There’s a question people like to ask: Did you always want to be a writer? And my answer: No, I had no idea – This is true however when I look back at my life, there were signs that I was meant to be not just a writer but a romance writer. I can trace the first sign to MY WALL. I had a twin size bed and a dresser beside it where I kept my alarm clock. But the side of the dresser was my personal secret wall. I’d put pictures of hot guys on my wall. Was this normal? I assume it was. What probably wasn’t typical of everyone was that when I’d lay in bed and try to fall asleep, I’d put myself in the most ridiculous, convoluted situations with these hot guys. They’d save me from the jungle (OK so I wasn’t up on being the kickass heroine yet, but I got there eventually) and I’d add and remove guys from the wall depending on my mood and who I was in love with at the time. Now before you send out the guys with the white jackets to come for me, bear in mind this was really no different than my locker in high school: plastered with pictures of Robert Scorpio from General Hospital or Rick Springfield. Who knew they’d come back? Who knew I’d NOW fall for Rick Springfield’s TV son Patrick Jason Thomspon . . . but I digress. Back to THE WALL. Years later, I became a romance writer and posted up hot guys for inspiration.
For awhile, I stopped posting pictures but I’ve started again and what do you know? My story is flowing. Coincidence? I think not.
Sitting in my recliner, laptop on my lap, this is the current view of THE WALL. (Yes, married and mother of two and all, I still post pics of my hot guys for inspiration. It doesn’t mean that these are the heroes in my current story, it means that they are MY current heroes. And none of these will surprise you if you’re a plotmonkey visitor who knows my weaknesses.)
Drumroll please . . .
(Can you see who my guys are?)
Anyway, this got me wondering: 1. did you have a wall? (a wall of hotties?); 2. did you make up stories with your guys? and 3. do you all think I’ve lost my mind with this blog?
Carly Phillips would like to take 100% credit for all her stories but the truth is, Carly’s strength is writing family, emotion, funky elderly people and animals. She couldn’t plot her way out of a paper bag, which is why she smartly found her plotmonkey pals early on in her writing career. Thanks to their support, Carly is now a NYT Bestselling author of 23 plus novels. Because writing doesn’t keep her busy enough, Carly is also a wife, a mother of one preteen and one teenage daughter, the primary care giver of her soft coated Wheaten terrier and an expert carpool mom.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
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I see a Piazza & a Vartan in the mix…niiiiice Carly. Hey, whatever works. If a wall of hot, sexy guys inspires you, then I say make the pix life-size and go crazy
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1. yes
2. yes
3. no
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At least now I don’t feel like I was a total loser growing up and making up stories in my head about the guys plastered on my walls. Most of mine were musicians.
I have to laugh. My daughter at 22 still has her walls plastered with posters, some of whom were on my walls. And they are still hot, in an older, more mature (ok, that is subjective) manner.
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I don’t think you have lost your mind at all. Just because people are married doesn’t mean they can’t find other people attractive.
Growing up I didn’t have just one wall. Every square inch of my bedroom had posters of John Taylor from Duran Duran. Then the next phase was my hard rocker obbsesion and I had Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, Van Halen, and all those long haired bands. LOL!!
As far as the stories…I can’t believe I am going to admit to this.
I did actual “book reports” on Duran Duran. I was of course a reporter interviewing the band. Well…I am sure you know the rest. There…how is that for embarassing. LMAO!
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No I absolutely do not think you are crazy! I didn’t have a wall – for two reasons – 1. we lived in an apartment and I couldn’t put extra holes in the walls and 2. I didn’t want everyone to know who my hunks were. I solved the problem by having a scrap book full of “my men”. My mother sold her house a few years ago and presented me with my book. She thought I was crazy.
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If the wall works, then yes I believe it is ok. Its good to have some inspiration point, whether it is a wall of hot guys or whatever. No Carly I do not think that your post is crazy or that you have gone crazy. I am excited to read the next book of yours that comes out later this year. Nice wall of of pics by the way.
