Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

I've been wanting to post on this, but I've held my tongue because I wasn't sure how it might be interpreted. I've been a listening ear for someone really close to me for a while now, though, and my indignation has risen to point that I feel I need to just get it all out, you know? So here it is:

Why in the hell is it frowned upon for a woman to be confident or even a little arrogant?

I just don't get it. Women can be so self-deprecating! And why? I'm too fat. Too old. Too short. Too tall. I'm not smart enough, strong enough, capable enough. I'm just not pretty. I hate my hair. I want to get rid of these ugly freckles. I wish I looked more like you. I'd kill for her body, style, wit, etc. He doesn't really like me, he just feels sorry for me. It's a pity date and nothing more. I bet he lost a bet or something. 

Seriously, it just makes me sad. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm guilty of the same thing occasionally. But why? Are we, as women, conditioned to put ourselves down? Why are we looked upon by others (other women especially) as being a bitch if we embrace something that we like about ourselves? Why is it a sin to admit that we think we might be good looking, or have a nice body? Is it so horrible to own the fact that we're clever, or say to ourselves, "Yeah, I'm short. But I've got grace and a killer center of balance!" or "Check out my biceps. I've been working out for months and they're sexy!"

Why is owning your beauty, brains, style, or whatever such a crime?

The most hated heroines in books are those who come across as over-confident. Comments like, "She's such a bitch." or "God, could this character be any more conceited?!? She's so annoying, I wish she'd just die already." abound. But when a male character or even a guy in real life exudes the same confidence, it's sexy. The same disdain shown for the confident female turns into, "I love alpha males!" or "He's got this arrogance that I just can't get enough of!" 

So, as women, we admire confidence in men, but we loathe it ourselves???? 

In the eighties, there was this commercial with Kelly LeBrock where she said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." I remember my mom complaining every time it came on. "I HATE that commercial," she'd groan. "That woman drives me up a wall!" Okay, let's face it: Kelly LeBrock is totally beautiful. And women around the world (my mom included) hated her for it for the simple fact that she was owning it. On national TV. It's okay to be beautiful, I guess, as long as you tell everyone that you think you look like troll. But as soon as you say, I'm actually pretty good-looking, you're suddenly a pariah.

Women! Own your beauty! Be confident in yourselves! Be courageous enough to not only think, but admit out loud that YOU ARE THE SHIT! And quit hating on women who've already discovered the power and allure that being confident brings. Just like we admit that confidence is sexy in a man, men are saying the same thing. "I LIKE a confident woman."

Every single one of us is beautiful, talented, smart, and sexy. Accept it. Believe it. Own it. 

Shorts and Freebies!

I have a new short story out this week!

You won't find any Shaedes in this short story, but you will find sexy cougar shifters! ;) You can pick it up at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks now!


Shawntelle Madison has a new short out as well! COLLECTED, which is a prequel to her Coveted Series.

You can get this great novella for FREE at Amazon or Kobo!

Crave the Darkness Cover Reveal!!!!

I was hoping to do a big reveal promotion for the CTD cover. But, as things often happen in the cyber world, the cover has been spotted out in the wild. I can't say I'm too bummed, though. I've been sitting on this cover FOREVER and I can't wait to show it off. Here it is! I'm absolutely in love with it. It's my favorite cover in the series so far! What do you think??

A Contest for Writers!

Would you like a chance for a 10 page critique by agent Anne Bohner of Pen and Ink Literary? Or maybe Vicky Lame, editor at St. Martin's Press? Well, head over to Suzanne Hayes Palmieri's blog for her flash fiction contest. You can win critiques, or gift a $25 gift card (because we all need more books).

Giveaways!!!

The teen is having a great soccer season so far, so I thought I'd celebrate his three goal assists last night by giving away three copies of WHEN SHADOWS CALL. Email me at authoramanda(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll pick three random winners before I leave for tomorrow's soccer game. GO TEAM!

