When I was a young boy my dad was into hunting and fishing and took me with him on many occasions. By the time I hit my twenties, his interest had shifted to golf but I was already hooked. Since then, my two favorite sports have remained hunting and fishing. I think what I like most is the being outdoors. Over time, like many other sports, TV began to offer a variety of shows aimed at those that enjoy hunting and fishing. Until about six or seven years ago, the series were all male events. Even the tournaments (like BASSMASTER) were void of female participants. Then ever so slowly, the tide changed. Women began appearing on the shows, first maybe once every few months, but now almost all of them have females as regulars. In fact, there are six shows that feature husband and wife hunting teams. There’s even one show called “Women of the Wild” and an outdoor clothes supplier called “SHE”, both of which focus on the needs of females in the sport. Coupled with that change, in the last ten years the number of female hunters has grown from 200,000 to 2 million while male hunters have declined from 22 million to 19 million in the same period.

Recently, on one of the shows, they interviewed the regular ladies and asked how they got involved in such typically male sports. Know what their answer was? The men in their lives encouraged them to get involved. In every case, it was a father, husband, boyfriend, grandfather. Now why would men do such a thing given we’re the barbarian macho jerks that the progressive media coveys? Because we’re not. There has been a paradigm shift of what is acceptable for the genders and you’re seeing the results. The fathers, grandfathers, husbands and boyfriends adore the women in there life and want them to experience all the things they did.

Interesting point is that in many cases the paradigm shift was not by the men but the women themselves. I have offered to teach numerous ladies to bow hunt and fish, have taken my wife on numerous occasions, and have talked to many of my friends who have done the same. I think the expansion of opportunities for women in all areas has opened their horizons and expectations to try new things they never considered before, and when they do, they get hooked like many guys, and I think that’s great. I can’t wait, assuming I’m still around, to take my grand daughter fishing and hunting, and I’ve already informed my son and DIL to prepare for a gun token fly rod swinging girl. If she’s not interested, that’s fine, but I hope she is and her Pa Pa will be there to enjoy those special moments in a young girls life when she realizes there are no barriers, other than those that are self imposed, to what ever she wants to be.

Michael Davis (Davisstories.com)

Author of the year, 2008

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!

After three decades of marriage, I’ve concluded that men suffer from what I call “Moth to the flame” syndrome. Even though we’ve been burned by the fire, we always come back again What do I mean? I have been sent out on a hundred assignments by my boss, and every single time I screw up, but instead of just saying, “Oh, no, there’s no way you’re going to get me this time”, I do it over and over again. And it’s not only me. All my buds suffer from the same sad condition.

Case in point. My wife wanted a new floor mat for the front door and assigned me the job of running down to the store and getting it (the old one was too ugly and we had company coming in from out of town). Now, in my defense, I did ask, “What color?”, “Doesn’t matter,” What shape?”, “doesn’t matter”, “What size?” “Doesn’t matter.” Well you get the idea. The kicker is that I ran through the same series of probing questions every time before, but I still always got the wrong thing, and like a moth to the flame, I always raced back into the fire again and again.

As I pondered carefully at the store over a four-dollar purchase, a young man saw me struggling and came over to help the old man examining every single floor mat in the display over and over.

“Can I help you, Sir?”

“Afraid not, Son.”

“Well, I’d like to try.”

“All right. My wife sent me to the store to find…” I didn’t have to finish my thought. With a sad expression and an understanding tone, he slowly shook his head. “I hear you brother.”

“Then you know…”

“Yes, I know. No matter what you do, it will be wrong.”

We both synchronized with lamenting head nods while the young man shared his own experience.