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No way!!!! I actually did this as a teenager. In fact, sometimes I would go to bed early so I could lay there and come up with my next fantasy/situation. I thought I was the only one!! This is too funny. Oh, well, maybe they can put us in matching strait jackets.
I don’t do it now, but maybe I should. I find as I write more and more books, that it gets harder and harder to get the story flowing. I’ll have to try this. Thanks and have a great day!
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Shemar is one of my biggest crushes, ever since I was 5 and saw him on The Young & The Restless!
Very Hot guys
I had tweeners on my wall since I was heavily into that
LOL of course, you gotta have some imagination.. I used to make up stories about me and Usher
No you’re not crazy!
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OMG, I didn’t have a wall, but I definitely fantasized about myself in the most ridiculous situations with my dish of the week. Greatest of great for me was Paul Michael Glazer (Starsky). I would have thrown myself in front of a speeding train for that man (and probably fantasized that I did right before he cruised up in that hot car and rescued me).
But funny you mention walls, because Alison Kent mentioned doing a collage of pictures for each book that included characters and settings. I thought that was a great idea and I’m looking forward to trying it on my next WIP.
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No way do I think you are crazy. I figure that whatever gives you inspiration is a go………I remember seeing the Duran Duran posters all over my daughter’s walls, so it is something that has been going on for years………….:lol:
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Kelly- Daughter has Bon Jovi on her walls and ceiling, but she prefers Richie to Jon. I had more along the line of David Cassidy and Donny Osmond. (neither of those are on hers) Of course she also has some stuff I can’t even look at it is so freaky!!
Kimberly- I don’t think there are enough strait jackets for all of us if they do that!!
Lori- Thank god, I am not the only one who like Paul Michael. After reading who some of the other monkeys had on the wall, I was beginning to feel old.:cooldance:
Carly- i think if you had a wall of women, your hubby would have something to worry about, don’t you??
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I had a Tiger Beat wall when I was 11-12 for sure! Robby Bensen, Lief Garret, Donny Osmond, Sean Cassidy…oh, boy, I’m so dating myself here!
I don’t have a wall right now, but hubby does, on occasion, buy me a “hot guy” calendar for inspiration.
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At least some people made up stories too, and nobody thinks I’m crazy!
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Oh Ev, you kill me, LOLOL. (Wall of Women).
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I tried Allison Kent’s pictures and plotting and I lost two weeks having fun doing it.
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Leslie — I was thinking Tiger Beat, too! Every month they had a “centerfold”, and it was usually some “hottie” like you mentioned, and I couldn’t wait to see who it was, LOL!
Carly — I’m all for inspiration in any way you can get it!
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LOL Ev, I did feel like I was dating myself there, which was why I didn’t mention my crushes on Mike Nesmith and Bobby Sherman. (hey, I had older sisters! Yeah, that’s it…)
Oh, Leslie: Sean Cassidy! Those eyes. Those teeth! I never missed an episode of Hardy Boys.
Lori
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Not crazy at all! And is that Matthew Fox I see on your wall? Mercy, that man is beautiful. (We need a fanning yourself icon. :-))
I, too, was of the Tiger Beat generation. :-)
I would love to do a collage and see what sort of creativity it would spark, but I suspect that I’d get more involved in the collage than the actual story. I generally get a guy in mind for my story–Gerard Butler is my current hunk of choice–and then move on. Guys generally come to me first. Heroines tend to take longer. Curiously, the last time I was in Sedona I had my aura done and my mascuine side was stronger than my feminine. I think it’s because I’ve done so many hero-driven books of late. At least, I hope that’s what it is. :-)
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I never posted the my hotties on my wall, but I certainly would make up stories around them. When I would do housework or have time when my mind wasn’t busy with something else I would make up the stories. I always thought I was weird because one day I asked my sister if she ever made up stories in her head and she gave me this weird look because she didn’t quite understand what I meant. So, it’s always nice to know other people who do the same thing.
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No wall. I do have some absolutely wonderful and exciting dreams though and one heck of a vivid imagination.
