Liz Matis's Blog, page 18

A transvestite spends her entire life trying to look as feminine as possible and I have clearly spent mine celebrating my masculinity. Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel is my celebrity inspiration for Jake Miller my hero in Going For It, my work in progress. Jake is a running back with the NY Cougars - he's got a deep sexy voice like Vin and has that whole 'rough around the edges' thing going but he can also be silly (did you see The Pacifer). When I'm writing I'm picturing Vin as the actor in the movie version of my book. And boy does it ever help!



So with this picture I'm guessing a shower scene?
Oh yeah.
I love my my job.

Sorry you'll have to wait until April of 2012 to read it. But you can check out the steamy shower scene in Playing For Keeps with Ryan and Samantha (and Jake and Hannah make guest appearances) - just click on the book cover above and it will take you to the Amazon website.

Using celebrity inspiration to create your heroes....

When creating characters, especially my heroes, I find it helpful to select a celebrity who has the same look and attitude of the man I want to create. Sometimes it's a little like being Dr. Frankenstein. For instance Josh Holloway is the inspiration for Russ Rowland in Love By Design - looks are pretty much the same except I gave Russ 'outback sunset eyes' because he is an Aussie. His attitude is Sawyer from Lost, the character Josh Holloway played. When I was writing I would just picture him in my mind and his lines of dialogue would be right on the money - had me actually sighing in places - and giggling.

For creating my hero in Playing For Keeps, Ryan Terell, my main influence was Kevin Nash, a former WWE wrestler (even though Ryan is a football player). Totally arrogant on the outside, he fit the bill perfectly but on the inside? he is more like Dree Brees from the New Orleans Saints. Here is Kevin...

On Wednesday I'll post a picture of my celebrity inspiration for my current work in progress, Going For It. Meanwhile, if you're a writer - what's your process for creating your hero?
If you're a reader what celebrity would you like to see in a romance novel?

Six Sentence Sunday 12/4/11

Since last weeks snippet was such a success I will continue a little later in this scene. Victoria has just finished off Russ by licking off ALL the chocolate she painted on his body. While he recovers she begins drawing on herself with whipped cream - then she draws an arrow from her breasts down to her - well you know... and this is Russ' reaction.


Something inside Russ snapped. All the energy she zapped from his body returned like a bolt of lightning waking Frankenstein from the dead and his thoughts just as carnal and primitive as when the monster saw his bride. Picking her up, he threw her onto the bed. The line of whipped cream beckoned his tongue. "I don't need any damn directions."

Six Sentence Sunday - 11/27/11

Six from Love By Design - (Victoria and Russ - reality make-over decorating show)
In this scene Victoria has just finished painting designs on Russ' body with Godiva melted chocolate. When she was finished she moved back and examined her work—his body.

She took out the paintbrush that had been clenched between her teeth and said, "I might have a new career."
"As a torturer?"
"Body paint artist." Her feline smile clued him into what was going to happen next.
Little flicks of her tongue skittered across his skin as she lapped off the chocolate as if she were a kitten given a bowl of cream. Didn't she realize she was toying with a tiger?

Top 10 Plot Devices to Get Alex O'Loughlin to Shed the Shirt (Hawaii Five-O)

Alex O'Loughlin plays Steve McGarrett on the re-make of Hawaii Five-O. I was so happy when he got this series because I missed watching him in Moonlight where he played vampire Mick St. John.( I would like to point out here that he's a lot like my hero Russ in Love By Design - he's HOT, Australian, and has ADHD )

Anyway, I'm enjoying Hawaii Five-O - however Alex could lose the shirt a little more often. Oh sure they try to work it in but us ladies want more! So I've come up with the Top 10 Plot Devices to Get Alex O'Loughlin to Shed the Shirt.

