#1...Into the New Year

Not sure how long it will last, but Closing the Deal is #1 at Samhain on this auspicious last day of 2011. A good sign for the new year, I'm thinking. I'll take it!

Happy New Year to everyone, and may 2012 be a prosperous, happy, healthy year for us all.

Three More Days

Just three more days until we usher in a new year. I can't believe this one has flown by so fast. Have I done what I wanted to do in 2011? Am I ready for 2012?

I've been through several life changing events this year. Since I've never considered change a bad thing, I'm pleased to say I'm happy where I am now, not only physically, but emotionally. Sure there are things I wish I did better, and others I hope to improve, but my resolutions are to stay strong and true to myself. Everything else will follow suit.

Writing has been my steadfast companion throughout my adult life, and I know I wouldn't want to live without it. A few friends of mine were discussing writing several days ago. They all write, so we have a common tie linking us together, aside from the camaraderie. And we all agreed. Paycheck or no paycheck, we'll write until we're buried six feet under. That's a resolution always in the making and in the doing. To continue to create, as much for others' enjoyment as for our own.

So to 2012, I say, bring it on. I'll still be writing, still listening to my characters and jotting down their stories. :) Any resolutions coming your way?

New Release: CLOSING THE DEAL

Hurray! Today, Closing the Deal releases from Samhain. It's a fun, sexy contemporary featuring Derrick Warren and Sydney Fields, first introduced in the bestselling Enjoying the Show.

Here's the blurb, and a link to an excerpt follows.

When stubborn meets sexy, love is up for grabs…but one of them is playing for keeps.

Derrick Warren has lusted after Sydney Fields ever since he first spotted her, and after months of intense phone conversations, he’s finally got the delectable redhead all to himself.

All he has to do is let the old Warren magic do its thing…until an ex with an axe to grind shows up. Before he knows it, the perfect date ends with Sydney’s wine in his lap. Now she’s not taking his calls. To his utter shock, he realizes he’s going to have to work to win her over.

Thanks to her mother’s bad example, Sydney is determined to never need a man. Just when she’s moved Derrick to her “loser” column, though, she’s tricked into giving him another chance. To her surprise, he not only satisfies her deepest sexual fantasies, she finds herself actually craving his company.

But when she realizes they’re making love, not just having sex, her old instincts kick in. Because she’s starting to like the man, not just his body.

And that, more than anything else, scares the hell out of her…

---

Product Warnings:

Look out for a stubborn redhead who’s not afraid to throw her wine, her opinion, or her body at the annoyingly sexy architect determined to keep her for his own.

To read an excerpt, click here.

Merry Christmas

Have a very merry Christmas!

Contest--Hurry to Check it Out

Ack! My post was all set to go yesterday, and yet it never arrived. In any case, I had a terrific interview at Book Reviews & More by Kathy. She also posted a giveaway for Closing the Deal, my newest release from Samhain that comes out right after Christmas, Dec 27th. You can still get in on the contest, I believe. For details, click here.

New Review: TALSON'S MATCH

A new review from JERR--Just Erotic Romance Reviews--for Talson's Match.

Title: Talson’s Match
Author: Marie Harte
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Reviewer: Elizabeth Charles
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Heat Level: H

Romy traveled to Port Chase to commence an undercover investigation of some problems at his family’s shipping yard.
Before he arrived, his Otra powers allowed his to connect psychically with a woman named Tara in a sexual wet dream.

When he arrived he discovered that Tara was an Otra female who thought she was human. And the manager he was investigating at the shipping yard thought Tara was his territory. Romy wasn’t about to let Tara consider any other man but him.

I have read a few of the Talson series, but Talson’s Match was my favorite. There is some back story introduced but it
is minor, and the book can be read as a stand alone because the author deftly catches you up on the world building.

Fans of the series will enjoy the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with past heroes. There is a brief amount of family interaction, but not too much, so the story does not turn its focus from the main characters. One of Romy’s primary characteristics is that he has a lot of Otra talents and continually develops more than the average Otra. Meeting Tara activates even more of his gifts. Despite some convenient powers during fight scenes, the author does a good job of
not overwhelming this story with a string of new powers. The relationship between Romy and Tara was great to watch develop. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book the best was the sex scene where Romy and Tara bonded. His power came in handy, when instead of having to bring in a second male to finish the bond, Romy’s powers allowed him to duplicate himself for a hot ménage scene. Talson’s Match is a sexy entertaining installment in the Talson series.

