Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

The Dog

Today, Floyd went scouting for good duck hunting spots with my husband, who has the week off. Thought I'd share a picture of the old lab staring out at a lake with hunger in his eyes. He really, really, really loves to swim. And for the discerning types out there, no, this post has nothing whatsoever to do with writing. Ha. Take that.

Win Category Romances: Bundle #4 Contest

SCARY SEASON BUNDLE #4*

For you category readers... To be entered to win this next bundle of romance, answer the following question:

**What's the appeal of category romance?

Send your answer to marie_harte@yahoo.com with BUNDLE #4 in the subject line. Contest Ends November 1st!

*The bundle of books is only a valid prize for those entrants who live in the continental U.S. International readers, please see my website for the current gift certificate contest.

Anthologies, Anyone?

I'm at The Romance Studio today blogging about Anthologies. Feel free to add your two cents, as well as any recommendations for anthologies you liked. I personally loved Hot for the Holidays, with stories from Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, Anya Bast and Allyson James. Yep, I added it to my keeper shelf. :)

Free Reads

Well, I was going to post today about authors who say they write romance but don't. A friend and I got together last night over coffee to discuss this topic, and both of us were more than annoyed with this current trend of using loyal romance readers to boost sales among books that are NOT necessarily romance, but fiction with romantic elements. Alas, I will not bore you with this topic today. I'm saving up for tomorrow.

Instead, I'd like to share some terrific free reads. Samhain is having a Halloween celebration by giving away free reads during this month. If you haven't checked them out, you're missing out. Terrific authors with short, FREE stories. What's not to like? No obligation to buy, no annoying spam. It's a way for authors to market their skills, teasing with shorter stories to get you hooked on their writing. Great promotional tool!

Click on this link for details on Samhain's stories.
And for free reads from my website, click here and scroll down to "Free Reads".

Zombieland: A Movie Review

I like to post movie reviews when I've seen something worth talking about, good or bad. Zombieland delivers what it promises, but don't believe all the hype.

In a world where most everyone is a zombie, a few humans unaffected by the virus that turned everyone mucho disgusto manage to work together on what is basically a road trip of a movie.

The casting really worked. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin were terrific. The action was decent, but the pacing felt off. The characters have a destination in mind but are sidetracked by some funny but unnecessary scenes that slowed down the pace for me. And I still don't get the huge scene with a big star toward the end. That really made little sense except to act as filler. Kind of goofy, and it detracted from the movie.

The gore factor is high. Harrelson kills as many zombies as he can in the most disgusting fashion. I liked it. So what does that say about me? The movie isn't scary at all. Its comedic tones work well. There were several moments where I had to work REALLY hard to suspend disbelief. Like, if you're going to avoid detection from an entire city of zombies, would you really power up a theme park that can be seen and heard for miles? And how did they power the thing up in the first place if people aren't around to make the electricity work? And how did they ride the rides without someone there to turn them on? Or do the rides run on a timer? Ack. That last scene really bugged me.

My biggest problem is that this movie was hyped to be so incredible when in reality it was entertaining but not stellar. I didn't leave gasping, thoughtful, or overwhelmed with feeling, not that I anticipated being weepy or anything. But sometimes when you see a movie that's great, it stays with you for a while after seeing it. Mine felt like a Chinese meal. Five minutes after seeing it, I was hungry for something more.

All in all, I can't complain. For two hours I was entertained, though I wish I would have paid the matinee fee instead.

Overall, B+.

Talking about Covers

Yesterday I blogged at Hitting the Hot Spot about wacky titles. Today I'm talking about bizarro covers at Samhain's blog. Come on over and comment.

Bundle #3 Winner

Congrats to Pam P. for winning the bundle. Thanks to everyone who participated, and check out the next contest tomorrow.

Hitting the Hot Spot Today

I'm at Hitting the Hot Spot today talking about wacky titles. Check it out.

Surrogates, A Review

(I'm going to plagiarize myself and repost what I blogged about on another site a few days ago. The content still applies.)

I thought I'd review Surrogates, a movie currently playing in theaters. It's a mystery with a bit of sci-fi and suspense expertly woven throughout the story.

The gist of this film is that humanity no longer lives and experiences anything themselves. They use surrogates, robotic hybrids, to live for them. Humans connect to these robots via a device (that looks like a funky LazyBoy) while they sit at home in bathrobes. No lie. Most every human in the movie wore pajamas while at home.

