Contest Winner

Congrats to Sue A., who's won the box of books. Thanks to all who participated!

Marie

Talking at Samhain Today

Today I'm posting about Cougar Falls at Samhain's weblog. Foxy Lady, the third book set in Cougar Falls, is due to release in September. I can't wait!

The Romance Reviews Celebration Contest

This looks like a pretty good contest. I've been invited to answer a few questions, and Julian's Jeopardy is one of the books they'll be giving away.


From The Romance Reviews:

Top Prize: US$50 Gift Certificate from Amazon or Book Depository (1 winner)

Other Prizes: Ten (10) print books and ten (10) ebooks for giveaway to twenty lucky winners (your choice of book from the list below and other lists to be posted in the future). All giveaways are brand new books.

How to Enter:

Follow us! (we must be able to see your name in the followers under Blogger)

For more info, click here.

The Return of the...Writer!

Yes! I have once again found my way.

I've just returned from my--thankfully--last vacation of the summer. Don't get me wrong. I'm not upset with taking a break from the daily doldrums of life. But man, all this traveling is making me want to put down roots and not move again for a year at least.

We spent the last two days in Atlanta, or should I say, HOTlanta. One day spent at Stone Mountain, and all I can say about that place is that I finally visited. Not worth the hassle at all except for the rockin' laser show at night. We spent today at a waterpark. And that was fantastic. So now my husband can claim that he too had a vacation, though it was short lived. (Poor guy. But hey, the job calls, right?)

I've spent the last week doing revisions and edits on my already submitted stories. I like editing, kind of. It's challenging, and it's like a real clean-up that doesn't involve dust rags or a vacuum. My edits on Foxy Lady were rough, but thorough. If you don't like the story, you can't blame anyone BUT me, because the cover is beautiful, and my editor really knows her stuff. I've done first edits for Gunnar's Game, and I feel almost spoiled because there's nothing to revise. For once, just minor edits!! Yippee! At least, that's until it hits the line editors, so I should probably cool it on that note.

I just now finished first edits on The Fire Within, my first Storm Lords book, which Total E-Bound is releasing in August. Man, talk about stuff that slipped through the cracks on this book! All I can say is I'm sorry to readers who read this years ago. Not for the story, which I still love, but for the errors, inconsistencies, and redundancies. Those are fixed now, by the by, and I'm feeling pretty good.

I've had a lot of great feedback on Namesake, and I have to thank the readers very much. They've been posting great reviews for it on the EC website when you pull up the book, so my worries that the book might not find an audience seem not to be an issue. And my editor at EC was great to work with, so I think it's time to work on my next Voiders story in between cougar shapeshifters finding love.

Time to write about Kate, Logan and Jesse in Cross Step, as well as Grady and Gabby in Cougar Falls. Voiders and shapeshifters, here we come!

So Now What?

This is me, a bit baffled, kind of lost, and somewhat dazed.

There's an odd sense of finality when a book is released. All that work, sweat and swearing when revisions and edits come due. Blurb sheets and cover art requests. More edits. Line edits. Final line edits. And then all the hard work is done, and the book is out there, available to readers. Where anyone can see it. I get shivers of excitement. Tingles down my spine. And then it's the next day, and the next. And the future beckons...

What's next on the agenda?

For the first time in a while, I'm at odd ends. My contracted work has been completed with Gunnar's Game. I have a few ideas for projects I mean to work on, but nothing concrete until I get some words on paper--er, the screen.

I can't stop going to the Ellora's Cave site to see my newest release there. It's silly, but it took a long time for that book to see the light of day. I still have the original version of Namesake, actually a different story altogether set several hundred years after Namesake actually takes place. A story about all sorts of Voiders now at war with the mysterious Dekken mentioned briefly in Namesake. See, that could be my next book. But it isn't.

I still plan to start work on Grady's story, about a mountain lion shapeshifter, set in the town of Cougar Falls. At least, that's my intention. But my muse is kicking around other stories. A novella for Kate and her two Ravager lovers, introduced in Namesake. Then there's the story of the wolf that got away, Fenris's twin, a companion piece to Enemy Red, which came out with Total E-Bound last year.

Folks have asked when I'm going to write James's story, one of the demon twins related to characters from The Dragons' Demon and Duncan's Descent, from Samhain. Readers would like to know when the brothers from Enjoying the Show will get their stories. And another popular request, what about Adrian and Lucas from Firebreather, a polyamorous, dragon shapeshifter series that I wrote a few years ago for Amber Quill?

There are many roads to take, but I have to start with one. A great big map with a YOU ARE HERE sticker would be nice. Well, at least with school soon starting I can get back into a regular routine. I have a lot of stories to write, but not a lot of time to get to them right now. And I really miss daytime writing. Because writing at night leaves me cranky in the morning.

On another note, I've gotten some terrific feedback on Namesake, so thanks to those who shared positive reactions to the book. I just handed in first edits on Foxy Lady and am close to finishing first edits on Gunnar's Game--I'm very excited to see that one hit readers. It turned out much better than I'd hoped. And man, was that book a real kick in the pants to finish.

And speaking of kick in the pants, it's time to take my boys swimming. The writing will have to wait until later tonight. Sigh. Hurray for summer.

New Release: NAMESAKE

NAMESAKE is finally here!

Today is the day! Namesake is now available from Ellora's Cave. My first release with this publisher, but hopefully not my last.

Namesake Blurb:

In the year 2078, Cross Step, Kansas, is now home to strange portals called Voids. Norms (normal people), Voiders (those who came through the Voids) and Conduits (humans affected by the Voids) all live together, segregated from the rest of the world.

