Hump Day Hunks -- Orestis Papapetrou

August 12, 2015 03:40 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Orestis Papapetrou

As with my previous two nominees for this title, I had the privilege of meeting today's Hump Day Hunk at the Romance Novel Convention at the end of July, where he was one of the RNCasanovas. I actually didn't officially meet him until Day 4 of the conference. Even then, we were both so busy, we only got the chance to interact briefly a couple of times. Somehow, at the earlier events, he always seemed to be on the opposite side of the room from where I was, so I didn't get to know him quite as well as some of the other guys. However, I did hear a number of comments from other ladies in attendance, and I can say that he was a fan favorite with many of them.:-) He only moved to the U. S. about six months ago to pursue his modeling career, and he also works as a personal trainer. He's originally from Cyprus, so he has that Greek Adonis look going on.

At the photo shoot on Sunday, though, he looked equally comfortable in the roles of cowboy and cop, so I would say he's pretty versatile and could easily take on the guise of your favorite romance novel hero.:-) So without further ado, let me introduce this week's Hump Day Hunk, Orestis Papapetrou. Orestis graciously agreed to an interview with me, so I hope you enjoy!

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Categories: Hump Day Hunks, Interviews

Tags: Orestis Papapetrou, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention


Hump Day Hunks -- Paul Gunn

August 5, 2015 06:27 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Paul Gunn

I had the privilege of meeting today's Hump Day Hunk at the Romance Novel Convention a little over a month ago, where he was one of the RNCasanovas. If memory serves, he was the first one of the guys with whom I had the opportunity to interact at the Kick-Off Party when he stopped by the table where I was (momentarily) sitting alone, while my friend JossiLynn went to get a drink. When she returned, we both enjoyed conversing with him. The next night at the costume ball, when he saw me in costume, he said he should have dressed as Khal Drogo to match me, and I think he would have been great in that role. He's a bubbly, outgoing charmer, who seems like he's always up for almost anything. He has a smile and the type of personality that lights up a room, and he's very good at improvisation.

In addition to modeling, he has worked as a singer, dancer (including Chippendale's), actor, stuntman, emcee/host, and voice-over artist. It's too bad that voices can't translate to text, because he definitely has one of those memorable voices that is perfect for hosting and voice work. (You can check out some of his videos at his website if you want to hear for yourself). He strikes me as a very zen and all-around fun guy. That's why I'm naming Paul Gunn this week's Hump Day Hunk. Paul graciously agreed to an interview with me, so I hope you enjoy!

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Categories: Hump Day Hunks, Interviews

Tags: Paul Gunn, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention


Hump Day Hunks -- Zack Williams

July 29, 2015 02:28 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Zack  Williams

Photo Courtesy: Frick Photo

I had the privilege of meeting today's Hump Day Hunk at the Romance Novel Convention a couple of weeks ago, where he was one of the RNCasanovas. My friend Jossilyn and I had the opportunity to interact with him at a couple of the evening events, and I really enjoyed our time with him. He's the type of person who is good at listening and conversing but definitely not dominating the discussion, which is perfect for an introvert like me. He also treated me to a memorable dance at the costume ball and was incredibly patient with my two left feet.:-) His youthful exuberance and sense of adventure is infectious, and I found him to be very sweet, charming, and outgoing. I think it would be hard to hang out with him and not have a lot of fun. That's why I'm naming Zack Williams this week's Hump Day Hunk. Zack graciously agreed to an interview with me, so I hope you enjoy!

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Categories: Hump Day Hunks, Interviews

Tags: RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Zack Williams


Romance Novel Convention 2015 -- Day 5

July 13, 2015 07:13 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

The final day of RNCon was my kick back and relax time. No classes I was planning to take, nothing special to do, just a day where I was able to simply get up, go down the convention hall, and see where the day took me. I was so happy to finally turn in my strappy heels for sneakers (my feet still ached for a few days after) and my business casual attire for jeans and a t-shirt.

My hubs did have a class to teach that afternoon, so we went down to lunch early. There weren't a lot of people in the dining hall at that point, just enough to fill one table. The food wasn't set out on the buffet yet, so we pulled up chairs and joined them for a little relaxed conversation. Natalie and Will were there, but we also got to chat a bit with some other people we'd seen around but hadn't really had the opportunity to talk with before that. Finally the servers started bringing out our food, and when we heard we were getting pizza for lunch, everyone cheered.:-)

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Categories: Events

Tags: Bruce Heinsius, Jimmy Thomas, Michael Newkirk, Natalie Wilson, Orestis Papapetrou, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Vikkas Bhardwaj, Zack Williams


Romance Novel Convention 2015 -- Day 4

July 8, 2015 07:11 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

On Day 4 of Romance Novel Convention, well-rested, I was up bright and early (for me – hey at least I beat my hubby out of bed ;-)) and down in the convention hall around 8:30 a.m. to set up for the Book Fair & Festival. With JossiLynn already heading home, Natalie and I had requested seats together. We found our tables and got all our books and other paraphernalia set up just as some of the early bird readers were coming through the door. Normally, I tend to be rather nervous about book signings, but surprisingly, I settled in very quickly. I enjoyed talking with the book fair attendees as they stopped by, and I'm thankful for all the ones who took the time to let me tell them about my stories and even more grateful for those who bought my book. When I wasn't busy with potential customers, I chatted it up with Natalie. We also listened to music provided by the 80z All Stars. They were a very talented musical group, and I loved their set list of almost all '80s music.