The premise is interesting in and of itself. Imagine being able to leap tall buildings, fall from a bridge or rooftop, or swim for hours. The surrogate may die, but the human will not. Cool...and in comes the suspense. Because a surrogate dies, and its human dies with it. Cops die via their surrogates. A super-secret weapon is exposed. Rebel human factions (the Dreads) enter the fray, convinced surrogates are the enemy. More people die, more threats are exposed.

I was interested from the get-go and the movie kept me fascinated throughout. There's mystery, character growth (the hero and his wife have issues, an interesting dynamic), and a general thought-provoking concept making you wonder whether robots will help or harm humanity in the long run. When exactly do we as a people lose ourselves in technology? Are we losing ourselves now, I ask myself as I type on my computer?

It's a definite must see if you like to think about what-if's. The acting was decent, the plot fast paced and somewhat predictable, though not an easy guess. I'd give it a strong B+. There's violence, so it's not for the squeamish, but not much gore past the green goo that oozes from the surrogates.

Check out Surrogates. You won't be disappointed. And just in case you were wondering, this movie is NOT for small children. The rating is PG-13.

Caging the Beast, New Release!

Today, Caging the Beast, a m/m futuristic romance, releases from Total E-Bound. It's fast paced, adventurous, and deals with a bit of light dominance. The book has some reappearing characters from Creation's Control, but is completely stand-alone.

Here's a blurb.

Zachem'zen is known in the slave pens as ‘the beast.’ A brawler of planetary renown, he’s never been beaten. He was designed to be stronger than the strongest in the System. A Creation on the run from peacemakers, he trusted the wrong people and wound up a slave on Colony6. He’s never been happy, but he’s been content to bide his escape. Until a new prisoner rocks his world. Tarn’s dominant desire makes him hungry for more. The passion between them burns hot, but Zachem has no intention of being anyone’s slave for much longer. The commanding Tarn, however, has other ideas.

To read an excerpt, click here. Happy Monday!

Bundle #3 Contest

SCARY SEASON BUNDLE #3*

For you thriller buffs... To be entered to win this next bundle of fiction (not romance) from Allison Brennan, Michelle Gagnon and Cody McFadyen, answer the following questions:

**What's your favorite blend of scare factor? Gore, tension, the supernatural? Does there have to be a monster in it?

Send your answer to marie_harte@yahoo.com with BUNDLE #3 in the subject line. Contest Ends October 21st!

[As a bonus, I'll throw in four (used) historical romances as well, since, heck, I'm all about the romance: The Marshall Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan, The Wedding Bargain by Victoria Alexander, Surrender to a Scoundrel by Julianne MacLean, and Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare.]