Vicki is a Conduit, a human with the psychic ability to tap into the energy around her. A mistake at a bar puts her under the scrutiny of one very hungry Ravager pack, werewolf-like Voiders who like what they see.

Eric isn’t just any Ravager, he’s Prime, the king of his clan. He takes what he wants, when he wants it—and he wants Vicki. It’ll take more than her sneaking, conniving and seductive ways to dissuade his interest. Because in Vicki, Eric and his packmates have something much more precious than a rare queen…they have a woman to love forever.

To read more, click here.

Night Owl Reviews Top Pick

Night Owl Reviews give Julian's Jeopardy 5 stars and a Top Pick!

Julian's Jeopardy is one in a series that can be read on its own but I would recommend reading the rest of the series. Marie Harte is a fantastic author she has something for everyone in this book. A little mystery, intrigue, a little fighting and some VERY HOT very sexy love scenes including a little m/m action. Sheridan, Jules and Tersch are great combination. I can’t wait for Tersch's (Gunnar) installment!

Reviewed by: Greendragon

New Contest

Want to win these books?

The Avenger by PC Cast, What a Demon Wants by Kathy Love, Hot Mama by Jennifer Estep, Things that Make Me Give In by Charlotte Stein, Same Time Next Summer by Holly Jacobs, Born to Be Wild by Christine Warren, and Over the Moon by a collection of erotic romance writers (including me!)


Click on this link: Namesake, which is my first Ellora's Cave release coming out July 21st. Once you arrive at the Namesake page, click the "Read Excerpt" link, then answer these questions.

1. What is the name of Cross Step's most popular night club?

2. Who is Tommy Chen's "best girl" that Vicki fights in the middle of the raised fighting platform?

3. What is the name of the bar where Sean tells Vicki they should meet (after the cops arrive)?

Contest ends July 30th, at which point I'll randomly select one winner from those who entered. Good luck!

RULES: To enter to win, simply email me at marie_harte@yahoo.com the answer to the three aforementioned questions, and put Box of Books in the subject line. Let me know if you're a U.S. resident or not. (Sorry, but with shipping being what it is, I can't afford to ship books outside the States. But any non-U.S. resident who wins will receive a $20 B&N online gift certificate.)

My Copies, and aren't they pretty?

I received my copy of Namesake today in several different formats. My first look at the novel coming out from Ellora's Cave next week. (Mind you, these are electronic copies, not print.) They sure are pretty! I love the cover, the new brief intro, and the story all over again. Of course I had to reread some of it to make sure I hadn't overlooked anything.

I didn't. *grin*

I can't wait until next Wednesday. Just one more week!

To read more, click here.

Home Sweet Home

Well, we're finally back home. Just settling in with bags left to unpack. And noses to wipe. Yes, I brought home not only myself and my children, but a terrible cold. Not sure how that happened since we were in 90 degree weather, but it happened. The youngest sounds like a foghorn when he coughs, and my sinuses are killing me.

But at least we're home. Although, as I look at the mess of what is my office, it makes me want to run the other way. Before I can dive back into writing, I think a good housecleaning is in order. Ugh. And the house is barren of food. Double Ugh. It's almost like someone is trying to torture me slowly into losing my mind. (As if 13 hours in the car with two little kids isn't torture enough.) Ah well. At least I got to visit the beach again, and the mountains on the West Coast to boot. Not a bad way to spend the summer.

The Shore

When you grow up in the Northeast, you never go up to the shore. You go "down the shore." I live in Georgia, but a week ago I packed up to go down the shore. And here we are, this Saturday afternoon. Except we're inside getting ready to go see a movie. The rain has kept the beaches fairly empty today.

We're in Cape May, NJ (the setting of my Circe's Recruits books.) My grandfather has a place here, and I grew up coming to the beach during the summers. I love it here, where the sunsets normally look like this.


And Victorian Cape May has bed and breakfast inns that look like this (The Abbey.)


But because of the rain, we're heading to see Despicable Me in a few. We've already seen Toy Story 3 (A+ TERRIFIC) and The Last Airbender (B-, the cartoons are so much better). Hey, it's summer and I have little boys. Rainy days beg for movies.

Now I really need to download my vacation pictures and share them. More to come. Hopefully, before I turn 80.

Happy Saturday.

Better Late Than Never: SERIANA FOUND

This being on vacation during new release time is nutty. Once again, I'm late announcing a new release. Well, here it is...

Seriana Found is now available at Total E-Bound. The publisher is now releasing 6 titles a week, vice the 4 they had been releasing. Good for authors, good for readers. And great for me, since that bumped up my novella!

Come on over and read an excerpt, then buy the book, to your heart's delight. Or heck, just do like I do and stare at the dude on the cover. I really love that smirk.

Happy Reading!

Marie

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!

One More Day

Seriana Found releases tomorrow. A short futuristic story with a fiery, independent heroine and a pirate of a hero determined to make her his. From Total E-Bound.

The Return

I'm back! My flights home weren't too bad, except for the fact that I left Redmond, Oregon at 4 pm on Wednesday and returned home at 11am Thursday. Two connections, Delta lost my luggage, and I got stuck in traffic on the way home from Atlanta. Fun trip? No. Glad to be back? Yes.

I finally updated my website. That was really killing me, though I did enjoy my vacation. The minute I stepped off the plane in Atlanta, I knew I was back. The humidity welcomed me with open arms--ugh.

And now I'm cleaning house. sigh. You'd think I'd been gone 2 years instead of 2 weeks. I've been attacked by rabid balls of dog hair, messy counters, and coke cans all over the house. But it is somewhat picked up, I guess. Whatever. I'm back for the 4th of July, then out the door again for a week. But then I'll be home for the duration, waiting for school to start.

Cheers, and happy Friday.