LOST TO THE GRAY - Tyler's Novella Snippet

I was hoping to throw this up earlier this week, but I've had my head down, working like a fiend to get this novella written. I've said before that Tyler is the toughest character for me to write and that statement still stands. For some reason he's just difficult and doesn't talk to me like Darian, Raif, and Xander do. But I still love him. ;)

This snippet is a flashback of Tyler's first meeting with Darian. You read a bit of her recollection in SHAEDES OF GRAY, but here's a taste of Ty's perspective. Hope you like it!

A familiar sensation tugged from the center of my chest as if drawing me toward something. How long had it been since I’d felt it? Three hundred years? Four? Hell, it could’ve been a thousand. The urge to protect was second nature to me, but I hadn’t felt compelled to bind myself to anyone—thereby creating a Charge whose protection I’d be responsible for—for a very long time. I looked around the bar at the many creatures: both human and as far from human as you could get. One of them had triggered it and, Jesus fucking Christ, either I’d completely forgotten how it felt, or my new Charge was in a shit load of trouble.

The timing couldn’t be worse. I was meeting a potential employee in a few minutes and didn’t need the distraction of the life force that called out to me like a million voices begging for help. How in the hell was I supposed to ignore something so powerful?

Over the din of music and voices, I heard my name like a whisper on the wind. Supernatural hearing definitely had its benefits. Turning toward the sound, I noticed a woman leaning over the bar, her mouth close to Levi’s ear. He pointed in my direction and gave her his you’d-look-great-stretched-out-naked-on-my-bed smile. And for some reason, when she walked away without so much as a grin in return, I felt a strange surge of satisfaction.

Oh, man. Was I in for a world of hurt with this one. Her head-to-toe black outfit made a definite statement. And the duster… Someone was a fan of the Underworld franchise. It suited her, though. On anyone else, it would have looked satirical, but she pulled it off. As she sauntered toward me, she brushed a curtain of loosely curled, reddish-blond hair away from her face.

Jesus. She was beautiful. And not by any stretch of the imagination was she human. In fact, she appeared more like a mirage than anything real. Her green eyes glowed faintly against the backdrop of the dark club, almost indiscernible to anyone with a less than keen eye. Shaede. Not common to Seattle, for sure. But it did pique my curiosity. A perfect assassin. I could use someone who could become an invisible shadow on the payroll.

With each step she made toward my table at the back of the bar, the more my unease mounted. No. No fucking way. I kept my ass glued to my seat even when my body wanted to bolt out of the chair and go to her. My Charge was making a bee-line for my table, and apparently, she was also my newest employee.

Well, if this didn’t just complicate the hell out of things. Exactly how was I supposed to protect her while simultaneously throwing her into dangerous situations? And why would someone who could obviously hold her own need my protection? Her name had been given to me by an associate who’d hired her for a freelance job a few months back. All I’d been told about her was that her name was Darian, and she was worth every penny. And as for what I didn’t know about her…I guessed I was about to find out.

“You Tyler?” she asked when she got to the table. Her voice was a little deeper than I’d expected. Almost husky. Like she’d just been made love to for hours. Lazy and sated. The sound shot through my system in an exciting rush, settling deep in my stomach. I shifted in my seat, sitting a little straighter. My palms flattened out on the table, itching to reach out and touch her, to make that essential connection…

She quirked a brow and tilted her head as she waited for me to answer. Great. Way to make a first impression. The damn bonding urge had me completely wrapped up in my own thoughts. Speak, you dipshit! “Yeah, I’m Tyler.” Jesus, even my voice sounded uptight. “Have a seat.”

“I’d prefer the bar.” Her eyes darted from side to side, and she shook out her hair so that it partially hid her face. Feelings of unease pulsed around me. Darian’s unease. In fact, her fear was palpable, at least to me. What could someone as powerful as her possibly have to fear?

Palm out in invitation, I motioned for her to head toward the far end of the bar. She didn’t budge; too wary to turn away and have me at her back. The protective urge spiked inside me again as I calmly pushed my chair out and led the way to the quietest end of the bar. The focus it took just to put one foot in front of the other damned near exhausted me. But I wasn’t ready to commit myself to her, no matter what my instinct dictated.

Not until I touched her first.