Tough chicks use bows and Arrows

By Courtney Sheets

I'm excited to be here with all of you today. Let's talk about heroes...ok let's talk about one hero...Robin Hood. My favorite. Next to Wonder Woman of course. 

For those of you who don’t know, The Hooded Man is a retelling of the Robin Hood myth. In my book we see Lady Marian coming to the forefront as a kick-ass heroine. In fact she is Robin Hood. The question I'm always asks about The Hooded Man is how did you come up with Marian becoming Robin. That's easy to answer!

The idea for making Robin Hood a female stems from my childhood. Seriously, I’m not kidding. I have 5 boys cousins and one baby brother so there was massive amounts of testosterone running around when I was a little girl. We played Super Heroes and Star Wars (I’m a child of the 70s and 80s…you know when Saturday cartoons were awesome) so finding a tough chick to play was easy but when we played Robin Hood I was always stuck being Maid Marian (Which meant I was stuck on my Grandma’s porch which served as dungeon and castle) Thus the idea for a female Robin Hood was born. It wasn’t until I was older that the idea began to form on paper into the book it is now. (I blame Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and my crush on Christian Slater)

Originally, I was going to write a screenplay version, with the hopes of Drew Barrymore playing Marian (I love me some Drew) but as I kept toying and writing and tweaking (and occasionally drinking) the book decided it wanted to be written instead.

In order to write about Robin Hood Legend and twist it up tighter then Christmas lights thrown in a box in the garage, I needed to educate myself about the legend and all it consisted. Luckily because I’m a little freaky when it comes to Robin Hood( ask my best friend, who has been forced on numerous occasions to watch the Douglas Fairbanks version with me) I had a pretty decent background before I started writing. I read everything I could get my hands on, e-mailed professors at the University of Nottingham in charge of the Robin Hood Studies department with odd questions, saw every movie ever created. My brain now oozes Robin Hood trivia. It’s kind of cool.

The hardest part was figuring out how to get a woman into the forest, dressed as a man, and give her the perfect love interest (after all this is one of the greatest loves stories of all time and a romance novel) I chose Will Scarlet as in the original gestes put him as a constant companion to our wandering hero. (Christian Slater again)

The other important factor was making sure the story was relatively true to the traditional legend. Many people claim themselves as experts in the myth (Just because you’ve seen a fox singing and dancing in the forest does not make you an expert in the legend but I digress) and I want those readers to step back after reading and feel the story was safe in my keeping. I wanted the book to have a feel of “this could be what really happened.” I want the reader to walk away satisfied with the romance and adventure and the story but also think “What if?” The what if is how I came up with the character and the what ifs are my favorite part of writing.

So there you go, how I came up with a female Robin Hood. I hope you all enjoy reading The Hooded Man as much as I enjoyed writing it. Be on the lookout all you Team Gisbourne girls, his son is about to make an appearance in the sequel I'm working on and Robin's daughter better watch out. 

Betting on a God

Oh, my! What’s better than a fun time in Las Vegas? Having said fun with a god!

Courtney Sheets spins a sexy tale of romance in Betting on a God. Read it tonight, it’s worth the gamble!

Welcome to Mount Olympus, Sin City’s most opulent casino resort. Here you will be served the finest food, the most decadent wines, and every desire you crave. All provided for you by Dion Eliades, owner. And just like most things in Las Vegas, there is more to Mount Olympus and Dion than meets the eye.

After a thousand years, Dion, the Greek god of wine and merriment, is tired of playing human and wants to go home to Greece. That is, until he lays eyes on Sadie Flynn. Thanks to Madame Evangeline and 1Night Stand, this god is in for an adventure the likes of which he has never experienced. But only if Sadie agrees to bet on a god.

“Are you going to dance with me?”

“You’re doing a great job without me. Maybe I’ll just watch.” He smiled.