*The bundle of books is only a valid prize for those entrants who live in the continental U.S.

~~~

For international readers only: Answer the following questions to be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to Loose Id, as well as a $15 Barnes & Noble gift certificate.

*What's your favorite blend of scare factor? Gore, tension, the supernatural? Does there have to be a monster in it?

Send your answer to marie_harte@yahoo.com with BUNDLE #3 in the subject line. And because I'm curious, tell me where you're from! Contest Ends October 28th!

Prizes must be claimed within 30 days. Email me for details at marie_harte@yahoo.com.

My-Who?

FYI...I'm canceling my MySpace account. Many of you may be saying, what? You had a MySpace account? No kidding. Yeah, that's why I'm canceling it. I didn't use it anyway. And I frankly don't get the whole "friending" thing. Not a Facebooker either. I have too much crap to distract me around the house as it is. I don't need more electronic reasons to skip out on writing and housework. Ugh...

Marie

The Winner is Announced!

Congrats to Lindsey E. for winning this bundle of books! Thanks to all who participated, and check out my next bundle of books contest, coming up tomorrow. For you international readers, be sure to visit my website for details on my gift certificate contest.

One of THOSE Days

They call it Monday for a reason. Well, yeah, as in, "day of the moon", but also because Monday means, to most people, that crappy beginning of the work week following Sunday. It started out with my kids fighting with each other, progressed through a rain storm and a needless hour and a half wait at the car dealership, only to learn that my car stereo is fine, I'm just an idiot who can't understand what a subwoofer does. (The actual dealership was really nice about things. I just felt stupid wasting my time on a car stereo that works.)

I did get to eat lunch with my son, however, which was nice. Except when I arrived home, I noticed I was wearing two different earrings. Hopefully if anyone noticed they'll attribute my one red gem and one blue gem stud-look as something contemporary or artsy, and not just plain stupid. I can only hope I wasn't also walking around with toilet paper stuck to my shoe or spinach stuck between my teeth. The way my day's been, anything's possible.

Yeah, one of THOSE days.

A New Banner??

Okay, so this is a new banner I created for my new Circ series, titled Dawn Endeavor. I'll start writing the first book next month! I'm very excited.

I wanted to showcase this new series and created an animated banner. Problem is, my animations never seem to work in Bloggerland. Ah, well. This is the front of the banner. On the back I listed the (tentative) titles. Since you can't see them, here they are:

Fallon's Flame
Hayashi's Hero
Julian's Jeopardy
Gunnar's Game

I just have to finish this current WIP before I can get to my new Circs. I have no doubt they're going to be a huge pain in the *ss. The last group were, but they make happy endings work, so who the heck am I to step in the way of progress?

Have a great weekend, and more tomorrow.

NEW CONTEST!! Win some print books, it's easy

Time for another contest! No, you won't win a trophy. By entering, you're eligible to win the following print books: Private Places (antho with Robin Schone, Claudia Dane, Allyson James and Shiloh Walker), Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks, Chains by Shiloh Walker, and Running Wild by Sarah McCarty. These are erotic romances and terrific reads.

To enter to win*, email your answer to marie_harte@yahoo.com . Contest ENDS Oct 13th.

The question: What do you like to see/not see in an author's website?

It's that simple. Note: This contest is for U.S. residents only. To all those outside the U.S., please check my website for the giftcard contest coming next week. I hate to exclude anyone, but postage is killer. Trust me, the last time I mailed a package to the Philippines, it cost more than the prize!

Coincidence?

Lately, I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on In Plain Sight, a book that takes place in my fictional world of Cougar Falls, and that came out with Samhain last April.

I'm always curious when folks read something so much later after its release date. I know I normally read what's current unless I'm jonesing for some material and can't find anything I like. Then I'll hunt down authors I've read and check out their backlists. Or I'll painstakingly scroll through Fictionwise titles looking for new-to-me authors.

Just this week, and it's only Tuesday, five people have mentioned my Cougar Falls stories. Now, that may not seem like a lot to you, but it's a lot to me considering the stories haven't been out for months. So I'm thinking, maybe it's a sign I should put aside my next planned work-in-progress and write Ty's story (silver fox).

Any thoughts?

I'm hearing crickets. Maybe not. haha

FINISHED!!

There's nothing quite so empowering to me as finishing a manuscript. I completed Namesake today. Third edits and a better ending. I'm feeling like Wonder Woman, complete with lasso. Woo-hoo.

A Scary, Scary Day

Yes, Halloween costume shopping is on today. And I'm very, very scared.

The kids seem to think they can be anything they want. Ah, no. I have the wallet, I have final say. But at least they're into the scare factor. Nope. Nothing cute for my kids. Of course, last year I had a pumped up 4-yr old Iron Man to contend with, but he's over that. Oh well. Enjoy your Saturday, and pray for me.

Friday Humor

I saw this file on my computer yesterday, buried in a folder, and had to laugh. Enjoy!

____________________________
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt.

Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"

"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"

He yelled back, "University of Texas."

And they say blondes are dumb...

_______________________

A couple is lying in bed.. The man says, "I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world"

The woman says, "I'll miss you..."

_______________________

"It's just too hot to wear clothes today," Jack says as he stepped out
of the shower, "honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?"

"Probably that I married you for your money," she replied.

_______________________

He said - Since I first laid eyes on you, I have wanted to make love to you really badly.

She said - Well, you succeeded.

______________________

He said - What have you been doing with all the grocery money I gave
you?

She said - Turn sideways and look in the mirror

______________________

Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?

A: A rumor

_______________________

A man and his wife, now in their 60's, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day a good fairy came to them and said that because they had been such a devoted couple she would grant each of them a very special wish.

The wife wished for a trip around the world with her husband.

Whoosh! Immediately she had airline/cruise tickets in her hands.

The man wished for a female companion 30 years younger...

Whoosh...immediately he turned ninety!!!

Gotta love that fairy!