Looks are NOT, NOT, NOT a real big issue for me ( says the OIL Painting herself) Age............younger / older all depends on the characters in the book............personally myself i enjoy a good crack and sometimes the age divide really comes in handy with the "come-on's", the "put-downs" and of course "best come back line". I like an age different 10 /15 years aither way...............and why not? Furry...............hmm.......tough one..........i hate the OLE hairy chest bit........but for a werewolf in MoonLight..........i'm alllllllllllll for it..........howling you might say! ( sorry couldn't resist!) Living in a different world...........i'm all for it!!!!!!!! gives a whole new meaning for "UFO'S...........ALIENS from outer space) cHANGE IS GOOD! EMMA

Welcome and thanks for blogging today -- good question you ask. I have some thoughts I'll hold on to until later, I'm running out the door at the moment, but wanted to remind posters they have to register at the site to qualify for your giveaway -- it's easy. :) Just get a login over at the left sidebar, and you're set. :)

Sam

Welcome Sapphire. Thank you for spending the day with us. I don't think that looks are very important in a relationship. Nor do I think age is. If your love is true and you can form a strong bond it will transcend all obstacles. The idea of a partner who is hundreds of years old is pretty cool--think of all the different discussions you could have. I mean you could teach each other alot! You would never run out of differences of situations/opinions etc. Well, I guess that is all of my thoughts on the subject---I took a quick break and now my mind is--------------blank Debbie

Of course looks matter. They matter when we're writing and reading, and they matter in life. Practically speaking, we all like good looking TV and movie characters, book covers, heroes and heroines, etc -- take Bridget Jones. The fantasy -- plain working girl has two gorgeous men after her -- but would that story have been as great if they'd been a couple not very attractive, unsuccessful guys? Or Ugly Betty, of which I have only seen the pilot, but would it be as interesting if it were only Betty and not her handsome boss or the other fashionistas around her? What if her boss were George Costanza?

Now, that said, that doesn't mean that love depends on looks -- I think even in romance novels and romantic scenes in movies and television, we love to see the underdog fall in love, the plain Jane, the badly scarred or wounded hero. We also like to see the unusal, the vampire (remember in Buffy, the scenes where Buffy loves Angel, even with his "vamp" face on), or Willow's love for Oz in spite of his wolfiness. But these are also very romanticized -- we know that Angel's hot. What if Angel looked like George Costanza? LOL (poor George...)

I was at the mall the other day, and caught my reflection in the mirror with Mike, and then while he ran back to the car for a moment, I had a chance to sit and observe people, and all the couples who look real, mismatched, overweight, too skinny, multi-racial, old and young, etc walking by, and thought, isn't it cool that we can all find someone who accepts us, and even finds us attractive, for who we are? Isn't it neat that all these regular people come together somehow, and that I know someone looks at us, and we're no more remarkable than all these other folks, we blend right in, a middle-aged couple at the mall, but to each other...wow. And that's the key -- doesn't matter if objectively speaking a person is good-looking or bad-looking, but to the person who loves them, they are sexy and attractive.

But that's real life, thank God, because if real life were held to the standards of movie/tv/romance novel physical beauty, we'd be in trouble. ;) But we do expect people and characters in fiction and fantasy to be pretty, and I think that's okay. :)

Sam

Hi Sapphire! What a wonderful place for you to blog today! Thank you for the invitation! KarenneLyn

Hi Sapphire *waves* this is a great place, thanks for the invite!! age ~ I like to play with age differences too, and love to read it, in either direction. Partly it's about breaking the mold, doing the unexpected, creating an extra dimension of interest. And combatting ageism, I imagine! looks ~ I think I agree with Sam (at least I think this is kinda what she said, I just discovered that while I'm posting I can't see the other replies!) that there's probably a difference between what I value in real life (that looks shouldn't matter) and what works in a romance (doesn't have to be stunning/perfect, but has to have some appeal, at the very least, in the beginning of the relationship. I guess in the end the two issues are related, of course, since looks won't last across the age span! Great topic! Adriana Adriana Kraft www.adrianakraft.com

Nope it doesn't matter to me about age. Or really outward appearance its more about what is on the inside the feelings for each other, the hero and heroine

Looks shouldn't matter although I realize that to a lot of people they do. I would like people to be more like Belle in Beauty and the Beast and get to know the person (beast/vampire/werewolf etc) inside because that is what will last..not good looks because they fade.

