Spotlight on A Model Hero; guest blogger Sara Daniel

Please welcome Sara Daniel. Her new book, A Model Hero, releases September 1^st and is available now for pre-order!

Thanks, Sara, for sharing.

Spotlight on A Model Hero

by Sara Daniel

It's a new month! Time to pull out your Calendar Men calendars. While you're doing that, I'll give you some background on how they came into existence…

Leonidas Russo is a former US Marine-turned-fashion model. He uses his connections in the fashion world to put a call out for models to be featured in a charity calendar he's put together to honor the memory of his brother, an Army soldier who died in the Afghan war. Proceeds for the calendar in the stories will benefit The Fallen Warriors Family Fund, a charity that gives scholarships and assistance to the families left behind.



All together now, flip the calendar page up and gaze in adoration and unabashed lust at the ripped physique and chiseled face of Mr. September. This is his story…



A Model Hero

Gretchen Meyers is a full-figured woman living in a model thin world. Desperate to end her mother's constant, nagging stream of dieting and fashion "advice," Gretchen tackles the challenge of reviving her mother's faltering modeling agency. All she needs is to woo back Kyle Ramsey, once the hottest model in the country.



Making the preemptive choice to turn his back on his career seemed Kyle's only option until Gretchen comes calling. He doesn't care what she wants to offer him, the answer is no. Still, he's intrigued by her refreshing personality and all her lovely, lush curves.



When tragedy strikes, Kyle finds comfort and healing in Gretchen's arms. But he can't trust her with his career-ending secret and she doesn't believe their relationship will survive the long term. He's perfect and she's not even close. Can the fragile ties holding them together survive Kyle's opportunity to become a true model hero?



Excerpt:



The restaurant scene, then, had done its job. Gretchen would have to send Jamie flowers. No, she'd send a box of fattening chocolates instead. "Did you enjoy your evening after I left?"



Kyle's gaze narrowed, he pushed himself out of the chair. "Did you arrange with Jamie to drop by our table?"



"How could I, when I had no idea where we were going for dinner until we were there?" Not to mention, she'd have preferred to sever essential body parts than ask Jamie Feldman for anything. But her irrational possessiveness was her own problem. "The important thing is you had a good time, and you're ready to make up for everything you've been missing over the past year."



"Those things aren't important at all." He advanced on her slowly.



She took a step back and came up against the door she'd closed a moment before.

Kyle flashed a predatory smile. He took her purse and briefcase from her shoulder, setting them aside. Then he rested his forearms on either side of her head and stared into her eyes, his lips a scant inch from hers as he spoke. "I'm here for you. Our date deserves another shot."



Her heart thundered. The thick eyelashes framing his gray-green eyes mesmerized her. He stood too near for her to formulate a coherent response. This much physical perfection and sex appeal should be outlawed. Her mind was not equipped to handle it.



"What do you say?" he asked.



Yes, take me. "I say, why me?" Her voice rose with an embarrassing squeak as she struggled to compose a rational argument and remind herself she was in her office, just feet away from her employees who'd never seen her anything less than one hundred percent professional. "I get why you went out with me on Saturday. You'd shut yourself away from the world, and I was the first woman to find you. But you've been reminded you can have Jamie or anyone else you crook your finger for. Why do you still want me?"



His gaze softened with a tenderness that pierced her heart. He brushed his thumb along her cheek. "How could I not want you, Gretchen? You're smart and funny and beautiful and not afraid to let a guy who has no idea what you like order for you on a first date."



