Interview with Cover Model Scott Nova + Giveaway!

Hello all, and welcome to the kick off for the Naughty Christmas Blog Party! In case you missed yesterday's announcement, all month long the focus is on Christmas and the spirit of giving. One lucky winner will get a $100 Amazon eGC that will be drawn for at the end of the month. In addition to that, I'm giving away weekly prize(s) every Saturday--first will be given out next Saturday. How do you enter, you ask? Comment on my posts and the guest posts and it will earn you one entry per day. Please note, the main giveaway for the Amazon GC is strictly US, but my other giveaways are open to all. For my weekly giveaways, only comments from that week will be counted.

Okay, now for the fun stuff! Or should I say the sexy stuff? Because today's guest sure knows how to bring it. Yes, folks, I'm talking about the one and only Scott Nova-- cover model, actor, and all around sweet, sexy geek. :) He very generously allowed me to interview him, and I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know more about Scott just as much as I did. Also, please note that I deny any and all responsibility for the resulting drool mishaps that might harm your computer from this point on.

Photo credits:

Ken Tilley - Fotoimagesbyken.com

Luis Rafael

Kim Killion - Hot Damn Designs

To learn more about Scott, please check out his website - www.scottnova.com 

Friend him on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ScottNovaCM

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/scottnovacm

When did you first get involved in modeling, and was there a particular “aha” moment that made you decide it was a field you wanted to pursue? I guess the “aha” moment was when I went to RT-LA in 2011 and saw that with the power of the internet, some great local photography, I can make this work for me and get into this industry. In SO many avenues of modeling you have to look like a porcelain doll or be freakishly skinny or live in certain places. But with the romance industry, you can market yourself while living in Columbus, Ohio lol and with continuing to bodybuild, and ever improving my physique, the fitness modeling industry has opened up a little bit to me. So I’m just getting going!

What is the most fun/crazy/enjoyable modeling job you’ve been on? The most fun/crazy/enjoyable shoot I’ve been on was at the Ohio State reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio.  This is where the movie Shawshank Redemption was shot and it’s amazingly spooky too. I love the horror genre; and so I got to put on some crazy makeup and shoot some really great, atmospheric shots with some great photographers.

(ZOMG. I've always wanted to do a ghost hunt at Ohio State reformatory.)

What led to you becoming a book cover model? My look! I don’t have the Abercrombie look because I don’t look like a 17yr old kid anymore (as much as I might like to think I do haha) but my look is that of a young 30yr old Clark Kent (so I’m told) and I noticed that there weren’t a lot of “that look” in the cover industry. So, I plan on taking that to the bank and using my Irish hero look! :)

I might be a bit biased, but I think the cover for Checking It Twice is the most gorgeous and sexy in the history of ALL TIME. But I know a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes that authors and readers don’t know about. Could you take us through a brief tour of what your day is like when preparing for and doing a shoot? Are you given any background on the books you’re posing for, or is it a case of winging the characters?  Well for me I’ll more than likely be shirtless for most of the shoot; so I focus on having some tan because as fair skinned as I am, the studio lights will wash out my definition. Also I’m normally taking in less water than normal to help suck my skin in. I’ll eat something with lots of carbs so that it fills out the muscles, and also gives me plenty of energy. I used to starve myself before  a shoot and would always be exhausted after a shoot. No more. If I’m doing a freelance shoot for an author, I will normally know plenty of the character and what the author wants to see. When I shoot with great companies like Hot Damn Designs, we shoot so many different characters/looks/styles that you just try to stay sexy the whole time! :)

Is there a particular cover or modeling gig that you’re most proud of? I recently shot with Luis Rafael in Miami, Florida while vacationing with Lesley, and that was a great shoot. Luis is nationally known, and very respected so I was very proud to shoot with him. I’m proud of each and every cover I get, but if I had to pick one I’d go with Nikki Duncan’s “Criminal Promises” cover because it was the first cover I did that went to print and was actually on a book on a shelf.

Is there anyone that you would love to work with? I’d love to work with any full scale studios from a publishing house. Say, Harlequin or Samhain.  And I’m also competing in an online competition with Horny Devil Publishing to be their “Face of HDP” and if I won that I’d be with a major publisher which would be amazing. 

Okay, ladies and gents, you know what this means. We need to get out there and support Scott with our votes. HDP would be lucky to have him as their face, so let's make this happen! Here's the link for you to get your vote heard. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Are-You-The-Face-Of-Horny-Devil-Publishing/153741974769398?fref=ts 

I know you have a ton of fans out there, and I’m sure you get a lot of readers recognizing you from the covers of their favorite books. Any stories to share there?  You know…I recently just had this conversation, and what I said was “I know I’ll be doing well in the cover industry, when a random reader recognizes me out in public” and that hasn’t happened quite yet.  I did have a conversation over FB where I was trying to help a female to fix her router/modem for her internet. And I could just tell something was up, so I asked her what was wrong, and she said “well, as far as I’m concerned, you're a bit of a celebrity, and so its intimidating that you want to help me with my modem” I was flattered and humbled at the same time. Made me feel great! And even better, we figured out the modem. 

