Romance History: Roberta Leigh

Janey Scott was born in London, England. She developed a big interest in art. In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and she began writing years before having their son, Jeremy.

She began writing with her first published romance novel in 1950, and she continued published romance novels as Roberta Leigh, Rachel Lindsay, Roumelia Lane and Rozella Lake and as her maiden name Janey Scott. She was one of the first writers to introduce strong career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero. She is also remembered for her work with Gerry Anderson at the start of his career. She created the puppet series Sara and Hoppity, and Space Patrol which chronicled the adventures of Captain Larry Dart aboard his spaceship "Galasphere 347". Later followed an attempt at a similar series Paul Starr. A live action colour space show The Solarnauts followed in 1967. Both unfortunately never went beyond pilot episodes.

She had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children: Twizzle, Sarah & Hoppity, Torchy and Space Patrol etc. As well as writing the stories, Roberta Leigh also 'wrote' the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.

She studied painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, and they awakened her interest in abstract art. Her medium is oil, and watercolour in its various forms. She now works privately for clients in England, North America and Switzerland. But, romantic fiction has a special place in her life. She lives in London, loves children, dogs and cats and, since the death of her husband, finds her romance in the books even if she ends writing them.

To read more:

http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/20360228/

Romance History: Roberta Leigh

Janey Scott was born in London, England. She developed a big interest in art. In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and she began writing years before having their son, Jeremy.

She began writing with her first published romance novel in 1950, and she continued published romance novels as Roberta Leigh, Rachel Lindsay, Roumelia Lane and Rozella Lake and as her maiden name Janey Scott. She was one of the first writers to introduce strong career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero. She is also remembered for her work with Gerry Anderson at the start of his career. She created the puppet series Sara and Hoppity, and Space Patrol which chronicled the adventures of Captain Larry Dart aboard his spaceship "Galasphere 347". Later followed an attempt at a similar series Paul Starr. A live action colour space show The Solarnauts followed in 1967. Both unfortunately never went beyond pilot episodes.

She had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children: Twizzle, Sarah & Hoppity, Torchy and Space Patrol etc. As well as writing the stories, Roberta Leigh also 'wrote' the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.

She studied painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, and they awakened her interest in abstract art. Her medium is oil, and watercolour in its various forms. She now works privately for clients in England, North America and Switzerland. But, romantic fiction has a special place in her life. She lives in London, loves children, dogs and cats and, since the death of her husband, finds her romance in the books even if she ends writing them.

To read more:

http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/20360228/

Man Candy's first birthday: come play with me!

Next May 1, the Man Candy on my LiveJournal turns one years old, talk of cradling the cuddle... Matthew Ludwinski was my first!

May 1 will be a Friday but national holiday in Italy and I will be free at home for all the day (and this is the reason why one year ago I posted the first man candy...), and so I thought to celebrate with you.

Many of my friends, especially authors, said that they recognize their characters in my Men Candy, but also readers are invited to play: send me your coupling between a Man Candy and a character on a book, and I will do a little post about it. It's not necessary for you to choose among my Men Candy, but please try to choose a model/actor of whom you know the name, so I can do a personalized post.

Astrid Amara told me that she chose Mathias Lauridsen as face for Brian Day in Hell Cop. Then months ago Clare London told me about someone else, Kent Edwards I believe, but don't remember her character. Rhyss DeCassilene used my Men Candy for the characters of a book of Jay Lygon...

Anyway, friends, look and write to me, and together we will plan a beautiful birthday party for the Men Candy.

Hope you like the idea, I'm waiting for your suggestions. To help you, all my Men Candy are collected here:

http://www.elisarolle.com/romance/man_candy_day.htm

http://www.elisarolle.com/romance/man_candy_day_2.htm

Man Candy's first birthday: come play with me!

Next May 1, the Man Candy on my LiveJournal turns one years old, talk of cradling the cuddle... Matthew Ludwinski was my first!

May 1 will be a Friday but national holiday in Italy and I will be free at home for all the day (and this is the reason why one year ago I posted the first man candy...), and so I thought to celebrate with you.

