Maybe I need a hat today...

In order to survive Mondays, it might be best to make a little private resolution. Do NOT start using that new product on a Monday. You know the one - that brand-new, all-over-the-television conditioner that promises soft and silky hair men will want to lose themselves in. (Snort. They’ll more likely end up spitting bits out of their mouths, but that’s another feature.)

You bought this miracle goop on Sunday - a weak moment at the department store when you figured you deserved a treat. Well, you do deserve a treat, but it’s probably best to hold off using it until you have chance to: a) play with it, b) read the directions thoroughly - even though they’re written so tiny that only people who can see well enough to determine the sex of a southbound flea at twenty yards actually have a chance of deciphering them - and c) discover if it works or not.

Example? That body wash that promises “radiance”. You get radiance, all right. In the form of tiny sparkly bits on your skin. Nice for parties, but a bit much for the office or the supermarket, where glittering in the frozen food section gets you a few odd looks from the stockboy. So when it comes to hair, Monday is definitely a time to stick with your tried and true routine. After all, you don’t wanna end up looking like THIS, do you? (grin)



I note here that for some reason, cats seem to express Monday sentiments so much better than a lot of other animals. Gotta love those faces! Of course, once upon a time, cats were revered as Gods. They have never forgotten this.

My favorite things

It's no surprise by now that some of my favorite things include hot guys and steamy photos.

I love doing photography and every now and then get a chance to have some fun and have a shoot that's sexy and steamy. Such is the case in a shoot I did with Jason Santiago and Tara Cardinal. These two really set the place on fire.

Most of you know Jason. He's appeared on numerous book covers and was crowned Mr. Romance 2007 at the Romantic Times Convention in Houston earlier this year.

Tara is a talented actress and model who has appeared in numerous films. To see more of Jason visit his myspace page . And visit Tara's site for more info on this wonderfully talented young actress.

Hope you have a sensational Sunday :) And remember, when you're a Hussy you enjoy all the moments of the day (especially the spicy ones!)

Cheers!
Ciana

When a Man in Tights Just Doesn’t Cut It

November 07

Welcome to the second installment of “Spank That Villain”, your monthly (hey, I’ll soon be Empress of the Galaxy in my most excellent gogo boots, so I’m a busy Hussy m’kay) look at baddies. In this here column, we’ll pull out our magnifying glasses and inspect, dissect and mull over what makes a good male villain. Male because those are the ones I find attractive, sexy, and worthy of all kinds of naughty fantasies, and yes, including a good spanking. Each column will end with the Spankable Factor, or, if that particular villain would, after a good smack on the butt, be redeemable.

As much as I enjoy great-looking manlegs in tights, the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner just didn’t make my inner Chihuahua chase her tail. The dialogue was stiff, the directing clueless, the sets looked made by the same folks who brought to you Power Rangers. I thought the movie was “meh” at best. But then... A revelation! Hormonal fireworks!

Enter the Sheriff of Nottingham.

To me, that’s when the movie really started. I spent the next hour and a half waiting for glimpses of him. That’s right people: I fell in love with the Sheriff of Nottingham (played by Alan Rickman). The character is odious, despicable, revoltingly eeeveel. A pestilential villain we love to hate. So why would my legs turn to jelly and my heart become all aflutter whenever his Snarliness would grace the screen with his dark presence and demented sense of humor? Is it the most excellent hair? The cool clothes? The milky baritone? Or is it maybe his ability to cancel Christmas and still make it sound deliciously wicked? From the movie:

“That's it then! Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings and call off Christmas!”

That got me thinking. Why do we feel this irresistible pull to characters like him? Clearly, he’s the villain. Clearly, we’re supposed to boo him and throw popcorn at the screen whenever his snarling face occupies it. Clearly, the dude will not make it to the end of the movie. Yet we sit there wishing someone would just see the lonely guy inside who just wants a hug, some latex spray-on pants, and a good spanking because he’s been a bad, baaaad boy. Erm. Okay, maybe it’s just me.

Moving on...

Why is it that we’re so eager to forgive or redeem villains who look good? Make the same character butt-ugly, and I’ll bet my last teabag we wouldn’t have reacted the same way we had. So I ask you this:

• Is beauty a prerequisite, or a free "get-out-of-jail" card to forgiveness and salvation in the eyes of the masses?



• Are we more likely to redeem someone based on looks? And don't give me the contrived "oh, it's the inside that counts". Yeah, yeah, I love fluffy bunnies too. But looks, in our society, they're important. So I'm asking point blank - are we too soft on good-looking villains (fictional and otherwise)?

