Newsgroup Contest

Hello! Sorry it's been a while between posts. I'm recovering from vacation and am trying desperately to get back into the swing of things. My house is still a mess, suitcases now empty are still lying out, but I have managed to do some more writing. Priorities, you know. :)

The newsgroup is growing in leaps and bounds, and to thank all subscribers, I'm posting a contest just for members. I'll be randomly choosing three winners next week on Wednesday, July 25th. If you're already a newsgroup subscriber, you're entered and eligible to win (and the prizes will be mailed out to those in the continental US and abroad.) Winners will receive a "goody bag" of books and treats, a great big thank you from me to the readers.

The, ahem, late July newsletter will be out soon. And look for a special writer-oriented week of blogs next week, starting Monday. Posts will concern the craft of writing, pitfalls and tips for those of you thinking about writing, or just curious about how the process works. :)

Smiles,
Marie

My Writeminded Guest Blog Post

I just returned from vacation and am winding down after a 13 hour journey from the beach in NJ to Georgia. Three kids, a potentially wonderful day at the beach spent driving and buttloads of traffic on hated I95 from Baltimore through DC...yuk.
Anyway, thought I'd link to a post I made on Writeminded's blog, a collaborative blog from authors Stephanie Tyler, Amy Knupp, Larissa Ione, Jan Kenny and Maya Banks, that hit the net this past Friday. Lots of great comments, and it's a topic I find interesting: Heat levels and what's too hot to handle. Take a look. :) The post is from Friday the 13th, but don't let the date throw you.

WRITEMINDED BLOG--Marie's Post

Marie

Backlist Buzz... Winner Takes All

Hi! I've decided to post a few older books that seem to be doing quite well at Fictionwise for me. And I'll admit, I'm in LOVE with the dude on this cover. I love all the covers I've had for my books, but Winner Takes All is my favorite.

This is one of my futuristic books about a race of beings called the Thesha and takes place in the Vrail System, where several of my futuristics for New Concepts Publishing have been set.

Funny backstory, and it's short, I promise. I first wrote Blackthorne's Light for NCP in 2004. I followed it with my first futuristic, a genre I just LOVE, entitled Lurin's Surrender, which I initially wrote as a short story. But the characters wanted more, so I fleshed it out into a 35K word book. Long story short, one of the characters who popped in out of nowhere was Gren, a mysterious captain who helps Lurin out of a tight spot. What intially started out as a small role took on a much larger one, until that dratted Gren had to have his own story. Thus he takes center stage in Winner Takes All. I really liked Gren, but he rubbed off on some of my other characters, unbeknownst to me. Two minor characters in his book demand their own story in Seriana Found, which I'll post at a later time. Those darned Thesha...

Here's a short excerpt from Winner Takes All

In trying to rescue a group of women from the slaver’s block, a female peacemaker with something to prove discovers the woman within herself after being assigned to work with a mysterious mercenary she is unable to deny.

***

“Where am I?” Temis asked aloud.

“You’ve come to fight, have you not?” a familiar voice called from the darkness in the forest.

She waited curiously, knowing yet not aware how she knew, that Gren approached.

He appeared uninjured, as if his fight earlier with the peacemakers had not occurred. Wearing only the swimming trousers she’d first seen him in, he walked lazily, like a cat stalking its prey, toward her.

He stopped in front of her, smiling, his eyes lingering over her breasts and thighs before returning to meet her confused gaze.

“You like to fight.”

She nodded. “But where am I?”

“In a dream.”

“But I command my dreams, and this is not Zephyr.”

Gren’s left eyebrow rose, an arrogant gesture that irritated her. “We stand in a fighting ring.” He crossed his arms, his biceps bulging. “What now, sura?”

She wasn’t sure what sura meant, but on Gren’s lips it sounded suspiciously like an endearment. Did he dare dismiss her as some piece of fluff on fighting grounds?

“Now we fight.”

