Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

So, I’m doing a nice fluffy Saturday post Nothing too deep! That quote in the subject line was actually by…anonymous.

I like books, I’m also a big fan of movies. The escapism in it all.  It’s a couple hours of mindless bliss, but it doesn’t stop there. No, I love going to the movies and picking up….quotes. I’m a big fan of banter and witty dialog. I try to use it in my own writing and look forward to it when I’m watching a movie.

It can also be a way of bonding with friends–sort of an inside joke. Back in my days at college, the group of musicians I hung out with would banter around movie quotes that came from several movies. But the one that sticks out in my mind most is Billy Madison. No, this is not a particularly fabulous movie. Though I probably watched it enough to recite the entire script by heart. To this day I still love to say, “I’ll be your snack pack.” Or even to just be silly/annoying: “Shampoo is better. I go on first and clean the hair. Conditioner is better. I leave the hair silky and smooth. Oh, really, fool? Really.”

There’s also my favorite romantic comedy quotes. Like in French Kiss when Meg Ryan says, “Oh, this problem.” and curls her finger downward to demonstrate the inability to ‘keep it up’.  Or when Kevin Klein says, “When people tell me they are happy my ass begins to twitch.”

And my newest favorite quote from a funny movie is in What Happens in Vegas. Completely random quote, but I fling it around now when the circumstance calls for it. “Seriously? I, like, threw up in my own purse.”

Those are the funny ones. There’s also the romantic ones that get used more than a $2 hooker. But I’ll be honest and say, “You had me at hello.” Makes me want to projectile vomit. So doesn’t do it for me. Here’s one that does it for me. Anyone know which movie this is from? 

”I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Deep, wistful sigh. Love that movie. So what’s one of your favorite movie quotes? I’d love to hear!

Shelli

http://www.shellistevens.com

So I went out with a friend last night to a local brewery we just adore. People are laid back, friendly, and the food/beer is good. We go to chat and people watch. I love to people watch. It’s great inspiration for stories.

Well, during my people watching, I noticed this table of men in front of me. They were all probably 50′s/60′s. So this cute waitress walks by and one older man leans out to watch her pass by. Then I hear him say to his friends, “She has a cute ass.” Now that didn’t really bother me so much. He’s a guy. Men of all ages look. But then he just had to go and follow that up with, “She’s about my daughter’s age.” And I kind of wanted to throw up a little in my mouth. Please. Don’t talk about some chick’s ass and your daughter in the same breath.

This all led to a discussion between me and my friend. Like, are you ever too old to stop looking? Or as you age should you raise the age bracket of guys/gals that you are checking out? As I get older I’ve noticed that my age range of men I check out has aged with me. I can’t check out a little nineteen year old anymore. I sit there and think…you’re probably the same age as the kid I used to change diapers on when I babysat.

I always seem to have a limit. Though every once in awhile I make an exception. My friends have no issues, often. Like my friend Karen who proudly lusts after that Transformers actor Shia Leboeuf and loves to joke about being Shia’s baby mamma.

I just wonder if some day the lusting will fizzle out. Will I give it all up to play Scrabble and forget that I ever wrote really sexy stories? Forget I ever cared about multiple orgasms and toe curling kisses? Or will I be that elderly granny pinching a cute waiter’s butt at a restaurant?

More so, will you?

So I’m heading out to San Francisco in less than 48 hours. I’m so excited. I’m going to this great, big, massive romance writers conference. Where everywhere you look there’re women. Some decked out to the hilt. Manicures, pedicures, trendy clothes and shoes (jeez, you’d think I was typing up an add for single men!) And count me in as one of them. Oh, except for that shoes part.

No I didn’t type that wrong. I’m not a shoe gal. Or at least I should say, I don’t do the killer heels. Last year I gave it up. I said, “I surrender, you win!” to my feet that threatened to go on strike. And I know that’s half the fun and nature of the beast. All the women will check out each others outfits, handbags and–of course–the shoes.

So, yeah, I gave them up last year, but I have to confess: I was never one of the girls who would be strolling down the sreet–pause in front of the designer shoe store and have a heel induced orgasm over something like this blue thing. Though I will admit that while browsing online for an image of a fashionable shoe this did have me saying oh I likey!–I’d just never wear it! I mean I’d like to try out an entire football team in the bedroom too, but some things just work better in your head. I mean, seriously, look at that pic and tell me that wouldn’t kill your feet.

Since I don’t want to show up at these conferences with the most comfortable and undoubtably fugly shoes ever, I’ve found a happy medium. I do comfy (yet cute!) flats and such. Though I am braving a couple pairs of ‘comfy’ heels so to speak.

Is anyone else in my boat? Being done with the sexy shoes (IMHO they have their place and it’s called the bedroom–and at least there you’re not on your feet!)

Or are you one of those die hard my-feet-will-look-sexy-come-hell-or-Plantar Fasciitis gals?

Shelli

http://www.shellistevens.com

So my fortune cookie fortune today said: You are a true romantic

At first I laughed and thought oh how well the universe knows me. But then I stopped and wondered…am I really though? Granted I write super hot romances that must have a HEA (happily ever after)–with the exception of the dirty kinky short story I’m finishing up right now. But does that really mean I’m a romantic? I don’t look at life and expect men to be romantic. I don’t really expect the same things I write about. In reality I’m, well, a bit of a realist. Romance tends to occur for the most part in romance novels. Unless I (and most of my friends) have just had really bad luck. And it’s entirely possible. I’m sure there’s some massively romantic men out there.

On a similar note, I’ve realized that I’m not big on chick flicks anymore. I’m not sure when this changed. I used to adore them, and come to think of it, I still do. The older ones. Those ones from the 80′s and 90′s. The newer ones not so much. I swear to God I wanted to throw myself off a cliff when I had to sit through P.S. I Love You.

The other night a good friend and I tried to see Sex in the City, but there was only one showing way late at night (weirdness!), so we saw Get Smart. I loved it! Totally not what I expected. And you know what else I loved? The previews for all the action fighting movies. Like Hell Boy 2 and The Dark Knight. I think chick flicks still have a place in my heart (girls night in!), but somewhere along the way, I’ve become an action girl. And I think that transfers over to my writing in some books. Especially my book I sold to Kensington (formerly The Captured Rose, now being renamed!). I love a little action with my books.

So what are your thoughts about romance in life? And when you go to the movies? What do you prefer?

Shelli
http://www.shellistevens.com