WHO'S YOUR IDEAL BODYGUARD?

Have you started your Christmas wish list? If so, pull it out and let's add to it. If not, let's get started and play "what if"!

"What if" someone said they would provide your ideal bodyguard for Christmas. What would he be like? 

Mitch Garrison, the hero of my book, THE BODYGUARD, is stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous with lots of muscles and longish blond hair--a plus for me. He also takes his job very seriously and had deep emotional wounds he refused to talk about. In fact, he spent much of the book giving me the silent treatment. A frustrating situation for a writer who is trying to dig deeply into the motivation of a character. :)

But the guy is totally loyal and operates from an solid sense of integrity. And he rescued a street dog and quickly made the decision to keep Julia's children safe. Those are characteristics I really admire. 

So I kept digging. Kept nudging. Kept pushing him into situations where he had to face his past and his growing love for Julia. Watching her become a physically and emotionally strong woman showed him the way to heal his own wounds. 

Yeah, Mitch shows a lot of fine qualities for a bodyguard. He and Julia earned their happily-ever-after.

But I have to admit there's another character in THE BODYGUARD who comes closer to my real-life bodyguards: the dog, Gabe. Yep, the one described as "perhaps crossed with a shaggy, blond bear."

My household is filled with a number of pure- and mixed-breed doggies who guard against all kinds of would-be villains, such as neighborhood cats, the squirrels who run along our fence, and an occasional misplaced garbage can. They are also great cuddlers and make sure I get up from the computer occasionally to get them snacks and take them for a W-A-L-K. Shh! It's that time now and I'm trying to finish this post before they protest too loudly. 

If you'd like to meet some of my doggies, they have their own Web site at <http://www.quantumcanines.com/>.

How about you? Who's your ideal bodyguard? (If your ideal bodyguard is someone on TV or in the movies, I'll try to watch him--or her--in action. So if I don't respond to your comments right away, you'll know why! :)