Alex plays Steve McGarrett so he will be referred to as Steve in the Top 10

10. Steve goes undercover at a male strip joint.

9. A waitress spills a tray full of drinks on him. (I guest star as the sassy waitress.)

8. They are investigating a crime scene at the beach, a woman is drowning and Steve being the former Navy Seal rushes in to save her. (I guest star as the drowning woman.)
Mouth to mouth ensues. :)

7. That darn global warming causes a heat wave to hit Hawaii. Off goes his shirt.

6. Steve must dive to a wreck at the bottom of the ocean to uncover evidence (I guest star as a mermaid?)

5. Steve and Dano bet who could beat who in a one-on-one basketball game. Off goes Steve's shirt.

4. A bullet grazes his shoulder and it needs to be stitched up. (I guest star as the naughty nurse.)

3. Steve is chasing the bad guys by a volcano – a spark from the lava hits his shirt and he has to take it off before it catches on fire – sweat begins to….oh, sorry.

2. Camera pans to his bedroom – he's sleeping and wakes upon hearing a noise. He gets up to investigate. (I guest star as the woman in his bed? – no more likely the stalker who broke in.)

And the number one plot device to get Alex O'Loughlin's to shed the shirt?

1. Ummm…do we really need a reason? Just take it off, McGarrett. No female will notice if it doesn't advance the plot.


There you have it. And for the good of my fellow woman if Hawaii Five-O wants to use any of these plot devices I won't ask for royalities - though I'm totally serious about being a guest star - I would have to bring the husband I suppose - AWKWARD.

When a man talks dirty to a woman, it's sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, it's $3.95 a minute. ~Author Unknown

I've talked before writing from a man's POV versus a woman's POV. The example below happened on Facebook last night and illustrates the way men really think.

Ok so last night I posted a couple of sentences from my work in progress Going For It - here it is...

Jake tried pretending she didn't exist - that her loveliness was a figment of his imagination but her soft moans along with her fevered pitched screams of her calling his name haunted his dreams. Hannah was so right - he did dream of her.

Deeply passionate - don't you think? Yeah, only a male friend/co-worker posted his hilarious take..

Here's Carmen's version: The Patriots could pretend the Jets didn't exist - that Sanchez's loud moans after getting sacked so many times along with Rex Ryan's fevered pitched screams of the referees calling "Patriots touchdown" haunted his dreams. Carmen was so right - the Jets suck :-

Men -are so simple - no wonder they don't understand us.

Six Sentence Sunday - 11/13/11

My newest recent, Playing For Keeps, reached #7 on one of the Amazon Bestseller lists! Here is end of the first kiss scene.
Playing For Keeps is about a woman sportswriter and a professional football player. The scene takes place inside a stuck elevator. After playing a couple of rounds of Go Fish (a card game) – one thing leads to another – and they are kissing – and then…

"Ryan, we're going down."
"You're going down?" he asked dazed.
She pounded on his chest. "No, you idiot!"
The realization of what she meant hit him like a bucket of cold Gatorade. He immediately released her and stepped to the far side of the elevator shaking his head. "And we spent the last hour playing Go Fish."

Love of beauty and the desire to create it is a primal instinct of man. Eleanor McMillen Brown

Another one of Victoria's (my heroine from Love By Design) inspirations to become an interior designer is Eleanor McMillen Brown. Another pioneer in interior design she started her career in 1924 and started one of those most influential companies in design. She combined a sense of elegance along with business savvy. Here are some great quotes...

If you get it right the first time there's no need for change.
Eleanor McMillen Brown

To develop in taste, quality, and personality one is obliged to respect the past, accept the present, and look with enthusiasm toward the future.

For without the private world of retreat man becomes virtually an unbalanced creature.
Eleanor McMillen Brown, Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard

Every room needs a touch of yellow.
Eleanor McMillen Brown, Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard

We are often inclined to think of art in terms of pure decoration rather than as a vital part of our everyday lives.
Eleanor McMillen Brown, Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard

Love By Design - Book Trailer

I had lots of fun making the book trailer for Love By Design. I hope you enjoy it!

Six Sentence Sunday - 10/30/11

Last SSS for now on Love By Design since Playing For Keeps will come out next week....

Setup: With the cameras rolling Russ has just smack Victoria with the pillow she made him sew and she grabs a bolster pillow and...

Victoria ran after him through the hallway and out the front door, the cameraman right behind her. Russ stopped on the lawn and turned to face her with his hands up in mock surrender since at some point the he must have flung his pillow away.
"Where did you get that?" He pointed to her fluffy weapon.
"I made it earlier." They were now dancing like two boxers in a ring.