Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Interview with Richard Cerqueira - Part two

What do you enjoy most about your profession? What do you enjoy the least?
I enjoy the praise and attention. The pay for cover modeling is not very good (even if it’s a national magazine like Esquire) they figure it’s a bit of a privilege to be on the cover and that it’s self- promoting so the pay is very limited. For mainstream modeling however the pay is wonderful as well as the locations you shoot in and the perks you get; from celebrity packed parties at VIP rooms to expensive free designer clothes. Another fun thing is that once in a while someone recognizes you on the street and asks for a picture and/or autograph; sure is flattering. The part I like the least is the irregularity of work, you can go long lengths of time without booking any jobs, the same down sides apply for actors. I also don’t like to always have to watch what I eat and constantly have to maintain my body in such great shape. I love the way being in great shape feels and looks, but believe me I would also like to just take it easy and eat anything and everything I want for a while and just take a along vacation from the gym.
What was your most enjoyable shoot? Your funniest?
I can’t recall any particular shoot that has been the most enjoyable, but I will say this much, when the model you work with is beautiful inside and out, and you and she click, the time just flies by and the pictures look that much better. The funniest shoot, if you can call it that, was for a cover that I was dressed as a Native American Indian and had to wear real Indian clothes. Well, if you know anything about some tribes’ clothes, there isn’t much there, I was nearly naked for the shoot, bare assed with just a minimal piece of suede covering my goods…we all laughed at my getup when I came out of the dressing room. I had to re-adjust the outfit with every pose to keep from having a “wardrobe malfunction”.
How long a day do you generally work?
I no longer model full time, when I did it was like any other job, a full day that sometimes had great rewards and sometimes seemed like an exercise in futility. A book cover shoot takes only about an hour, so you can easily do several in a day if booked. Are there certain times of the year when you’re busier than others? Summertime is the busy time for the modeling industry, but it is really very irregular.
If you had to pick a favorite picture of yourself, what would it be?
A photographer by the name of John Falocco has taken several series of photos of me mainly in black and white. There is one photo of myself, where I am wearing striped, spandex shorts and I am pulling the shorts down to just the point where there is nothing X-rated showing yet sexuality is clearly implied. In this photo I was at probably the most fit I have ever been. It's an old photo, taken basically when I got started in modeling, but it is probably my favorite to this day.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to put more energy into trying to land an acting job. I have gotten several requests to audition for a few daytime soaps as a leading man, but so far, nothing has panned out. I also have a fledgling Jeep parts business where I sell components that I have actually designed myself, so I have hopes that one day I will be able to generate substantial income from this labor of love. Of course, I’ll continue to model and acting just as long as they keep asking me to regardless of what I do in the future.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Interview with Richard Cerqueira, Cover Model

It's February, and with Valentine's Day coming, I thought what better way to mark the day than with an interview with Richard Cerqueira, tall, dark and hot! This is the first part of the interview. Tune in tomorrow for Part Two.
Check my website for a picture and info on a Contest to win an autographed full-colored bookmark with a lucious picture of Richard and a set of homemade bookmarks!


Tell us a little about yourself first. Where you were born, family, hobbies, your education. What’s your sign? (LOL)
I was born in Elmhurst, Queens NY. My father was born in Portugal, and my mother was born in Brazil. I have a brother who is three years my junior and a sister who is only five years old. As far as hobbies, I love to create things; as such, I enjoy occupying my spare time with anything that has to do with designing, and fabricating. I am especially fond of home improvements and automotive customization; my main interest as of late has been Jeeps. I enrolled as a full time student at St. John’s University where I was a pre-med and fine arts student. I graduated with a BS in biology and a minor in fine art… I earned a master’s degree in cellular biology from Adelphi University… I have also completed several acting courses at three different drama schools in NYC. By the way, I am an Aries, born on April 17th.
When did you decide you wanted to become a cover model? Was it tough breaking into the business?

I really didn’t decide I wanted to be one, I was basically invited. At the time of my first cover, I was a fledgling TV actor and a part time mainstream model. I was doing skits on most of the then novelty daytime TV talk shows. Often acting wasn’t even involved; duties varied from dressing like an Egyptian slave carrying Cybil Shepard (Cleopatra) out to Rosie O'Donnell’s stage, to getting in bed with a sexy female model on the Ricki Lake Show while pretending to be a stuck-up lover that had very little to be stuck up about. On one of the shows that I worked on a nearly daily basis, The Richard Bey Show, Mr. Curvin Krout, a former Ford Models talent scout got in touch with the show’s producers and informed them that he was interested in working with me. In no time, he had me meet with a Media Photo Group studio rep, and about a week later, I did my first cover with Pino himself (the artist responsible for Fabio’s fame). After that, one cover just led to another.
How do you maintain that great body? Did you always have such a terrific physique? It’s the same for me as with anyone else, I eat healthy, either by watching my caloric intake or with a no-carbohydrate diet, and I go to the gym. I was never very athletic, but I always loved to bike and I love to ski. I would say my body has always been pretty good since I have always controlled the amount I consumed even before I really realized that this was the key to staying fit. Eating just the right amount seemed to come naturally; perhaps it was due to my rather attractive and vain parents’ upbringing or just my ability to recognize my body’s needs and not to over saturate it with that which it did not. My arms have always been muscular, so with heavy training they just responded that much better than most.
Tell us about your first big break. When was it? Did you feel nervous? And, inquiring minds want to know, was it with or without a shirt? It was a few years ago now. I think it’s been almost 10 years since my first cover…jeez time flies. I was very nervous, I didn’t know what to do. I also wanted to look as pumped up and lean as possible, so holding my muscles at maximum tension was on my mind the whole time we were shooting. It was quite awkward (but in a good way) to be in these very romantic embraces with a girl that I had only met for the first time a few minutes prior. I needed a lot of direction that first time, and I was eager to impress, the photographer, artist and female model. I think I succeeded, the cover came out very good… one of my nicer book covers I think. Of course the photographer, artist and other model also played a large role in that cover’s success. I was shirtless and was quite muscular and lean at the time since I was also a full time fitness and fashion model in addition to working on the TV shows, which we shot 99% of the time with no shirt on and wearing only skimpy hot shorts and construction boots.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Keep those words a-rolling! LOL. Finally, on a roll. The story is moving and I am soooo relieved! Got to step up the action a bit, but it's good to feel like I'm in groove.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Thoughts on Promotion

After spending an entire week focused on promotional chats, I've decided that they're fun, but, boy, they take a lot of work! I'm not just talking about the time over the course of 24 hours when you're out there chatting. Getting excerpts and fun stuff ready to add some spice can take a sizeable amount of time. But the benefit you get out of touching base with readers and other writers makes up for it. Just wish I had more time to make up the time I lost with my writing that I spent communicating.
Jeanne

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Four Unicorn Review for "Silver Fire" from Enchanted in Romance

From Rachelle at "Enchanted in Romance" reviews
The two lovers in this story both had beautiful personalities. Both dedicated to each other and loving to a fault. They are talented musicians with Mirelle playing an instrument similar to the human harp and Jareth being blessed with a voice of an angel... Overall the fates knew what they were doing when the destined these two for each other.

Silver Fire is a whimsical tale that will draw readers who believe in fairytales, the battle between good and evil, and the ultimate happy ending. Full of suspense, the beautiful fantasy world created by this author is delightful and intriguing. Fantasy fans will unquestionably want to add this to their collection and find pleasure in the time it take to submerge themselves in the story.

How do You Like Me Now?

Well, you probably figured out I didn't do the facelift. A wonderful web designer did!
Her name is Frauke and she is a wizard!
Visit my home page at www.jeannebarrack.com to see more of her work!
Thanks,Frauke!!!!
Jeanne

We're getting a facelift!

At least I hope so.
The totally incompetent PC dumb-sumb is going to try and change the look of the Blog
Wish me luck!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

A Song for the Sidhe

This is just a test to see if I can post the link to the song that inspired my St. Patrick's Day story for Loose Id. The song is sung by Mary O'Hara, a wonderful performer who plays the Irish Harp.
http://rhaplinks.listen.com/rhaplink?playlist=&cobrand=40134&tracks=6171482