He grinned, and the curl of his lips caused her heart to flutter. A curious heat pooled in her loins and to her horror she found herself fixated on the fullness of his mouth.

“If it’s a fight you want, sura, I’ll be happy to oblige,” he murmured sensuously. “Hand to hand?”

Imagining Gren’s hands all over her made her flush, and she shook her head. “Blunt weaponry.”

She didn’t understand why Gren had appeared in her dream at all, but decided to accept his presence. Since meeting him she’d been unable to strike the imposing man from her thoughts and unruly imagination. Perhaps her subconscious sensed this and chose to confront the source of her recent confusion head-on.

He flexed his arms and she stared at his muscular perfection. “I like risks, but if it’s practice you want, I accept. The winner chooses the prize.”

She frowned. “But you could demand anything.”

“And I will when I win,” he said with a wink.

***

Click here to read more

Smiles :)

Marie

Firebreather still hanging on

Thought it was time to update my posts. Man, time sure flies lately. I'm still writing like mad, trying to get a good bit done before I go on vacation next week. Had a GREAT productive day yesterday.

NEWS: Firebreather, with Amber Quill Press, was the #10 Bestseller for AQP for the month of June. Since Firebreather was released in February, it's been a consistent bestseller, if not with AQP, then with Fictionwise. If you haven't seen it, check it out and see what all the buzz is about. And a heads up that plans are in the works for the king's other brothers. :)

Happy Monday. Marie

Tied and True Just Released!

I'm so excited!!

My first release with Loose Id is now available. Tied and True, previously released as Fit To Be Tied with another publisher, has been extensively revised and edited. The artwork is killer, and the edits were painful, thus the book is really, really good. *And yes, I'm biased. :)

In reworking Tied and True, I came up with several more ideas for books, and next month you'll see the brand new Reaper's Reward, about Jared's--the hero of Tied and True--partner.

Tied and True was a big book for me in that I departed from my normal paranormal/futuristic writing to venture into the land of contemporary. It posted its challenges, but I funneled a lot of my creativity not necessarily into the world in which Jared and Lindsay live, but in what they do together. This was a really fun book, and I can't wait until Ethan's story comes out next month. And if all goes well with the world, I have another idea blurring in my mind that'll bring Jared and Lindsay back again for a cameo appearance. (Have to run that one by my editors, wink wink.)

Here's a short blurb from Tied and True, and for an excerpt, click on the link below.

Lindsay Riordan has had it with the rumors and innuendo that dog her professional steps. Being born a blond should not be grounds for the automatic designation "office bimbo." So when she overhears the sexy new office wunderkind spouting untruths about her, she decides on some payback. Jared Hunter is a man on a mission, but his mission is proving to be a lot harder to complete than he'd expected. He couldn't have anticipated that in the course of finding the truth, he'd wake up to find himself tied naked and spread-eagled on his bed, and that the person behind his restraint is none other than the woman he's been lusting after since he first saw her. A woman who's got vengeance on the brain. What's a guy to do when he's fit to be tied? And what's a girl to do when a guy turns the tables?

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: bondage.

Click here for a hot little excerpt.

Chow! And live the day with a book!!

Marie

Happy Friday

Well, the weekend is once again upon us. I'm still working on the Storm Lords and a new novella that's giving me fits. When I sit down to write, I like to knock out 10 or more pages, at least. But lately I'm barely getting three written. When I find myself in a funk, I take a good hard look at my story. And that's normally when I see where I have to cut and start over. Nothing worse than being stuck, but it's a pain to have to kill two or three pages, or worse, an entire scene, because the story won't flow right. So I'm back to work on Rachel's Totem, (tentatively titled) before I move back to Arim and Lexa's story with my Storm Lords.

Wish I was going to the RWA Nationals convention, but I spent my convention money on RT in Houston in April. Ah well. More time for me to write. :)

Have a great weekend, and if I'm inspired between now and Monday, I might post an excerpt or two.

