Man of the Month Poll: The Irish Hotties

Nope, not hot water bottles, although perhaps they'd do in very cold weather... And no ladies here either. It's the totally non-pc hotties poll. Direct from the Minxes. Some of the hotties are now older than they appear in these photos, and in light of last years surprising news from M&B picking Mr Cowell as top hottie, we've added in a wildcard, just in case. This month, we're visiting Ireland - so without further ado, bloggers, please cast your votes in the poll in the right sidebar.

Here, in no particular order, are the contenders....



Colin Farrell



Brian Carney



 Actor and perennial bad boy Colin Farrell







Rugby league player Brian Carney

Aidan Turner



Louis Walsh


Film and television actor Aidan Turner




Boyzone and Westlife music guru and X Factor Judge Louis Walsh




 

Johnathan Rhys Meyers

Actor and model Jonathan Rhys Meyers

He's an oldy now but, in Minxy opinion, still a goody! Pierce Brosnan

We'll leave the poll live until Friday 28th January and annouce the winner over the weekend. We look forward to seeing which of our Irish hotties our lovely blog readers like best!

Author Spotlight - Kimberly Lang

We are thrilled to welcome Kimberly Lang to be an honorary minx today!
Grab a cuppa and settle in to read Kimberley's fab interview....

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

The slush pile. ~grin~  I was licking my wounds from a rejection, about two months from getting another one,  and working on my third manuscript (which would become my 2^nd book, THE MILLIONAIRE’S MISBEHAVING MISTRESS).  I was still over two years away from selling.  Wow.   Oh, the memories…

2. Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

Hm, I don’t know.  My books normally start with the characters – or sometimes a scene – that I then have to play with until it becomes a big enough something to make a book out of.  I remember when the idea for GIRLS’ GUIDE  finally crystallized, though.  I was having coffee with a good friend and telling her about my marriage counselor heroine and the divorce attorney hero and she asked, “Were they married?” BING! 

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

If I say “doing exactly the same thing as I am now,” it makes me sound like I don’t have any ambition, doesn’t it?   I love writing these books:  the strong heroines, the glamour, the sizzle. I also love the range I have in the line to be funny and light or tackle something a little heavier.  I can’t imagine what else I’d want to write!  So, can I be doing exactly what I’m doing now, only better, faster, and with a couple of fancy awards to show for it?

4. Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

THE GIRL FROM MARS by Julie Cohen.  Julie has a twist in her brain that I can’t quite figure out, but her books are so great because of it – funny, quirky, and romantic. And anything by Julia Quinn – I’d love to write like that!

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

I spent my teen years devouring big, fat, historical novels --  Bertrice Small, Johanna Lindsay, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood – and historicals are still where I turn for escapist reading.  (I love contemporaries and devour those too, but since that’s what I write, it’s not always the escape a historical romance is.) Those are the books that made me want to be a writer, because I wanted to make my own stories with happy endings.  More importantly, those are the books that made me a *reader.* It’s one of the reasons I went on to major in English in college  (and imagine my horror when I signed up for Romantic Literature and it was Wordsworth and that lot… sigh.).

6. What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

I have a pretty amazing husband who’s not normally one for the big gestures.  Instead, he’s very good at the small, daily things that let me know I’m loved.  (Hey, the man thinks my mood swings are part of my charm and that my crazy is kinda cute.)   But romance-wise, probably when he packed up everything he owned in one suitcase and moved to the US because that’s where I was.  Seeing him come off that plane and knowing he’d left his whole life behind because he loved me and wanted to be with me… that’s a pretty romantic moment.

7. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That it doesn’t get any easier.  Rejection hurts, but so does a bad review – and those are public!  Then there’s all the worries about sales and lists and the next book.  It’s a different set of problems, granted, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but this writing gig doesn’t get any easier on the other side of the contract.

8. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Finish the book.  Most writers are told that in the vein of “you have to finish it in order to sell it.”  That’s true, but I’ve also learned that even when I’m not sure what’s wrong with a scene or the middle is sagging or whatever, finishing the book gives me the information I need to go back and fix the problem.   Being able to see the book as a whole gives me insight into the individual bits.

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you.

Hopefully, Riva will hook that reader who thinks all romance novels are the same, or that there’s nothing really in the genre to appeal to them. Riva is fresh and fun, with a variety of voices and stories.  The new covers and titles really reflect that fresh feel, and will hopefully introduce those readers to the joys of romance novels!  These aren’t your Grannie’s romance novels, that’s for sure!

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

GIRLS’ GUIDE TO FLIRTING WITH DANGER

Rule #1 — Don't even flirt with your ex — let alone sleep with him!

Life is good for marriage counselor Megan Lowe—until the media discover that she’s the ex–wife of Devin Kenney, America's most famous divorce attorney! Now the paparazzi are digging for a scoop just in time for the launch of Devin's new book. His gorgeous smile smirks at Megan from magazines and billboards — making him infuriatingly impossible to forget…

It's time for Megan to throw her very bossy rulebook out of the window and face her dangerously sexy ex. And their sizzlingly hot reunion — well, that's most definitely headline news…

I’m very excited about GIRLS’ GUIDE TO FLIRTING WITH DANGER.  It’s a reunion story with two very strong characters.  I love reunion stories, because there’s so much conflict already built in.  And a lot of sexual tension, too! Megan and Devin were so much fun to write, and I’m so thrilled they were chosen to help launch the new Riva line.

