New Release: WILLA'S WISH

Willa’s Wish by Marie Harte

Previous Book: Satyr’s Mist
Genre: Multicultural Erotic Contemporary
Length: Holiday Kiss

Thanks to Tyrone's unasked for interference, his boss and friend, Rick Hastings, has finally found true love. With Rick stateside for the holidays, Ty is left to manage Satyr's Myst, an exclusive pleasure resort where anything goes. He's too busy to indulge in anything not business related, but Ty can't get his mind off of Rick's new hire, Willa Trainor.

Willa distracts him in way that makes him uneasy. More than her sinful body and alluring face, the beauty within the woman tempts him more than she should. She's a stranger, for all that he wants her. And Ty's been hurt before. But Willa isn't who he thinks she is. She's more than a sexy bombshell with a desire that matches his. She's the woman whose childhood crush blossomed into soul deep love.

Despite Ty's desire to leave the past in its place, Willa's not willing to be ignored. Because when the truth comes out, Willa's not taking no for an answer, not when she's finally come to claim her man.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, homoerotic sexual practices (m/m, f/f), ménage (m/f/m, f/f/m), voyeurism.

The book is short, but it packs a punch! You can find it at Loose Id.

Feral Attraction and a new contest

How exciting! I just received my copies of Feral Attraction from Samhain today, and they are beautiful!!! The book is supposed to be released Jan 27, 2009. I hope to do a few book signings to promote it, even though my last signing was nerve wracking. I'm not into pushing myself on others. "Hey, it's a good book. You want enjoyment, buy it. You aren't into romance, don't." Not exactly a killer sales pitch, but with a cover like this, I might not need one.

Two cat shifter stories bound together for one delightful read. Hmm, that sounds a little better..

To celebrate my new release, I'm going to give away a free copy of Feral Attraction. Simply post a comment on any of my posts this week to be entered to win. I'll announce the winner Friday. Good Luck!

What to Say

I posted yesterday at Hitting the Hot Spot. As the holidays draw near, it becomes increasingly hard for me to focus on the blog. Natural, I suppose, since the energy in the house is swirling around Christmas, presents, and the ever-growing naughty list Santa must be keeping.

My Christmas shopping is done. I wait until Christmas Eve to wrap presents, when I'm full of good cheer, some wine or kicked up eggnog, and Christmas music. It's hard this year because the weather turned from cold to warm and now it's veering on cold again. Growing up in the North, I was used to white Christmases. No longer, and it bums me out. Still, we have the entire family together for the holiday, and it's fun to see the college boy really hasn't changed all that much. He still needs lessons in hygiene (ech), spends too much time playing video games and is eating us out of house and home, despite his lean frame. The teenage girl is just as bad, and the youngsters nervous excitement continues to broil into fights, teary apologies and surprising laughter as they start a new game together.

It's nice to be with loved ones, especially during this time, and my heart goes out to all those who've lost someone special. Holidays can be good and bad. I'll wish my deceased Grandma a Merry Christmas, knowing she's probably up in heaven bossing around the kitchen staff. But that woman made a mean holiday soup, and she had a heart as big as the moon.

Here's hoping you all share a warm holiday. Drink some cocoa, play a few games with friends and get ready for a new year. And lest I forget the most important part of Christmas, God bless and happy birthday Jesus. To those who don't celebrate it, wishing you a wonderful season filled with joy.

Cheers!

Marie

Technological Advancement in Cats

(Make sure your sound is turned up) This is too funny. Why the printer won't work.

...Only four more days until Christmas!

In a Nutshell

Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few

That really says it all, doesn't it?
For more demotivators, click on the picture for their website. Hilarious...

I've Been Remiss...

Oh boy. I've been remiss in posting lately, haven't I? With the holidays and family coming to visit, I've been a bit off my game.

