Bond, James Bond

I've always been in love with James Bond. Every Christmas growing up we'd huddle around the telly with yet more bowls of Christmas Trifle, and watch a Bond movie. It was, and still is, one of my favourite Christmas Traditions. When I was about ten, I started reading the books, and devoured them greedily. I loved Bond, I loved Ian Fleming's terse, incisive writing. And of course, Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, with the most terrifying villan of them all, the childcatcher. When I wasn't cowering behind the sofa hiding from the Daleks, I was hiding behind the sofa hiding from the childcatcher. And I wasn't alone. Everyone did.

Nowadays, the actors depicting Bond are vital research in the Romance Community. Everyone has their favorite, and I'd have to admit to liking Brosnan best. Bond has a very interesting character arc, he really doesn't seem to progress... He's a dinosaur, a tough, alpha anacronism, but the hints of depth revealed in the films are explored more fully in the books, and his inner demons torment him terribly.

Anyway, why, I hear you ask, am I writing about James? Because, dear reader, I've heard wonderful news. Jeffery Deaver, in my opinion one of the best writers on the planet writing today (I last blogged about him in September 2009, scroll down if you've forgotten) has been contracted to write the next James Bond book!

It's a win, win situation - for me, anyway. But for those who clicked onto the blog, looking for something else, here they are. Pictures of Bond.... Enjoy!

And as a special extra, I give you the actor first approached to play James in Dr. No, who turned it down because, at 58 he reckoned he was too old! The part went instead to Sean Connery.

So, everyone - who's your favourite?