Today’s blog is actually a contest. I have a goodie-bag filled with fun stuff and books for a random answer drawn from a hat. More about that at the end of this blog.

I’ve never met anyone, even those who don’t read much, who haven’t heard the quote: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Gone With the Wind and most folk have heard, but perhaps don’t know the origin of the line: “Nowadays people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” The Picture of Dorian Gray.

For movie goers, there are great lines like, “You had me at Hello.” From Jerry McGuire, and “Live for nothing or die for something. Your call.” from Rambo.

Every now and then, we all hear a line in a TV show or a movie that catches our attention, either by its pithiness or the depth of the emotion behind it. And the same goes for books. As an author, I am always hoping I’ll write just such a line. I guess we all do. Screen writers and book authors. We want to leave an impression. To touch someone, perhaps in places they’ve not been touched in a long time, if ever.

If you are into romance, you sigh when the hero says something truly sweet or loving. But even outside of the romance genre, there are moments when our heroes show a softer side of themselves. Like this quote from The History of Love by Nicole Krauss: “Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” And while anyone who has seen the movie When Harry Met Sally clearly remembers the diner scene where Sally goes out of her way to prove that men can’t tell when a woman is faking an orgasm and can quote the other diner’s line, “I’ll have what she’s having.” The most touching quote from the movie is Harry’s declaration of love:

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
                              

So here’s the question I mentioned above: What is the most loving, the sweetest, or most unforgettable thing your hero/husband/sweetheart has ever said to you? I'll put all the names into that hat I mentioned - probably a Stetson considering cowboys make great heroes and some of them are pretty sweet talkers - and draw one to win the goodie bag.