Have you ever been at a mall or restaurant or grocery store and watched an elderly couple clearly in love. No, I don’t mean they’re all over each other (that’s for the young). Through all the wrinkles, the joint pains, the bent walking posture, they still exhibit behavior that cries out, “we are of one heart, always have been, always will be.” I was so moved by such behavior about twenty years ago at a hamburger junk, I tucked the memory away in my mind with the intent of someday using it in a story, and I did. I was in a restaurant with my son and a couple in their late seventies sat in a corner sharing a burger and fries, only she was feeding him each bite, tenderly, with a gentle feminine touch that only a woman in love to the same man for fifty years can do. The husband’s mind had obviously seen better days, but in her eyes he was still her hero.

Now let me return to today. The last six weeks of my world has centered around my battle with cancer. Each day, as part of my treatment ritual, I sit in an office waiting for a lab test, the beginning of a six hour chemo session, a radiation section, or some other fun thing. Even at eight AM, the room is always full of fellow patients undergoing the same battle. Point is, in most cases the person sits alone, or the parent/offspring separately read magazines, or the couple sits staring off in differed directions. But on occasion, just like in the hamburger joint, you witness the true blessing of the forgotten dimension between a man and woman, the eternal bond that transcends periods of suffering, pain, and sorrow.

Two rows across and to our right sat a senior couple discussing some piece of current events or family activity. With all the things going on in their new treatment focused world, they shared a constant smile as they held hands, pressed together tightly, not as two but as one spirit. Corny? Not to me. I looked down at my wife’s hand in mine while she too observed the couple. That element of relationships, the pure dependence of one’s emotional welfare on that of their soul mate, how often do you see it celebrated in todays secular driven productions out of Hollywood? No, they typically draw attention to alternative lifestyles, or single parenthood, or in/out shallow relationships. They can trivialize traditional romance, tell us it’s dead, try to convince themselves it never really existed, but they’re wrong.

For those blessed to have experienced the bond that never ends, you are a lucky couple. I know we are.

Later

Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 4/09

I am very excited about this one because it concerns an initial story idea I got from watching local news reports about the presence of the FLDS religious compound and the number of illegal aliens and drugs coming across the border south of Phoenix. After spending some hours on the phone with Big Mike talking about our characters, what they would be for a living, and how they would become embroiled in border and religious activities, we worked on putting together an outline, a timeline, and characterizations we could both follow along with.

That kernel of an idea I had so many months ago turned into a real nail biter of a suspense novel with, surprisingly, very little romance. This is something new for me. Yeah, when I started writing before Big Mike’s input, I was already adding romantic scenes. When the collaboration truly started, these scenes no longer made much sense so they were all deleted, for the most part. But I’m not complaining; I think the end result is incredibly good. Another bonus? Without the sex scenes this is one book I can be comfortable sharing with DMIL and my pastor’s wife.

Hopefully the next news we have regarding Whispers of Innocence is good news regarding publication.

Now, who will play the part of the heroine, Micki Lewis, in the movie? She looks like Scarlett Johansson so that’s a good choice. And the hero, Drake Elliot? I picture him looking like Dr. House but Big Mike modeled him after Sam Elliot.  That actor is a bit too old to play the part but Hugh Laurie might be perfect…

I use Google Alerts to let me know any time something is posted on the internet with my name and/or the titles of my books. My present this morning was a review of Veil of Deception from You Gotta Read Reviews. Shira, the reviewer, gave our book a “You Gotta Read” rating – the highest possible. She says:

Veil of Deception made me feel as though I were a part of this close knit community. I was the neighbor that got to peek into the lives of my neighbors sight unseen. I got to call them a best friend, a sister, or a brother. I felt their joys, pain, and anguish. I wanted to meddle and give my opinion every once in a while. I loved Danielle. She was such a strong woman that lived with a secret that haunted her for ten years. I felt that Hawk needed to stand up to his sister in law and tell her what he honestly thought. I enjoyed this book because it flowed. Even though there were two authors, it was very seamless. I enjoyed being a resident of Spenser Lake even for a few hours.

For Big Mike and I, this review is confirmation that our long months of work on Veil of Deception paid off. Yes, it was difficult at time, and even frustrating, but the experiment was a success. I know one of Mike’s biggest fears is that the reader would be able to tell the difference between our two writing styles but this was unfounded.

