Weekly Inspiration - David Gandy

Even though we still have voting going on for our Inspiration Showdown, I thought there was no reason for the Weekly Inspiration to stop, and so for this week, I'm offering English model, David Gandy.  Very well established on the modeling scene, he's one of the main faces for Dolce & Gabbana, and Forbes named him one of the Top 5 Most Successful Male Models.  And he's got a blog on Vogue.com if you'd like to take a peek into his world.  CLICK HERE to view it.  There are also tons of pictures, articles, and interviews about him all over the internet about him.  Enjoy!

Song of the Week - "Ice Cream Truck" by Cazwell

Finally, the week is coming to an end.  For me, it's been a long one, and so I thought I'd put up something fun for the Song of the Week, "Ice Cream Truck" by Cazwell, an American rapper and songwriter.  I saw this video a couple months ago and I've been meaning to feature it here because the song has such a fun, sexy, cute vibe, but for some reason I haven't gotten around to sharing it yet.  Too much music, not enough time!  But, now is Cazwell's time. 

With this video for "Ice Cream Truck", I should say if you don't want to see guys dancing in their underwear, shaking and showing their booties, being silly and doing sexually suggestive things, you might want to pass on this one.  Okay, I can see some of the confused looks saying, "Why wouldn't we want to see that?!", but hey, I never know who's going to stop by here, so I have to warn the unsuspecting ;-)  For those who'd like to learn more about Cazwell, here's the link to his official site: http://cazwell.com/

And now, your Song of the Week, Cazwell with "Ice Cream Truck."  And also my don't sue me message, I don't own this video, song, images, or anything therein.  Enjoy!

Inspiration Showdown

Okay, my curiosity can't take it.  You all might remember in my last Weekly Inspiration post featuring Baptiste Giabiconi, I mentioned possibly doing a poll on which guy has been the favorite of all the Weekly Inspirations.  Well, I'm doing it!  To the right, if you scroll down, you'll find the poll to cast your vote.  They're in alphabetical order by their first names.  The only Weekly Inspiration posts I excluded were ones not about a specific guy, like the "Holiday Editions" and "Sweet Moments."

So, here's hoping you all will help satisfy my curiosity!  If a lot of people show interest in the poll and vote, maybe it's something I'll do every few months, and at the end of the year, have an ultimate Inspiration showdown with the winners.  For this round, I'm running it from the most recent Weekly Inspiration with Baptiste Giabiconi to the oldest with Akihiro Sato, and whoever wins will get a bonus Weekly Inspiration post with new pics.

Hope everyone has fun picking their favorite!  And now...get ready...set...vote!

*Winners have since been announced and can be found HERE* 


Your contestants:

Akihiro Sato

Anthony Gallo

                                                            

Baptiste Giabiconi

Edilson Nascimento

GACKT

Hugh Jackman

                                                                                                                                               

Ivan Rusilko

James Ratliff

Jared Koronkiewicz

Leonardo Corredor

Rob Thomas

Ryan Barry

Travis Fimmel

Weekly Inspiration - Baptiste Giabiconi

For this week's inspiration, I offer French model, Baptiste Giabiconi.  If what I read about him is true, then Baptiste is currently the Number 1 Male Model in the World.

Now, I don't know how the rankings for models are determined or how often, but when I read about him being the top male model in the world, it made me pause.  I wondered, of all the guys I've put up on my blog so far, if it was put to a popular vote, would my visitors here rank Baptiste Number 1?  Or would the honor go to another?  Edilson Nascimento?  Leonardo Corredor?  Anthony Gallo?  Of course GACKT is the Supreme God of Hotness, and yes, that's an official title.  I just gave it to him.  But really, it's got me considering putting up a poll to find out of all the Weekly Inspiration guys, who my visitors find the hottest.  Hey, I can't help it, I'm curious by nature.  And it might be fun!  Or, it would be if y'all humor me and vote on it ;-)

And now that I've put that little thought out there, back to Baptiste.  Along with modeling, he's also a musician.  His first single, "Showtime", is currently available on iTunes.  And here's something else about him.  He has a website!  Hallelujah, a model with a website!  You all know how I struggle to find websites for these guys in case anyone wants to learn more about them.  And so, here is the official website of Baptiste Giabiconi: http://www.baptiste-giabiconi.eu/   And CLICK HERE FOR HIS FACEBOOK and CLICK HERE FOR HIS TWITTER.  Enjoy!