Marie

New Review for A Scorching Seduction

Check out my new review for A Scorching Seduction. 4 Stars from Pulp Fiction, a new review site that does some pretty stellar work. And they spelled my characters' names right, apostrophes and all! Yea! Thanks, Raven!

New Cover: REAPER'S REWARD

Good Monday morning!

I had to show off my new cover for Reaper's Reward, coming to Loose Id in July. I love the fonts they use, and the models and are just AWESOME. Great artwork.

Just next Tuesday Tied and True will be my first release from Loose Id, and I'm thrilled to say the least.

Today I'm going to work at exhausting my kids with swimming so they nap really well afterward--when I can get more writing done. Otherwise I have to wait until tonight. I've been staying up way late, ack.

Well, have a great week. And another thanks to everyone who participated in my summer read-a-thon. Stay tuned for July's contest.

Marie

June Contest Winners Announced

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Summer Read-A-Thon June Contest.
Due to the enormous response I received, I've chosen two winners at random. Special congrats to Pam (pambook@...) and Cynthya (NEZTEP@...).

Look to next month's contest for more good stuff.

Thanks again!
Marie

JUNE CONTEST!!! Ends this Friday, June 15th

**SUMMER READ-A-THON**

Starting with the month of June, I'll be giving away a BAG of books each month through August to one lucky winner. All you have to do is send me an email of five of your favorite books, subject line SUMMER READ-A-THON, and you're entered to win the June contest. (I attended RT this year, and received A TON of books, to include Elloras Cave books and Secrets Anthologies, and I'm quite happy to share the wealth. )

Simply email me at marie_harte@yahoo.com five of your favorite books. Include in the subject line SUMMER READATHON and send by June 15th, at 8pm EST. Winners out of the US area will receive a collection of ebooks by varied authors, all in PDF or Lit format. Winners announced on my website and blog. You have to enter to win!! Good luck.

Marie

Guardian's Redemption Teaser

Wow. Sorry, I've been off my posting trend due to being busied with edits and story deadlines.
All I can say is that Tied and True, coming later this month from Loose Id, will be one of the cleanest stories I've ever published! Good editing, VERY thorough. And thanks to my editor Ann Curtis, who has the patience of Job.

I've been working on Guardian's Redemption, the last of my Storm Lords books. And I received some interesting information from my publisher at NCP. Seems the next Storm Lords print book is being slotted for late July. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

On another front, I have another contest running. Check out my website for details, but I must say, I'm giving away books I really like, just because I don't have much room anymore. Lots of Ellloras Cave and Secrets anthologies. And some great paranormal single titles as well. Check it out at www.marieharte.com. Contest ends in a week.

And now, drumroll please...

Here's a short snipped from Guardian's Redemption...never before seen!