Now if we can just get our current collaboration, Whispers of Innocence, finished we will both be happy! If anything, I think it will be even better than Veil of Deception but we’ll leave that up to the readers.

Little Candy

What pulls a man to the ladies, latches onto his heart and makes him lose all control offer his logical mind? What specifically attracts us to the opposite gender and why is it relevant to writing fiction with a romantic slate? Would it be a surprise that much of the romantic elements in a fiction deal with attraction between the male and female? No, we all know that’s important, so let’s discuss the differences. I know as a man what attracts me to a woman, and I’m confident of that side. As far as women’s attraction to men, I’ll give it a shot but my assessment will likely be hit or miss, so ladies, correct me where you see fit.

Physically, men are clearly attracted to the area women focus a lot of their concerns, that’s right, boobs and butt, but there is more. I melt when I see a woman with perfectly shaped legs, no knee, and nylons, love the nylons. I also adore well formed fingers and hands with polished tapered nails. Doesn’t have to be red polish, clear or French nails make my heart stop. I become mesmerized in a woman’s eyes, their elongated shape, arced eyebrows, OMG. And without being a fetish, I enjoy a woman’s tiny feet. In terms of dimensions, I know a lot of time is spent discussing big breasts and large butts, but I think that’s Hollywood fantasy, not mine. I’ve seen women with small breasts and a tiny rear still drive men nuts, including me. It’s the shape of a woman, both in profile and straight on. The curves at her waist, the way they walk, even the way they twist side ways when they bend. Then there’s the dimples above her butt cheeks, the faint line running down from her chest to her naval and below, oh man. Now this may come as a shock, and I’ll try not to be too explicit, but we all love the visual appeal of the nether region; ladies it is the ultimate turn on. Of course the natural scent of a female, especially when making love, can drive our hunger over the edge. Sends a charge down my spine every time. And I don’t mean the shampoos, body washes, and colognes; I mean her natural aroma. It is what turns the fire from a small flame to an inferno. The allure is so strong in men, they even made a movie about it (Scent of a Woman)

As for the other elements of attraction, I enjoy intelligence, humor, an eternal smile that lights my crazy day when ever I’m around, her attention to appearance, the way they fill the air with talk, and especially when I know they like men. I don’t just mean for sexual purposes, I mean when they broadcast an attraction and appreciation for what men are, what they bring to their world. The way women can rush around in the kitchen cooking or the bathroom fixing their makeup, chat with their girl friends, worry about pillows stacked up three feet high on the bed, put all sorts of things I don’t even understand in the bathroom to spruce it up. And that just scratches the surface. I know there are “Player” males out there that are only into the B&B components, but most of my buds reflect the same attraction that I do.

In terms of why women are attracted to men, I’m not sure I even have a clue, so I’ll leave that to Candace or another visitor to our blog. Course that could be hard for Candace, given she once shared she had no idea why she needed men in her life, other than the physical of course (yeah, I’ll pay for that one).

Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008

Guys do talk about women, no not just how hot they are, but the good and the not so good. One recurring “drives me crazy” theme is how they sometimes treat their mates like little boys. I’ve watched it, I’ve experienced it. Maybe it’s a hold over from their maternal instincts, but when a small 140 pound female orders a man twice her size to do this, do that, no not that way, you’re doing it all wrong; it drives a man nuts. Two examples will illustrate.

One of my good buds asked me to help him move his boat. When I went done to his house, I watched as his 120 pound wife directed the exact way all his honey do’s were to be conducted. Not in a demeaning tone, but in a determined voice. Latter, at lunch he said, “I’m a grown man, but the woman treats me like a ten year old boy.” I just smiled, because I’d been there myself.

My wife and I were building a brick patio in the hot 93 degree noon sun. Yeah, sweating like a pig. Every other minute she corrected me on ever task I was doing, “No, put the sand bags over here”, “That’s not how the bricks go.” You need more stone over there.” To my credit, I have build patios before so I am qualified to do it, but that little bundle of beauty has to direct my every move. By the end of the day, I had bitten through my lower lip from holding back my frustration all day long.

Just remember ladies, when we’re sick, care for us like a little boy, but when we’re working on your honey do’s take pity and remember we’re grown men.

