'Tis A Gift To Be Sexy: Who Will Be People's Next Sexiest Man Alive?

What a glorious time of year this is! The leaves are changing, Thanksgiving is still in the future, and the elections are over. Today I want to remind us of a lesser known November occasion, one that isn’t on most people’s calendars. Put a big red circle around the 16^th.

That’s the day People Magazine crowns this year’s Sexiest Man Alive.

I’m not sure who will take home the title this year. Last year Channing Tatum was the big winner. Last year is also the first time I started to really question the process.

Let’s be clear before I start with the complaining. I am not going to tell Channing Tatum that I had a lovely time but I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow morning. That would be terribly silly, wouldn’t it? He’s not a bad looking fellow at all.

But is he sexy? Is he?

I don’t want to say no … but I can’t say yes.

Sexy, to me, is about a hell of a lot more than looks. Strength of character is sexy. Experience is sexy. Intellect is super sexy.

I’m not saying that I don’t see that in Channing Tatum. I will say I had to go to GQ to see what, if anything, was really going on inside the pretty. I just think – and yes, my mouth does burn a little to say this – we can do better.

How? Well, let’s look at Benedict Cumberbatch.

Benedict was just named Empire Magazine’s Sexiest Movie Star. He’s got depth of character (that's my favorite picture of him), he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he does a great Chewbacca impression. Is it too much to hope that he’ll end up on People’s cover this year, too? Probably. But I’m hoping anyway.

Who else? I checked out Glamour UK’s gallery – they put this contest to the popular vote – for some ideas. 

First I imposed a couple of restrictions.

I’m not sure anyone under the age of 25 is even old enough to be sexy. Seriously, if you’re younger than 25, you don’t know the world, yourself, or what you want well enough to be sexy. That would keep Justin Bieber off the list of candidates. I’m sorry, I just can’t think of a single reason Justin Bieber would be sexy.

 Because experience is sexy, I don’t think New Jacks, Johnnies Come Lately, or other Flavors of the Month should be on the list of candidates, either. This should also exclude those candidates who haven’t really been doing anything lately (bye bye, Taylor Lautner).

Having said all that, a quick look see at the gallery turns up some promising candidates. Robert Downey Jr. is still one of my favorites. His trip back to the world from rock bottom, his perspective on the journey and on his new place in the world, and his rock-solid grasp of who he is – all that makes him big-time sexy. Idris Elba is right up there, too. I like the way he works as a black actor – he doesn’t let it force him into or out of anything. Black is a part of who he is, and it’s an important part, but it’s not all there is, and he won’t let anyone forget it.

When all is said and done, I just want to see more of a focus on the sexy instead of just the hot. Granted, this might mean a shift in emphasis away from the young and the very young. But the good news is that sexy is much more durable than hot. Once a man is sexy, chances are that he’ll always be sexy. For a hot man, the future is far less certain. Even if he stays hot, which does happen from time to time, there will always be someone younger and hotter waiting in the wings.

Sexy is evergreen. Maybe that’s why this annual ritual is such a good fit for the winter, right?

Alexa Day's ILLICIT IMPULSE is a finalist in the Erotica category in the 2014 EPIC E-Book Awards. Check out this story of two friends, a friend with benefits, and a pill that suppresses the bonding hormone wherever e-books are sold, and watch for Alexa right here on the first Wednesday of the month, on Facebook, or on Twitter every Thursday night for Scandal!

Are Serial Killers Sexy?

The end of Dexter  is near, and I must say, I will miss those cargo pants. There is something about when his mask comes down and you see the real him...yes, my name is Tina and I find fictional serial killers sexy.

Well, let me put this all in context. During my last meeting with Virginia Romance Writers, I presented ideas about my series, the /eks/ series, and my thoughts on morphing the series. My initial idea was to change the serial killer in book one to be the hero in book two. When I presented this idea, I was met with blatant honesty. What you are writing isn’t romance, I was told.

This made me think and try to re-access.

Yes, I am a fan of the serial killer fiction, when done right, when the character is filled with dimension, character and pizzazz- that certain something that makes them come to life on the page. Of course, when I speak of serial killers, I think of Dexter, as created by Jeff Lindsay, and Hannibal, as created by Thomas Harris. But, there are more of them that we as readers are drawn to, it doesn’t matter if we dress them up in black leather and put fangs in their mouths, a killer is just that, a cutting edge ready to take out the necessary threat, or what they see as prey, for the fulfillment of their own psychosis.