Many of my friends, especially authors, said that they recognize their characters in my Men Candy, but also readers are invited to play: send me your coupling between a Man Candy and a character on a book, and I will do a little post about it. It's not necessary for you to choose among my Men Candy, but please try to choose a model/actor of whom you know the name, so I can do a personalized post.

Astrid Amara told me that she chose Mathias Lauridsen as face for Brian Day in Hell Cop. Then months ago Clare London told me about someone else, Kent Edwards I believe, but don't remember her character. Rhyss DeCassilene used my Men Candy for the characters of a book of Jay Lygon...

Anyway, friends, look and write to me, and together we will plan a beautiful birthday party for the Men Candy.

Hope you like the idea, I'm waiting for your suggestions. To help you, all my Men Candy are collected here:

http://www.elisarolle.com/romance/man_candy_day.htm

http://www.elisarolle.com/romance/man_candy_day_2.htm

Man Candy Day: Rick Mora

My Man Candy of today is a total theft: I saw him yesterday night on moonlite_tryst livejournal (http://lusiology.livejournal.com/176646.html) and had to steal him. I have always had a passion for Native American, in the Old Western movie I always cheered for them and when I went to see Dances with Wolves I was totally in love with Rodney A. Grant (who was Kevin Costner in comparison...). So when I saw a pic of Rick Mora, a full lenght pic..., I was drooling on it and immediately decided that HE was my next man candy (poor lad who was waiting to be posted has to wait next week, sorry)!



( more pics )

( more pics )

"Planted in the womb of my mother, a seed from the Sun. Grandmother Yaqui, Grandfather Apache of Mestizo descent. Born in a field of corn called Los Angeles but raised on a 100 acre farm with no electricity and a wood burning stove in Crescent City, California.

Returning to civilization at age 7 for the purpose of socialization, I was educated by the white man acquiring a Bachelors Degree from California State University, Northridge with a degree in communication. Acting and Modeling soon followed when I was discovered by legendary Male Super Model agent Omar Alberto. It was Omar who visioned the native man in this business of entertainment. Having successfully shot with great photographers like Carlos Reynosa, Cliff Watts and Matthew Rolston allowed access to the American & European commercial & modeling market. I then had some moderate success booking commercial & print accounts like Toyota, Wilson Leather and Anson’s. Small spots in Television, Film and Voice soon followed Fast forward to today. Current Print and Commercial accounts include Wells Fargo Bank, Koff Beer and Bell Meat. I have just shot for the 2009 Native American Men's Calendar, 2009 KIA "SOUL" car campaign for Korea and have landed a role as Native Warrior in the blockbuster "TWILIGHT".
 
I am the voice of Young Turok in the animated feature Turok : Son of Stone based on the video game also starring Adam Beach, Irene Bedard and Graham Greene. I also have 4 posters being distributed by photographer Carlos Reynosa (carlosreynosa.com). Personally, I am an artist involved in the business of photography with over 9 commissioned pieces to date. I specialize in Landscapes but also shoot headshots, modeling portfolio, children and weddings. I photograph feature film as well as many high profile events (myspace.com/photosbyrpm). Just as much as I enjoy life's visions, I also enjoy life's sounds and have always involved myself in the business of music, management and production (myspace.com/rpmentertainmentgroup). I discover, develop, record and advise musicians and bands in the brutal business of music. Not a player, just a listener.
 
I am a dreamer committed to bringing my dreams to reality" Rick Mora

( more pics )

@Rick Mora
@ModelMayhem

Man Candy Day: Rick Mora

My Man Candy of today is a total theft: I saw him yesterday night on lusiology livejournal (http://lusiology.livejournal.com/176646.html) and had to steal him. I have always had a passion for Native American, in the Old Western movie I always cheered for them and when I went to see Dances with Wolves I was totally in love with Rodney A. Grant (who was Kevin Costner in comparison...). So when I saw a pic of Rick Mora, a full lenght pic..., I was drooling on it and immediately decided that HE was my next man candy (poor lad who was waiting to be posted has to wait next week, sorry)!



