Meet the Fockers er...Characters!

No, I know you think that's Joaquin Phoenix. But it's not, not anymore. Meet the hero of BLACK BOX WARNING, Detective Seargent Daniel Benson. At six foot three, he's not quite as tall as his big brother, Dr. Christian Benson, but he has a pistol, and he's not afraid to use it.











And, no that's not our wonderful friend, Leigh and her brand new bundle of joy, Bodhi. Well, okay maybe it is. But it's also my prototype for Dr. Sky Novak, our heroine.

Here's a snip of dialogue from their first meet.

He spoke first. "Brrr chill."
Before she could stop it, her laugh broke free.
Two vertical lines creased the space between his thick sable brows. "What?"
To quell her laughter, Sky concentrated on the dim scar that traveled the length of the man's nasal filtrum before coursing into his off-center upper lip. The effect of that slight asymmetry, those full, battle-scarred lips set against otherwise perfect, intensely masculine angles was undeniably sensuous. The word devastating came to mind. He should be a poster boy for cleft-lip repairs. Her shoulders stopped vibrating, but she didn't trust herself to speak, not quite yet.
"It's fuckin' freezing."
"Now that's more what I'd expect from an outlaw like you." Oh shit. That was inappropriate. But judging by the way every feature on his face worked its way into a rebel-without-a-cause grin, he hadn't exactly taken offense at the remark.
"Well all right then. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Doesn't fit anyway. Can I buy you a coffee?"
"Thanks, but no..."
"Not into outlaws?"
"Uh..." Sky rattled the doorknob helplessly.
"One cup. C'mon, flirt and run's a crime...Don't make me arrest you."
Now this was just plain awkward. She couldn't figure anyway out but honesty. "You're right. I was flirting...and I never flirt...and I absolutely should not have flirted with you just now. It's my bad. I apologize."
"I refuse to accept. What's it gonna be, coffee or cuffs?"

What qualities do you think make a hero and heroine memorable? Anybody else use real people for their physical prototypes? If so, care to share?

Fun and Games: Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

THIS JUST IN: COURTNEY MILAN'S THE MAKING OF JENNY KEEBLER FINALS IN THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS CONTEST! CONGRATULATIONS-WORLD DOMINATION IS A HEARTBEAT AWAY!

I was cruising JULIA QUINN'S website the other day and found something really neat under her Bonus Features. JQ has put together a mix of songs that inspired her or played a role in her books. What a nifty idea. I checked out her list and felt I knew her a little bit from the songs.

I also noticed what a great job of branding she's done. Her book covers and website are all tied together with the same fun tone and color palate. So even though it may seem silly to brand ourselves before we publish, I thought, hey, why not get some practice?

So I put together my own soundtrack for STRANDED HEARTS (If you're wondering what the heck STRANDED HEARTS is it's the new title I'm using for TWIST OF FATE). I had great fun putting the I-Mix together. If you want to try, just download I Tunes to your computer, create a playlist, and choose Publish . They'll email you a link a few hours later. And if you do decide to play, be sure to post a link to your mix in the comments section.

What fun things have you seen on other author's websites? Any great branding ideas you're dying to try?