“Oh no, you don’t.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in close, brushing against him. Succumbing to her spell, he slid his arms around her waist, resting his palms on the small of her back. He urged her even closer until they touched, chest to chest, hips to hips.

She moved with him. He pressed against her, letting her feel his need for her. She gasped at the contact, her mouth parting slightly. Her gaze darted to his face.

“You can’t rub your gorgeous body on mine and not expect a reaction, agapi mou.” He leaned down and licked the soft skin of her neck. She shivered.

“What does that mean?”

“It is Greek for ‘my love.’”

“So, I take it you’re Greek.”

He leaned in and nuzzled her ear, inhaling the sweet scent of her. The rapid flutter of her heart, and the rush of her breath all told him how much she wanted him.

“Yes, I am full-blooded Greek. Born just outside of Athens.” He nibbled on her earlobe then ran his tongue along the delicate whorl of her ear. She shivered again.

“What are you doing to me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to seduce you.” He skimmed kisses along her jawline.

“It’s working.”

Merry Christmas!

By Courtney Sheets

I've been doing a bit of research for a new story I've been working on. My hero is a Thunderbird Pilot in the US Airforce. The Thunderbirds are stationed here in Las Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base. The team performs high flying stunts and feats of skilled flying much like the Blue Angels.  Everyone loves a cocksure pilot who gets tamed by a sassy lady. In my research I ran across this pretty amazing poem called the G.I.'s Christmas Carol. It was written by Lt. Col. Darrell Rathburn during the Korean War. The poem was printed in several newspapers at the time and read on air by Bing Crosby during one of his radio hours. I decided to share it with you all.  I know Christmas was yesterday but I thought you all still might enjoy it. It was hard to find a copy online so I simply transcribed it from a recorded version I have.

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the tent

Was the odor of fuel oil (the stovepipe was bent).

The shoepacs were hung by the oil stove with care,

In hopes that they'd issue each man a new pair.

The weary GI's were sacked out in their beds,

And visions of sugar-babes danced through their heads,

When up on the ridgeline there rose such a clatter

(A Chinese machine gun had started to chatter)

I rushed to my rifle and threw back the bolt.

The rest of my tent-mates awoke with a jolt.

Outside, we could hear our platoon Sergeant Kelly,

A hard little man with a little pot belly.

"Come Yancey, come Clancey, come Conners and Watson,

"Up Miller, up Shiller, up Baker and Dodson!"

We tumbled outside in a swirl of confusion,

So cold that each man could have used a transfusion.

"Get up on that hilltop and silence that Red,

"And don't you come back till you're sure that he's dead."

Then putting his thumb up in front of his nose,

Sergeant Kelly took leave of us shivering Joe's

But we heard him say in a voice soft and light:

"Merry Christmas to all-may you live through the night."

What is it about military men that lights our fires as romance readers? Why do we love Navy Seals, Air Force Pilots, and Marines? Tell me what makes you love military romances. 

The Hooded Man

          First let me say thank you for having me here today! I’m excited to be sharing my debut book for Decedent with you today. The Hooded Man is a retelling of the classic Robin Hood legend with a sexy and unexpected twist.

In my debut book for Decadent Publishing, The Hooded Man, my heroine, Lady Marian of Locksley, is faced with just this problem, as well as seeking revenge for her father’s death and becoming the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. She’s a busy ass-kicker kind of chick.  

Two handsome and seductive men enter her life, the stoic Will Scarlet and the darkly seductive Guy of Gisbourne. Marian must choose between them. But which one? The good boy from her past or the bad boy in her present? I won’t tell you who she picks. You’ll have to read the book to find out the answer to that question.

Men in fantasy and myth have held us captive as readers, writers, and women for thousands of years. Whether we are talking about King Arthur, Lancelot, Aragon or even Richard Armitage’s portrayal as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit films, there is just something seductive about a man fighting to change his world—and the love of a good woman. Superman and Batman fall into this category as well. Comic book boys always fit the bill for tortured and sexy. Just look at Batman. Heck even the bad boys of myth, at least the Hollywood versions, seem to ignite our imaginations and our lusts. I’m looking at you Loki.

