Yesterday I received the following press release from Dorchester:
I think you and your readers might really enjoy something Dorchester Publishing is doing on its web site in the weeks leading up the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention and the Mr. Romance Contest. We wanted the readers who cannot attend RT this year to be able to participate in the event in some way, so we came up with a really fun idea.
We will be featuring a contest through our site where readers can vote for their favorite Mr. Romance contestant. Each day, beginning Monday, April 7, two gorgeous men will be revealed. After four days of revealing hunky contestants readers will come back to vote for their favorite. On April 19th the winner with the most votes will be announced and will win an American Express gift card from Dorchester. Please take a look at the contest on our site and tune in on Monday to see the first two contestants!
Click here to see the contest info.
I hope you and your readers will enjoy this!
While I love an Amex Gift Card as much as the next person, beefcake really isn’t my thing. Cake, I like. Beef, I also like. Mr. Romance? I love, or loved, Fabio, but not for his cake du boeuf. However, I am of the understanding that Senor Romance at RT is a big ticket, and many, many conference attendees love it.
Then I got another email from Dorchester and nearly snorted iced tea up my nose.
I just realized that your readers might enjoy a peak at the very snark-worthy alternate draft of our contest info. It seems like something that the readers of Smart Bitches would appreciate 🙂 I hope you and your readers check out the contest.
Y’‘ll. Srsly. I cnt s vwls – this is so silly my sinuses still hurt from unintentional liquid aspiration.
All you hot and horny women who go weak-kneed at the sight of washboard abs and flirty tresses better get ready or get your inhaler, cause these dudes are righteously buff and they’re ready for their close-up.
One month from now, eight men will strut their stuff down the runway, flash their pearly whites and flex that one muscle that can win them the gold—personal charm. Dorchester’s 2008 Mr. Romance winner will have to put everything on the line and let it all hang out to rise to the top of this packed stable of stiff competitors. It’s winner take all, baby. Love is a battlefield.
Beginning April 7, Dorchesterpub.com will reveal 2 models a day in all their pixilated, spray-tanned glory. Learn their stats, love their lats and dream away about dinner for two with beefcake tartare for starters. After four days of hunky reveals, voting will open to the Dorchester public and that’s when the real fun begins. See the models’ ranking go up and down; who’s hot and who’s not. Will it come down to a cheeky little wink or something much bigger? Log on to dorchesterpub.com and find out!
“flex that one muscle?” “Personal charm?” “let it all hang out and rise to the top?” Oh holy smokes. Someone had fun writing that one.
Which leads to my next question: are actual “hot and horny women” an actual populace at the RT Mr. Romance contest? Who are they talking to? Am I wrong in taking this with a great dose of humor? Have I stumbled into an alternate universe? This conference is going to blow my mind, isn’t it?
From hanging out (just a little) in the RT message boards area, all i can see is that it is going to be a conference full of Christ-y republicans. Sigh. Hope not, but fraid so.
All of that said, I’m still looking forward to it.
Sarah, you’re going to see a mix of people at the RT Convention. There will be some who are almost as over-the-top ga-ga over the cover models as teen girls in the 60s worked into a frenzy over the Beatles. (Only a slight exaggeration.) There will be women who flaunt, fondle and try to slip them room keys.
You will see many more women who exhibit casual interest, and behave like perfectly rational, nice, fun-loving, party-goers.
There are maybe 12 youngish male models at RT. There are many, many more women, most of whom are a lot older than the models. The sexual orientation of the male models is up for speculation. Some of the women take this as a challenge. This is not true of most of the women there.
Don’t like being thought of as a sex-deprived housewife? Don’t go to it.
Maybe if women stopped ooing and aahing over the mantitty we wouldn’t be perceived as “hot and horny women who go weak-kneed at the sight of washboard abs.” If I never see another one on a book cover I’ll stop asking for Viking stories.
You did not. Christ-y republicans? I’m a Christ-y republican. Well, I’m actually a Christian libertarian. I haven’t been to an RT, but I’m not interested in ogling oiled gay men (not that there’s anything wrong with that—the gayness I mean). Smacks of some old sitcom from the 50s of men at a convention with strippers or something.
Anyway, my point is that if the convention were populated by Atheist-y democrats, or Muslim-y types, or Jewish-y types, would you be comfortable making the same statement?
Free speech and all that, I support your right to speak your mind, but I think you’re an a-hole for that comment.
Uh oh. I did not know there was something wrong with being hot and horny and feeling a little weak when a nice body walks by. (Granted, not fond of the steroid he-men on book covers. I’ve been carrying the latest Emma Holly around with me as I get ready for exams and SERIOUSLY. I’ve resorted to sticking it to my text book or artfully covering it with my scarf.)
I actually would, honestly. But, that’s just me. I know plenty of Christ-y democrats (most of them in my family) and I’m not sure I would want to spend a weekend listening to them preach the evils of erotic romance to me either.