The Sheriff of Nottingham, as much as I would've liked to strap him to a bed and make him say "auntie", would've scored much higher on the Spankable Factor. Too bad they made him a rapist.
Spankable Factor: 60% - somewhat redeemable

Ghost Images

Halloween is over, but the paranormal never takes a vacation. (g)

I thought you might enjoy some of the most current ghost images going around the net.



and this one comes from a police car chase.



another you may recall made national news:


I hope that gave you a little post-Halloween spooky fun!

Sally:)

And finally

Gettin' Naughty - Does Size Matter?

Now, get your minds out of the gutter, hussies. lol! I'm not talking about what you're thinking. And don't bother denying it, all of your minds went to the same place when you read the blog title.

What I'm referring to, this time, is rubenesque heroines.

Thankfully, no two women are the same. Well, unless we’re talking twins, but even identical twins who look the same are different in other ways, such as personality. I got to thinking after a discussion in my Yahoo group concerning the size of heroines in romance books. Several readers complained that while plus-size heroines exist, they are in the minority. Of course, this prompted some online research.

Different sources offer different results, but the average American woman seems to be 5’4” tall, weighs 140 pounds, wears size 14 clothes, has a 36C bust, and shoe size of 6.

I took a look around some of the most popular publisher’s websites and found that some do not even have a separate listing of books with full-figured heroines. For those that do have a category, there are not many books listed. Hmm…

Personally, during the course of my life, I have worn everything from a size 8 to 18 and all the numbers in between. Heck, I don’t fit into any of the averages above. At 5’10” tall with a shoe size of 10 I’m pretty far from average. I will never go below a size eight because I truly do have large hip bones and an 8 is the smallest size that will encompass them.

Many readers tend to put themselves in the heroine’s role when reading. I certainly do. If the writing is vivid, I often picture myself as the heroine and find it hard to relate to her experiences when she doesn’t come across as a real person. I have written heroines of various sizes and shapes. For me, it’s more about how the heroine acts and reacts to different situations than any physical traits of how she looks.

What about you? This is the part where you get to sound off and be heard. Do you prefer your heroines thin? Is it a more enjoyable experience to visualize yourself through a thin heroine as part of the fantasy? Would you like to see more big, beautiful women? Are authors just clueless as to what readers really want? Do you enjoy reading books where a plus-size heroine gets the hunk or have problems accepting that particular storyline?

Humpin' For Release!

Ooooooo la la, it's that time again! Adult treats for your Halloween pleasure. Who needs chocolate when you've got these endorphin poppers at your fingertips?

Which books will you be reading between doorbell rings? What candy will you be sampling as you read? I'm going straight for the KitKats!

Tease Me, Touch Me...Three ways to Howl on Halloween

It's that time of year again when people put on costumes to pretend, just for one night, that they're something they're not. One of my favorite "Halloween" episodes has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Willow dresses up like a ghost and becomes one. Suddenly, she's ghost Willow in a very revealing outfit and learning just how good it is to flaunt it. In the end, when she's live-Willow again, she walking down the street in her outfit completely comfortable in her body. Oz drives by and says "Who is that girl?" He's smitten, and you will be too if you use this holiday for teasing pursuits.

Part of being a Hussy means being comfortable in your own skin. We've kind of talked about that before. However, if you're still on the shy side or want to, just for one night, to be someone you're not, why not throw a private Halloween party? Just you, and your man, a little music, a little costume (and I do mean little), and let your imaginations run wild! Naughty nurse. Sultry Stewardess. Teasing Tour Guide. Sexy Siren. They're all available and waiting for you to strut your Hussy stuff.

Here are some tips:

1) Make it simple...for him. Sure, he might be into it, then again, he might have on that suit and tie from work, and that makes your job of getting him out of it a lot easier. Go ahead and get costumed to the hilt. Makeup. Shoes. The whole nine yards. Let him relax and enjoy the show. He'll be a far more willing participant than if you turned it into a theatrical production.

2) It's okay to laugh. Okay, so some of us aren't born seductresses. We're trying. Really. If you just feel totally silly or something doesn't work quite right. Laugh. It's the best medicine and it will release some of the tension of "getting things right."

3) When in doubt, ditch the costume and just enjoy the moment. So what if your "sexy witch" powers lasted for all of thirty seconds. You're naked. He's naked or almost there. What are you waiting for?

Here's hoping you have a howling good Halloween. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the costume aisle...