Welcome guest blogger Cindy Gerard back to the jungle! This New York Times Bestselling author has a new romantic suspense series hitting the shelves, Black Ops, Inc., the first book of which is titled SHOW NO MERCY. If you’ve read Cindy before, you know how thrilling and exciting her books (and heroes!) are. If you haven’t read Cindy before, what are you waiting for? You’re missing out on some great reads from a fantastic author! 
Cindy is also giving away to one lucky winner an autographed book from her Bodyguard series! All you have to do is post something on today’s blog, then check back tomorrow to see if you’re the winner! :banana:
And now, here’s Cindy Gerard and her blog, “Because they’re cute”:
We all like cute, right? Cute babies, cute critters, cute guys?? I mean – look at these cats. This is Buddy and Sly. They’re hugging. It’s adorable.
And here’s Buddy helping me make the bed.
Makes you go, ‘aweeee’ doesn’t it? And here’s another photo of Sly, napping on my desk with his cute little head lying on a research book. Cute X 10.
What these cute pictures DON’T show is the side of their nature that turns up their nose at the exact same cat food they’ve been eating all month, or the times when I call kitty, kitty, because I want something warm and snuggle on my lap and they just tiptoe on by as if I’m a lump of doggie-do and they’re the kings of the world. Not so cute then. But time and time, I forgive them because … they’re cute.
Cute guys get by with murder. They can be mean, nasty, arrogant and irreverent but in the end, if they’re cute, MOST of the time we forgive them.
Cute, unfortunately – or fortunately if you’re among those cute masses – gets you places. It gets you out of traffic tickets, it gets you concert tickets, it gets you to the front of the line. So today, I’m asking – confession time here – have you ever used your own cuteness quotient to get you something you wanted or out of something you wanted? If so, what was it? And what is it about the cute factor that negates all the ugly stuff that sometimes goes with the package?
And least I forget – check out the cute, hot guy on my latest release SHOW NO MERCY that hit the stores this past week. I don’t know about you, but this guy could get by with a lot because he’s …. well, cute. :wub:
You can read all about Cindy’s new Black Ops, Inc. series at her website: www.cindygerard.com
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 40 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
3 Seductions and a Wedding
COLD SIGHT
Kiss Me If You Can
Wild For Him
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Aw, how precious! Who could resist those little faces?
Ahem, as never having been part of the cutie patrol, I haven’t never been able to use it to get out of anything – drat! LOL. It’s equal parts cuteness and part charm, because you can still be cute but without the charm, it doesn’t take you quite as far.
Cindy, I have several of your books in my TBR pile, and one day I plan to get to them because they sound so good! Good luck with your new series.
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I was lucky enough to get to review Show No Mercy for Romance Junkies earlier this summer, and I loved it. It was by far my favorite book of yours so far Cindy, although I suspect I’ll totally love Take No Prisoners too, LOL. You guys have to check this series out, it is really amazing.
I love the pics, your kitties are precious!
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Cindy, I’ve been known to tutor my daughter in the art of using the cuteness.
Yes, I admit it. When I was younger, thinner and infinitely cuter, I used the cuteness quite a bit. Of course, it never got me out of any tickets…every single ticket I was ever written was given to me by a woman cop. Except one!
And I can’t tell you how much my red leather miniskirt came in handy during college.
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I wasn’t ever part of the cute patrol either. When I was younger however, I was still a size 2 with a, let’s say, nice bit of clevage. I used that waitressing and bartending for better tips.
What has always peeked my curiosity is how many really cute guys have gone really bad. Scott Peterson comes to mind. Were they always that way, or did they realize growing up that their cuteness got them out of little troubles and they just kept pushing the boundries until they finally got caught and their cuteness couldn’t get them out of it? How many times have you read about men in prison for really heinious crimes who have women “falling in love with them” because they were so good looking, they couldn’t be guilty??
There’s cute bad boys and then there’s cute BAD boys.
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Hi guys.
Before I forget – We’ll pick a winner from everyone posting today and I’ll send them a book from my Bodyguard series!
In the meantime -
Stacy – Bless you for buying the books. Keeps those cute critters in cat food
Julie – I’ll bet your were one hot number in that red leather mini
ev – size 2 with cleavage and NOT a cutie? I seriously doubt that.