( more pics )

( more pics )

"Planted in the womb of my mother, a seed from the Sun. Grandmother Yaqui, Grandfather Apache of Mestizo descent. Born in a field of corn called Los Angeles but raised on a 100 acre farm with no electricity and a wood burning stove in Crescent City, California.

Returning to civilization at age 7 for the purpose of socialization, I was educated by the white man acquiring a Bachelors Degree from California State University, Northridge with a degree in communication. Acting and Modeling soon followed when I was discovered by legendary Male Super Model agent Omar Alberto. It was Omar who visioned the native man in this business of entertainment. Having successfully shot with great photographers like Carlos Reynosa, Cliff Watts and Matthew Rolston allowed access to the American & European commercial & modeling market. I then had some moderate success booking commercial & print accounts like Toyota, Wilson Leather and Anson’s. Small spots in Television, Film and Voice soon followed Fast forward to today. Current Print and Commercial accounts include Wells Fargo Bank, Koff Beer and Bell Meat. I have just shot for the 2009 Native American Men's Calendar, 2009 KIA "SOUL" car campaign for Korea and have landed a role as Native Warrior in the blockbuster "TWILIGHT".
 
I am the voice of Young Turok in the animated feature Turok : Son of Stone based on the video game also starring Adam Beach, Irene Bedard and Graham Greene. I also have 4 posters being distributed by photographer Carlos Reynosa (carlosreynosa.com). Personally, I am an artist involved in the business of photography with over 9 commissioned pieces to date. I specialize in Landscapes but also shoot headshots, modeling portfolio, children and weddings. I photograph feature film as well as many high profile events (myspace.com/photosbyrpm). Just as much as I enjoy life's visions, I also enjoy life's sounds and have always involved myself in the business of music, management and production (myspace.com/rpmentertainmentgroup). I discover, develop, record and advise musicians and bands in the brutal business of music. Not a player, just a listener.
 
I am a dreamer committed to bringing my dreams to reality" Rick Mora

( more pics )

@Rick Mora
@ModelMayhem

Best Fantasy Novel (3° place): Northern Love by Nica Berry

This is the first novel I read by Nica Berry (I read only a short story before), even if I heard good things about the previous two books (that I have and probably will read). One of the things that prevented me to read her before, was that I have always had the idea that her stories have an high level of angst, that angst that leave you with the feeling that it will not an easy life for your heroes. I'm happy to say that, in the end, Northern Love is more romantic than expected and so for me was easier, even if one thing is confirmed, the women in her books are not exactly "nice" characters (at least in this book Atka gives to my gender some hope).

There are quite few things that were challenging for me: the fantasy setting (a genre I'm not really fond of), the menages a trois (but truth be told is an all male menages, so not many problem here) and the non consensual sex (rape is till something that I hardly find erotic). But the author dribbles among all this issues in a way that makes me overcome all my preconceptions. Emmanuel and Jerek are two orphan boys in a fantasy kingdom who find in each other a reason to live; Emmanuel is the body, the force for both of them, and Jerek is the mind, the cleverness that serve to both of them to survive. Jerek has a dream, to find a mythical citadel in the north, a place where they will be never starving or in danger, and to find that citadel they both embark in a privateer ship. Obviously two young boys in the hands of unscrupulous men have no easy life on board, and Emmanuel, with his beautiful body, but maybe with a not so clever mind, is the first to fall prey of the captain. He is convinced that he is doing what he is doing to not harm Jerek, that if he takes all the "punishment" upon himself, he will save Jerek from the same destiny.

Emmanuel is young, and even if he experimented with Jerek, he is also innocent, and along the way the torture becomes almost a pleasure, and this, instead of soothe him, makes him even more guilty at his eyes. If he was not enjoying the torture, he was not betraying Jerek, but if he finds pleasure in the torture, then he is a traitor. And so when Jerek speaks aloud the words, calling him a traitor, Emmanuel is unable to defend himself, and Jerek goes away believing Emmanuel guilty.