Today's the Day

Today's the day! Go to All Romance eBooks for a free download of Bodywork. And ho ho ho!

Here Be Magic Today

I'm at Here Be Magic today promoting the Twelve Days of Christmas give-away at All Romance eBooks. My book is free starting tomorrow, for 48 hours. As long as you have an ARe account, you can search my name or the book title to get to Bodywork, then download it for free in the formats offered: PDF, EPUB, HTML, PRC (kindle). This isn't just for those who celebrate Christmas either. :) Happy holidays, everyone. And enjoy!!

Edits and MORE Edits...A Good Thing

I skipped posting yesterday, because I am finishing putting my new house together. Working oven. Check. Blinds. Check. Mounted TV on the wall? Not yet... But I'm getting there. Despite the house interruptions, I was ready to start my next Cougar Falls story, about Monty GrayClaw, the lone wolf in the Catamount Pride, when I received edits and proofs to finish. Poor Monty is waiting patiently while cat shifters and psychics with grudges are corrected and edited.

Good news though! I have the proofs for Outfoxed, my next Cougar Falls book due out in March 2012, and the book looks terrific. I love the story even more now...that it's finished, that is. haha Grady, Burke's brother (first introduced in Rachel's Totem) meets his match in a cat/fox Shifter. Lots of pranks in this story--fun.

And Fortune's Favor, my m/m psychic suspense in which rivals become lovers, is looking fantastic. Fortune's Favor is part of my PowerUp! series about psychics, a kind of spinoff from the Circ books, where I introduced the concept of government agents with psychic backgrounds. The book has gone through second edits. Then on to more corrections from the final line editor. Then proofs, more corrections... One of things I really like about writing for Loose Id is that they are extreme about edits. And that's a good thing. There's nothing worse than reading a book with spelling and grammatical mistakes every other line. It can be frustrating as an author, because it means a lot of work to make the book right. But that's what I, as a reader, want. So writers, get to work!

And now, since I'm a writer, I'm getting back to work. Happy Thursday!

Free Books!

Today kicks off All Romance eBooks's 12 days of Christmas free book event. If you haven't jumped on this, you're missing out. The only caveat is you need to have an ARe account, which is free. So sign in and download a free book a day for the next 12 days. Bodywork, my contribution, is available for free Dec 20 and 21. Enjoy, and here's the link http://www.allromanceebooks.com/index.html.

The Fun, The Frisky, and the Fat

Though I'd F it up today, and considering it's a Monday, why the F not?

The holidays, they are acomin'. Fast. I recently put up our Christmas tree, a real one that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Living in Oregon is already showing its perks. We had fun yesterday decorating while I cleaned pine needles off the floor. The tree looks really cool at night, but alas, my camera is on auto flash and I didn't have the patience to adjust it. So I took the picture and hopped on the computer to download it.

More fun: A contest winner recently sent me her manuscript to edit, and for once I get to go over someone else's work with a fine tooth comb. So of course, I'm excited about the small break when my editor at Loose Id also hits me up with edits for Fortune's Favor, coming out in February. sigh. I was a leg up, and then not so much. Good news is my edits don't look too substantial...yet. So I'll be having fun with Author M's manuscript, a contemporary erotic novella, and I'll finish my edits for Ann without a sweat.

So where's the frisky, you might ask? Sorry to disappoint, but I'm talking about a frisky mind. My office is fully finished being painted and outfitted. Computer's hooked up, printer and Internet are working, and I have bookshelves that go to the ceiling. Yes, I'm in writer heaven. I also recently added my trusty cork board to the wall, where my pictures of Clint Eastwood, Garfield, myriad notes, title ideas, and my writing schedule for 2012 await. Joy! Seriously. These comforts help me work. I start Right Wolf, Right Time today. And after leading up to his story in Dean's tale--A Matter of Pride, which I just handed in to my editor--I can't wait to dig into Monty's love life.

Now for the fat part of my post...I have not been exercising in forever! I've got to stretch my legs a bit. Playing wall-ball with my kids over the weekend doesn't count. So my schedule today is to be available for a possible important phone call, get kids to school, perhaps take important call, exercise, write, write, and write. School lets out on Friday, which is great for the kids, not so great for my production. It'll be a busy, busy me for the next few days.