I hope you enjoy the struggle Lady Marian has to go through when choosing the love of her life, and the battle she faces as she dons the mantle of the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood!

Here’s a little teasing to whet your appetites:

In the heart of England there lived a hero armed with bow and arrow, ready to strike down injustice and tyranny—a swashbuckling legend so powerful it has lasted for centuries, captivating the hearts and minds of people the world over. But what if the legend was nothing but a lie?

When her father is brutally murdered in front of her eyes, Marian of Locksley is thrust into a world of treason and greed, where the ultimate prize is the throne of England. Left with little choice, she disguises herself as Robin of the Hood, an outlaw despised by royalty and loved by the people.

Forced into hiding deep within Sherwood Forest, Will Scarlet joins Robin Hood’s band of merry men, not realizing the fearless outlaw he follows is really the woman he desires for his own. He dares to risk everything in the fight for justice and love, longing for the day he can claim the courageous beauty. But first, England must be saved and legend must be born.

Who is your favorite fantasy or sci-fi guy? Who gets your blood racing and your pulse pounding?  One random commenter will win a free copy of The Hooded Man. Spill your secret lust crush to me, maninis. 

         

Learn more about me and my work at www.historysmistress.blogspot.com or my webpage www.courtneysheetswwriter.com

The Big Three

By Courtney Sheets

I have an addiction to Old Hollywood. The glamorous heyday of films with stars like Marilyn Monreo, Clark Gable, and Bette Davis. I love the movies, the stars, and the glamour. I love everything. Especially the old movie houses of Hollywood’s Golden Age. I love it all.  

Living so close to L.A. affords me the ability to explore Hollywood on weekend jaunts and holiday trips. My friend and I are on a mission to see what we have dubbed ‘The Big Three’ of old movie houses.

The Egyptian, The Aero, and Grauman’s Chinese (Which is called Mann’s Chinese now, this one being the one with the footprints in the cement).

You can tour any of these theatres for a small ticket fee. Once inside these amazing slices of history, my writer’s mind runs away with itself. Recently we went on a tour of The Egyptian.

Inside are two working theatres, one normal sized theatre complete with pipe-organ, and a smaller space for a more intimate viewing. You can still see movies in this historical landmark. Built in 1922 it was home to the very first world premiere, Douglas Fairbank’s, Robin Hood. This was one of the first silent films I ever saw and thus began my love affair with the Robin Hood tale, which is the basis for my book, The Hooded Man. There was even a security guard in full Bedouin garb on the roof who patrolled with the theatre was in use. Two black-lacquered jackal statues that once graced the throne room of Cleopatra via Elizabeth Taylor flank the smaller theatre entrance.  The Egyptian also houses seminars and workshops by modern filmmakers. There is something for every film buff.

The second of the two theatres, the one I haven’t been to yet, The Aero hosts concerts and smaller indie film premieres. You can also tour this theatre.

Last but not least is Grauman’s/Mann’s Chinese Theatre. This movie house still has big budget Hollywood premieres and has become a well-recognized historical landmark. The courtyard of this famous theatre is where the celebs have their names and footprints, or handprints, immortalized in cement.  The Hollywood Walk of Fame is just outside the theatre. (The Walk of Fame continues for several blocks. If you’re looking for a specific celebrity star I would suggest you look on the Walk of Fame website. It will give you the exact location of the star you wish to see) .

What are some of your favorite old movies? 

Ice Cream Blonde

By Courtney Sheets

I was surfing the TV the other night in a fit of rampant insomnia and I ran across a movie called, Clear Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd, starring Loni Anderson. This was not the first time I'd seen this made-for-TV 1980s gem, but it had been awhile. (If you haven't seen this film, check it out. It is a fun flick with Loni looking gorgeous and over acting).

