Friday’s Feature: Interview with Marie Harte and Contest for Closing the Deal

Ms. Harte: Not so much. I have ideas pending, but I try to work on one project at a time, because I focus hard on character. Also, sometimes a mood is different from book to book, and it confuses me to do too much at once. Yeah, I’m simple like that. 🙂

Kathy: Multitasking is NOT a strong suit of mine :). What is a typical day like as author Marie Harte? Do you write every day? How long does it usually take you to complete a book?

Ms. Harte: A typical day…After getting my kids off to school, I try (I really do try, but it doesn’t always happen) to exercise. Then I’ll clean up, brew some coffee, eat a quick breakfast and get to work. After going through emails, I normally get in a good 4-8 hours of typing during the day, depending upon how my morning went. That amounts anywhere from 3000-8000 words. I’m a night owl, so after my kidlets go to bed, I usually do a bit more work. If I type too much at night though, I’m spent for the next day. So at night I’ll usually catch up on edits or email stuff I’ve put off during valuable daylight writing hours.

Kathy: I’m now convinced you are also superwoman 😀 as well as an enormously gifted writer! Where do you find inspiration for your novels? Are your characters purely fictional?

Ms. Harte: Purely fictional. I only wish I could meet some of my heroes! I watch movies and TV and read a lot, so my mind is constantly buzzing with ideas I’ll see. I keep getting wrong numbers lately, people calling my cell phone trying to reach Amanda. So you can imagine I have a story there, Amanda meets a persistent caller, maybe, and he turns out to be a shapeshifter and her mate? Who knows? 🙂

Kathy: I LOVE how an author’s mind works. Enjoying the Show was published in 2007. Were you always planning on writing a follow up to the story?

Ms. Harte: I had thoughts about it, but I was sidetracked by other projects. I love the Warren family, and Gage’s older twin brothers intrigued me, but I hadn’t thought the book would do nearly as well as it’s done. So many readers asked that I had to take a look at writing Derrick’s story. And of course, Dylan’s will follow.

Kathy: I can hardly wait for Dylan’s story!! Could you tell us a little bit about Closing the Deal?

Ms. Harte: Derrick Warren is one of the irresistible Warren twins. He’s a successful and single architect who’s never had to work too hard with women. Then he spies Sydney Fields and is struck with instant attraction. They spend three months having terrific phone conversations, struggling to connect despite conflicting schedules. But when they finally have that first date, things go horribly wrong.

Derrick’s old girlfriend swings by, and before you know it, Sydney is dumping her wine in his lap. Derrick finally has to work to get a woman to see him, and when she does, the chemistry between them makes its own magic. Soon, Derrick is feeling more than lust for the stubborn, sexy redhead. And it’ll take all his persistence to break through Sydney’s emotional walls. In the course of the chase, he deals with his obnoxious brothers and unasked-for interference in his love life from the therapist from hell–his mother.

Kathy: What projects are you currently working on? What does your publishing schedule for 2012 look like at this point?

Ms. Harte: Lots to get to in 2012, thankfully. I just finished first edits on Fortune’s Favor, a m/m psychic romance coming to Loose Id in February. I have three Cougar Falls books (Samhain-shapeshifter stories) coming next year, as well as more psychic romances from Loose Id and a few futuristic stories I have in mind for Ellora’s Cave—the Talsons and more Voiders. I pretty much set myself a deadline each month for a story, so I have work to do. I write pretty fast, and I’ve learned to pace myself so as not to burn out. I’m excited to get to my projects.

Kathy: Now I KNOW you are superwoman. I have enjoyed chatting with you today. Is there anything else you would like to share with us before you go?

Ms. Harte: If you like Closing the Deal, make sure to check out Enjoying the Show, the book that first introduced the Warrens. Feel free to stop by my website and blog for more info on all my projects. And Kathy, thank you so much for the opportunity to share my work. It’s been a pleasure.

Kathy: Ms. Harte, congratulations on your upcoming release and thank you so much for visiting with us today. Feel free to drop by anytime you happen to be in the neighborhood.

To celebrate the release of Closing the Deal and Ms. Harte’s visit here today, I am giving away a digital copy of Closing the Deal to one lucky commenter.

Title: Closing the Deal by Marie Harte
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Red Hots!
Length: Novella

Summary:

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 enter the Friday’s Feature Closing the Deal contest:

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