Buy Links:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Model-Hero-Calendar-Men-ebook/dp/B00MYJPP5A/

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-model-hero

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-model-hero/id911835986?mt=11

Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=980&osCsid=ikh5q70apmn539c8aasam1tp61

Sara Daniel writes what she loves-irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She lives her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband. Connect with her online at:

Subscribe to Sara's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/rx_AL

Website: http://www.SaraDaniel.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SaraDanielSaraShafer

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SSaraDaniel

Blog: http://saradanielromance.blogspot.com

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ssaradaniel/

To celebrate A Model Hero’s release, I’m giving away a $20 Amazon gift card. Fill out the Rafflecopter form here or on my Facebook page to enter. http://tinyurl.com/nn757av

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How I Found My Resolutions Characters

People always ask authors where they come up with their characters. Are they based on people we know? Are they based on characters from favorite (or not so favorite) television shows, movies, or even songs? Are they fashioned after our celebrity crush?

I thought I’d share how three of the characters from Resolutions came to life for me. I use the same steps with most of the books I write.

 

Once I’ve decided my character’s personality and physical traits, I like to find a real life version to keep me on track. Knowing what my characters look like makes it easier to envision the scenes as I write. I try to find actors/actresses or people in magazines, who fit my idea of the story’s characters. Occasionally as the book progresses, I may have to make a few adjustments to match changes I make in the story. No matter how hard I try to stay on target, my characters have a way of taking over sometimes.

In Resolutions my hero, Mac, came to life as a result of my love for military-type heroes. I especially love the alpha male hero. In my opinion, the more alpha the man is, the better. And who doesn’t like to see the hero fall in love and change his ways a little to please his woman? I gave Mac a tragic background and was ready to ‘cast’ Mac. I ran through my mental list of beefy male specimens—Yep, a hard challenge, but a job I was willing to take on. I chose one of my favorite celebrity crushes as my visual inspiration. Hawaii Five O’s Steve McGarrett, played so well by Alex O’Loughlin was my choice. I kept his picture (shirtless of course) near my computer screen while writing Resolutions. Maybe as a reward for sticking to my writing goal each day? What do you think?

Alex O’Loughlin./Mac

I like the idea of black ops type companies that operate outside of the box when needed. Resolutions Inc. definitely meets the requirement. Mac is the alpha hero who always gets the job done by any means necessary. What could possibly top my hunky alpha male, Mac? A whole team of hunky alpha males! The men of Resolutions, Inc. rock. By introducing multiple operatives I’ve left the door open for this to become a series. I already have a file full of possibilities to use for the Resolutions hunky heroes. I over-used the words hunky and alpha intentionally. A man can never be too much of either.

 

Sarah Shahi/Eve

My heroine, Eve was a little harder to dream up. She had to be emotionally strong enough to walk away from the love of her life, Mac, when he gives her an ultimatum she refuses to live with. She had to be physically able to kick some major ass and go up against the bad guys during multiple battles. Making her a DEA agent on the IDEA Task Force was a good fit and provided her with the training in both weapons and hand to hand combat. Lastly, Eve had to have a soft side to make her more likable. A softness that a man could fall in love with and want to protect at all costs

.

One of my favorite female leads on TV is Sarah Shahi. You may know her from Person of Interest or Fairly Legal. She pretty much fit the bill for my heroine, Eve. If you’ve ever seen her in action on Person of Interest, you know she’s very believable in the role of Shaw. I had no trouble seeing Sarah Shahi as a tough, sarcastic Eve with a pinch of softness thrown in for good measure. I kept her picture near the computer, too. Unlike Alex, her shirt remained on in the photo.

Sullivan Stapleton/Cade

I based my Resolutions’ character, Cade, on Sullivan Stapleton from TV’s, Strike Back, and most recently the movie, 300. Sullivan was the perfect choice for Mac’s partner. Cade’s character provided the comic relief in the Resolutions’ story, was Mac’s voice of reason, and undoubtedly one all-around good looking guy with a mysterious past to be explored. I’ve outlined his story already and soon I’ll have his picture next to my computer. 

At the end of the day, I’m basically a celebrity-crush junkie when I dream up my characters! I hope you enjoyed the photos of my dream cast as much as I did while writing Resolutions.

 

Until next time,

Teri Riggs