“Two weeks ago, I asked my newlywed wife, ‘Babe, what’d say we drive up the Blue Ridge and afterward stop for lunch. This will be your day, what ever you want.’ You see, I thought I was doing a good thing. I even asked, ‘What time do you want to stop for lunch’ and she said, ‘Oh, I don’t care you decide’ So around 1100 we were passing peaks of otter (a local restaurant) and she mentioned, ‘Isn’t that a cute little place over there?’ I nodded in agreement and kept driving. After another fifteen minutes I noticed the car had become strangely quiet. She was no longer humming or chatting about this and that. All the morning cheer had been replaced by a frown. ‘What’s the matter, Babe?’ I asked. She looked out the window and announced, ‘You don’t really love me anymore, do you?’ Man, I swear, I almost ran off the road. ‘What? Well of course I love you. You mean everything to me.’ ,‘Then why didn’t you stop when I asked you to? I thought you said this trip was about me?’”

I could see moisture forming in the poor boy’s eyes. “I swear man. I never knew when she said that ‘cute little place’ she meant…”

I firmly patted his shoulder and suggested, “I know son. Don’t try to figure it out. Just accept the inevitable. You will always be wrong. As the years go by, you’ll grow to accept your destiny, grasshopper.”

We both shook hands and departed with a profound appreciation for a man’s suffering and willingness to continually return to the flame. Oh, and I did get the wrong floor mat, but you knew that was coming didn’t you?

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

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

Big Mike took exception to the guy’s comments because he didn’t think it was realistic. Now maybe it’s because Mike was raised as a Southern gentleman and I was raised around men in an auto parts store, but we had a slight difference of opinion. Big Mike contends that the hero would never have stood by while this dialogue was going on, even if the woman was a complete stranger. Alas, but not all men are as chivalrous.

I can think of several instances where I’ve encountered a real jackass. I’ve had an ex-boyfriend slash my tires and throw a knife into the headlights on my beloved Chevy Camaro Berlinetta while I watched. In a previous post, I related how a manager of mine in the auto parts store pounded his fist on the counter mere inches from my face. I’ve been the target of many a raised fist (that luckily never made contact due to the man’s better judgment kicking in at the last minute). I’ve head crude comments when I was walking down the street, such as “Hey honey! Looking good! Want to come for a ride with me?” I’ve seen rude hand gestures, heard smoochy noises, and been subjected to unwanted touching and groping.

In none of these cases did some knight in shining armor come to my rescue, even when there were other men around. Nope, I was on my own.

I have to think I’m not the only one. Ladies, tell me if you’ve encountered a similar circumstance in your life.

Now, I’m going to give it a shot, but I’m sure Candace will correct me since I am coming from a blind side. From what I’ve observed when young women refer to a BB, it’s someone that excites their physical drives via visual stimulation, appears aggressive or angry, someone they would enjoy a roll with, but would never consider viable material for a long term relationship, because such BB are all about the physical. To them the female is a receptacle, nothing more then a release. Crude, yes, but I presume that’s why they’re bad boys.

To a male a BG is also not commitment material, but for different reasons. In the traditional sense, the male attempts to select a life mate that he believes will remain true so that his efforts to provide for and secure the family are in deed in support of his own biological offspring. On the other hand, the woman always has the advantage of knowing the child burgeons from her genes, but she must insure her selection of a long term mate is aimed at a good provider and a protector, not someone that will plant and run. Indeed, I believe that the antenna of many young girls today has not been conditioned or mentored to recognize that a bad aggressive boy does not translate to a good mate. That’s why so many end up single mothers.

I’m sure others may disagree but that’s my take.

Big Mike
Davisstories.com

1.    A cute little think happened on my visit to my grand daughter (Emma) over xmas. Christmas day I told Emma, “Go pick out one of you new books you got from Santa and I’ll be in to read it as soon as I get a glass of tea”. So, I took only a few minutes, I swear, just two minutes, and she sticks her little head out of her room and yells, “Damn it, Pa Pa, come on!” We all looked at each other and within ten seconds, she yelled again, “And I do mean Damn it!”  You should have seen her stance: hands on hips, cocked head, swirls around and stomps away. Now remember, she’s only two Yeah, I recognize we have a firecracker in the making. But let’s face it. She’s just doing what comes natural, you know, being a bossy impatient female (g). She is the sparkle in my life. What a pickle.