Till next post.
Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008

He made me realize just how different our minds think, and the difference in our writing styles.

I sent out a blanket email asking for help with a tag line for my next Champagne Books release in October, FULL THROTTLE. I included a blurb about the book to give everyone an idea of what it is about:

Samantha Roberts partners with her cousin to run Dr. Doug’s Mobile Dyno, a motorcycle testing and performance tuning business. Spurned by an ex-fiancée and resolved to taking care of her aging father and his medical problems, romance is the last thing she’s looking for while expanding her business is at the top of her priorities list.

Along comes opportunity in the form of Linc Montgomery, a tough, business-savvy, ex-Harley racer and new owner of Full Throttle Custom Cycles in Phoenix. Linc is used to having gorgeous women fall at his feet. When he meets Samantha and agrees to contract her dyno services, he quickly realizes she isn’t one of those brainless bimbos he normally dates before carelessly tossing aside.

The challenge is on for Linc as he sets out to seduce Samantha just to prove he can. However, he doesn’t plan on the interference of his ex-wife and her ex-fiancée – both of whom serve to make him realize that along the way, his ‘love her and leave her’ seduction scheme causes him to fall head over heels in love. But it isn’t so easy to convince Samantha she belongs to him.

Now, Big Mike thought this was just a terrible blurb. However, he writes suspense novels, not light romances like this is supposed to be. He wanted to hear something about the heroine’s inner demons and how the hero would slay her dragons. Yes, Samantha’s got some inner demons, but that’s not the focus of this book other than how it relates to her sex and love life!

His suggestions were very apropos for his books, but not for this one. And it also made me realize that since I am targeting purely female readers, they are looking for something in a contemporary romance that is far different from what a male reader would look for to pick out a suspense novel. My women beta testers loved the blurb and the whole idea of the book; men not so much.

Anyway, I’ve added one more sentence to the top of the blurb: “Phoenix is hot, but the bikers are even hotter”. And so far it looks like the tag line is going to be something along the lines of “A sexy romp of full throttle seduction leading to slow burning love” or “When Linc embarks on a full throttle seduction of Samantha, the last thing he expects is love to throw a wrench in the works “. I’m still working on it, though. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Is there anyone out in web world past the age of 25 that hasn’t recognized men and women communicate differently? In the early days of interactions with my life mate, I actually thought my main squeeze did her confusing way of communication to drive me crazy. After about ten years, it finally hit me. She just communicates in a different language, one I was never indoctrinated to in school. Need an example? Check this one out. When we go to the grocery store, if the boss says, “I’ll only be ten minutes,” I now know via my man-woman translator that she means, “come back in an hour or so.” Well, to help expedite the process, I ask for my own list that I can rush around, pick up, and toss into the basket.

About a month ago, I asked, “are we done yet, are we done yet”, and she handed me the dairy part of the page. The only items there were cream, butter, and OJ. I did as directed, got em, ran back, dumped the items in the cart and looked around but she was gone. I pushed the basket around until I found her and yelled, “meet ya at the check out counter”, and ran off. When we got home, after she unpacked all the groceries, she inquired, “Hey, you forgot the sour cream and cottage cheese? “ Now, I felt secure I was safe because I still had my copy of the diary list she had handed me. I extended the list and smiled, knowing I would be vindicated, “Check the list, woman. There’s no mention of sour cream OR cottage cheese.” She frowned. “I didn’t write them down because I know that every time I get in the dairy department to get cream, I always get cottage cheese and sour cream also. So where is it?” I was dumbfounded. “You mean to tell me that I was supposed to read you mind and …” Now get this, then she had the fortitude to inform me, “If you can’t do the job, then don’t offer to help.” Again, even thought I was technically right, I was gender blind when I read her grocery list and did not enact the gender translator. Oh, well. At least it makes life interesting.

Tell next time

Big Mike (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008

Now I could understand if it was a Ford F300 or Dodge Ram or a boat trailer was attached, but I’m talking compacts to medsize. Its so bad, that when my wife has her club meetings at our house (yeah, like today), I have to back up and park everyone’s vehicle. Had a few husbands get out their shotguns cause the ladies back up across their flower beds.

I’m not being a smart butt on this one, I just what to understand. There’s got to be a reason. Any inputs are appreciated.

Big Mike

Davisstories.com