Just One More Day...

One more day until All Romance Ebooks has their 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! For 12 days, ARe will offer free books. And here's a hint...one of mine is in there too! It's a great way to get introduced to authors and to read a great variety of romance--for free! I can't wait! Make sure to subscribe to their newsletter for updates.

New Review: Tip of the Spear

Score: 4.50 / 5 - Reviewer Top Pick
It can’t get much worse than raining rocks from the sky, can it?  But wait, yes it can!  With the sky rocks came major changes to the planet and the creatures that inhabit it.  And so a new civilization was born, divided by the Impact Zone; old west on the left without any technology and snooty east on the right with technology.  You are stuck where you were when the rocks began to fall, since crossing the Zone is near impossible.  Enter our hero who has the ability to sense those around him.  He’s assigned to assist Thais in her mission to get information she needs to catch the man who killed her tribe.  What she doesn’t count on is falling for him.  And Hinto is shocked to find he feels the same.  As they tap-dance around one another trust is born, and from that love.  Two loners by definition and actions, Thais and Hinto form an unbreakable bond as they seek vengeance and justice.  

This was an awesome walk on the wild side.  A surplus of thought and imagination went into crafting this unique world and the romance that goes with it.  While I thoroughly got into Hinto and Thais, I’ve got to admit Hinto’s carnivorous steed Beast stole the show for me a time or two.  While over half the book is foreplay, watch out when Hinto and Thais finally consummate their feelings and cement their relationship.  I can’t wait to read Thais’ sister’s stories.

Link: http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Chris-reviews-Tip-Of-The-Spear-by-Marie-Harte.aspx

The Questionable Content

For those of you not familiar with my earlier plight, Amazon refused to distribute my most recent work, Entranced, because my publisher had labeled the story with a rape warning. I feel the warning was overkill on top of the violence issue. In a book 57000 words in length, the questionable scene was a paragraph long (two technically in the overall scene) and occurred between the villain and a minor character. The scene was meant to show how bad the villain truly is, not to be titillating or to overtake the story, which is a psychic romance/romantic thriller. 

Not wanting this one small scene to overshadow the story, I changed it in five minutes. (Honestly, had the scene been of critical importance, I would not have changed it. But I felt the notion of its offense just bothersome. Fixing it was annoying but didn't insult my artistic integrity, if that makes sense.) So now anyone purchasing the book gets the "revised" story.

I promised to show what had changed, so here it is. Please be warned, this is not a nice scene. A woman is violated, but in context of the story, I thought it rang true. Here's the old scene from Entranced:

“I thought I told you to talk.” He took himself out, letting his brother get a good look at what he intended. He pulled Nera’s ass cheeks wider, demanding entry into the place she’d begged him never to go again. “I can’t hear you, dearest.” He moved closer, loving this power, the rush of satisfaction growing stronger.

She sobbed and talked while he rutted without mercy, telling him everything and anything while Klaus watched with wide eyes. When Ernst finished, he cleaned himself up and left her sobbing in a huge, bloody mess. In a much better mood now that he had information, he nodded to his brother.

 Now, the new scene:

“I thought I told you to talk.” He took her hand from his crotch and bent it nearly backward. She cried out, but he wanted to make his point clear. He snapped her wrist and twisted so the bone broke the skin. Blood trickled from the wound, and she shrieked as she went to her knees. “I can’t hear you, dearest.” He moved closer, loving this power, the rush of satisfaction growing stronger.

She sobbed and cradled her hand, telling him everything and anything while Klaus watched with wide eyes. 

When she finished, he yanked her head back by the hair.“Next time you answer as you’re told. No question.” 

“Yes, Ernst. Yes,” she panted, looking faint. 

In a much better mood now that he had information, he nodded to his brother.

So now you know what caused the ruckus. And yes, in the entire story, this one small section was apparently enough to make the book objectionable. Again, I DO NOT condone rape, but bad people do bad things. And overall, though brutal, I didn't think the scene was too over the top. But now it's changed, and I really don't think the change hurt or helped the story in any way. 

And that's as much drama as I can stand on a Monday morning without caffeine.  

Entranced: Now Available at Amazon

Now available at Amazon, Loose Id, and All Romance eBooks

An Update on Entranced

An update on Entranced. Apparently, there has been a problem with the "rape" warning on the book. (This warning was set by the publisher--not me.) The act in question was one paragraph long and something the villain did to a minor character. The wording of the warning made it sound as if the entire book was about rape, at least the way I read it, and Amazon refused to distribute the book.

This has been very frustrating as I've had my villains do dastardly things in the past but never had a weird warning or had the book not carried because of it.

However, the incident was so minor and the villain has done so many other bad things I had no problem amending said paragraph so there's no longer any hint of rape. *shaking head* Had this been an integral scene in the book, I wouldn't have touched it. But it really was so minor in contrast to the rest of the book that changing it took five minutes on my part. Thus I'm still bemused that that tiny scene caused such an issue.
 