You have absolutely not lost your mind..
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Oh I forgot . . . Carly, I wasn’t watching when Robert Scorpio and Rick Springfield were on GH the first time around, but I loved their return. I just wish we could see more of them. Jason Thompson is a hottie and he plays Patrick perfectly. I love his and Robin’s storyline.
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I was in the closet so to speak… I shared a room with two younger sisters, all three of us with our own unique tastes and personalites so my mom who was always the referee told us if a picture went on the wall we had to all agree on it, which led me to my closet. When you opened the door of my closet you would find my cursh of the week, ( I was very fickle), and yes I would create some pretty wild stories in my head…wow never thought I would admit that out loud
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LOL! Hey Ev…I too preferred Richie to Jon back then…in the 80’s. But now..that he is getting older I think Jon is better looking than Richie.
Okay for those of you feeling old…I am 37 and I had a crush on Davy Jones too. LOL! I used to watch the reruns back in the 70’s when I was like 9 or 10. :happy2:
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My sister and I each had half a wall(we shared a room). Mine was covered with John Stamos(Blackie from GH), Jon Bon Jovi, and too many guys to list. She had a big crush on Shaun Cassidy(Parker Stevens was more for me). We watched the Hardy Boys every time they were on. I loved to make up stories about my guys. I always married John Stamos or Jack Wagner(I was a big GH fan as a kid) or Bo Brady from Days of our Lives. I still love the GH boys to this day…especially Jax and Sonny. I love the idea of still having your wall of men…especially if they continue to give great ideas!!!
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absoulety i had a wall of leo dicarpio. that wall is hot, you go girl:cooldance::love2:
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So many hotties … so little wall space. Which is probably why I ended up covering the ceiling as well. Of course, you needed to rotate the images which is where Tiger Beat, Teen Beat and all theh other mags came in.:fryingpan: And they’d make the locker size posters so you’d have inspiration everywhere.
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I was a Parker Stevenson fan.
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I had my room wallpapered in posters when I was a teenager. The posters were of soap opera guys and boy band members like “New Kids on the Block” and Duran Duran.
Now that I’m a grown up I still have pictures up of a couple of guys not on my wall but on my computer. I have a slide show of all my favorite pictures of totally hot guys. My favorites are Michael Vartan(I have a collection of photographs that I’ve taken when I’ve seen him in person during filming and at hockey games. My favorite is one where I took a picture of him when I just happened to be parked next to his car and while I was trying to take the picture we talked aobut the our beloved Mets,he was wearing a Mets cap)and Ben Browder from Farscape(specially when he is wearing his black leather pants and long leather duster. yummy!!!!!!:cheer::cheer::cheer:
rose
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Oh my! You guys are making me feel old! My wall had pictures of Patrick Wayne, John Wayne’s youngest son! Lord, he was cute & made a couple of movies with his dad. I also had a typical teenage crush on Robert Wagner, Tab Hunter, Elvis (the young Elvis), Rock Hudson they all just made my little heart go pitty-pat!! I’m sure I could think of a few more if I rack my brain hard enough! :) Yes, I had pictures on the wall! No Carly you are not crazy, I did “day dream” about marrying some romantic guy! :love2: I think it is a faze we females just have to go through or maybe it is young girls that are going to grow up to love “Romance” & HEA. :love2: :)
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Oh yea, how could I forget James Dean & Sal Mineo & George Chakris (not sure that spelling is correct). They were hot although we did not use that term back then! Now, you’ve started something my brain is just going to keep throwing names out at me all day!!! Oh well, I guess I could use the diversion!
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We may all have different eras on our walls, but we had walls! We all like hotties. :thumbsup2:
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1. Yes; 2. Yes; 3. NO!
I loved your post today. I must admit, my OB/GYN at one point had posters on her ceiling,……..Guess that didn’t work out so well from her point of view.
Man do I miss that office.:devil::devil:
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Oh yeah, I had the wall. And it changed often but the ones that were permanent fixtures were: Shaun Cassidy and Andy Gibb.