Song of the Week - "Carmen Fantasie" and "La Califfa" performed by David Garrett

I'm putting up two songs for this week, both performed by renowned virtuoso, David Garrett, "Carmen Fantasie" and "La Califfa." 

David gets the Song of the Week spot for a few reasons.  First, he's my favorite violinist.  No matter what he plays, classical to rock covers, you can truly feel the emotion of the music.  The first time I heard him play "La Califfa", it honestly brought tears to my eyes, it was so beautiful.  And even after all this time, it still does from time to time.  The second reason David's up this week, I'm working on a new story about a classical violinist.  He's good inspiration :-)  And the third reason, and probably the main one, I'm currently in mourning that David is finally on tour in the U.S., he's coming to a city near me, but I can't go to his concert.  Yes, that heartbroken wail you just heard in the distance, it was me. 

His newest album, Rock Symphonies, is available at iTunes, Amazon, and tons of other retailers, and his website is loaded with info.  If anyone would like to check it out, here's the link to his official site: http://www.david-garrett.com/

As usual, I don't own the music, the video, the imagery, or anything tied to David Garrett, including tickets to his concert.  I'll get over it.  Really, I will.  Probably.  But now, without further ado, I present David Garrett.  Enjoy!

Weekly Inspiration - Anthony Gallo

Finally!  A model who smiles!  Yeah, I know, so often they're supposed have neutral, pouty, or sultry expressions.  But I can't help it if I think smiles are sexy :-)  Okay, now that I've digressed even before beginning, I would like to present this week's inspiration, American model Anthony Gallo.  He's modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, Sean Jean, and many, many more.  As usual, no specific website for him that I could find, but there's plenty of info out there on the Net for those who want to check him out some more.  Enjoy!

Wonderful review for FINDING A DREAM at Jessewave

My newest release, FINDING A DREAM, was reviewed at Jessewave, receiving 4.5 stars out of 5.  The review is thoughtful and well written, and I'm so absolutely thrilled!  For anyone who would like to read it, please CLICK HERE to go to Jessewave's site. My sincere appreciation to the reviewer, Cole, for taking the time to read it and help spotlight how my editor's and my royalties for this story are getting donated to The Trevor Project. And thank you to all the people who have commented on the review with their kind words and insights about the story and the Conquest series. I'm all smiles thanks to all of you :-D

Song of the Week - "Tonight" by Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris

Ah, Enrique Iglesias, the Song of the Week spot is all his this week.  If only the video of him water skiing naked, as he promised to do if Spain won the World Cup, wasn't so dark, blurry, and bouncing all over the place, I'd put that up instead of one of his songs.  But hey, I'm still giving him a round of applause for being a man of his word and following through on that bet.  Hmm, you know, I might have to do a Weekly Inspiration with him.  I'll store that thought for later.

With this song, I thought I'd put up the clean version, and my personal preference, the explicit version.  The song and video for both is the same, only one particular word in the chorus is different, so you can take your pick of which you like better.  And the video itself has some naughty going on, so I'll give a warning to any who might not want to see it.  It was kind of tricky finding the actual video with the explicit version, and on every single one I watched, it freezes up at around 3:15 into the song, but I think everyone can get the idea of the song regardless ;-)  For those who'd like to learn more about Enrique, here's his official website: http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/, and this song is available for download on iTunes.

And of course, I have no ownership to this song, video, imagery, or anything connected to Enrique Iglesias.  Now, enjoy!

