Jenna Harte

Author: JHarte

  • Romance, Romania and Valentines

    j04347211.pngI thought I’d give an update on what’s going on in Jenna’s world.

    First… HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have read ‘Til Death Do Us Part! And an extra hug to those of you who’ve left a review on Amazon or comment on Facebook. Writing is a lonely venture. It definitely is a challenge to the ego; one minute you think you have something great and the next minute it’s horrible. It’s you who validates the work and lets me know that my stories are enjoyable.

    j0434721 It’s nearly summer, so I’m working with my assistant on a great summer reading special. You’ll need to stay tuned for that.

    j0434721 As far as the Valentines are concerned, I do have more mystery, mayhem and romance planned for them. I’m currently trying to decide if their next adventure will involve a mystery being solved by Daniel and Kate, or if I should give Daniel and Kate their own story, with Jack and Tess as supporting characters. Or maybe I can just throw them all together. Perhaps you have an idea about that. Let me know. Anyway, while it may be some times before you get the next Valentine story, please know that they have more stories coming in the future.

    j0434721Did you know that in November 2012, I won entry (one out of five writers) into a Harlequin pitch contest? Through that I was asked to send the first three chapters and after that the whole transcript. But by June 2013, I stopped hearing and wasn’t sure what that meant. But then in January and again last week, I heard that the assistant editor and senior editor were going to be talking about it. Of course they can still say no. Or maybe they’ll say they like it, but want some changes. So, fingers crossed!

    j0434721I haven’t forgotten the Delecoeurs, who are going to get mixed up in gold and lost treasure, but I think I’m going to do something completely different for my next project (unless Harlequin calls in which case I’ll do what ever it wants me to 🙂 ) I have an idea for a story involving two women who where adopted from Romania as small children and who return to investigate their roots. I’m researching all sorts of folklore surrounding Romania… yes, including vampires…. but also much, much more. What I haven’t figured out yes is whether it will be better as a new adult story. I’m also going to attempt to learn some Romanian. If anyone has any suggestions on the best way to do that, short of going to live there, let me know. I was going to try Duolingo, but it’s Romanian course isn’t available yet.

    Thank you to all the Jack and Tess fans who have followed and continue to follow their journey. I’m so grateful for you and your support!

  • ‘Til Death Do Us Part is Published!

    'Til Death Do Us PartWell, it took a little longer than planned to get this book written, but it’s finally ready for you to read.

    ‘Til Death Do Us Part is the fourth book in the Valentine Mystery series. Tess and Jack are living in wedded bliss, until Jack’s childhood friend, famous actress Ava Dumont shows up in town to film a movie. Years ago, fans of her popular TV courtroom drama, speculated on whether or not Ava and her handsome co-star, Reece Wilder’s off-screen chemistry was as hot as it was on screen. The question was seemingly answered when Reece married Ava’s nemesis, D-List actress, Amya Grosse. Now estranged and seeking a divorce, Reece has pushed to do a movie with a reluctant Ava. But, their highly anticipated on and off screen-reunion is ruined when Amya turns up dead in Reece’s hotel room. Jack’s loyalty and Tess’ curiosity put them in the middle of a murder in which everyone they meet had a reason to want to Amya dead. Will they be able to discover the murderer or will ’til death do us part’ come much sooner than they’d dreamed?

    Along with solving a mystery, Jack starts to resolve feelings about his relationship with the Senator, and Tess and Daniel work though their unresolved issues.

    I hope that fans of Jack and Tess will enjoy this next mystery they get embroiled in.

    If you’ve read this new installment, please visit Amazon leave a review.

  • Free Valentines!

    deadlyvalentinet128With a name like Harte and book series called Valentine, it’s no wonder Valentine’s Day is popular around here. And to celebrate, you can get Deadly Valentine, Book One of the Valentine series for free now until Feb. 14, 2014. Plus, you can get the next two books in the series, Old Flames Never Die and With This Ring, I Thee Kill at a discount of 30% off (only $1.99) also until Feb. 14, 2014.

    The Valentine books follow the lives of Tess Madison, a French-lingerie loving, chocolate connoisseur and her handsome leading man Jack Valentine. It’s just the right mixture of mystery, romance and fun!

    And if you enjoy them, the fourth book, ‘Til Death Do Us Part, is in it’s final stages of editing. I’ll be giving away the first few chapters on Friday, February 14th. Watch for details, here, on Twitter or Facebook for a release date.

  • Review: Dark Witch

    Dark Witch
    Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    I much prefer Nora’s In Death books (as JD Robb) and her stand alone suspense books, but I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked how Iona was enthusiastic and didn’t have much of a filter on her emotions. It’s a nice change from women who are attracted to men, but always trying to keep them arms distance. I got a kick out of Boyle, a man of few words and very settled in his ways, who is baffled at the attraction (and his inability to avoid it) to Iona. He doesn’t say much, but when he does it counts.

