Dudes, Part Deux

Here are the rest of our "boys" who make up the hunks in the book:

John, our Boxer Stud: John was the model photographed by Tammy for a portrait that won her an international photography award. Congrats, Tammy! Our photo of John was shot at a boxing training facility, and we had him climbing in and out of boxing rings, dodging behind punching bags, and hanging from the ropes, all while trying to keep a muffin perched on his boxing glove. I hope "Muffin Balancing" comes in handy on his resume one day.

William, our Mardi Gras Stud: William was one of the models discovered at our open casting call. Actually, "run down" is an more accurate description, as I saw him walk by our booth without stopping. I chased after him and pretty much dragged him back to fill out the paperwork. Then we asked him to take off his sunglasses so we could take his picture. The second he did, we all went, "Whoa!" as we all went gaga over his gorgeous eyes. When you see his photo in the book, I dare you not to say, "Whoa!" too.

Joseph, our Cover Stud: We met Joseph when we were taking the preliminary shots for the book proposal a couple of years ago. He looked very good then, but he truly grew into his Studhood by the time he posed for the cover shot. I believe we have sold many a book on the strength of that picture alone. I can't tell you how many people we have got to smile after looking at the cover--even a tired old county clerk, who probably hasn't smiled at work in years. Ah, the power of the Stud Muffin!

Emmit, our Chocolate Muffin Stud: We truly enjoyed Emmit's photo shoot. He has a great smile and a even greater personality, so the session went smoothly and quickly. But we most enjoyed hearing about his absolutely adorable little boy--was he a proud papa! It was obvious to see genetics at work, because his little guy was a cutie-patootie! We might need to use him for a Mini-Muffin book.

Branden, our Wine Stud: We have been so fortunate to have found some really nice guys as our models, and Branden is no exception. He patiently stood out in that vineyard, wedged against a grapevine, holding that dazzling smile until we had the shot we needed. We did compensate him a bit better than some of our other models--he got the bottle of wine from the shot. Brandon also was great in our hilarious YouTube video as one of the Stud Muffins who help with the "baking" session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKcDCmCwlbQ). I'm so glad that we used a voice-over in that video, because all you can hear in the background of the master is me cracking up at the antics.

Mark, our Muscle Stud: Mark was another of the kind men who agreed to be our first models used for selling the proposal. He was our original "Give Me S'more Muffin" man, but we recast him as our muscle guy. The biggest challenge during his photo shoot was keeping that little muffin balanced on his large bicep. I think we finally used double-faced tape, although as the evening wore on, we were considering hot glue or a staple gun, but we didn't want to damage the goods--I mean, kind man.

Christopher, our Tropical Lei Stud: He was another model we chased down at our casting call. It wasn't until he came to our table to fill out his application that we realized he was six-foot-five-inches of Hawaiian hunkiness. So we then got him out to the beach for his shot. Two memories remain: We put on a rub-on tattoo around his bicep with the word "stud" in it. After a five-plus hour shoot, Christopher tanned around the tattoo, so when it was removed, he had a negative image of his stud "branding" that he said stayed for many, many months. Also, we had him perch on the rocks as the tide was coming in. One rogue wave crashed over him, but he, in true Stud fashion, raised the muffin above the water, saving it for the next shot. He, on the other hand, got drenched.

Ryan, our Baseball Stud: He is Tammy's nephew and a professional NHRA driver who is on the fast track (excuse the pun) to stardom in his sport. Ryan was kind enough to help us out of a tight spot when we had to quickly get this shot to the publisher. While not in his normal racing uniform, he looked every bit the baseball player, as we had him pose in the outfield, infield, and dugout. We feel his shot will start many an engine--and we're not talking about the car kind.

Lee, our Secret Center Stud: Again, another ambush at our casting call. When I ask if he'd be interested, out came this wonderful Scottish accent. Turns out he and his family were here from Glasgow for his job in computers. The more he talked, the more we wanted him to continue talking. We just love his accent! (You can hear it at www.studmuffinsbook.com and clicking on Stud Videos. He's on the news feature video.) We chose him as our suave James Bond-type, and while we've learned that he looks really good in a tux, he looks even better in the kilt he wears to book signings. Step back, Sean Connery, you have serious competition!

Ah, what fond memories of the photography sessions. But, as great as these were, there was so much more to come....