parts virgin coconut oil 

                      1 part honey

                      1 part olive oil

                      1 part avocado oil for coarse hair; or 1 part sweet almond oil for wavy hair.

Massage your mixture through damp hair, especially working through the ends. Leave for about a half an hour before rinsing with your favorite shampoo and conditioner. Now, if you don't plan to spend the night next to Mr. Moment, go right ahead and wrap your hair up with a plastic cap or plastic wrap, and cover with a head-tie or something. Then shampoo and condition in the morning. If you've got locs like I do, or the coconut oil is a little too thick for your hair, you can always use a clarifying shampoo and conditioner. 

The Top 5 Rude Awakenings of Rookie Writers

Since my last post, I have been forced to acknowledge some pertinent facts about writing.

1. It is not financially or psychologically beneficial to write only one genre. Freelance work helps to alleviate financial worries. Taking time to read and write other works offers satisfaction, knowledge, and inspiration. 
2. Writing requires that you plan for every contingency. The phone will ring. The battery will die on your computer just as you remember to hit the 'Save' button. Have as many backup plans as you can imagine.
3. When a problem occurs -- and it will -- a writer must be prepare to try every applicable plan, then come up with new ones that actually work in the scenario. 
4. When you're on a roll The Bandit of Great Ideas will swoop in and whisk your time or inspiration away. He's much like the character Swiper from 'Dora the Explorer'. Sometimes he'll obey a firm "No!"
5. While it is always time to write, you must make time for everything else. Often, a writer is an unbalanced mix of recluse and socialite. Despite the tendency to get lost in reading and writing, it is even more important to get out there in the world and experience new places, new people, and new activities. After all, how can you write about Oktoberfest if you've never been?

The Chef's Choice Released

The Chef's Choice is now available on Smashwords. The price is $1.99. Please follow the link for a free sample or your copy. 

Peter Anjou is the Executive Chef at Jackson's Mark, South Texas' most famous steakhouse. He has everything he could possibly want out of life: a great job, amazing friends, female companionship whenever he wants it. And Emille Carter. Everything he does is for her. 

So, when she literally falls out of contact with him, there's only one way for Peter to get his world back into equilibrium. He needs to meet her wherever she stands. 

The most embarrassing night of Emille Carter's life is followed up with the most frightening news. She has been slowly living herself to death. Determined to save herself, Emille decides to change her own life. One of the casualties of her changes is her relationship with Peter. 

If he wants to be a part of her life, Peter needs to care for her more than he has ever cared before. Emille doesn't believe he can do it. Peter is determined to try. 

Thank you for your continued patience. Next up is The Wright Choice. If you don't know who the characters are, please pick up your free copy of Reckless Prudence, where you'll be introduced to the starring couple, Kellie Reid and our favorite bartender Nathanael Wright. From the writer's perspective it's interesting to see what has been going on over at Nate's place, Wrongdoings. 

Thank You Reader

This is the week of my thirtieth birthday. It should be a time for me to celebrate my life and the experiences I've had so far. Normally, I'd go all out. However, these past few years have been tough. More and more I've come to resent the fact that another year has passed and I am not where I want to be at that whatever age I happen to be marking.

My expectation for 'thirty' is very different from the actuality. I thought I'd be getting dressed to the nines in preparation for a night of misbehaving. The reality is a little backyard barbecue at home. Surprisingly, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Or so I'd thought, until I was surprised with something even better. A review was left on Smashwords by Newsmashreader for The Finish Line. I won't go into the details of what was said, but this is the first public I have EVER received and is treasured as such. A little word of encouragement goes a long way. If you ever make it to this blog, I'd like to thank you Newsmashreader for taking the time to pass on a word.

The Mind of a Writer - Reviews

I believe that everyone who has ever taken ink/text to paper/screen, has at some point wished they became that overnight success that we sometimes hear about. This phenomena of success is like a lottery. The wins are regular enough that every one of us hopes that if we get 'in it', then perhaps we might just 'win it'. Unlike the lottery, where you sit at home watching the news only for the numbers, the anxiety of being a writer doesn't end when the final ball drops.

I have been dabbling in writing as long as I can remember - and I have a remarkably long memory. It started when my preschool teacher told me that the eight letter word I'd painstakingly learned to spell was nothing. I had known how to spell the moment I learned my ABCs. A whole world opened up for me then, and it's been playing with my nerves ever since.

You see, having started to write at such an early age, I have grown very familiar with the elation - almost a high - of burning the candle at both ends in order to create something people might enjoy. Sigh! Sometimes I tell people, every writer is just a little bit manic. Personally, the moment I say a work is complete, I go from this extreme excitement to an almost paralyzing horror at just the thought of actually putting my work out there. And when I finally brave the masses and allow others to see the world I spent the past two weeks or so in, another part of me spends the rest of my life sitting on the edge of something waiting to see if the work is enjoyed.

At first, I used to think there wasn't enough of me to keep this up. Since then, I've learnt that I am a self-healing creature. For every piece that is given away, a new one replaces it. However, the process would be much easier if I received feedback. Reviews are a writer's sustenance. It tells us what we are doing wrong. What we are doing right. If our readers like our style. And most importantly, reviews tell us if readers think the story we have to tell them is worth the grind that we put into it. Please have compassion when you purchase a book. Take the time to drop a note of either encouragement or criticism. Perhaps you might drop even a little of both. It goes a long way to soothing that part of us writers that sit on the edge biting our nails after we've poured our hearts out to the world.