Discover THE LOST Heroes

With the release of THE LOST just a day away, I thought I’d share some of the secrets behind the creation of the novel. Before I tell you why I love Adam and Bobbie from THE LOST, here is the blurb from the back jacket cover:

    Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam-just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . . .

    Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carrera wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She’s drawn to his strength of mind and body; he’s attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or-if Adam’s powers rage out of control-destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Now, I have to tell you, that’s only the tip of the iceberg for these two characters.

I loved Adam because he is an uncertain hero and a bit tortured. He has no idea why he has such unusual powers and until he meets Bobbie, his powers have only caused harm to others. Not so at his first touch of Bobbie. The fact that he is finally bonding with someone is difficult for him, especially since he not only doesn’t have a clue as to why he has such powers, Adam doesn’t really know who he is. I loved exploring how he slowly comes to terms with not only his abilities, but with the fact that he no longer has to be alone.

As for Bobbie, well, she is like one of my favorite heroines of all time and that’s saying a lot that she’s competing with Diana Reyes from THE CALLING. A Marine home from war, she is both emotionally and physically wounded, but that doesn’t stop Bobbie from coming to Adam’s rescue in various ways. She rescues him when he is attacked and she rescues him from loneliness because she is a woman who is sure of herself and what she wants in life.

Many of you have asked what inspired THE LOST . Well, lots of things that we’ll be talking about again over the next couple of weeks. For now I’ll share with you the eye candy that inspired both Adam and Bobbie physically.

Adam is blonde, big and beautiful and the man who caught my eye to fit that bill was Curtis Stone.

CURTIS STONE

As for Bobbie, I wanted someone who was athletic, dark-haired and dark-eyed. Beautiful. Kate Beckinsale was the perfect choice for a model.

Kate Beckinsale

Together Bobbie and Adam are wonderful. Sexy, dark and empowered by being together. I love the chemistry they have and the way that the power of their love and Hunter power merge to make them both stronger.

I hope you’ll feel the same way about them after reading THE LOST.

Curtis Stone Photo Credit: Joseph [email protected]
Kate Beckinsale Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Mario Antonio Pena Zapaterí[email protected]

Guilty Pleasure Monday Leonardo DiCaprio

I know there are those who will disagree with me, but I find Leonardo DiCaprio extremely sexy. There is just something about him that smolders and his gaze seems to convey a wisdom far beyond his years. I guess that’s part of it–to me one of the sexiest parts of a man is his brain!

The first movie of his that I remember seeing was WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (which also starred Johnny Depp). He stole the movie and garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He was passable in TITANIC, but brilliant in THE AVIATOR, one of my all time favorites (especially since it also has Kate Beckinsale playing Ava Gardner).

I could go on because Leo has been in so many blockbuster movies, but I won’t because I’d like to hear whether you like Leo and if so, what are your favorite movies. I’ve still got SHUTTER ISLAND and INCEPTION on my list of must-sees and as soon as I finish my revisions, I’m going to treat myself to a Leo-Fest.

Photo Credit: Colin [email protected]

Thursday 13 – Kick Butt Heriones to Love

The women in today’s paranormal, suspense and urban fantasy books, movies and television shows are not the heroines of old. They are empowered, know how kick immortal ass and are capable of saving themselves. It’s why I love them and today, I’m sharing 13 of those top heroines from my favorite works (or at least I’m hoping to reach 13. If I can’t, I hope you’ll join in with your favorites).

    1. Buffy Summers. What can I say other than that this character turned female empowerment on its head by proving women were capable of saving the world while still being feminine.

    2. Eve Dallas. Tortured, strong, honorable and with a loving heart that grows with each IN DEATH story, J.D. Robb’s Eve is the ultimate powerful heroine.

    3. Selene from Underworld. Kate Beckinsale totally rocked this role. I could watch the movie and its sequel over and over and over again.

    4. Anita Blake. Some readers think Hamilton’s character went south with CERULEAN SINS, but early Anita is pure gold and not to be missed.

    5. Rachel Morgan. This uber-witch from Kim Harrison’s Witch series touches your heart with your vulnerability, but raises you up with her desire to protect those whom she loves.

    6. Paige Winterbourne. Kelley Armstrong’s heroine from the Magic series is a wonderful character trying to cope with being thrust into a role she hadn’t imagined for herself.

    7. Gracie Hart. What can I say about Bullock’s interpretation of an FBI Agent who is totally not in touch with all things feminine. The transformation of this character is a must-see.

    8. Anna Valerious. Kate Beckinsale makes the list again with this empowered female from the 2004 movie VAN HELSING. Tough and yet vulnerable, she has you rooting for a happily-ever-after with the always gorgeous Hugh Jackman in the role of Van Helsing.

    9. Hermione Granger. Yep, you read that right. This pint-sized heroine packs enough brain power and magic to keep the men in tow.

    10. Lara Croft. Wow, what can I say. Action, adventure and Angelina. Not to mention both Daniel Craig and Gerard Butler as potential love interests. Too yummy for words.

    11. Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter brought class, sass and beauty to this role on the small screen. Filling her shoes in a movie version will be a hard act to follow. Could explain why so far this movie franchise can’t seem to get off the ground.