But several pending items will be taken care of by the end of the week:
1. My newsletter will be going out
2. My final edits for Circe's Recruits: Zack & Ace will be done
3. I'll be posting more regularly
4. I'll be awarding to more newsletter subscribers with ebooks
5. I'll have the last of my Christmas shopping done

Hope everyone out in cyberland is doing well. Read a romance, take a bubble bath, eat some chocolates and relax. Ho ho ho.

Marie

Sparse Posts and Odds and Ends

I've been a little discombobulated lately. My mother is in town, and I've been having a wonderful time while we Christmas shop and visit, but she's staying in the room with the computer, so I've been lax editing, writing and posting. I'm now on my laptop in the dining room, in a place not conducive to creativity unless you're talking about how to avoid eating your dinner. My children have come up with some whoppers trying to weasel out of nutritious meals in favor of cookies and the like.

In any case, I'll be on and off the computer while my mom visits. I will say I've been doing a fair bit of decorating. Oh, and I received my copy of Romance Sells, a catalog of upcoming romance books for booksellers and librarians. Feral Attraction is coming out in print in Jan 2009 from Samhain. It's an anthology with my story, Rachel's Totem in it, and I can't wait to see my copies.

Another school bus is pulling up to the door. Gotta go. More tomorrow...

New Cover: WIlla's Wish

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for the holiday stories! This year I've written something for Loose Id entitled Willa's Wish. I took a secondary character from Satyr's Myst and gave him his own story. Here's a short blurb...

Thanks to Tyrone’s unasked for interference, his boss and friend, Rick Hastings (from Satyr's Myst) has finally found true love. With Rick stateside for the holidays, Ty is left to manage Satyr's Myst, an exclusive pleasure resort where anything goes. He's too busy to indulge in anything not business related, but Ty can't get his mind off of Rick's new hire, Willa Trainor.

Willa distracts him in way that makes him uneasy. More than her sinful body and alluring face, the beauty within the woman tempts him more than she should. She's a stranger, for all that he wants her. And Ty's been hurt before. But Willa isn’t who he thinks she is. She’s more than a sexy bombshell with a desire that matches his. She’s the woman whose childhood crush blossomed into soul deep love. Despite Trevor’s desire to leave the past in its place, Willa’s not willing to be ignored. Because when the truth comes out, Willa’s not taking no for an answer, not when she’s finally come to claim her man.

Willa's Wish is a New Year's story, and releases December 30th, just in time for the holiday! I'm really excited about this book. The story flowed really well and is pretty steam for a short story. Then again, what would you expect from a tale that takes place on a pleasure resort? There's intimacy, steamy lovemaking, and of course love between the hero and heroine. I only had one small issue with this piece...

The covers for Loose Id's holiday shorts are standard, as in, all the covers look the same except for the author and title. That makes sense. It's holiday time and you know you'll be getting a Loose Id Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, etc. story that's short--only so many words long. I love the cover, so that was not a problem for me...except that my hero isn't Caucasian. Yep, Tyrone is African American, and I'm wondering if readers will mind only because the cover leads them to expect something else.

I've read books before that have a heroine with long blond hair, yet in the book her hair is red. Or the hero is blond and buff when in the book he's a lean, black-haired Lothario. I admit to being taken aback, but as long as the story is good, I don't mind so much. But what about you? Is it a big deal or isn't it?

Curious....

A Christmas Joke

First Christmas Joke of the Season Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. "In honor of this holy season" Saint Peter said,"You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven." The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle", he said. "You may pass through the pearly gates" Saint Peter said. The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells." Saint Peter said "You may pass through the pearly gates". The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties. St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?" The man replied, "These are Carols." And So The Christmas Season Begins.......

The 4th Quarter Prize

This is what Tara won. There are a lot of books by some great authors in here. (Hey, I don't mess around. When I have a big contest, I offer a whopper of a prize.)