2.    About eight years ago, before I retired, there where about six guys sitting around the cafeteria table at lunch discussing how bossy women could get.  Our bud, Pete walks in with a sad sack, over hears our discusses and adds, “I feel your pain, brothers. I never realized how messed up I was till I had daughters (poor Pete has five and a wife going through the change). They correct my choice of tie, the sox I wear, how I drive, what I eat. Man, I can’t do anything right.” As Pete hung his head, the rest of us looked at each other, got down on our knees and paid respect to the poor tortured soul.

Both these stories are true and are but a small sample of the hundreds of incidence where the genes of a tiny woman take over and they become the task master over us full grown men. What I can’t figure out is why we luv em so damn much (g).

Till next time.

Big Mike
Davisstories.com

Now you did it! Calling me mushy in front of all these people. Thank God my buds don’t read my posts. I’d lose all status as the alpha male.

Just kidding. Candi does bring up a good point. One of my future posts deals with the misunderstandings between men and women. It’s important to note that generalizations are just that, they do not represent the total distributions of a group. There are men that couldn’t care less about the internal voices women deal with, or the disparity and difficulty that our sizes create in the stuff women have to deal with. But most of the men I call “bud” do care. Why? It’s hard to truly adore a female as a man and not have a soft side to their confusing nature and vulnerability. Regardless whether it’s a wife, girlfriend, daughter or grand daughter; you can’t truly hold that woman in your heart and not feel soft things about her. Doesn’t mean women don’t confuse us, cause YOU do. But in a strange way, if you’re secure in your manhood, you just love em more for what they are.

Men, I mean those that care for the whole woman, do talk about relationships with their buds. Bet you didn’t know about that did ya. And it seems that the older you get, the more observant men become about the gender delta in terms of the demons that threaten women. Could be as you age you gain perspective, or maybe the overpowering shift in blood flow from your brain to a man’s central organ slows down and the animal side chills a bit. The difference is, we don’t talk about relationships in a chat group. It’s always been guy to guy style. And most men will never be conformable about exposing their soft side in an open forum. We have to maintain that macho image to keep from being razed constantly. Every heard a woman call another woman a wussy? I doubt it. But there is a “don’t lose face” nature between men to reduce the bully tendency of some males. For me, I don’t really care what others think. A little razing is natural and enjoyable, but if it goes too far, a cocked eyebrow from the big guy can nip it. I only care what those that love me think and they would never diss the big guy for exposing his under belly.

Ref the Veil of Deception novel, now come on Candi, you have to admit it. Dani is a much more alluring and lovable character for both male and female readers as a compassionate vulnerable person with conflicts and internal vulnerabilities. I actually fell in love with Danielle, and I think others will also.

As for aggressive women, most that exhibit such tendencies do so as a protective response to being burned or hurt somewhere alone life’s path. In my career I’ve worked with hundreds of females in a professional environment. Many felt the aggressive shield was necessary for defensive purposes, or maybe they read to many feminist articles. With very few exceptions, those that exhibited an aggressive nature were actually hiding their true feminine insides. You just had to get to know them, then the shield came down. Yeah, in the same way many men hide their soft side. There are anomalies of course (two female congresspersons come to mind) but in my view, most aggressive shields are for protection of the soft interior, even with Candi. Now you exposed me, so it’s only fair play, right? Yes, Candi does exhibit the shield, but I’ve peered through it, and there is a tender feminine woman in there, and I luv even feisty ouch of the CowGirl. Tell the truth, CG. Weren’t you moved by the pain and struggle that both the hero and heroine in VOD had to overcome. You bet you were. See, you’re not as “tough as nails” as you thought.

On, one more thing. I will admit to being a softy for loven, but make no mistake. Anyone ever harms someone I love, hell won’t come fast enough for them. I make no bones about it. May end up in the slammer, but no demons that hard my loved ones will be protected by our inept legal system. There is a dark side to the big guy, and I wouldn’t apologize or deny it.

Tell next time
Big Mike
Davisstories.com