I'm also utterly behind on all my Christmas shopping (13 days left and counting) so if I'm sounding too perky for a Monday morning, fear not. I'm already playing catch-up on the holiday. Cheers.

Grayson's Gamble--Now At Amazon!

Grayson's Gamble is now available at Amazon!

A Dawn Endeavor Story

Grayson Belle was born a Circ--a creature with the ability to shapeshift. He tolerates Sebastian, his new partner, more than alarmed when he begins to develop an odd attraction to the man. Unlike the artificially created Circs, he controls his desires. But soon he's wanting not only Sebastian, but a rogue female Circ he's been assigned to terminate. Things go from bad to worse when his inner beast takes an extreme liking to the pair. It acts on instinct, and Gray will have decide to listen to his head or his heart. Protect himself from a future he hadn't planned, or defend his mates when danger comes calling and his heart demands satisfaction?

Done...Almost

Thought I'd share a few pics of the new office. It's still a work in progress, and I don't have all my books here yet, but look at their new home!

When Will It Be Done?????

I had thought the process would be fairly simple. Create office space with handy carpenter. He builds desk and bookshelves. Handy crew my mom uses all the time installs it. Bam, office.

Except some pieces didn't fit, and the crew didn't know exactly how they were supposed to go together, and the guy, who does incredible work, kept showing up later than promised to deliver things.

It's all working out well, but man, I've been super stressed since last Friday, when I was hoping to have the pieces to get the crew in for install. Needless to stay, my house is still not put together, but I was okay with that so long as I had an office to work from.

I've been typing from the kitchen table, having to come back to my mom's for Internet. Bleh. But today, the cable guy comes out to fix that problem. And I just left the guys at my place finishing the office. Yippee! I can live without a fireplace mantle, but an office? It's a must have. I'll share pictures once it's done. Fingers crossed...

One good note: I'm ready to send in Dean's (Cougar Falls cat shifter) story to my editor. So that's done. Now on to Monty, the wolf.

House Happenin's

This is my new house. It's an old picture, though, because there's now a house right next to it. So I'm in the house, and it's mostly finished. Except...NO INTERNET.

I'm typing this from my temporary residence, where I've been working since I moved out West. Here I have Internet service, cable, and entertainment in the form of television. The new place...nothing until Wednesday. ACK!

I hadn't realized how addicted I am to the computer and television until now. Actually, the television not so much. Internet? Well, aside from it being vital to my work, I really like to surf the net. Mostly I check out Facebook, email, IM and author blogs. But not having access to it except for my smartphone is a real PITA.

I feel like I've been gifted with an incredible present by being able to blog and Facebook and type again. I mean, I'm typing at the new house on my laptop, but it's not the same. My computer desk isn't there, the keyboard is much smaller, and like I said before, no Internet access.

So cross your fingers all goes well tomorrow and Wednesday. Tomorrow my office is installed, and Wednesday I get plugged back into the digital world. Hurray!

BODYWORK--It's Finally Here!

BODYWORK is a brand new, 65356 word contemporary romance I've just released. The formatting has given me nightmares--or would have if I'd gotten any sleep last night. sigh.

But the story is solid, funny, sexy, and yes, again, sexy. It's available at All Romance eBooks and Amazon, and I couldn't be happier with it. There's a hot guy who likes to run, a sexy woman who's addicted to coffee, a best friend with man issues, another best friend with woman issues, a younger brother who thinks he's Casanova reincarnated, parents who interfere, read the stars, and rely on hoodoo to enhance love, and crazy, non-vanilla sex in a multitude of places.

Enjoy a blurb and an excerpt...

Their first meeting could have been better. He ran into her and her hot coffee, and raced off with a burn and a snarl. Their second meeting should have been better. He laid naked, face down on her massage table while she stared at him in horror. Being sexually attracted to Mr. Tall, Dark and Rude hadn't been on her agenda. She just wants him out of her massage clinic before he recognizes her or she says something obnoxious before jumping that sexy body. Not professional. Not at all.

But when Shelby Vanzant and Shane Collins meet again, the third time's the charm. Shane has found his match, a sexy, intelligent woman he can't stop thinking about. Shelby is scared, because she might grow to like this guy. The last guy she liked dumped her for someone hotter. She's willing to take a chance--maybe--if her flamboyant mother, Shane's macho best friend and his Casanova of a younger brother don't screw things up. With fate on their side, they might both have a shot at a love they'd stopped looking for.

To read an excerpt, click here.