And “Christ-y” isn’t Christian. At least not in my definition. And, since I’m the one who made the statement, my definition is the one that matters.
So, if you think I’m an asshole for statement, that’s cool. You wouldn’t be the first, probably won’t be the last. You probably won’t even be the last today.
Most of the hot buffy men are friends of mine. I can attest that some of them actually have a good sense of humor about the oohing and aahing. I remember one of them entering my name onto his dance sheet, not once, but six times, without my permission, because he was afraid of this attendee who had paid for the last few dances and had a way of “pawing” the front of his trousers. I still laugh at that. Ah well, I suppose I will dance with well-oiled buffed males to save them from lusty women. A romance author got to take care of skeered romance model friends, you know.
🙂
P/S Dorchester editors have a great sense of humor about the contest too. I always enjoy chatting and comparing notes with Chris K.
P/P/S I cannot wait to look at your face, SBSarah, and digitalize your first reaction to the Mr. Romance experience. Because, baby, they take this contest seriously.
OMGBBQ, my word is zipper31. That. Is funny.
Okay, well, maybe semi-a-hole. I don’t enjoy being preached at (to) either, and I’m not one to lecture against the evils of erotic romance (that would be a little difficult to pull off in my case). And I’m the lone politically conservative sensible right-minded person. And I’ll climb off my high horse now.
I vote for news release #2. Good for Dorchester for having a sense of humor.
I won’t be attending RT, but I expect to hear full reports from those of you who pack your feather boas and go in our stead.
Oh, do we get to vote? I pick no. 2 as well!
Ha! Heh. Urrrgh. That’s a little too horny.
Going to RT is like living in a big city—you can find all types. Glad to hear you’ll be there!
So far the first four dudes make me want to go screaming into the night – not my sort at all!
Am still thinking fondly of a beefcake pose by Adrien Brody handling the sheets on a yacht having forgotten to button his shirt. http://wonderboyblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/whos-that-guy.html
Follow the link – I am with the author.
Damn. That’s cold. And personal.
I can’t even talk about what I’ve seen the two years I’ve been there. I had to cancel my trip this year, so take notes.
dorchester’s fabio is john desalvo, no?
What are you going to see at RT? All of the above posts ring true :). You’ll also see a whole lot of networking, conversation and discussion and vying for the editors and agents attention. The parties are the frosting on some very serious work that goes on (for those who actually attend the workshop sessions, that is. Disclaimer: I’m giving one of those sessions, so heck yeah, I’m working!).
And the beefcake? ermmm…models? There is nothing wrong with admiring art. And believe me, some of those men are works of art!
(LOLOL…my verification is “looked73”. I fully intend to look…but I ain’t 73!)
Okay, I’m outing myself. I’ve seen some cover models whose faces—yes, faces (mostly)—make me swoon. Seriously. Nathan Kamp? Gahwah. He makes me stupid, just eighty kinds of STOOOPID, I tell you. I just saw another, equally gorgeous man (or maybe it was two different men) on some Samhain covers. I think one book was by Sylvia Day.
The day I stop admiring male beauty—oiled or dry, gay or straight or in between—is the day I stop writing.
But would I have the ‘nads to grope these guys? I doubt there’s enough alcoholic beverage in the world…
*sigh* You know you’re a born editor when instead of checking out the boeufcake photos, you are falling over laughing at the press release: “righteously buff”? “pixilated spray-tanned glory”??? “stable of stiff competition”??? Good grief!
So far, 3 of the 1st four (the mostly clothed guys)look to be about 12 years old. The guy in the cowboy hat looks to have a little more age on him, which I like, but also appears to have a little too much fondness for steroids, which I don’t.
If I weren’t looking for a romance cover, I’d like the kid who’s taking off his suit coat. He looks like a guy with a sense of humor. But he’s still a kid.
Where are the 30 to 40 something models who know how to take care of their bodies and understand facial expressions that go beyond the Zoolander repertoire?
Three cheers for Genita Low…champion & defender of hot men! Regarding the entrants to date, hope the next several are more to my taste.
Ciar…grettings my fellow politically conservative sensitive right-minded person. Actually consider myself an Independant, but our enlightend Democratic state government saw fit to bann that designation.
For those who prefer not to be on either end of a stereotype, I just finished a really fun book…The Great Cock Hunt, by Alex (warning, much m/m).
hey, i recognize that tattoo!
i just read Soul Deep by Lora Leigh a few days ago, and guy #4 (John Fish) is on the front cover. i didn’t think the long hair looked like it belonged to him.
http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Deep-Coyote-Breeds-Leigh/dp/1419954628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207722443&sr=1-1
pretty hot book, too.
I know, Gremlin…he’s on the cover of WINTER STUDS, too. Want another view of this gorgeous man with the distinctive tatoo?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419956280/ref=cm_arms_pdp_dp