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Categories: Events

Tags: 80z All Stars, Billy Thomas, David Nicholl, Hudsy Hawn, Jackson Young, Jet Arnett, JossiLynn, Natalie Wilson, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Sean Kanan


Romance Novel Convention 2015 -- Day 2

July 3, 2015 06:43 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Even though every day was a great day, I would have to say that Day 2 of RNCon 2015 was my favorite. It certainly helped that I was much more well-rested to begin the day. I kicked things off by going to Randi Alexander and Jackson Young's class “Public Speaking Made Easy.” For a while now, it's been in the back of mind that I'd like to teach a class of my own at RNC, but like many people, I'm terrified of public speaking. In fact, I came very close to participating in a panel discussion this year, but it was canceled due to no one else signing up to present with me (I can't really argue that one person doesn't make a panel.:-)). Anyway, given the relief I felt when I saw it was dropped from the schedule, I figured if I ever have any hope of making my aspirations of speaking a reality, I'd better learn something about it, hopefully how to control my nerves.

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Categories: Events

Tags: Aveda Institute, Bethany Burke, Blushing Books, Bruce Heinsius, Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones, Gwen Steel, HRM King Timothy of Shilo, Jackson Young, Jimmy Thomas, JossiLynn, Leo Charles Taylor, Paul Gunn, Randi Alexander, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Tara Rose, The Crown Princess Samantha of Shilo, The Grand Duke Travis McHenry of Westarctica, Zack Williams


Romance Novel Convention 2015 -- Day 1

July 1, 2015 02:57 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Well, I'm safely back home in Phoenix after spending an exciting week in Las Vegas, attending Romance Novel Convention 2015. This has been my favorite RNCon so far. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had there and how many amazing memories I've brought home with me to cherish, but I'm going to try, starting with Day 1.

Our view of the High Roller from the tiny balcony of our hotel room at Harrah's Las Vegas.

High Roller Las Vegas

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Categories: Events

Tags: Courage Knight, Firefly, Jimmy Thomas, JossiLynn, Michael Newkirk, Natalie Wilson, Paul Gunn, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Zack Williams


Romance Novel Convention 2015 Preview

June 21, 2015 05:49 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

Romance Novel Convention Banner

For the last two weeks, I've been busily making preparations, and Tuesday morning the hubs and I will once again be heading for Las Vegas to attend the Romance Novel Convention. It's at a brand new venue this year, Harrah's Las Vegas on the strip. It'll be five days of non-stop fun and education that I'm looking forward to.

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Categories: Events

Tags: Book Signing, Heart of the Season, His Heart's Desire, Jimmy Thomas, Mary Moriarty, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Sean Kanan, Winsor Harmon


Hump Day Hunks -- Weston Boucher

August 27, 2014 05:19 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

I had the privilege of meeting today's Hump Day Hunk at the Romance Novel Convention in July, where he was crowned Mr. Casanova 2014. Being a shy introvert, I tend to be a bit awkward and tongue-tied around incredibly attractive men and usually get overlooked by them in return, so one of my favorite memories of this year's RNCon was this guy taking the time to chat with me at the Book Fair. With it being my first author signing, I was a little nervous, so I was surprised to feel completely at ease talking with him. He struck me as a kind, generous, warm-hearted, and truly genuine person. He was a really great sport and totally into his role as an RNCasanova, providing some blush-worthy answers to the naughty questions being asked during the Dating Game portion of the Mr. Casanova Contest.;-) He has multiple creative talents outside of modeling too. He's equally at home behind the camera as in front of it, and is co-owner of a successful photography business with his wife. In addition to that, he's a gifted singer and songwriter, primarily producing original music for use in television, movies, video games, and commercials. Throughout my interactions with him, I've been thoroughly impressed with his creativity, candidness, and sincerity and hope my readers will feel the same, so without further ado, let me introduce this week's Hump Day Hunk, Weston Bouchér. Weston generously agreed to an interview with me, so I hope you enjoy!

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Categories: Hump Day Hunks, Interviews

Tags: RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention, Weston Boucher


Hump Day Hunks -- Kaden James

July 30, 2014 05:18 PM Posted by juliannadouglas

I had the privilege of meeting today's Hump Day Hunk at the Romance Novel Convention a couple of weeks ago, where he was one of the RNCasanovas. I only had the opportunity to talk with him for a few minutes, but in that brief amount of time, he struck me a sweet, kind, generous and truly gentle soul who is very genuine and humble about his good looks and amazing talents. He's done quite a bit of modeling, including being on the covers of two books already, with hopefully many more to come, but his true passion is music. He's a gifted singer and songwriter who has been writing and performing his own music since he was only twelve. He's been an MTV featured artist, his song “A Boy Like Me” is the theme song for the TV show, “The A-List: New York,” and his music has been heard on several other TV shows too. He's currently an indie music artist who is seeking a record label to represent him so that he can realize his dream of going on tour. When he isn't busy modeling and playing music, he's also writing a book series. This guy is truly multi-talented, full of ideas, and seems to have the positive attitude and drive to make things happen. So, without further ado, here's today's Hump Day Hunk, Kaden James, known to his music fans as merely KADEN. Kaden generously agreed to an interview with me, so enjoy!

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Categories: Hump Day Hunks, Interviews

Tags: Kaden James, RNCasanovas, Romance Novel Convention