If I lived in Bon Temp, I'm sure I'd be at Fangtasia, and offering myself up for Eric to devour.

Just like Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse series, created by Charlaine Harris, leaves me longing for more, and is surely tops my list, the wit and personality of the depraved and deranged killers make me wonder, what’s next. It’s a cycle that leaves me wanting more and more and more until I can either solve the crime, gripped in literary suspense and thinking somehow that the killer on the other side has a sexy side.

There’s always been something about me and darkness. I like to play with it; dancing in and out of the light in hopes of touching, caressing and bathing in its depths. The inkier the better, and maybe that is the appeal for the serial killer character, who is only going about his day’s work, packing up the body parts in a plastic bag because he doesn’t need them anymore.

Sure, there is a lot more to that theory and how people are regarded. Maybe it all has to do with the desire to feel through someone else’s demise, or maybe it is just a plot point, where the all-together bad guy is found to not only have a morsel of good, but also be f*cking hot!

I’m addicted to sexy fictional serial killers, and you?

___________________

Tina Glasneck is the author of THOU SHALL NOT, a gritty suspense. Her second book NUMBERS, a continuation of the /eks/ series is scheduled for an August release.

Connect with Tina on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tinaglasneck 

September to Remember: Three Date Nights to Fall For

Autumn begins this month. Nights will slowly get longer, the leaves begin to change color, and before long, traditional fall festivals will start to crop up. Outdoor time is at its most comfortable in the fall – before long, it’ll be too cold to really enjoy yourself outside for more than a few minutes. I would say that we’re going to make hay while the sun shines … but my plans for the month will all be taking place after dark! Read on for three sexy September activities you can enjoy under cover of darkness.

1.       The fair. The local fair – state, county or what have you – is a fabulous place to go on a date. It’s got everything a typical date needs: food, entertainment, the chance to take a long walk with your honey, dessert, and a little excitement. There’s something very sexy about food you can eat (or feed each other) with your fingers. Stay for a concert as the sun goes down. You’d be surprised by some of the acts that play the fairgrounds! While you’re walking off that heavy meal, your sweetheart can win you a prize at one of the midway games. (Let me tell you a secret about men. If a man wins you a prize at one of those games, he will absolutely feel like a king. Somewhere in the instinctive part of their minds, the midway is like the knights’ tournament.) Later you can get buckled in to one of those rides – the bumper cars if you’re competitive, one of those high speed loop-the-loop things if you want to scream, the Ferris wheel if you’re up for a little private time. On the way back to the parking lot, stop for a funnel cake. Dates don’t get an awful lot better than that. Go after sundown if you’re looking for a more date-friendly atmosphere. Something about all those flashing lights just heightens the excitement.

2.       The high school football game. The season’s already started, but if I were you, I would wait a couple of weeks before I went to the game. Right now, everything is still kind of raw and new, and it’s still pretty light outside. If you wait just a little while, you can enjoy a nice hometown version of Friday Night Lights. Bring a blanket with you – you can sit on it if it’s warm and snuggle beneath it if it gets chilly. When you get to the game, be sure you are sitting on the correct side of the field. You want to be with the home team, don’t you? Then you want to pick a distant, lonely place in the bleachers. Don’t worry; you’ll still be able to see the game. Not that you came here to watch the game. While you and your sweetheart hang out and enjoy the game, you can talk about how high school was when you were students. I find this experience is even better if you hated high school – it’s very refreshing to go to a game when you’ve escaped the very insular world that is high school. Enjoy the game. Enjoy the weather. Then once it gets dark and everyone else is watching the game, you can enjoy each other’s company.

3.       The hayride. I encourage you to use care when choosing a hayride. The “haunted hayride” is basically your chance to be an extra in a slasher movie. Now, if that’s your thing, I don’t judge. That just doesn’t say ‘sexy’ to me. If you look hard, you can find a nice quiet hayride you can share with a few other couples. You can get to know them a little better with a sing-along and conversation, and you can get to know your sweetheart a little better under one of the blankets they keep in the wagon. Add some hot cider, a bonfire, maybe some s’mores, and before you know it, you and your honey are having a very romantic time.

You can make this a September to remember! What are you waiting for?