Jerek finds solace in the arms of another man, the shapeshifter seal Piaktok, and he also fulfills his dream to find the citadel, but without Emmanuel his joy is not complete. He says to himself that he is searching vengeance, but instead he is missing a part of his heart, only that, when he finds again that missing piece, his heart is shielded in ice, and he is blind to love, as his past lover is became blind for real. There is a strange parallelism in the story, both Jerek's lovers have a physical disability, Piaktok is mute and Emmanuel is blind, and in a way they represent the inability of Jerek to see the true and to speak his true feelings; on the other hand, Piaktok and Emmanuel, even if mute and blind, are able to understand each other and to recognize the love around them.

There is a bit of squirming feelings in the story, when the author ventures to describe Piaktok's physical attribute in shifted form, but she never goes farther on, there is no sex in shifted form, and instead she always dissolves that feelings adding a bit of humor, Piaktok is quite a "funny" lover, always with a smile on his face. And maybe also for this reason, when the nastiness falls upon Piaktok it's even more sad, since of all the characters, Piaktok is the more innocent soul.



http://www.loose-id.com/prod-Northern_Love-922.aspx

Amazon Kindle: Northern Love

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain

Best Fantasy Novel (3° place): Northern Love by Nica Berry

This is the first novel I read by Nica Berry (I read only a short story before), even if I heard good things about the previous two books (that I have and probably will read). One of the things that prevented me to read her before, was that I have always had the idea that her stories have an high level of angst, that angst that leave you with the feeling that it will not an easy life for your heroes. I'm happy to say that, in the end, Northern Love is more romantic than expected and so for me was easier, even if one thing is confirmed, the women in her books are not exactly "nice" characters (at least in this book Atka gives to my gender some hope).

There are quite few things that were challenging for me: the fantasy setting (a genre I'm not really fond of), the menages a trois (but truth be told is an all male menages, so not many problem here) and the non consensual sex (rape is till something that I hardly find erotic). But the author dribbles among all this issues in a way that makes me overcome all my preconceptions. Emmanuel and Jerek are two orphan boys in a fantasy kingdom who find in each other a reason to live; Emmanuel is the body, the force for both of them, and Jerek is the mind, the cleverness that serve to both of them to survive. Jerek has a dream, to find a mythical citadel in the north, a place where they will be never starving or in danger, and to find that citadel they both embark in a privateer ship. Obviously two young boys in the hands of unscrupulous men have no easy life on board, and Emmanuel, with his beautiful body, but maybe with a not so clever mind, is the first to fall prey of the captain. He is convinced that he is doing what he is doing to not harm Jerek, that if he takes all the "punishment" upon himself, he will save Jerek from the same destiny.

Emmanuel is young, and even if he experimented with Jerek, he is also innocent, and along the way the torture becomes almost a pleasure, and this, instead of soothe him, makes him even more guilty at his eyes. If he was not enjoying the torture, he was not betraying Jerek, but if he finds pleasure in the torture, then he is a traitor. And so when Jerek speaks aloud the words, calling him a traitor, Emmanuel is unable to defend himself, and Jerek goes away believing Emmanuel guilty.

Jerek finds solace in the arms of another man, the shapeshifter seal Piaktok, and he also fulfills his dream to find the citadel, but without Emmanuel his joy is not complete. He says to himself that he is searching vengeance, but instead he is missing a part of his heart, only that, when he finds again that missing piece, his heart is shielded in ice, and he is blind to love, as his past lover is became blind for real. There is a strange parallelism in the story, both Jerek's lovers have a physical disability, Piaktok is mute and Emmanuel is blind, and in a way they represent the inability of Jerek to see the true and to speak his true feelings; on the other hand, Piaktok and Emmanuel, even if mute and blind, are able to understand each other and to recognize the love around them.

There is a bit of squirming feelings in the story, when the author ventures to describe Piaktok's physical attribute in shifted form, but she never goes farther on, there is no sex in shifted form, and instead she always dissolves that feelings adding a bit of humor, Piaktok is quite a "funny" lover, always with a smile on his face. And maybe also for this reason, when the nastiness falls upon Piaktok it's even more sad, since of all the characters, Piaktok is the more innocent soul.



http://www.loose-id.com/prod-Northern_Love-922.aspx

Amazon Kindle: Northern Love

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain