Kaily Hart Has Kidnapped My Blog!

My Blog sure is getting steamy today hope it's not too "hot" for you~! Please welcome our very special guest is Kaily Hart :)

Writing the ‘Hottie’


So…as a writer of hot and steamy romance it’s pretty much a given my heroes are hot hunks AKA “hotties”. I mean, the reader has to fall at least a little in love with the hero to really believe the heroine would fall madly in lust and then love with the guy for all eternity. Right? Of course, in romance, having a hero that’s a hottie means more than a pair of strong arms, lickable abs and an impressive…*cough*…you know. Although my heroes always have impressive ‘assets’ in that department of course LOL. There are other, non-physical, less tangible qualities that make a guy truly a hottie for me, which is probably why I rarely drool over a celebrity or even most pictures of guys I see, shirtless or not. Sure, I can appreciate the scenery, but I don’t know them, I don’t know who they are. I know this is going to sound corny, but I don’t know if they’re honorable, if they have integrity, if they’re respectful to women, if they’re strong, protective, if they’re a man of their word, because it’s these things combined together that great the “wow” hero for me and is the kind of hero I like to write. Of course, if you’ve read any of my books you’ll know my heroes aren’t perfect. Far from it. These qualities are all there, somewhere, deep down, when it really counts, but at first it might not be totally evident. I love to play the edge of “redeemability” with my heroes as well, although you can be sure he really is a good guy at the end of the day.

Case in point - I saw a gorgeous, ripped guy in the line in front of me at Starbucks the other day. He had on jeans and a simple, dark t-shirt. You could just make out the muscles of his biceps peaking out the sleeves, there was a hint of ink, he hadn’t shaved in a day or two and his hair had that slightly messed look. He was hard and lean and deliciously scruffy, a look not all guys can pull off. As a writer, I tend to notice details and I sure loved noticing his details as I filed away his entire appearance for later use J. He was HOT to look at that’s for sure, but do you know what the hottest thing about him was and why he stayed in my mind long after? When he ordered his drink he was so polite and courteous, so respectful of the clearly stressed woman behind the counter, I could have melted right then and there. There’s nothing hotter than a guy who looks like that, sounds like that (‘cause he had a voice to die for as well) and can still do something as simple as use good manners. And I could tell he made the baristas day.

Being a hottie is so much more than just good looks. This is one of the reasons I don’t spend a great deal of time on physical descriptions in my books. It’s sort of not as important as a heroes’ actions, his words, the way he interacts with the heroine, the way she makes him feel, how she makes him see himself and (sigh…) what lengths he’ll go to for her. And of course, I like the reader to use their own imagination to some degree to build a visual picture of the character, particularly the hero, because it has to be someone the heroine would be attracted to, someone the reader would believe the heroine would be attracted to and yeah…someone the reader would probably be attracted to J.

During this post I went searching for some pics of guys I consider “hot” and came up kinda empty. Sure, there were a lot of beautiful pictures of the male form but there are very few guys out there that have the entire package in my opinion. Maybe that’s why I write fiction? I can make up the dream guy, book after book LOL. In the end I went with one of the hottest pictures I’ve seen in awhile. I think it’s a combination of the obviously fit and healthy and gorgeous male, but there’s a story to the picture and the pose too. One of male relaxation, of confidence, of ‘who cares’ that I think I like as well. I sure do love a guy with attitude J.

So…tell me, what do you think makes a guy hot, a guy truly a “hottie”? I’ll pick a random commenter to receive their choice of an ebook from my backlist!



About Kaily

Kaily Hart, a seemingly straight-laced mother of four left corporate America and a high-powered, lucrative career to be a stay at home mom. Ha! That lasted about four weeks, during which time she realized she had a deeply repressed dream —to write. And romance at that! By day, Kaily plays conservative wife and soccer mom, but at night crafts hot and steamy tales of romance and love with gorgeous heroes who wouldn’t dream of leaving the toilet set up. Ever. She’s smart and sassy, at least in her own mind, and is trying her best to bring the alpha male solidly back to contemporary romance, one hot story at a time. Two years ago she never would have thought she’d be doing this, but now that she is? Well, you couldn’t pay her enough to do anything else.


Kaily’s books, PICTURE THIS, PAY UP, PLAY ME & POINT BLANK (yes, she has a thing for book titles that start with ‘P’), are all currently available from Ellora’s Cave and all other ebook outlets.

If anyone would want to contact me (which I would love by the way) or just keep up with what I’m doing, you can find me all over:

Web – www.kailyhart.com

Blog - http://kailyhart.blogspot.com/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/kaily.hart

Twitter - http://twitter.com/kailyhart





















It's the New Year - Now What?

As I sit here contemplating my New Year’s resolutions, I chuckle about something my daughter told me a couple of years ago when she was 21. She had dated several young men around her age, but had broken up with them shortly thereafter. When I asked her why the relationships hadn’t lasted she said, “Mom, I asked them what their five-year plan was, and they didn’t have one.” I laughed and told her, “Sweetheart, what did you expect? You’re dealing with 21 year-old boys, and they only have two things on their mind – getting drunk and getting laid, and not necessarily in that order.”

I must admit that I was quite impressed with her level of maturity. I wasn’t going to tell her that I didn’t have a five-year plan at that point, either! After all, it’s hard enough to know what you’re going to do in the next 365 days, let alone five years down the road. But she’s right -- having a five-year plan is a good idea, because if you set an attainable goal within five years, every decision you make along the way will take that future achievement into account. You’re more than likely to get it because you focused on it.

Two years ago, I decided I wanted to lose weight. The pounds had crept up on me in my sleep, and one day my clothes no longer fit me (I have the broken zippers and holes in my shirts to prove it). Knowing that it was wise not to try to go “cold turkey” all at once (because “diet” is a dirty word to me), I set reasonable goals for each year. I am proud to say that I have now lost twenty pounds in the last two years. I am aiming for another ten this year. Making slow and steady progress works for me. I am now receiving compliments from people who haven’t seen me in a while and their comments reinforce my belief that it is possible to do anything if you put your mind to it.

Five years ago, my first story was accepted for publication. I can’t tell you how long I dreamed about that becoming a reality. Now, five years later, I have five books published and am working on more. Last year, I had hoped to produce second book, but my daughter’s wedding took precedence. The wedding was beautiful and well worth the investment of time and effort. But now that we have that special occasion behind us, I can focus once more on my goals. In 2012, I’m aiming for at least two books.

Also, on my New Year’s resolution list this year, I will put: “make a new five-year plan”. I did pretty well on my last one. Hopefully, I’ll have even better success with this one.

I wish you a lot of luck in 2012 and that you will be successful with your resolutions.

Happy New Year!