Hi Sapphire, Love your name. I don't think looks, age or if you turn furry or other, should matter if you truly love someone or something

The only time outward looks would matter would be for a one time fling. Looks change or fade through the years. Who the person is on the inside is what keeps the relationship new and growing.

When I was younger, I was working at a resort. I worked in this wooden "ship" in the middle of the store. The ship had racks and racks of postcards on it. You could only get in and out of the ship by crawling on the floor. One day, one of my hunky popular friends was coming through the resort with another guy with him. The guy was well over 6 feet tall, skeletal thin, with brillo type hair, Buddy Holly black plastic glasses (this during a time when everyone "hip" wore wire rims). Upon reflection, he looked like Quentin Tarantino's less attractive brother. Well, my friend was introducing him to everyone along the way to the employee dining room. And the closer this stranger got, the more his looks frightened me. Yes, I was actually scared because this guy was so ugly (and I was so young). When they got closer to me, I slid down inside the ship so no one would see me. My friend actually said, Ani must be at lunch. I stayed inside there until I knew they were gone. Fast forward another year, and the stranger and I were engaged! Once I learnt to look past his exterior, I discovered one of the most honest, caring, upright, respectful persons it's ever been my honour to meet. Sadly, he was taken from this world at much too young an age (before we were married). While I don't still think of him daily, he is still very much a part of my life in that he taught me what was important about a person. ani

Welcome to cigars and thank you for taking the time to blog with us. To me looks don't matter. It's what is on the inside of a person that counts. Sometimes a person who is very good looking, has a very cold heart. On the other hand, a person who might not be classically good looking can be the most wonderful, warm hearted person in the world. The way you described the characters in your books, makes me want to read your books very much. I haven't read any of your books but, would love to pick up a few of them. Where can I find them? I'm definitely looking foward to reading them. Have a great week and again thank you for visiting with us. I've discovered a new to me author that I'd love to read. Mads:)

Hi Sapphire,*waves* I think it doesn't matter. That's why we read paranormal,it takes us away from our world and we're introduced to new and exiting new worlds that we can fantasize about. Hugs,Danette http://nenscl.blogspot.com P.S. I'm not here for the drawing,I've had the pleasure of being one of Sapphire's previous contests,just here to chat with her.*g*

I really won't bother with the looks if the said person loves me to bits. A handsome man with a stone heart who is abusive and doesn't respect anyone would have no place in my heart. If the age gap is not hindering our conversations and life, who am I to complain. A tail or two, fangs and green skin may bother in real life but I am good if they are within the pages of a well-written book. My loved one can exist on any plane and in any world as long as he loves me and makes me feel precious. Thanks for the great blog topic, Sapphire. Hugs, Mahaira

Ani, if you would email me at PamelaKKinney@comcast.net, I can email you your two e-books. Congratulations. And congrats to all who commented--some really good, thoughtful answers here. And even though the contest is over, I hope people will continue to answer my question. I think all stories are not mindless fluff, but set us to thinking. And for those interested in finding out about me my website is http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com and my MySpace is http://www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan and my blog is http://SapphirePhelansPassionCorner.blogspot.com and I also have a newsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter . Sapphire Phelan Go beyond the usual, instead take the unusual that stretches the boundaries and find romance with Sapphire Phelan's aliens, werewolves, vampires, fairies, and other supernatural/otherworldly heroes and heroines.

Wow, I won! Thank you so much!! I'm really looking forward to both of these! ETA: I've had a really lousy morning. I had to fire someone and just a bunch of other things have gone wrong. Imagine my joy, then, when I logged into my email account and saw that these ebooks are already waiting for me! Wow and WOW!!

Congratulations Ani. Enjoy! I hope your week gets a whole lot better. Hugs, Mads:)