Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

Ya gotta love a guy who can pull off tight jeans...um...I mean pulling them off as in wearing them with flair and panache. Here we have Gerard Butler. Whether melting our hearts in DEAR FRANKIE, leading his troops to glory as the king of Sparta in "300" or making us ask, "Raoul Who?" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Gerard is definitely swoon-worthy material. And did I mention the best news of all? He's Scottish!

And one never tires of the ubiquitous gray t-shirt, does one? Especially when stretched over Hugh Jackman's impressive pecs and arms. What can I say? Hugh sings. He dances. And he growls beautifully as Wolverine in the X-MEN movies. And he's Australian!

Daniel Craig reinvigorated the James Bond franchise in CASINO ROYALE by reminding us that Bond was once mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Watching him lose his heart was a joy and I can promise you that if I'd have written the script, there would have been many delicious confrontations and an entirely different outcome following his discovery of her betrayal.

When twolilhahas requested a picture of Markus Schenkenberg, my first thought was, "Who?" But a quick Google search told me she had exquisite taste in male models. There were plenty of shirtless pics but I rather liked this one.

There's no question that Jude Law is a VERY pretty man but I sort of liked him "roughed up" as Inman in COLD MOUNTAIN. (Another movie I'd have written a different ending for.)


I first fell in love with Josh Lucas in SWEET HOME ALABAMA. He has that affable boy-next-door Southern charm coupled with that dangerous glitter in his steely blue eyes. He reminded me of the boy you'd fall for in high school--you know--the one who actually knew what to do with a carburetor and who actually looked sexy with grease under his fingernails?

And my other favorite Southern Josh is Josh Holloway who plays the incomparable Sawyer from LOST. He may be a bad boy but he's a real fine man!

Well, that's it for today, ladies! I'm signing off to go work hard on my book. You may not hear much from me in the next week or so but at least I've left you something pretty to enjoy ;)

Teresa Brings You Some Guy Candy to Brighten Your Day

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm writing the first love scene of my new book. And what could be more inspiring when writing a love scene than pictures like these! I've gathered several of your requests and will be bringing them to you for the next two days so tune in tomorrow for Part II of my shameless exploitation of these gorgeous men.

I first fell for Christian Bale when he was the little boy in EMPIRE OF THE SUN. Whether he's playing a young BATMAN in BATMAN BEGINS or Laurie Lawrence in LITTLE WOMEN, I've always found his unique voice to be irresistible. (Of course the face ain't bad either!)

And who can resist the ultimate Mr. Darcy (or Mark Darcy in BRIDGET JONES' DIARY)? Colin Firth makes me yearn for a man who knows how to tie his cravat.

Whether in his KING ARTHUR armor or out of it, Clive Owen is one of those rugged, testosterone-fueled beauties who's just a little rough around the edges. That voice! Those eyes! Those beard-stubbled cheeks! And if you've seen SIN CITY, you know he even looks gorgeous in black and white.

I believe it was J Perry who requested a "less dressed" Russell. I'm always happy to oblige! (The muscles are awesome but I think he accessorizes well with the chains too, don't you?)

Tune in Tomorrow for Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

And for all of you dog lovers out there...

Mwahahahahaha!!! It just occurred to me that Connie Brockway wasn't around to razz me about posting pics from my extensive Russell Crowe collection.



(Okay, actually she probably would pop by just to razz me but she's away at the lake this weekend :))









So while we're on the topic! ;)

And this one is for mshellion! ;)
Now I'm REALLY on a roll!

Sara says it takes a real man to pose with a cat and I just HAPPENED to have this pic of Russell and his puddytat in my collection. (Okay, so I also have a pic of him holding a baby and a small calf if anyone needs one.)

Teresa Welcomes a New Fur-Baby into Her Home and Heart

She's he-e-e-e-e-ere! That's right. Little Samantha came home yesterday and has survived her first night in her new home (or at least in our downstairs bathroom). This was her first night ever away from her brothers and sisters but she's adjusting well. For such a little kitty, she has a really big mouth.

We had to treat her for fleas and ear mites but we've promised her a lifetime of pampering and adoration to compensate her for her suffering.

Alas, Buffy the Mouse Slayer isn't quite as enamored of her new sibling as we are! She's hissed at her once and spent most of the day lurking outside of the bathroom looking horrified. But we have high hopes for a harmonious future! :)

Good night, sweet princess...

She came into our lives on a whim. We had only had indoor cats in the past but we lived deep in the woods and mice were building nests in the motor of my husband's truck. So we went to the local shelter and picked out two beautiful sister cats to bring home. We were young and silly so we opened up the pet carrier on the back deck. One of the cats (later christened "The Nemesis") took off like a shot, never to be seen again.

Queenie also took off and she sat at the top of the hill meowing plaintively all afternoon while we tried to coax her into returning to her new home. The sun was almost setting when she finally came trundling down that hill and into our arms.

In a shocking development, we learned that Queenie was already pregnant when we brought her home. She gave birth to her kittens in our Doberman's dog house (he was a very longsuffering dog) and we found homes for all of them before getting her spayed. Although we had planned for her to be an outdoor cat, on the very first cold day of that year, she came and stood patiently at the door. I opened it and let her in. She wouldn't leave us again for eighteen years.

I always said she was the perfect cat because she literally had no faults. She was so polite that if she had to throw up, she would run to the litter box and do it there. She was the only cat we ever had who actually earned her keep--proudly bringing mice and moles to the back door just as we were sitting down to supper. I once saw her eat an entire snake.

When I look through our photo albums, Queenie is like the Forrest Gump of cats. We have pictures of her with almost every friend and every pet we ever had. Being the perfect cat, Queenie did us the wonderful courtesy of living longer than any of our other pets.

In the past two years of her life, she became even more attached to me. I couldn't sit down on the couch for five minutes without her crawling into my lap and purring up a storm. She followed me everywhere and would even sit on the side of the bathtub when I bathed. One day I opened the shower door and almost hit her in the head because she was patiently waiting for me to emerge.

She started declining last Thanksgiving. I remember lying on the couch with her purring on my chest and tears rolling down my cheeks asking God if he could please just let her last through the holidays because I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Since God is incredibly kind and I didn't specify which holiday, she almost made it to Memorial Day.

At eighteen years old, she was over 80 years old in people years. I knew she was failing but she still seemed to find such great pleasure in her daily life that I couldn't make that final decision. I prayed for God to let us know when it was time. He gave us our answer one Sunday afternoon when we returned from a church retreat.

I had been lying in the sunroom reading for only a few minutes when she laid down on my chest and started purring like she always does. But just a few minutes later, she started acting very strangely--lifting up one paw and acting like she couldn't put it down, then doing the same thing with the other. Then when she tried to get up, she fell. It was almost like she was having a stroke. I started bawling and asking, "Queenie, what's wrong? What's wrong, baby?" But I knew I had the answer I had been asking God to give me. I had been praying that He would let us know for sure that it was time to let go, that He would give us a sign that would remove all doubt.

We phoned her vet and even though he wasn't on call, he rushed to the clinic to minister to her. She died with me and my husband gently stroking her fur and telling her what a good cat she was.

For eighteen years she was my furry little touchstone. I wrote 17 books during that time. We moved to the city. Other pets came and went and we learned that friends sometimes come and go too. We lost grandparents. My mom went into the nursing home. Our nephew died. But our Queenie-cat was always there, good for a cuddle and a purr whenever we desperately needed one.

I miss you, sweetheart. You left a big hole in our home and in our hearts. But we were so incredibly blessed to have you for so long. May flights of angels sing you to your rest.