“Arim? Arim, wait.”
Arim Valens, Tanselm’s greatest sorcerer, cursed under his breath. What good were his powers when he couldn’t avoid one simple woman? He sighed and stopped, turning to face the dark-haired termagant determined to have a word with him.
“Yes, my queen?”
Queen Ravyn, his sister, fumed, her green eyes shooting daggers. She yanked him to the side, away from the crumbling decay of what had once been Netharat daring to attack the royal city. With a flick of her hands, she encircled them in an invisible, protective bubble, giving them privacy from those who might overhear.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Doing?” He lifted a brow in question, knowing it wasn’t smart. As he’d intended, Ravyn’s anger deepened, and he couldn’t help a chuckle. So predictable, his big sister.
“You will not take on so many tasks again without calling for help. The skirmishes in the east and south could have been handled by others. Aerolus is a mage, like you, Arim. And Marcus is the ruler of his territory. You helped put him there. Let them defend their kingdoms and stop thinking you can take on the whole of the Netharat by yourself.”
Apparently, she’d heard about his recent battles this morn in the other territories.
“You’re overtired, drawn and look terrible,” she said bluntly. “While as queen I appreciate the lives you’ve saved this day, as your sister I’m worried about you. We need you strong and whole, Arim. So get a woman, get a drink, do whatever you have to do. But from this moment until I say otherwise, you are not to interfere in any more battles within the four territories.”
She waved through her bubble and turned to a passing warrior, inquiring about the extent of the damages. Three dead, over a dozen wounded. Sadly, she thanked him and watched him help restore order before turning back to Arim.
“I mean it, Arim. Sorcerer of Tanselm you may be, but you answer to a higher power.” To me, she meant.
As overqueen of the realm, she had the wherewithal to enforce her order. And as his sister and sorceress in her own right, she could make things unpleasant if he chose to disobey her.
He suddenly felt faint, the constant strain of reaching for and utilizing Tanselm’s waning magic combined with not enough sleep finally getting to him. He stopped himself before he lost his balance, but the damage had been done.
“Don’t. You. Move.” She pointed a finger at him, and his shields weak from so many concurrent battles, he froze.
Damn her.
“Darius, you’re needed here.”
In an instant, Darius Storm, Prince of Fire and soon-to-be king of the Western Territory appeared, and Ravyn released Arim from her hold. Like Arim, Darius possessed black hair, a tall, powerful frame and an annoyed disposition. But his almond-shaped eyes and fierce expression were the epitome of his mother.
Darius’ red eyes blazed as he stared from Arim to Ravyn. “This had better be good, Mother. I was in the middle of setting a hoard of Netharat on fire. I hope Samantha and the others can contain it before it burns down your prized rose garden.” He studied Arim and glanced beyond him, nodding. “Well, well. Seems our sorcerer just can’t keep his hands off the Netharat. What’s this? Your third time today, and it’s barely noon?”
“If you and your brothers would take the time to properly defend your cities, I wouldn’t have to step in.” A low blow, and not entirely true, but Arim didn’t like waiting on others when action was necessary.
“Tell me, Mother, what would you like me to do with him?” Darius opened his palm to reveal a floating ball of fire.
Ravyn’s tight lips curled into a harsh smile. “You’re such a hothead.” She lowered her voice. “Go help your uncle to his chamber before he falls on his face. It just won’t do for the people to see our greatest sorcerer flat on his butt after what would appear to be a minor skirmish with a few Netharat.”
Arim nodded. “My point, exactly. It was a short skirmish--”
“Here. But the ones in the other territories weren’t. And they happened one on top of the other. Take a break.” Ravyn glared up at him, but her gaze softened as she read something in his mien, something he hadn’t intended to let show. “I know it’s hard. But she’ll wake soon, Arim. I know it.”
Darius’ eyes widened with understanding, and Arim growled at him. “You don’t know anything about this, Darius, nor do you, Ravyn. Lexa’s state doesn’t concern me one way or the other. So long as she’s asleep, she’s no threat to Tanselm. Period.”

**********

Stay tuned for further developments...:)

Marie

A Scorching Seduction Released from Samhain!

New Release, A SCORCHING SEDUCTION from Samhain publishing. I'm very excited to have my first release from Samhain. I've actually been contracted on another novella since January, but since this work is a Midsummer Night's Steam lstory, it came out first.

In A Scorching Seduction, duty wars with affection when Racor’s greatest spy must decide who to trust, the evidence against her sexy suspects, or her heart.

A Midsummer Night’s Steam story.
Lt. Col. Trace N’Tre and Assassin Vaan C’Vail are hiding out in the only place the military can’t touch them—on a pleasure planet in an island resort owned by Vaan’s cousin. Gathering evidence on the outside, they know it’s only a matter of time before they’ll have to face their accuser, a high official in the Racor government.
Unbeknownst to them, Myst, Racor’s greatest spy, has had her eyes on them for some time. The puzzle of these two alleged traitors doesn’t fit, and Myst has made it her mission to find out why. But when the tables are turned and she’s caught spying under the planet’s hot summer suns, pleasure and affection confuse the issue, making her wonder who to trust—her heart, or the evidence against her lovers.
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, frank language, ménage, m/m action, and hot sweaty adventure.