Eva won ebooks from authors like Mandy Roth, Jaid Black, Bianca D'Arc, Me :) , Sydney Somers, Red Garnier, Trista Ann Michaels, Sherill Quinn, Louisa Trent and more.

Thanks again to all who participated. Happy Holidays!

4th Quarter Winners!

Thank you to all who participated in the 4th Quarter Contest. In celebration of the holidays, I've randomly chosen 2 winners. (Thank my husband for picking the numbers corresponding to your emails!).

Congratulations to Tara Gibbs, who will be receiving a box of books, and to Eva from Finland, who's won a bundle of ebooks.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And from me personally, a very merry Christmas!!

That Missing Copy

Well, tonight was an experience. A fun one, I might add. My husband and I had a date night. We checked out a new steak restaurant called The Chop Shop. Holy crap, talk about a fillet to die for. During dinner, we talked like real people. I didn't once yell at him to eat his dinner, and he didn't encourage me to stop playing with my food. (Yes, I have small children.)

After dinner, pleasant conversation, and a nice red Zinfandel, we walked along the newly constructed "rich" section of the mall on our way to Barnes & Noble, where I intended to buy some of my daughter's Christmas presents.

On the way, we stopped in a kitchen store, then Coldwater Creek, a clothing store that has pants that fit me just right. I had a holiday coupon with me and couldn't resist a pair...Oh right, so there I was, Christmas shopping and buying myself pants.

We finally hit B&N. A nice store, larger since it's moved from its previous location. I like their romance section. I found my daughter some books, and myself one as well. Then my husband looked up my name in the computer for fun. Lo and behold, the store had a copy, IN STOCK, of I Dream of Dragons, Vol. 1. Needless to say I was totally excited to see it on the shelf, except it wasn't there. I'm hoping someone bought the lone copy, instead of dropping it in the children's section or some other asinine place not meant for romance.

Also of interest was the fact that my new book (with Paige McKellan), Feral Attraction, was listed in the B&N computer. It shows as being available as early as Jan 1, 2009, but Samhain isn't releasing it until Jan 27th, 2009. So we'll see how that works. I might do a signing in January or Feb, hoping that will pull the book in the store. And I just received some kick-*ss bookmarks for said book, so I'm dying to give them away.

All in all, a fruitful night. I was able to act like an adult and enjoy my husband's company. We ended it with a hot chocolate, and to all a good night.

Contest Ending Friday!!!

Hey Guys! Don't forget!! My contest ends this Friday. You only have to answer a simple question about what you like to read to be entered to win. U.S. winners will receive a box full of brand-spankin' new books, while non-U.S. winners will receive two dozen or more ebooks, from authors I love.

Click here for details.

Finally, a Good Day

I'm feeling very centered today. I've dropped off the kid, fueled up the car, and done loads of laundry and dishes. I even managed to mail a few things I'd been procrastinating and have my holiday stamps.

Now it's off to the races writing!
1. Finish edits on Circe's Recruits: Zack & Ace
2. Work on Circe's Recruits: Derrick
3. Clean up house, organize
4. Finish organizing desk


What a lovely Tuesday!!! Hope yours works as well for you.

Monday Mugging

Great Monday. Instead of working, I'm dealing with administrative crap. Yippee.
Ack.

An Early Resolution

Well, I had my coffee, so I feel able to post something that should make sense. I just spent 2 hours on I20 driving to pick up my daughter from South Carolina, and I'm pleased to say the traffic wasn't too bad. The weather today is gloomy, just perfect to read a book, watch a movie or sleep under a mountain of covers.

I haven't been writing as much lately, due to the holiday, but Monday is just around the corner. Am I wrong in wanting to shout, "WOO HOO"? Hey, as I see it, it's a win-win. My lovely children go back to school, and I go back to writing at a decent hour.

I've also started running again, if you could call it that. Granted, it was more a walk/run this morning, but I actually exercised. I refuse to wait until the new year to "resolve" to get into better shape. Better to do it now and stick with it, I say.