Clean Version



Explicit Version

Weekly Inspiration - Leonardo Corredor

For this week's inspiration, I bring to you, Leonardo Corredor.  As one of the top male models in Venezuela, he's had a very accomplished career both there and in the U.S., as well as being an actor, singer, and a photographer.  Even though I couldn't find a website specifically for him, if you do a Google search on him, you'll find him everywhere.  If you like him here, you can "Like" him on FACEBOOK and follow him on TWITTER.  As far as I know, those are his official pages.  And I have a feeling this isn't the last you've seen of him on my humble little blog either ;-)

MLR Press and Imprints: Looking for a few good people

I got this from my editor at MLR Press, Kris Jacen, and thought it'd be good to pass it on for anyone who might be interested.  My publisher, MLR Press, and its imprints are currently looking for a few good people to add to their editing staff.  Here's what they're looking for:


Do you read a book and notice misspellings? How about grammatical errors? Plot differences? Missing commas/quotation marks? Do you wish that someone had proof read the book before it went to publication? Then have we got a place for you.

ManLoveRomance Press (MLR Press) and its imprints, Passion in Print Press (PIP Press) and Featherweight Press, are looking for some good line editors and proof readers. You can check out what our presses have to offer at http://www.mlrpress.com/, http://www.passioninprint.com/, and http://www.featherweightpublishing.com/. If you’re interested after, forward your information to mlrpress@gmail.com. Any questions can be directed to Executive Editor, Kris Jacen, at krisjacen@gmail.com (please put something in the subject line referencing LE/proof reader position).

Good luck to all who apply!

Song of the Week - "All In" by Lifehouse

I've enjoyed Lifehouse's music ever since they released their first single in 2001, "Hanging by a Moment" off their debut album, No Name Face.  For a rock band, I think they've got an easy, laid-back style with a lot of upbeat songs, and they're not too hardcore.  In 2010, they released a new album, Smoke & Mirrors, and this week's Song of the Week goes to one of the singles off that album, "All In."  I really love this video with the clips of their concerts and candid behind-the-scenes glimpses.  For anyone who'd like to learn more about them, here's the link to their official website: http://www.lifehousemusic.com/

And yep, you knew it was coming; my don't sue me message.  I don't have any ownership to this video, song, imagery, or anything therein.  And now, enjoy!

Enter to win FINDING A DREAM

I wanted to pass on to everyone, if you haven't gotten to pick up my last release, FINDING A DREAM, here's your chance to win a copy over on Jessewave!  All you have to do it comment on the post for it.  Here's the link to enter: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/?p=39671  Good luck to all who enter, and thank you to Jessewave for running the giveaway!

Blurb:
Bullied and harassed at school for his sexuality, Dillon Davis can’t see his life getting any better, but he can see it getting worse. Depressed, wounded in spirit and body, he’s nearing a point of hopelessness, until he sees a picture of his favorite stage actor, Brandon Alexander, with his partner, Shunichi Miyamoto.At learning Shunichi runs a karate dojo, a spark of hope comes to Dillon of learning to defend himself, and most of all, meeting Brandon.

Brandon Alexander is filled with compassion for Dillon the moment he meets him.He knows all too well what it’s like to be scorned for being gay.He and Shunichi want nothing more than to help him, but when Dillon never returns to the dojo, they fear what’s happened to him.

Weekly Inspiration - GACKT ...again

Woo hoo!  This is the first Weekly Inspiration post of 2011, and I thought I'd bring it in right!  Or, right for me, at least ;-)  But really, what better way to welcome the New Year than to put GACKT up.  Yeah, I know I've offered GACKT as the Weekly Inspiration before, but I did warn in that post he'd show up again, and I'm sure this isn't the last you'll see of him here.  Rock star, actor, model, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist...seriously, how is he not inspiring? 

For more information on this man of many talents, here's the link to his official website: http://gackt.com/  A lot of his songs are also available on iTunes.  And if you search my blog, you can find the first Weekly Inspiration with him, as well as a Song of the Week spot with him doing a live performance of his song, "Flower."  Enjoy!