Cheryl – Hey there. And wow – I get a chance to thank you for the great review. So glad you like my BOIs
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I picked up Show No Mercy on Thursday night. I always hated being told I looked cute, made me think of puppies and kittens(which are always cute). Now, I’d be pretty ok with cute…
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oops…I wanted to add I’m ok with cute, now that I’m older.
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welcome, cindy…
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Nice to see you here today, I’m looking forward to the new series!
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Cute? I can haz nao? kthnxbai.
No. Seriously. Cute is wasted on the young and clueless as far as I’m concerned. While I never tried using the ploy (I was waaay too sophisticated *snorfle*), I do have to tell the story of my daughter when she was little. I kept hearing voices in her room so I crept up the stairs. She had a full length mirror on the back of her door and I could just see through the crack.
“Happy face,” she said and posed for the mirror. :flower4you:
“Sad face.” :sosad:
“Mad face.”
“Cute face.”
With hands clapped over my mouth, I crept back down stairs and went out onto the front porch so I could laugh. Hard. Til I wiped tears. And you know, the kid never did figure out why those faces never worked on her dad and me.
My TBR pile just keeps growing. I’ve got to find time to just read. For weeks! Cindy, your name and books are added to the TBB list next time I hit Borders or B&N.
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Okay, I was a cute kid….pigtails, chubby, freckles. Always got me out of trouble with my dad.
Not so much as I got older.
But these days, my son has me make a cute face, to do something for me. He’s like “Where’s my cute face?” “You know I can’t resist cuteness from you or my sister.”
So, now I do that for him. I told the custodian at school this and so now he has me batting my eyelashes when I need something.
At 300+ and short, it definetly makes my day when they do this.
Your cats are cute. Love that bed pic.
I hope everyone has a great Monday!
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Those cats are ADORABLE!! OMG! They are just irresistible and of course, cute!
Julie, I want to see a picture of you in your red mini skirt!! Any chance you’d post it here for us on Plotmonkeys? Hmmm. Pretty please with chocolate and whipped cream on top.
My husband thinks I’m very cute so I must admit I use it on him on occasion. He’s a big marshmallow teddy bear so it always works. :giggle:
Please throw my name in the hat for a book!
Cher
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Liza – Cute is good any time :banana:
Katie – Thanks, Katie.
Teresa – Nice to be here
Silver – Love the faces in the mirror story. I can haz no lattitude from mom and dad? :pray: I’ve thought about sending some of these cat photos in to i can has no cheezburger but I can never settle on a caption.
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Hey Cindy–thanks so much for being here!
I was actually very cute when I was a little girl and, as the 5th daughter, got away with murder. (Then the boy came along and I ceased to exist for many years…
)
I have two dogs, and just wrote a couple of weeks ago about the youngest, who is about as smart as a brick with fur. But she’s just so darn cute, we forgive her anything!
Except pooping in the kitchen. Which she did not 10 minutes ago. ARGGGH!!!!
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Debbie – oh, yeah, the old ‘bat the eyelasses’ ploy. Works every time
Cher – Marshmallow teddy bear, huh? Sounds like my kind of guy
:heart1:
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Leslie – We have an adorable Brittany Spaniel – Margaret – too. She puts up with the cats – have some darling photos of her and Buddy cuddling. Again – too cute. As to the pooping on the kitchen floor – been there done that – well, not ME – but the pup. The good news is, they grow out of it.
Have faith
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How do you get any work done. THose kitties are too cute.
I know when my dog is sleeping ,I don’t get as much done because I have to give her a good tummy rub when she looks so cute.
I have never been given a ticket maybe due to the cuteness factor or might have been that I fessed up to speeding when the patrolman came to the car door. ( I wasn’t speeding that much and there wasn’t a posted speed limit in the country.)
Every job I ever applied for I just about got on the spot when I was younger. That was a long time ago I have been a stay at home mom for the past 23 years.
:monkey
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Hi Cindy, Thanks for visiting with us today, and congratulations on the upcoming books!
Hm… I let animals get away with murder as well because they’re so darn cute! Buddy and Sly are beyond adorable.