I don’t currently have a wall but I did pull a stunt on hubby a few years ago. My son bought me a HUGE picture of Keith Urban. It was one of those gigantic ones that hung in the music store. I nailed it to the wall above our bed – it was like a headboard.:happy2:
Hubby rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide and mouth hanging to his knees. It was soooo worth it to see the look on his face!
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No, No, and No. Hey, at least I’m consistent. We weren’t allowed to put anything up on our walls – you can’t even see my daughter’s walls because I let them do the opposite.
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Shaun Cassidy. Mark Hamill. Parker Stevenson. Leif Garrett. Harrison Ford. Everywhere. Completely covered my neon pink and green wallpaper.
I don’t have a wall now…but I’m thinking of getting one. Some of the easiest books I’ve written were the ones I had pictures to go with. I didn’t realize that until Carly’s post!
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Lori- OMG Bobby Sherman!!! I still have my original vinyl of one of his few albums.:cooldance:
Kelly- I will be 47 in a couple of weeks.:cake:
donna- I still have a small area dedicated to John Wayne.
:cooldance:
We also have the hallway done in a music theme with her guitars hanging and pics from concerts (daughter with star of the show type), album covers (real ones) and autographed stuff up.
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I forgot all about Harrison Ford…I was so in love with Han Solo growing up. I think I even had my own action figure of him. I haven’t really thought about having a wall as an adult, but there are so many yummy men out there, I just might have to add one to my house.
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Wow, I feel I have really missed out. My Mom was a Quaker,
no wall.:hissyfit:
In school no locker pics allowed. :cursing:
Geech I have an office and I am gonna get myself some
hunks!
Maybe some almost nude hunks:devil:Ok maybe not.
62+ is not too late. :happy2: My oldest son had an Olivia Newton John
wall my, 12 year old grand has a Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom wall.
Ev ,I need a wall.
Carly can I borrow that hunk with the fatigues?
He is yummy:thankyou:
Fun topic!
I’m not getting older, I am getting better.
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Thank you Rose. I was being to think that my friends and I were the only ones who had pictures of New Kids on the Block on our walls. I also had Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, it was the time for Top Gun. Carly I love your current wall, the hotties that I could make out are definitely on my list also.
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No Carly you are not crazy
I had the wall and closet door filled with all the 80’s HOTTIES
David Lee Roth had the closet door
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I don’t have a wall anymore, I now have a blog-:thumbsup: HE HE HE!!! I was soooo in love with Rob Lowe in my teens–and in earlier years I had posters of Donnie Osmond and Shaun Cassidy — He was so much hotter than David Cassidy. Oh and the after school special-Sooner or Later with Rex Smith? Do ya’ll know Donnie is a grandad? gulp-Your only as old as you feel and I feel about 21…:cooldance:
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oh yes, I know Donny is a grand dad. But I have still bought all the cd’s he puts out. I think he is still hot.:lol:
Jesnnie- If you need help with a wall, I will be glad to come over for you!!:thumbsup:
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Does a bear piss in the woods? Of COURSE I had a wall. The people in Spencers Gifts saw me on a regular basis. LOL. When I was into New Kids, I had pictures of Jordan Knight up. And OMG, I WAS SO IN LOVE WITH ROB LOWE!! I had pictures of him, not to mention a thick binder full of droolworthy pics. I had one really hot poster of him, but the rest of my posters were of unknown gorgeous guys that I bought from Spencers. I think I have more dreams about the hot guys now than I did back then. But it depends who I’m fixated on at that moment. Right now, it’s Channing Tatum. Sometimes Paul Walker, but Chan manages to edge him out.
So, who is that camo-dressed hottie on your wall? I’m thinking it’s that wrestler John Cena (HOT-TIE. That man can wrestle me to the floor any damn time he likes), but I’m sure I’m wrong. And yes, I would’ve chosen Vaughn, too. He was the only reason why I watched Alias every Sunday night. Well, and Syd’s many disguises, too, but it was mainly to see Vaughn. LOL