Taste of Kiwi

The other night I was watching some coverage of the Olympic Games on television. I observed the announcer, and suddenly, all I could focus on was him blinking. Blink. Blink. Blink. Honestly, his eyes reminded me of a warning light flicking off and on. It was weird.

It’s natural for people to blink. We do it to keep our eyes moist and in good health. We also blink to stop foreign objects such as dust or tiny insects getting in our eyes. A great analogy is that blinking is like the action of a windscreen wiper on a car. On average, a person blinks 10 – 20 times per hour. (I had difficulty finding an answer that everyone agreed on.)

In body language terms, excessive blinking tends to mean that a person is thinking hard. Often, a person who is lying blinks a lot since they need to concentrate to maintain the lie. I heard that body language experts counted the number of times Mr. Clinton blinked when he was busily denying things.

A single blink might indicate surprise. If a woman is blinking excessively while in the presence of a man, then she’s probably flirting with the gentleman.

Have you noticed excessive blinking before?

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Author Adrienne Kress has an interesting post called It’s Not About the Odds. She talks about the luck required in getting a publishing contract and how you can slant those odds in your favor by doing a great query letter.

Rebecca at Dirty Sexy Books has a tongue in cheek post about urban fantasy stories. If you’re not really sure what an urban fantasy is read the Ten Commandments of Urban Fantasy.

Margie Lawson has a guest post at Routines for Writers. It’s all about writing body language and verbal cues–an important thing in good characterization.

And finally, You Are What You Eat, Foods That Improve Your Sex Drive is an article by Elizabeth Black that makes for very interesting reading. Stay about from fried foods and rich cream sauces – that’s all I’m saying!

I’m reading a book called The Wolf Almanac by Robert H Busch. It’s research for a new idea I have, and you might have guessed from the title that my story will feature wolves.

What are you reading at the moment?

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Today I’m guest blogging at The Romance Studio about body language, nonverbal cues and Soldier of Fortune, my erotic contemporary romance due out at Ellora’s Cave on 18th November. To visit my post go to The Romance Studio Blue.

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Mr. Munro and I have been watching Lie to Me, a show where they use body language and facial expressions to solve a crime. I haven’t heard much buzz about the show online, but we really enjoy it, and for a writer, it’s pure gold. I especially like the way they integrate body language from well known people such as past presidents and celebrities.

Here’s an intro to the show if you haven’t seen it:

Thirteen Anxious/Impatient/Nervous/Tense/Fearful Expressions

1. Clear throat

2. Rapid eye blink

3. Wide eyes

4. Perspire – palms, face, neck, armpits (cold sweat)

5. Tense lips, neck, shoulder muscles

6. Raspy voice (unable to speak)

7. Pale skin

8. Wet lips with tongue/touch lips with finger

9. Bobbing/jumping Adam’s Apple in male

10. Dilated pupils

11. scratching, rubbing, pinching or holding parts of the body

12. Clenched fists

13. Flaring nostrils

Source: my thirteen was taken from an article on Cerridwen author Joanna Waugh’s website. Here’s the link to her list of Body Language Cues to Emotion. Joanna also has heaps of links and resources for the historical writer.

Have you seen the show Lie For Me? If not, do you watch crime shows and which ones are your favorites?

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I’ve been researching body language recently. It’s a fascinating subject, and I’ve learned all sorts of interesting things.

The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara Pease has a section on the things men and women first notice about prospective partners.

Butt, Breasts or Legs?

When it comes to men and favorite body parts, they normally fit into three categories—breasts, butts or legs. This is all tied up with reproduction, believe it or not.

1. Butts – men find rounded, peach-shaped buttocks the most attractive. Female primates display their buttocks when they’re ready to mate. It shows they are receptive and available. Human females display their buttocks all the time, and this gives the males the impression she’s available. Women also store fat in their buttocks for breastfeeding and as an emergency food storage in lean times.

2. Breasts—they serve as a sexual signal. Men are attracted to cleavage.

3. Legs—long legs are a non-verbal signal telling a male a woman is sexually mature and capable of childbearing. Men like high-heels because it gives the illusion of fertile looking legs.

Chest, Legs or Butt?

Masculine body parts trigger a women’s sexual response as well.

1. Chest—a wide chest tapering to narrow hips allows a man to lug heavy weapons over long distances and to carry home their kills. (always handy, I think!)

2. Small, tight butt—a tight, muscular butt is necessary to make a strong forward thrust that’s needed for sperm transfer during sex. A man with a flabby butt has problems with this and tends to through his entire body into the thrust. Not comfortable for his partner.

3. Hips and muscular legs—symbols of masculine power and endurance. Long, muscular legs allow a man to run swiftly, chase and hunt.

Interesting stuff, huh? I tend to check out a man’s butt—don’t tell hubby. I had no idea I was thinking about forward thrusting at all. Really! No idea at all…

If you’re looking at a person of the opposite sex, which body part do you check out first?

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