**Sure, it's getting cooler out. Alexa Day believes in keeping things nice and hot every day. Her monthly W3 post, Below the Fold, brings a little heat to your everyday. If you need heat more often than that, check her out every Thursday at her blog on www.alexaday.net.

My First Taste

If you are the parent of young children, you mark the end of the summer season with your offspring's return to school. I am no different. Tomorrow is the big day. And not just because my kids return to school, but because my youngest starts all-day kindergarten.


I'm free! After nine years of staying at home with my children, I'm free. And ready to devote all that extra time to my writing. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I am reposting a blog I wrote about my introduction into the world of reading romance.


Enjoy.


When I was 11 years old, my parents opened a BBQ and Seafood restaurant. I worked there every afternoon after school and made $35 a week. This was the first time I made any "real" money on my own and I knew exactly how I was going to spend it: gummy bears and books.


There was a new bookstore in town and I begged my dad to take me. With my first paycheck I bought a Nancy Drew book. Not the Nancy Drew I grew up reading (in hardcover solving the "Secret in the Old Attic.") But a new Nancy in the Nancy Drew Files. I bought the first one, "Secrets Can Kill." For the first time, Nancy was on the cover with **gasp** a boy instead of a clue. Nancy was a teenager who dated and used her ballet technique to fight bad guys!


I cruised along for a few months, happy on the high Nancy gave me. I got a little bit of mystery, a little bit of teenage love. It was all good. And then my parents hired a new waitress for the restaurant, Angie. Angie was pretty, funny and probably the star of every party she attended. She acted like a grown-up and was the coolest girl I knew.


One afternoon, Angie sidled up to me, a purple and white paperback in her hand.

"Hey Tracey," she cooed. "Whatcha doin?"

"Reading." Angie was always nice to me even though it was clear we were from two different worlds: Cheerleaderville (her) and the Nerdverse (me).

"I brought this for you. Thought you might like it." She casually tossed me the book and I watched as it slid down the counter to settle before me.


The first thing I noticed was the man and woman embracing on the cover. Nancy was usually next to a boy, but they weren't touching. And this wasn't a boy, it was a man, baby, yeah!-- with a mustache and everything. It was a Silhouette Romance, the words in white and cursive.

I immediately set aside my Sweet Valley High and began the first chapter. I was introduced to the characters and some of their issues which, at the time, were a little over my head. A few chapters in, I hit my first intimate scene.

There was kissing with tongue! And he **gulp** circled her nipple and then he **whispers** got hard!

Holy cow! I couldn't believe I was allowed to read this stuff. (I probably wasn't but I wasn't about to check.) And to top it all off, they lived happily ever after. (Just what a teenage girl wants to hear- give it up to the boy and he'll love you forever.) When I closed that first book, I needed another right away. I'd had my first taste. And I was hooked.

Like most addicts (I know this from movies, not personally) I quickly outgrew my first dealer. Angie was able to provide me a few more, but she was small-time. She told me about this weekly flea market and even mentioned to my stepmom that she might find some great antiques there. That Saturday morning, my stepmom found great deals. And I found dealers vendors who sold older romance novels for twenty-five cents a book! Good-bye $35. I bought as many books as I could carry and the following week I brought my backpack so I could purchase even more.

I read on the bus to and from school. I hid books in my textbooks and read during lectures. I sometimes skipped lunch and read in the library. In between taking orders at the restaurant, my nose was stuck in a book. And on the third Sunday of each month, when I ushered in church and could sit away from my family, I hid a book in the hymnal and read during the sermon.

Although the addiction had me hard, I knew there was more to my life. Even at 11, things were expected of me. I was going to graduate high school, go to college, attend medical school and become a pediatrician. (I changed course along the way--it became law school and public defender.) I would burn out at the rate I was going. I had to scale back. I became a functioning addict. In fact, before launching my website, most people in my life probably had no idea how important romance novels were to me.

Today, I'm finally proud to stand up and proclaim, "My name is Tracey I'm addicted to romance novels."

I don't want help; I don't think it's a problem. I want to wallow in it. And try to hook as many people as possible.



How were you introduced to your drug genre of choice?

Tracey Livesay is the author of sexy, contemporary romance novels with alpha males and smart females. You can find her at her other blog "Mimosas @ Midnight", on Twitter @tlivesay, and on Facebook at Tracey LivesayAuthor. You can read her column, Fictionistas, every 3rd Monday of the month.

Tracey Livesay: your destination for True Love... in black & white.