(He's a computer whiz AND gorgeous?!? Good gawd, y'all! What madness is this?!?)

I always reward myself after finishing a book. Long naps and eating my body weight in chocolate, usually. Is there anything special you do after a shoot? I tend to get a very tasty meal and treat myself with some dessert at the end of the meal.

What sort of health, exercise and diet regimen do you use to keep yourself in such prime shape? I’m thinking eating your weight in chocolate isn’t so much an option. ;) I tend to do a thing called “carb cycling” where I take in different amounts of carbs daily depending on what my goal for that day is. On a real heavy lifting day, I will have consumed plenty of carbs the previous day/evening. Then the day of lifting I have some, but not a lot and then cardio the next day I have less. That helps the body to burn more fats. But the biggest thing is not to go too over-board with the sweets and junk food. I do not eat pasta anymore, and hardly any bread. When I do eat bread, it’s whole wheat bread and NOT white enriched bread.

Do you have any special hobbies that you enjoy in between jobs? I am a gearhead by heart!! I grew up around fast cars and building those fast cars with my dad. I have a 1970 Prostreet Nova and it is raced regularly and also cruises to the local car shows. Nothing like detailing my car, outside, in the sun with no shirt on and the radio cranked up playing some Freebird. LOVE IT

(Show of hands. How many of you are sweating over THAT visual?)

The most romantic thing you’ve ever done or had done for you? Recently I went and bought a dozen roses – placed those roses next to candles between the garage door and the bedroom. Then, as I stood in the bedroom I held the last rose for her when she came up to the bedroom. Was a good night after that *smile*

(Swoons. You've got a very lucky lady there. ;) )

With Christmas right around the corner, can you share with us any special traditions you have for the holiday? A special, cherished memory? I grew up going and cutting down a live Christmas tree with my folks in the mountains of Southwestern PA.  I always enjoyed that. I am now a Dad myself of a wonderful little 3yr old boy and took him this year for the first time to get his very own Christmas tree. He loved it and was all about it. He wanted to help so much…I absolutely loved it.

(Too adorable!)

Can you share a tidbit about yourself that would shock and amaze us? You’re really a wizard? A werewolf? A werewolf wizard?  Werewolf wizard?? Well…kinda…I have played and LOVED Dungeons ‘n’ Dragons since 2.0 days in the late 90’s. I started as a player-character but I have also Dungeon Mastered a game where I made up the entire world. I made up the trade routes, the goods traded there, and also the magic systems that were allowed to use in those cities. I had 6 player-characters in my game and absolutely had a blast. A LOT of my fans do not know I’m truly a geek :) That shocks them more than the fact that I’m a firefighter. 

(I told y'all he was a sexy geek!)

Any exciting news your fans should know about? Upcoming functions or conventions you’ll be attending? I have some big things coming in 2013. I’ve recently decided to use the help of an assistant/agent that has a undying passion for the romance industry. I can’t say anything yet about who, but I will. I also will be attending RT-Kansas City as part of the Men of Romance reunion. But I will also be in Club RT as well signing my covers and having guest authors at my booth throughout the weekend. I will be attending the RomFest in Gatlinburg, MD in June. Also the Mojave Knights convention in Las Vegas in October. Also looking at attending Jimmy Thomas’ event that he’s holding this year for the first time.

(Woohoo!! Mark those appearances on your calendars, folks!)

The death-defying lightening round of random questions:

If you could be any character from a book or movie, who would you be? BLADE! ALL their strengths, and none of their weaknesses…perfect predator/protector!

If you could only eat one thing for an entire week, it would be? Pizza!

Top on your list of must see places? Venice & Ireland

Favorite holiday? Christmas

Would you rather travel back in time, or into the future? Back in time – Rat Pack days…hell yeah! If I could see Sinatra in person, to hear him sing in Vegas just once, I’d be a happy guy.

The one song you don’t know the lyrics to but you sing along with anyway? Double points if you make up words. Snow – Informer “inforrmmmer…somethingsomethingsomethingsomething, a leaky boom boom down” and yep, that’s exactly how I sing along with it ROFL

Your superpower, if you had one? The ability to HULK out! :) HULK SMASH!!!

Thank you so much for the awesome interview, Scott! Everyone, be sure and check out his links and don't forget to cast your vote for him at HDP. Please feel free to leave comments for Scott (Highly encouraged so you can get your entries in for the giveaways!) but please note that he might not be able to get around to answering any questions.