11. What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on a series of books connected by three brothers from a political dynasty.  Handsome, powerful, rich… the kind of heroes I love.  And I’m matching them up with heroines guaranteed to drive them insane ~grin~  The first of the three, THE PRIVILEGED AND THE DAMNED, will be out in the UK in June. 

You can catch up with Kimberly here....

www.booksbykimberly.com

www.writingplayground.com

www.writingplayground.blogspot.com

Kimberly is offering a back list book to one lucky commenter - so don't be shy, leave a comment and start the year with an awesome read.

Thanks for taking the time to blog with us today Kimberly, and the very best of luck for your exciting Riva launch title! 

What's coming up in 2011

We have some exciting new features coming up this year.

First up, as you may have noticed in the right sidebar, January is dedicated to the launch of Mills & Boon's new Riva imprint, with four Riva authors in our Wednesday Spotlights. The year also kicks off with a contest: Kimberly Lang is offering one of her back list titles to a random commenter this week.

February is the turn of Embrace Books, a new romance imprint being launched by Salt Publishing, with Jane Holland at the helm. We are doubly proud to be hosting four of Embrace's launch authors here since they include not only some good Minxy friends but also our very own Sally Clements.

Starting this month, we'll also be running monthly themed polls, with plenty of mouth watering eye candy for you to vote on. Please drop by every month to view our nominees and to cast your votes. We really want to know which heroes you like the most. January's theme is Irish Hotties.

Another new feature we're introducing in 2011 is Ask An Editor. On your behalf, we will ask editors to spill the beans on what happens behind the scenes in publishing. Leave us a comment or drop us an email with your burning questions, and we'll ask one of our friendly editors to answer.

As our regular blog followers already know, a few of us Minxes have a serious addiction to The Vampire Diaries. To feed the craving, I'll be devoting five Monday Minx posts (starting mid January) to what we aspiring writers can learn from this series.

We'd love to hear your news and views. What would you like to see more of in 2011? Feel free to share any bright ideas with us!

Happy New Year!

We would like to wish all of our fabulous friends in Blogland a very Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for reading, contributing and chatting with us in 2010 - we have had a ball, and we have some exciting plans for 2011 and really hope you'll join us for the ride.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy new year, choc-a-block full of sparkling writing success!!

With love from the Minxes

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Author Spotlight: Nyla Rose

Today the Minxes are excited to welcome Nyla Rose to the blog. We hope you had a great Christmas, Nyla. Now we look forward to getting to know you better.

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Five years ago, I’d just returned to work from maternity leave with Child No.2. I missed him dreadfully. To help alleviate that, I started to write at my desk when the boss was away. I got my first book (which shall remain unnamed) written that way. So you could I’d just began my writing journey.

2. Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

I started writing Yuletide Fire on a whim really. A few of my then crit partners were writing stories for their various houses centered around the Christmas theme and I enjoyed reading what they wrote so I started writing one too. I had other projects occupying my time but when I could I’d go back and add a paragraph here and a paragraph there. Before I knew it, I had a complete book!

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Hopefully still writing. Hopefully published with a more established house. Penguin or Simon & Shuster would be great! I can dream, right?

4. Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

Anything by Michelle Reid or India Grey! Although I couldn’t possibly have written any of Stieg Larsson’s books, they blew me away completely!

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

I've always enjoyed reading, but it wasn't until I read my first Mills & Boon at age 13 that I really thought of writing. I wrote my very first (unpublishable) story not long after that.

6. Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?

I love writing love scenes and most of my books tend to be on the (very) sensual side, so I’d say neither. I think they’re a key part of a character’s emotional development. I tend to peel back another layer of my characters’ emotions during these scenes so it’s a part I always look forward to ;)

7. What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

Oh dear, I don’t think I can reveal too much without getting into trouble. Let’s just say anything that involves “the little things in life” touches me romantically.

8. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That it’s not only about the writing. That promoting your work is a huge time-suck. The publishing world is a huge business machine that never stops turning. You have to keep up or risk falling by the wayside. That was certainly an eye-opener.

9. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Don’t compare yourself to another writer. And just keep writing no matter what because writing is a skill which develops only by constant application.

10. Tell us about your latest release.

Yuletide Fire is a Christmas themed story. Maxine Gray is on the verge of bankruptcy after her ex-fiancé cleans her out and runs off with another woman. At any time this would frighten most people, but when it happens just before Christmas, she’s even more desperate because she had employees with families depending on her. When she turns to her eccentric grandfather for a loan against her Trust, he gives her an ultimatum - marry by Christmas Day or lose her inheritance.

As a last resort, Maxine gets in touch with her ex-lover, Gabe Fenton, an attorney, to find out if there’s any way around the Trust Deed. Gabe agrees to help her… but only if they re-enact the steamy nights they spent in Vegas five years ago.

11. What’s next for you?

I have a few projects I’m waiting to hear back on so watch this space.

You can keep in touch with me via my Twitter page - www.twitter.com/nylaroseauthor
My books are for sale via Amazon, Cobblestone Press or Wild Rose Press.

Thank you so much to all the Minxes for inviting me here today. Hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a happy, published and fruitful 2011.