Thelma Todd was a movie star in the Silent Era. She was known as the Ice Cream Blonde and Hot Toddy to her friends. She was in several movies, 119 in all, during the course of her career and starred with some of the best comedic stars of the Silent Era. For example, Charley Chase, Harry Langdon and Laurel and Hardy.  She had an affair with her director Roland West of the movie Corsair.

In August of 1934, she opened a successful cafe in the Palisades called, of course, Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe. She attracted a diverse clientele of Hollywood elite, tourists, and..... (drum roll, please) gangsters.

Toddy had a penchant for drinking and dangerous men. She had so many drunken car crashes going from party from party; the studio demanded she have a chauffeur. After opening the cafe and moving into the apartment above with West, Todd began an affair with Charles "Lucky" Luciano. (Yep, that Lucky Luciano)

Lucky got Toddy hooked on  amphetamines in order to keep her line. He kept pressuring our Ice Cream Blonde to let him use one of the upstairs rooms as an illicit gambling den, but she flatly refused. After one such row with the notable gangster, Toddy shouted in the middle of the Brown Derby, "Over my dead body!" Supposedly, Lucky responded "That can be arranged."

Sure enough on December 16th, 1935 Thelma was found dead by her maid, May Clearhead, slumped over the steering wheel of her convertible. The ignition was on, but the engine was not. There were two gallons of fuel inside the car, and a smudged handprint on the door. She was 29-years-old. She had blood on her forehead.

The L.A. Surgeon estimated the time of death between 5 and 8 am on Sunday morning. He explained the blood as being a result of Thelma hitting her head against the steering wheel.

No one really knows what happen to Thelma Todd. Some say that she was killed by Lucky and his men. Some say accident.
    Thelma Todd was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery and you can visit her grave if you ever visit.

Hollywood is full of unsolved mysteries and mayhem. As a writer I love exploring the darker aspects of human nature and the darker sides of history. What stories intrigue you most?

Dating in Sin City

Buy Betting on a God HERE

By Courtney Sheets

Dating in Las Vegas is nothing like it seems in the books, especially the 1Night Stand shorts. I must admit I love to read them because I love the idea of people falling in love in my very own home town.  However for those of us single chicas who don’t have a Madame Eve giving a helping hand, Vegas can be a scary place for dating.

The best and most accurate description of dating in Las Vegas would be like telling a rabid dog to sit calmly at the foot of the bed while a pair of howler monkeys bounce up and down rapidly. Not a pretty sight. The single, male Las Vegas, a creature unlike any other, when faced with the choice of a smart career-minded woman in sensible shoes or Bambi the weather bunny, seem to experience full brain meltdown. Following that object located in the Southern Hemisphere of their bodies, men are ultimately drawn to Bambi.

With breasts that levitate through the smoky air of any nightclub in a way that befuddles even David Copperfield, wedged into the smallest top available at the juniors department, these women blind the average male in Las Vegas, with the rigidity of their nipples alone. Come on girls, it ain't that cold in here. Mere mortal women like myself do not stand a chance.

Perhaps part of my dating trouble is I refuse to squeeze my ample endowments into something so tight as to cut off all bodily functions. Now don't get me wrong. I like to dress sexy, but I feel if one fears going to the bathroom because you're not too sure your pants are going to make it all the way back up, then said pants are too tight. I speak from a vicarious experience here. Personally I have too much pride, or fear of every hot guy in the room seeing my granny panties, to risk the ultimate humiliation of my pants splitting down the seams in the middle of a dance floor.

In Las Vegas, as I am sure this happens in every big city but with different names, there is a plethora of what I commonly refer to as Leisure Suit Elvi. They are a cross between your average dirty old man and a baboon, with a little Richard Nixon thrown in for good measure. This makes for an unholy combination that would scare the leather pants off Alice Cooper. Imagine being faced with such an abomination as you clammy stand at the bar, daiquiri in hand. The sight alone would stop the Croc Hunter dead in his tracks with more than just one 'crickey!" Not quite forty, but well above thirty, their favorite prey is a woman of around 22. Someone with enough brains to know what sex is and how to do it, but not enough to realize that polyester should have died with disco.