    12. Supergirl. What can I say? I wish Superman’s little sister didn’t live in his shadow so much. Maybe she needed her own identity? Think of Robin becoming Night Wing. And why not Superwoman and not girl? But regardless, she ranks up there with the top kick ass heroines.

    13. Catwoman. LOL! You thought I was going to say Batgirl didn’t you? Nope, this is one time that a villainess ranks up there, especially since in my hopefully romantic heart I kept on hoping for her to be redeemed and end up with Batman.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your favorite kick ass heroines in the comments sections.

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Guilty Pleasures Monday Luke Wilson

Luke Wilson photographed by Jerry Avenaim - Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License. This morning’s Guilty Pleasure is for my friend Irene Peterson who suggested the boyishly cute Luke Wilson.

Luke has been in several movies and television shows. I first remember seeing Luke on The X-Files when he caught Agent Scully’s eye as a local sheriff. He caught my eye as well!

Look for Luke this year in a movie called TENURE. Also check out VACANCY with Luke and Kate Beckinsale. Quite a scary little movie!

What else is happening today? Be sure to drop by the CHASING HEROES blog as I discuss sexy Mick Carrera, the hero in SINS OF THE FLESH. Just click here to visit CHASING HEROES.

If you’re in the New York City area, drop by Lady Jane’s Salon tonight to meet me and hear me read from SINS OF THE FLESH. Here is the info for you:

    When: Mon, Nov 2, 2009 7:00 PM – Mon, Nov 2, 2009 9:00 PM
    Where: Madame X, 94 Houston Street, New York, NY 10012
    Lady Jane’s is an innovative salon for lovers of Romance. Proceeds benefit Share the Love (www.share-the-love.org) which reaches out to women in crisis/transition. For more information, call 212-539-0808 or visit www.madamex.com.

SINS OF THE FLESH Casting Call

We’ve had interest from a couple of production companies for SINS OF THE FLESH and so for today’s Wicked Wednesday I’m having a casting call to see who you think would make a better Caterina Shaw, the heroine in the novel. To help you make a decision, here’s a little info about Caterina and a teaser – the inside cover copy!

Caterina Shaw is half-Irish/half-Mexican and a celebrated cellist. She’s been diagnosed with a brain tumor that has suddenly become more aggressive, making her lose her sight and be in constant pain. She goes to Wardwell Laboratories, a company renowned for gene research and engineering, for a radical gene therapy to slow the growth of the tumor. Unfortunately, the scientists use Caterina for a guinea pig, making her something more, and less, than human. Tall and lean, but womanly, Caterina has cerulean blue eyes and long wavy brown hair.

So check out this teaser and then let me know who you think would make the best Caterina.

*****

Her Touch — Innocent and Honest — Ripped Through His Body

… tightening Mick’s gut and creating an unexpected and unwanted reaction. She had brushed the tips of her fingers across his bruise. And from the tremble of her fingers, Caterina clearly had experienced something intense as well.

He rose from the chair and the motion brought him close to her. Too close. Her eyes were that intense dark blue once more, the pupils wide. The blush was even stronger across the high slashes of her cheekbones. She licked her lips.

Very human lips.

Very luscious womanly lips.

He dipped his head down, hesitating when he was about an inch away. Warning himself that if he took a
taste …

*****

Ready to decide? Is it Kate Beckinsale on the left, Evangeline Lilly on the right or the gorgeous cover model from the back cover of SINS OF THE FLESH? Or do you have someone else in mind for Caterina Shaw?

Author:  Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería Used under Creative Commons LicenseAuthor WatchWithKristen used under  Creative Commons License
Back Cover of SINS OF THE FLESH

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale

asjThe other day a friends was blogging about who they might cast to play the hero/heroine in their lastest novel. So, I thought I’d give it a shot and started thinking about who might fit the bill.

Today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday are those two actors who I can envision playing Mick and Caterina from SINS OF THE FLESH — Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale (always a favorite and a repeat Guilty Pleasure).

Antonio first became well-known thanks to a series of Calvin Klein ads and is currently starring in a reality TV show – My Antonion. You can click here to find out more about the show and watch the first episode.

Kate Beckinsale has starred in a number of movies, including my personal favorites like UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD:EVOLUTION and THE AVIATOR. Kate’s latest movie WHITEOUT, where she plays a U.S. Marshall assigned to Antartica, premieres on September 11. Here is a sneak peek at the trailer for that sub-zero crime thriller!

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Kate Beckinsale

This one is for you, Leo, and all my other male fans who have been demanding a little equal time.

Today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday is the stunning and amazingly beautiful Kate Beckinsale. Kate has been in a number of movies, including a few of my favorites – the UNDERWORLD series and THE AVIATOR where she played Ava Gardner.

Sadly, there will be an UNDERWORLD 3, but without Kate. What’s the sense? I know I won’t be going to see it without her in it!

If Kate looks familiar and you haven’t seen those movies, more recently she’s been in CLICK with Adam Sandler and VACANCY with Luke Wilson. Here’s a shot of her in CLICK, which was a really good movie, but totally not a comedy as it was portrayed in the trailers.

Leo and all the guys, hope you enjoyed today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday, but if not, click here!