And have I mentioned that my mother is coming to visit next week? I love my mom, but I cringe at hearing "you've put on some weight." It's hard to have a mother's who's a beanpole. The woman is like 115 soaking wet, and she complains she's gained weight. Whatever. My problem, I take after my dad when it comes to weight gain. What can I say? I've never met a donut I didn't like. And down here, there's "sweet" attached to everything--sweet tea, sweet potato pie, Crispy Cremes (well, that glaze is sweet.)

Oh crap. I just posted this on the wrong blog. Okay, now it's fixed. *sigh* I need another cup of java. Enough of my blather, now it's time to get back to work...

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

OCD--Obsessive Computer Disorder

I'm not normally an obsessive person. But I had toyed with WordPress in the past, and decided to try my hand at an upgrade a few weeks back. A total nightmare. The practice site I created vanished under error messages and inaccessible codes.

So stupid me decided to try it AGAIN last night. I was up until 4 in the morning, but I got the site up and running. I lost all my old themes (different WordPress templates or backgrounds) so I spent a lot of time going through more on the Web. I set up a ratty looking website, just to see what my Marie Harte website might look like.

You'll notice I haven't changed my website yet. I don't know that I will. I need some better graphics, but I definitely need a site I can maintain myself. When I have changes, I have a lot or a little, and I don't plan on paying through the nose to change an "a" to a "the."

So that was my night. A waste of time? You bet. Especially because I'm hurrying to finish a free read for Samhain due Friday. Wish me luck.

Bonding with Bond

My take on the newest James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace... ROCKIN'!!!

This movie takes off where the last left off, the first Bond sequel to be made. The title was taken from an Ian Fleming short story, but the movie was written strictly for film.

Why are so many people complaining about it? Because Bond has depth. He doesn't sleep with a dozen scantily clad women. There aren't gadgets and gizmos aplenty. No cool car that can shave ice while defusing a nuclear bomb. Instead, Solace gives us a Bond that's rough, driven and cathartic. You can almost see his emotional growth as he deals with the pain of Vesper's death and betrayal. I thought the storyline was wonderfully done, tying in Bond's private drama with an intense, plausible plot.

While I liked Casino Royale better, this is a must see for any Bond fan or action-adventure movie lover. Terrific chases, locales, and a stellar leading lady (Olga Kuryenko). M (Dame Judi Dench) is wonderful, as always. I can't say enough about this movie, but that to give it it's due, it's a must see. And it goes without saying that Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond to date--sorry Sean.

It's an 11/10 for violence, 10/10 for acting, and an 8/10 for the storyline. A-/B+

Wonder Woman I Am Not

Check out my funny post at Hitting the Hot Spot today. Talk about a guest blogging marathon!!

Blogging at Samhain Today

Come on over to the Samhain blog today, where I'm posting about the Death of Vanilla.

Yum. Enjoy, and happy Friday!

Marie

Just For Fun

A naughty holiday joke to break up the work week. I think it's hilarious.

A family is at the dinner table. The son asks his father, "Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?"

The father, surprised, answers, "Well, son, a woman goes through three phases. In her 20s, a woman's boobs are like melons, round and firm. In her 30s to 40s, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After 50, they are like onions."

"Onions?"

"Yes, you see them and they make you cry."

This infuriates his wife and daughter, so the daughter asks, "Mom, how many kinds of 'willies' are there?"

The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, "Well dear, a man goes through three phases also. In his 20s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his 30s and 40s, it is like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 50s, it is like a Christmas tree."

"A Christmas tree?"

"Yes -- dead from the root up and the balls are just for decoration."

New Release: CIRCE'S RECRUITS: ROANE

CIRCE'S RECRUITS: ROANE releases today from Loose Id.
I'm also guest blogging at Novel Thoughts today, and one lucky commenter will win a free download, announced later tonight at Novel Thoughts.