    Because it’s a trilogy, you don’t get the big finish by the end, but you get one committed couple who still have work to do to defeat evil and help two other couples eventually get together. I will say I’m eager to read Conner’s story and of course, Fin and Branna’s.

    After 200 books, Nora’s books sometimes feel like they’re recycled from older stories (i.e. I felt like the last Boonsville Inn was similar to Rafe McKade), but I still enjoyed the characters, the setting and overall story. If you enjoy a good romance, an Irish setting with folklore, a quest and a little witchery, then you’ll probably like this book.

    View all my reviews

  • Interview with Tess Madison

    Tess Madison is the romantic heroine of the Valentine Series. She’s smart, funny and doesn’t take any guff. She’s had a bumpy ride through life, but managed to make it through with the help of French lingerie, chocolate and of course, the love from Jack Valentine. In this interview, Tess answers questions about her relationship with Jack and the origin of her love of fine lingerie.

    Q: Jack seems like such a perfect man. He’s handsome, sexy, rich, kind… so why did it take so long for you to open to him?

    Tess: Probably because he was so perfect. That and the fact that by the time he’d re-entered my life, I’d give up on the concept of a love that lasts forever.

    Q: Why would his being perfect be a hindrance?

    Tess: He wondered the same thing. I once told him that he was too rich, handsome and confident. He answered with, “So you’d love me if I was poor, ugly and insecure?” The thing is, when I first knew Jack, all the women he dated were nothing like me. Tall, leggy, gorgeous. Several were models and one was an actress. I couldn’t get how he’d be attracted to me. But he wore me down, convinced me he was sincere.

    Q: It’s not like you’re ugly. 

    Tess: No. I’m alright. But in truth, that’s not what matters. Jack is a very handsome man, but that’s not why I love him. He’s smart, funny, has an optimistic attitude, he’s loyal, it’s his character that I love. But I’ll admit the packaging is nice.

    Q: Jack says he loved you almost from the start. Did you have the same reaction when you first met him? 

    Tess: Well… I was engaged to his friend at the time, so it wasn’t the same. But no one can meet Jack and not have a reaction. He has a presence and an energy that makes you take notice. I will admit that as our friendship grew, I had some guilt-filled moments of thinking of him, when I should have been thinking of my fiance.

    Q: Do you think Jack was right in the way he handled things that night you went to him after discovering your fiance’s infidelity? 

    Tess: In hindsight, yes. Odds are I would have still left and would have hurt him. I cared for him, probably even loved him by then. But my need for him wasn’t about that that night.

    Q: How real of a threat was Daniel to your relationship with Jack.

    Tess: If you’re asking if there was a chance I’d ever be with Daniel, the answer is maybe. But not once Jack entered the picture. If we’d never reunited, there is a possibility that I would have given in to Daniel’s advances. And it might have worked. Daniel is a great guy. But it wouldn’t be that all consuming passion…that soul deep love I feel for Jack.

    Q: Considering your history, it was surprising that you weren’t more worried about Liv messing things up for you and Jack.

    Tess: She did mess things up, but not in the way you mean. I trust Jack. I knew he wouldn’t betray me by having an affair. If he wanted to be with another woman, he’d break it off with me first. He wouldn’t cheat. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel betrayed by his loyalty to her.

    Q: He is very loyal to people he cares about.

    Tess: Yes, and I love that about him. But during that whole situation with Liv, his loyalty for her seemed to take precedence over me.

    Q: When you reunited a man died, you got involved in murder with Liv, and even your engagement was fraught with trouble. Do you worry that mayhem seems to follow you two?

    Tess: We have seen more than our fair share of murder, but a little mayhem and danger is well worth the price for having him in my life.

    Q: Will you two have children?

    Tess: Someday. Right now we love our lives the way they are. Children change that, not in a bad way, but in a way we don’t want to change right now.

    Q: Where did your love of French lingerie come from.

    Tess: I grew up going to private schools and then boarding school, where we had to wear uniforms most of the time. What I put on underneath was one way to have control and self-expression.

    Q: But no one saw it.

    Tess: Jack does. But before then, it didn’t matter if anyone saw it. I knew it was there.

    Q: What about your fondness for old R&B tunes. You weren’t even born during Marvin Gaye’s heyday.  Shouldn’t you like more modern R&B?

    Tess: I like some modern R&B, but the old stuff is really sensuous, sexy.

    Q: It goes well with your lingerie.

    Tess: Yes. I’ve really hit the jackpot when it comes to sensuality and sexy – lingerie, R&B and of course, Jack.

     

    If you haven’t read Jack’s interview, you can do so here.

    Do you have questions for Tess that weren’t asked. Ask in the comments below and she’ll answer them.