I've never been a proponent of violence against women, in any form. However, when a bad guy does bad and gets his just desserts, I'm pleased to see justice done.
 
Despite the weird warning on my book, that Amazon is deciding what to publish and not publish is a bit scary. I read a wonderful Stephen King book where one of his novellas is about a woman being raped, and the actual scene, her terror and the resultant emotional fallout, is described in detail. The book remains at Amazon, and justly so. And man, the story is awesome.
 
Okay, I rambled. Point is, Entranced has been revised, has a new ISBN, a new warning (deemed by the publisher) and has been redistributed everywhere. So I'm hoping it will soon be available at Amazon.
What a nightmare.

Entranced--Jack's Journey

THE INSIDE SCOOP ON JACK KEISER

Every great romance has exceptional characters. I've been in love with Jack Keiser since he first started working for Mrs. Sharpe in the Dawn Endeavor books. Back then, he was an ex-CIA type with a wife, working as a handyman for a bunch of shapeshifting ex-SEALs.

Except his wife wasn't exactly his wife, and there was a lot more going on with Jack than even I knew. 

At first, Jack was support. A handyman and added security for the people he worked for. He could handle a gun, knew hand-to-hand tactics, and had gotten in and out of dangerous situations more times than he liked to think about.

I had no idea that he was psychic.

He'd been working for the Psychic Warfare Program (PWP) for the government while on loan to the Dawn Endeavor group. At the time, the PWP had helped him hone his psychic skills, even enhanced them, but then the project went bust. After the fallout of being double-crossed and manipulated, Jack decided to make his own way in the world.

Jack set up shop in Central Oregon and created the a new home and business with the help of a silent partner. A natural leader, he took a handful of psychics from the defunct PWP with him and started the PowerUp! Gym. While his team work as genuine personal trainers, they also have side jobs as psychic investigators. And their number one client is Jack's silent partner, a man with his own secrets to hide. 

Jack knows about secrets. The team thinks he's a natural leader, an enhanced alpha type that commands by sheer force of will. But Jack's other talent makes him an oddity among oddities. After touching a person just once, he can assume his or her shape at will.

He was born aggressive, and he's also a powerhouse when it comes to protecting what's his. And ever since taking on the mission to find his silent partner's missing sister, he's become increasingly drawn to her picture. And when he meets her face to face, he falls in love.

Impossible, since Jack doesn't trust women, not after what his so-called wife did to him years ago. He's strong, prickly, violent when he needs to be, and dominating as hell. Until he meets Heather and is overcome by the need to not only possess, but protect. It's a hell of a thing for a man who vowed never to trust another enough to love.  But we're talking about Jack here, and he's nothing if not adaptable.

And speaking of Entranced, don't miss the blog contest Carrie Ann Ryan and I are doing. You've got a few more days to get in on the fun. Click on the picture below for the link.

2 Authors, 2 New Releases: GIVEAWAY!

The incredible Carrie Ann Ryan is releasing a new book, and so am I! We love writing and reading, and let's face it, Carrie Ann is the queen of swag! *grin* Carrie Ann writes heroes you can sink your teeth into and heroines you can connect with. A two for two...to go with our 2 releases!

ONE winner from either of our blogs will be chosen to win some prizes

1) Amazon Gift Cards

2) Print copy of the Dawn Endeavor series.

3) Print Copy of Charmed Spirits, Holiday Montana Book 1

4) Some swag!

Comment on both of our blogs to enter.  On my blog, you must answer this question:

If you could have one psychic power, what would it be and why?

You can find Carrie Ann's question here.

ENTRANCED ~ A PowerUp! story

Jack Keiser hasn't had an easy time of it. After a disastrous mission for the government years ago, he's been wary of trusting his fellow agents. Or ex-agents, since they no longer work for the government but for him. Keeping the psychics in line is a full time job, made harder by his own strangely developing talent. Jack has the ability to change his shape. He's a chameleon who can assum the appearance of anyone he's ever touched. Even among psychics he's an oddball.

Now Jack's in a bind. Heather Stallbridge, sister to his silent partner in the gym, has gone missing, and it's up to Jack to find her. His journey leads him into the German Alps and to a strange village with even stranger people. To top off an already bad situation, the moment Jack sees Heather, he experiences what feels like love at first sight. Their connection is irrefutable, but he can't trust that it's real. And that doubt is a problem, because without working together, they'll never find a way to escape the killers in the mountains, or to discover the unexplainable love growing between them.

Find it on:

Loose Id | Amazon | ARe

SANTA'S EXECUTIVE ~ Holiday, Montana  Book 2

Justin Cooper wasn't always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother. One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force, and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.

Rina Brewer is one of Santa's elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind.  She's come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa's executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realized the job may be more than she bargained for.

As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.

Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies...and a certain perky blonde.