I … have not tried to use the cute card. It generally doesn’t work – and also – a number of people think I’m about 10 years younger than I am already (and with my age that’s not really a good thing). While trying to work I’ve been turned away before, because people didn’t think I was someone allowed in – at least nobody has crossed that final line, asking me where my mom or dad is.
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Cindy — I love your cats. They are so much like my Zoey — definitely CUTE!
As for the guy on your cover, well, he’s just plain HAWT! :flamer:
I picked up my copy of SHOW NO MERCY over the weekend and can’t wait to five into it! :grin1:
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Gigi – Working is sometimes a problem because I always have my camera ready, looking for a good shot. I could have included dozens of cute cat and dog photos but restrained myself. And older is often better – don’t sell yourself short. I’ll bet there’s still a lot of cute going on there :wave:
Limecello – Don’t knock looking younger. Some day, believe me, you are going to LOVE knowing you look younger than others your age.
Hey – Janelle – just gotta love those kitty cats. And we never had house cats until 3 years ago. We live on a mini ranch – complete with quarter horses – and these 2 were barn cats who found their way into the house through our doggie door. How can you NOT love that kind of ingenuity :wub:
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I love animals, they do such adorable things! :flower4you:
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:flower4you:Cute kittens, cuter guy! Cute never applied to me…
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I don’t have much of a cute factor myself, no honest! But man, could my kids milk it big time whenever they wanted a sleep over or an arcade visit. Now they were hard to resist.
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I haven’t used cuteness in awhile, although my husband would disagree. Word in my house is that I am a spoiled brat. How can you possibly be a brat in your thirties? I think that just makes me smart :wink:
My six year old daughter has the cute factor down to an art form- little girls can be so deceptive. She just looks so sweet, with her curly hair and big brown eyes, but she has a wicked temper too! My M-I-L is convinced she is just an angel and I must be crazy!
Cindy- I just finished Show No Mercy about 10 minutes ago and I LOVED it!! I can’t say my favorite part because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but WOW!!!!!! Your insight into the soldier mentality is right on the money. One question- Does Take No Prisoners come out in November(like the inside cover says) or In October like the sneak peek says??? I wanna mark my calendar because I cannot wait for the next one.
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Hi, Cindy! Your kitties are adorable! I can’t say that the cute-thing ever worked for me, alas! My parents were never swayed by any efforts on my part
For the most part, I ignore my kids’ attempts at playing the cute card, too, although I have to admit that I do often find them pretty darn cute! :wink: Congrats on the Black Ops–although that cover, I’m not so sure “cute” is the word I would have picked! 
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I never really considered myself all that ‘cute’ and left it to my sister to play on the cuteness, which worked sometimes, especially since she was the youngest. But, by the time we were teens, it didn’t work with our parents anymore. Her daughter, who is now 4, definitely knows how to work her cuteness. We all know when she’s doing it now, so most times we have to try hard not to laugh.
limecello, I have the same problem with the age thing. People finally stopped asking me when I was going to be graduating high school just over a year ago – and I graduated from high school 9 years ago. I do enjoy it most of the time, though.
Congratulations on the new book, Cindy! The cover is very nice.
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Hi Cindy!
Cute doesn’t get me out of doing the dishes (or maybe I’m doing it wrong?) but I don’t mind having a door opened for me every once in awhile!
My youngest daughter (almost two) just came up to me wearing her pink felt cowboy hat. It starts early. No one can resist the cuteness.
Jill
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Colleen – Ain’t it the truth?
Karen B and Cathy M – Are you sure? I bet a lot of people think you’re cute
Anna D – Ah – NOW you’re getting it. Cute + use it = SMART
And thanks for the kind words on MERCY. I’m so glad you loved it. And yes, PRISONERS comes on early on 10-21 – or maybe before if it leaks out even earlier like MERCY did
Fedora – Bet your kids get by with more than you like to think :wub: And yeah, Gabe (cover of MERCY) is a babe all right :flamer:
Karin – Thanks on the congrats and I’ll tell you the same think I told Fedora – enjoy looking young. Work it baby, work it!!
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Cute is what keeps them alive ROFLMAO – I currently have 6 so I know!!
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Cute was a long time ago for me—maybe when I was 5 or 6 or under! I was a redhead which attracted attention! Cute is babies, puppies and kitties. Your two kitties are very cute, thanks for sharing the pictures with us.