What makes dating in Vegas different from other cities, is it the neon? Is it the casinos? Is it the fifty foor billboards plastered with women in bondage gear on them? No, it's the mentality of the people. It is a sandbox for the young, bored, and emotionally stunted. Don't get me wrong we have a fair share of smart people, but they are hideously overshadowed by the pod people who inhabit downtown, uptown, and everywhere in between. I think the disease stems from too much neon light soaking into their veins.

In a city that markets sin and sex in every flavor, it is amazing how little of either a single person can get. I think drastic measures are in order. Full frontal nudity is an arrestable offense here so perhaps I won't go that route. I could be a naked table dancer, but I can't even stay firmly planted in my sneakers let alone those tall spiked objects of torture strippers wear on their feet.

So I fear I must go the traditional way, and wait for Prince Charming to meet me halfway, if he isn't in a Strip club. Keep your fingers crossed for me. There has to an Elvis out there for me. If not, I can always be a nun, a rare commodity indeed.

It Ain’t Tactics, Honey. It’s Just the Beast in Me

 by Courtney Sheets

 First let me say thank you for having me here today! I’m excited to be sharing my debut book for Decedent with you today. THE HOODED MAN is a retelling of the classic Robin Hood legend with a sexy and unexpected twist.

We women love the bad boy. You know what I’m talking about, that sexy beast who you know is just plain evil but you can’t help lusting after his leather-clad ass.  Think Gary Oldman in Dracula, Marlon Brando in The Wild Bunch, and Michael Wincott in The Three Musketeers. Incredibly mean, nasty, and destructive but oh-so tantalizing.  You know you shouldn’t feel tingling in your lady parts but you just can’t help it. Your body reacts and you simply want to lick them from head to toe and back again. (Or tear the leather from his body with my teeth in the case of Richard Armitage in Robin Hood)

          In my debut book for Decedent Publishing, THE HOODED MAN, my heroine, Lady Marian of Locksley is faced with just this problem, as well as seeking revenge for her father’s death and becoming the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. She’s a busy ass-kicker kind of chick.  Two handsome and seductive men enter her life, the stoic Will Scarlet and the darkly seductive Guy of Gisbourne. Marian must choose between them. But which one? The good boy from her past or the bad boy in her present? I won’t tell you who she picks. You’ll have to read the book to find out the answer to that question.

I can tell you my writer friends who have read the book divided themselves up in to Team Scarlet and Team Gisbourne. I should have made them t-shirts. Don’t forget to let me know which team you end up on!

I hope you enjoy the struggle Marian has to go through when choosing the love of her life, and the battle she faces as she dons the mantle of the legendary outlaw, Robin Hood!

Here’s a little teasing to whet your appetites:

In the heart of England there lived a hero armed with bow and arrow, ready to strike down injustice and tyranny—a swashbuckling legend so powerful it has lasted for centuries, captivating the hearts and minds of people the world over. But what if the legend was nothing but a lie?

When her father is brutally murdered in front of her eyes, Marian of Locksley is thrust into a world of treason and greed, where the ultimate prize is the throne of England. Left with little choice, she disguises herself as Robin of the Hood, an outlaw despised by royalty and loved by the people.

Forced into hiding deep within Sherwood Forest, Will Scarlet joins Robin Hood’s band of merry men, not realizing the fearless outlaw he follows is really the woman he desires for his own. He dares to risk everything in the fight for justice and love, longing for the day he can claim the courageous beauty. But first, England must be saved and legend must be born.

          I want to know who your favorite bad boy is and way. One random commenter will win a free copy of THE HOODED MAN. Spill you secret lust crush to me, my beauties. 

         

Learn more about me and my work at www.historysmistress.blogspot.com