Find it on:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | Kobo

Find it in print here:

eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

A Nice Monday--Giveaway News and More

Happy Monday to you. I know for many it's nearly noon, but I'm happily on Pacific time, and I'm drinking my first cup of coffee. ah.

A few items to start the week. 

1. I finished two major projects and turned them in last Friday. So hurray, me.

2. Tomorrow Entranced releases with Loose Id, and I'm holding a contest with Carrie Ann Ryan to give away some cool stuff. So do check back to win Amazon gift cards, print books, and swag.

3.  Today I'm guest blogging at Read Our Lips, with another chance to win a copy of Tip of the Spear. And just as fun, a nice steamy excerpt from the book.

4.  I did mention I'm drinking coffee right? Yes, it's a fine, fine day. Enjoy yours.

3 More Days

3 more days to enter the Tip of the Spear giveaway at Cocktails and Books. Just enter under the Giveaway banner for a chance to win. :)  Happy Friday!

Self Publishing--And THIS Is Why You Need to Beware...

This is a reposting of information I think vital to those thinking of self-publishing who know little to nothing about the market. PLEASE take the time to read this. It could save you a lot of hassle in the long run. I advise anyone wanting to get published, independently or through a traditional or small print house, to research before jumping in with both feet. Ask around!!

Taken from my daily feed of The Passive Voice

From David Gaughran:

Simon & Schuster has launched a self-publishing operation, Archway Publishing, contracting one of the most disreputable players in the business to run the show: Author Solutions.
. . . .
But what if you need proper editing? Fear not! Simon & Schuster is here to help. For just $0.035 a word, you can have a thorough edit of your book. Which sounds cheap until you realize that a standard 80,000 word novel would cost you $2,800. So, in actual fact, the cheapest package, plus their edit, will set you back $4,799 for a standard length book.
As if that wasn’t enough, Simon & Schuster will also take half of your e-book royalties – after Amazon and the other retailers take their cut – and pay pennies for print sales.
. . . .
Author Solutions is the umbrella for (and owner of) several seriously shady self-publishing service companies (or vanity presses, if you prefer) – such as Author House, Xlibris, iUniverse, and Trafford.
Each of these companies has managed to achieve disreputable status on their own, but together they have screwed over more than 150,000 writers. Going through the full history of their rip-off schemes would require a book, rather than a blog post, so I’ll stick to the highlights.
The formidable Emily Suess has been covering Author Solutions for some time:

The short list of recurring issues includes: making formerly out-of-print works available for sale without the author’s consent, improperly reporting royalty information, non-payment of royalties, breach of contract, predatory and harassing sales calls, excessive markups on review and advertising services, failure to deliver marketing services as promised, telling customers their add-ons will only cost hundreds of dollars and then charging their credit cards thousands of dollars, ignoring customer complaints, shaming and banning customers who go public with their stories . . .

. . . .
At the time of the purchase, some commentators expressed hope that Penguin would clean up this cesspool. Instead, Penguin gave Kevin Weiss – the head of Author Solutions – a seat on the board.
A seat on the board!
And the scammy behavior hasn’t stopped; in fact, some of it is getting worse. I’ve received reports of Author Solutions staff calling prospective customers and asking if they want to be “published by Penguin.” Yes, they went there.
. . . .
Before you say that any writer who gets suckered only has themselves to blame, you must consider that Author Solutions is extremely disingenuous about how they target customers.
They prey on people who don’t understand the industry. Their whole business model is predicated on customer ignorance – and they are relentless at exploiting that, hounding people with incessant calls, pushing every emotional button they can think of, until they crack.

And it works. The average customer spends $5,000 getting their book published – which is crazy money – and Emily Suess has received reports of writers being tricked out of tens of thousands of dollars. After all that, the writers don’t sell anything anyway, and what little they do make is often delayed or unpaid altogether.

I can’t say it any plainer: Author Solutions are in the business of ripping people off.

Link to the rest at Let’s Get Digital
David’s warnings should suffice to steer anyone away from Author Solutions. However, if you need a second source, Victoria Strauss comments on Writer Beware:

It’s not an exaggeration to say that, right now, ASI is the most hated name in the self-publishing services world.
. . . .
ASI is the only self-pub service provider about which we get regular complaints.
. . . .
My problem is with how S&S and others have chosen to dabble in self-publishing–by choosing to work with a company that exploits authors through deceptive PR tactics, misleading rhetoric, and terrible customer service. ASI’s poor reputation is not a secret–it’s all over the Internet. Could S&S and others not have chosen a more complaint-free service provider–or, even, created the service themselves?

Link to the rest at Writer Beware

Cocktails and Books: Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway: Tip of the Spear...

Cocktails and Books: Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway: Tip of the Spear...: We have Marie Harte with us today chatting about her release, Tip of the Spear .  Please help me in welcoming Marie to Cocktails and Book...

New Cover: Entranced

 Entranced--Coming out from Loose Id next week. The 7th book in the PowerUp! series.

Jack Keiser gets his happily ever after. Finally!