My favorite “hunk” is…?

Hello everyone. This is my first time blogging here at “SE x”. Please be gentle with me.

My first Liquid Silver book is scheduled to be released in late May or early June. It’s called Help! I’m Falling for the Vampire Next Door. And yes, it features a tall, dark and sexy vampire hero and a heroine who knows her way around the bedroom.

I’ve been around for a while. (I won’t say how long I’ve been around at the risk of dating myself—badly.) I’ve seen what’s popular and what’s not so popular in romantic fiction come and go—and then come around again. My basic tastes haven’t changed that much, but it seems everyone else’s have, again and again.

So, in order to find out what’s “in” and what’s “out” for today’s romantic fiction reader, I thought I'd create a poll and find out your opinions. Leave your answers as well as you explanations in the “comments” section of this blog. All set? All right let’s go.

1. My favorite romantic hunk is…

A. Tall, dark and ruggedly, “bad-boy” handsome. He’s dangerous and mysterious, but the heroine eventually tames him and makes him her own.

B. Fair, brawny, Navy SEAL-ish or cowboy-ish, possessing the physical strength of Superman on steroids. He takes no prisoners and leaves no hearts unbroken, but the heroine manages to capture his in due course.

C. Average looking, nerdy, but with a heart of gold. Although outwardly not quite as appealing as other romantic heroes, the heroine sees through this guy’s shy exterior and ultimately discovers that he’s a diamond in the rough. True love and happiness soon blossom.

D. An alien—either from outer space or from an exotic, distant land and/or time. He could be a combination of archetypes, but his alien nature pervades how he woos and makes love to the heroine. “The Sheikh meets Star Wars” would be a likely title I’d pick up.

E. Something completely different than anything listed above.


2. My favorite romantic heroine is…

A. Drop-dead, fashion model gorgeous. Her figure is perfect, her hair is perfect, her teeth are perfect and she leads the most perfect life with oodles of cash and a credit card with no limit. The hero finds her shallow and materialistic at first, but he digs deeper and uncovers her true beauty underneath all the glamour and glitz.

B. An “older woman” (over 35 years of age) who has been around the block a few time and isn’t looking for love this time out. The hero has a different idea, however, and chases this self-assured, independent gal until she succumbs to his sexy charm—both in and out of the bedroom.

C. A modern day “Cinderella”. She may possess physical beauty and intelligence, but it’s been buried beneath emotional scars of indifference or outright abuse. The hero gently woos her and brings out her inner strengths, including her latent sexuality, so at last that she becomes the woman she was meant to be.

D. A “bigger is beautiful” heroine who’s proud of her body and her sexuality. She doesn’t starve herself to look like the magazine covers, and the hero appreciates her honesty, her gusto for life and her screaming orgasms.

E. Something completely different than anything listed above



3. My favorite romantic plot is…

A. The hero swoops down off his jungle vine, white horse, flying saucer or NASCAR speedster and knocks the heroine off her feet and into his sexy, brawny arms with little resistance on her part. (She enjoys the “capture”.)

B. The hero broods about his dark, painful past while the heroine does her best to bring him out of his moods and into her arms (bedroom) where sexual healing can begin to make him whole.

C. The hero and heroine are thrown together under unusual circumstances and have to make the best of things—which ultimately leads them to discover their mutual attraction in the bedroom among other places.

D. Something completely different than anything listed above

4. My favorite romantic setting is…

A. Nowadays in the good ol’ U.S. of A. (or at least Canada, Great Britain or Australia). It’s a setting I’m familiar with, be it a small town or a mega-metropolis.

B. Long ago in a mysterious and exotic foreign land. It’s the “princess in the castle fantasy” to the extreme.

C. In the far distance future, in a far off galaxy, where human beings may be few and far between but the human traits of love and devotion still reign supreme.

D. Something completely different than anything listed above.


5. My favorite level of sensuality in romantic fiction is…

A. Sweet and traditional. If the hero and heroine share a kiss by story’s end, I’m more than happy.

B. Simmering sensuality with some consummated love scenes as the hero and heroine get to know each other better. A wedding ring makes the sex even better.

C. Sexy and sassy right out of the chute. They can’t wait to rip each other’s clothes off and get it on right then and there on the desk. Hand cuffs and vibrators work, too.

D. The more the merrier—as long as both partners are okay with it, why not bring along a few other friends to join in the fun?

E. Something completely different than anything listed above.


6. My favorite length of romantic fiction read is…

A. As long and as in depth as Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.

B. Short and sweet and sizzling—novellas are great, short stories even better.

C. Somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I enjoy reading a longer story and sometimes I enjoy reading something shorter. It depends on my mood, the story and/or the author.

D. Something completely different than anything listed above.


Okay, that’s enough for now. Be sure to share your insights in the comments box. Thanks. This “old dog” would really like to see if she needs to learn a few “new tricks” to keep up with today’s romantic fiction readers. And I give everyone an “A+” for sharing their answers!

P.S. I may post this poll around the ‘net and gather a few more responses, too. I’ll post the final, final results in my e-newsletter “Celine’s Dreams”. Sign up for it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celinesdreams

P.P.S. I don't have a contest going quite yet, but I've got some chapter excerpts I'm willing to give out to anyone who'd care for them. Just email me at celinechatillon @hotmail.com (no spaces) and put "Chapter excerpts" in the subject line. Thanks!