Novel Thoughts

Reminder!! Don't forget, I'll be guest blogging tomorrow at Novel Thoughts, where I'll be giving away a free copy of Circe's Recruits: Roane, due out tomorrow from Loose Id. Please stop on by and comment for a chance to win a download.

4th Quarter Contest is Here!

The end of the year is near, and to celebrate I'm giving away a TON of new books. Nothing like finding a new author or story to make your day complete. It's an easy contest. Simply answer the following question to be entered to win.**

What's your favorite genre (of romance) and why?

Send your answer to marie_harte@yahoo.com for a chance to win. Contest ends Dec 3rd, so I can mail the prize and avoid the holiday rush.

**Note, winners outside the continental United States will win a "package" of ebooks, to equal that of the prize being awarded in print books. Well over 2 dozen!

Because I Said So

There was a time when the phrase "Jump" was answered with an immediate "How high?" Of course, any officer worth her salt never ordered for the sake of ordering. But the days of telling someone to do something without a question in response are LONG gone.

It started when I got married. Continued through small children, who grew into teens, a job with harried truck driver, some of whom didn't understand the words "customer" and "service" go hand in hand, and has trickled down to a 3- and 5-year-old who think they rule the world. No longer do I issue non-judicial punishments or office hours. Instead it's time in the corner, a lack of TV or computer games, or the requisite spanking. And yes, I am all for hands-on discipline.

The military makes thing simple. In a five paragraph order, the mission statement tells the 5 w's: when, who, what, where and why. It's spelled out in black and white, in traditions carried out with pride. When a superior wants answers, you give them. When a subordinate is tasked with an agenda, that subordinate gets back to you or suffers the consequences. Questions don't go unanswered, phone calls are returned and plans stick to specified timetables.

Unlike the real world, and specifically unlike the world of publishing.

Agents and editors "lose" manuscripts, authors don't read submission guidelines and waste everybody's time. People miss deadlines and readers are at times stuck with badly edited, and worse, badly written books they shelled out good money for.

My answer? Throw in a couple of "Yes Sirs" and "Yes Ma'ams," institute a policy of mandatory good customer service, and punish offenders by throwing them in the brig. A fantasy land? Sure, but one can always hope. Sometimes I really miss the Marine Corps...

More Release Joy

It’s out. It’s available. It’s finally here. The release of a new book is always a reason to celebrate. As a reader, it means there’s something new to discover. Love and romance, sex and action. As an author, it’s that final journey, from the idea seedling to the fruitful expression of labor.

I’ve been waiting a long time to see my characters find a happy ending. It all started with the idea of a family. Four brothers who must find a way to defend their homeland and the people they love. This was my first attempt at a series.

I don’t know how other authors do it. Several of my books I had intended to be stand-alone, when a secondary character would shout out for a sequel. In the Storm Lords universe, I’d always intended a series. The tale of good versus bad, but not necessarily light versus dark.

So I created the Storm Lords. In this case, they are the Royal Four, the last surviving Light Bringer warriors who harness elemental energy. Identical quadruplets who are tall, dark and handsome. Oh yeah. That had “potential” written all over it. Just into the story, however, I knew the series would be told over five books. Each brother had his own story. The Prince of Fire, the River Prince, the Wind Mage and the Earth Lord. But there was something more, a huge presence keeping them together. Their uncle, a powerful sorcerer, ageless yet ancient. Arim Valens.

In the four books preceding Guardian’s Redemption, Arim guided his nephews and fought against the evil plaguing his land. He was always a strong, sensual presence. I knew he’d be a main part of the resolution in the overall story arc of the books.

He had a past never before explored, but hinted at. And so in this last volume, Arim will deal with his past, and in so doing, cement his future. The line between friend and enemy will blur, and a startling truth comes to light. The chance for love, for redemption, is there, if only Arim has the courage to reach for it and surrender to his feelings.

Want to find out how it ends? Buy the book!!!