Welcome to the Jungle Cindy, thanks for visiting. I have to confess to not reading any of your books but I am now interested so will check into the Bodyguard series and the new one coming out. Black Ops sounds very intriguing. It is always fun to discover another author but my TBR pile is already about to topple!! Does that stop me–no!! :giggle:
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Jill – Hey – good to see you here. And who could resist a pink cowboy hat? :wub:
Catslady – here there. I see you get around :wave: And 6. Wow! Tons of fun and tons of cute
Donna – I hear you on the TBR pile. Mine’s … well … I NEED and WANT to get to it but, duty calls…
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Hi, Cindy!
Your babies are adorable. I have two cats and a dog. They are lucky their so cute, otherwise there would be days when they’d be looking in from outside. :giggle:
Cuteness only worked for me when I was a wee little girl. And then it only worked on my grandparents!
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We have two kittens and they are super cute but they are always in trouble. Cute worked when I was much younger but those days are long gone.
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Hi Cindy,
Sly and Buddy are so cute. I can see how they get away with stuff. I loved “Show No Mercy” and I’m looking forward to reading Sam and Reed’s story.
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I am a dog lover but your kitties are soooooo cute.
I have enjoyed reading your books.
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Susan and Maureen – Yep, those little ones are really good at wielding that cute factor.
Jane – thanks on all counts. Buddy and Sly are my little darlings. And Thanks for loving Mercy. I just got a call from my editor. SHOW NO MERCY is #1 on the Border/Waldens mass market bestseller list for last week! Yowser. thanks to all of you guys who made that happen!! I love it!!!
Joye – we have always been dog lovers too. Still are but these kitties wormed their way into our house and into our hearts in about 10 seconds flat :heart1:
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correction – Okay in my excitement over the Borders/waldens bestseller list I neglected to specify the SHOW NO MERCY is #1 on the Border/Waldenbooks ROMANCE best-seller list – not the over all mass market list. My fingers couldn’t keep up with my brain. anyway, I’m thrilled!!! Thanks again, guys
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No one has ever accused me of being cute.
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Cindy, she’s 21 now and working on advanced degrees in Museum Studies. She *dies* whenever we tell that story. FYI, you can upload pics to both the lolcat and loldog sites and let someone else caption them.
I’m never as clever as the ones that are picked. Love seeing them, though! I keep trying to get a pic of my Newf puppy (all 80 pounds of him) trying to get the cat (all 6 pounds of her) to play tug with one of the dog toys. She just sits there with that 
look that cats get.
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Oh, and I forgot! *headdesk* Congrats on the Border’s list! #1!!!
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Estella – I’ll bet you’ve got some very cute ways about you that you don’t even realize.
Silver – thanks :grin1:
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Cuteness only worked for me when I was younger. And then only with my grandparents. Congrats on your new release. It sounds awesome!
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I have days when I feel cute, but I think more days when I don’t. I find that being sincere and smiling is a more useful tactic.
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Hi Cindy! Your kittens are so cute! I can see how the cuteness factor would work for them. Unfortunately, the cuteness factor never seemed to work for me. Congratulations on your new book!
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Cindy- only hot from the neck down. Never did manage to turn heads otherwise. Still have that clevage problem too.
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Hi Cindy!!! Gosh they are so adorable!! My hubby has some pics of our two cats in some great poses we caught them in. If I could just learn how to get on the computer or even I just should ask him to send to me! My cats are Misha and Hunter :) Thanks for sharing these beautiful pics!
Gosh so can’t wait for your new one. Those Bodyguards were the best! Cathie
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Hey everybody…there is something new everyday…as is expected here at the jungle…
I loved the pics in today’s blog…I must say that I have never read anything by Ms. Gerard, but the bodyguard series sounds like it would be right up my alley…
I would like to welcome you back to the jungle…sorry I missed talking to you today though…
The kitties are absolutely adorable…my fav pic is the one where they are hugging…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Aw what cute kitty pics! Love them!
I’ve read “Over the Line” which I really enjoyed and I have “Into the Dark” in my TBR pile.
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You guys are all great to stop by – and with such wisdom!
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how adorable; hi Buddy and Sly. I love pets and they help me relax.