Website & the Sexiest Man Alive

Sorry for disappearing on you folks - this week is going by like a freight train. I'm working on updates to the website at the moment, so let me know if you think a particular page needs to be updated, or if you'd like some questions answered on the FAQ page.

I'm also off to the annual Romance Writers of New Zealand conference this weekend, which should be a blast...but I have yet to pack.

And talking of conferences, Diana Holquist was kind enough to sign a copy of Sexiest Man Alive at the RWA Conference for me to give away on the blog. If you'd like to go in the draw, drop your name into the hat on this post by midnight Sunday 17th Aug, NZ time.

How's your week going?

Website & Heroes Poll

My website's been updated.

Also, Diana Holquist's Sexiest Man Never Alive poll (discussed in the comments to this post) is now live, so go forth and vote for your favorite heroes.

I'm heading out, so it's a quick post today. Why don't you guys tell me what you've been reading? (And whether you've done your Xmas shopping?)

Have a good start to the week everyone!

Interview: Diana Holquist

Here's the interview I promised you with the author of Sexiest Man Alive, Diana Holquist! Diana's happy to answer any more questions, so hit her with them! Plus, check out the discussion question below. Now, onto those deep, dark secrets...

1. Sexiest Man Alive? How did you come up with such a fun idea?

Oh, that’s easy, Sexiest Man Alive was inspired by my husband. Hi, Honey!

Okay, is he gone?

Right then. Sexiest Man Alive was really inspired by a famous guy whose name I will not mention. I used to work for his father. Famous guy would show up in the office every now and then and stroll about and we’d all swoon and try to catch him bending over the water fountain in the hall….

Sorry. Got a wee bit distracted there. Anyway, we’d sit around and gab, asking each other, what is it that makes that guy so, well, hot. That, my friends, is the stuff of great literature.

2. Inspiration for Jasmine's character - her "flaw" is just so original? (Tangent: Hey, I wrote a Jasmine, too! My first published book!).

See, we were meant for each other, Nalini. My Jasmine’s flaw is that she’s pathologically shy around sexy men. She shakes, she blushes, she goes mute, and then she flees in terror. This is a problem as she’s just landed the job as the dresser (the person who helps an actor change quickly between scenes) for People magazine’s sexiest man alive. I came up with the flaw because I’m that way. Not around sexy men. But around a certain kind of person. I won’t tell you who or what, though; it’s too personal. But if you know me, and you’re that kind of person, you think I’m INSANE. If you’re not that kind of person, you think I’m completely normal. (Hah!) It’s a kind of phobia—like of snakes or heights…only for Jasmine, it’s sexy men. It’s actually surprisingly common.

3. SMA is part of a loose series based around three sisters - how about giving us the lowdown on the other books.

Each book starts with a gypsy psychic, Amy, who can tell a person the name of their soul mate—the one person on this earth who is destined to be their One True Love.

Make Me a Match, was the first book I published. It’s about woman with a “perfect” life who learns that her soul mate might be dying. If she ever wants to experience the love of a lifetime, she has to drop everything in her comfortable life and find him now.

Sexiest Man Alive is the second book in the series. It’s the story of the shyest woman alive who comes to believe that her soul mate is People magazine’s sexiest man alive. It’s in stores now.

Hungry for More will be out next fall. It’s Amy’s story, the Gypsy psychic who has been messing up everyone else’s lives with her soul mate prophecies. She loses her power and has to take a job in a restaurant to support herself. Wouldn’t you know the chef is one sexy dude….

4. Who is Diana Holquist - tells us your deep, dark secrets (especially the ones that involve sexy men).

Wait, I think I already did that. Okay, more secrets. I have no idea how to use my cell phone. I have to have my eight-year-old find Dancing with the Stars every Monday night, as I can’t work our satellite TV either. I’m addicted to diet Pepsi, but I hide it and drink it in coffee cups so my kids don’t see me drinking soda. I’m addicted to Sudoku.

This isn’t about me, but rather about the model on the cover of Sexiest Man Alive: this was his first modeling gig. In real life, he teaches special needs kids. Now, if that’s not sexy, I don’t know what is…

5. What draws you to write contemporary?

Contemporary romantic comedy is dead. And yet, I get so many reviews and e-mails that say, thank god someone is writing fun, funny, light contemporaries! I have the utmost respect for other genres, but I could never write them. Angst is not my thing. Dark stuff frightens me and I’m too frightened of the real world to deal with made-up stuff.

6 .Do you have plans to write in other sub-genres?

I have a cross-genre idea for my next book after Hungry for More, but I don’t know if I can pull it off. So I won’t admit it yet. Come back in five months and I’ll tell you more.

7. Anything else you want to add?

Thank you for having me!

8. How about a question for readers to discuss?

Matt Damon, People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2007. Pro or con? Discuss.

Sexiest Man Alive - Diana Holquist

I found out about Sexiest Man Alive via Jane's review on Dear Author. (It's a great review, so swing by that way for a much more in-depth look at the book.)

Here's the blurb that I grabbed from the author's website:

Jasmine Burns’s One True Love as destined by Fate is named Josh Toby. Of course, he might not be THE Josh Toby, the biggest movie star of the decade. After all, a shy girl like her could never be loved by a movie star like him? Could she?

The One True Love part comes from Jasmine's sister, Amy, who has a gift. She can touch a person and tell them the name of their destined soulmate. There's just one problem - she just gets a name. So if your one true love is John Smith, you're in trouble.

I really enjoyed Sexiest Man Alive - at first blush it's a fun contemporary romance, but this book's got heart. I felt for Jasmine. Her shyness isn't put on or temporary, it's very much a part of her life. I absolutely loved the book's beginning - Jasmine trying to get over her fear of speaking to men by practising with a naked...Ken doll. (Go here to read the excerpt.)

And Josh Toby, the Sexiest Man Alive, surprised me. He was a movie star but he was also so sweet. I could totally see him and Jasmine making it. This book made me smile. :) Have any of you read it? Thoughts? Any other good contemporary recommendations?

p.s. I've roped the author into doing an interview. Look out for it on Wednesday! She's going to be spilling some deep, dark secrets...*grin*