JHarte

About JHarte

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Valentines, Vampires and More…Oh My

I’ve been getting comments and emails about whether or not the Valentine series is over. I can see why some might think that, but I have many stories about Tess and Jack left to tell. In fact, I’ve just started the next installment.

Deadly Valentine (book one in the Valentine series) has made it to the quarter-final round in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest. The book is now competing with 100 other books to reach the Semi-final (top five books) in it’s category. Editors from Publisher’s Weekly are doing the judging and critiquing this round. I’ll be curious to find out what they think.

My romance novel is with an editor at Harlequin. Last month, she was intrigued enough by the first few chapters to request the entire manuscript. My fingers are crossed that she’ll buy it. I’ve been thinking that if she does, she might ask for other books in the works that would fit the line, since many Harlequin authors write multiple books. I do have some ideas for the female protagonist’s brother and friend. Perhaps I should flesh those stories out … just in case.

Last October, my writers group had a challenge to write a scary story for Halloween, which I wasn’t able to complete, but I did come up with a paranormal novel idea. Right now I’m doing a lot of research on vampire folklore in Eastern Europe. It’s very interesting and in some ways very different from the Dracula and other vampire characteristics we accept as the norm.

I want to thank you for supporting me through this new adventure in my life. It is thrilling that there are people who find enjoyment in the stories and characters I write. And I appreciate, beyond measure, the kind comments and reviews you have given. Thank you!

I Hate Love Triangles

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I hate love triangles. Stephanie Plum bounces between Joe and Ranger when she should pick one (Joe…I know some people will disagree). I don’t get the whole Team Jacob vs Edward when clearly it was Edward all the way. (Jacob was self-centered and mean spirited).

In my Pollyanna world, I like love at first sight that never goes away even if time or circumstance keeps them apart (i.e. Persuasion or my own Deadly Valentine). Some might argue that I have a love triangle between Tess, Jack and Daniel, but no. Daniel never stood a chance even without Jack coming back into her life.

I always wonder about authors that have love triangles, particularly with two seemingly perfect men that the female bounces between (literally and figuratively). Is that to make it seem more like real life? Is it to keep the tension up and the reader guessing? To me, it makes her wishy washy. Pick a guy already!

I know my view is fairy tale-ish. It’s an ongoing joke in my writer group. So much so that some writers warn me if the love is going to go bad. I don’t mind angst. In fact, I kind of enjoy it, as long as everything turns out in the end. While many make fun of this quirk of mine, I’ve decided not to apologize for it. Why not have have a couple who are devoted, respectful, loving and passionate? Because it’s not real? Vampires aren’t real, either. Neither is a boy living on a life raft with a hungry tiger. But that doesn’t stop people from enjoying paranormal stories or “The Life of Pi.”

Maybe I could start a club. The “I hate love triangles” Club. I wonder if anyone else would join?

Deadly Valentine – Quarter Finalist in Amazon’s Novel Award!

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When Deadly Valentine was released in August 2012, I’d hoped that people would like it. The members of my writer’s group and my mom and sister were all positive about the book, but they are biased, right? A few agents said nice things about the book, which gave me hope, but none wanted to take a chance on it. I decided to publish it myself through Amazon and find out what the market thought. After all, it’s the readers who determine a good book. There are indie authors everywhere making good money on great books that traditional publishing passed on (but are now trying to get!).

Most reviews of Deadly Valentine at Amazon are good (4 and 5 stars). Others aren’t so great, but seem to be based on reading preference. A few offer critiques that I’ve studied to determine if I should make changes (so far I haven’t). But the overall consensus is that Deadly Valentine is a fun, little romantic mystery. It’s not Hemingway, but then it wasn’t meant to be.

Bolstered by the book’s success so far, I decided to enter it in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest. The contest started in January and every month, cuts are made for each round. In February, from a maximum of 10,000 entries, Amazon cut that down to 400 for each category based on a pitch. Today, Amazon released the next round winners, cut from 400 down to 100 in each category based on a 3,000 to 5,000 word excerpt. I was so excited to see my name and Deadly Valentine on the list of 100.

Having readers buy and enjoy Deadly Valentine is awesome, and I’d rather have that than not make sales but win awards. But moving up in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest from 10,000 to 100 entries is a validation. Like I’m a “real” writer. I’m not sure if Deadly Valentine will make the next cut in April, which is from 100 entries down to 5 based on the full manuscript, but I’m thrilled to have made it this far!

If you haven’t read Deadly Valentine, Amazon is offering a free excerpt.

Great Romantic Couples – Jonathan and Jennifer Hart

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Back in January, I wrote about Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man in the Great Romantic Couple series. My next great romantic couple is Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, who were an 80’s version of Nick and Nora. Jonathan and Jennifer were the main characters of Hart To Hart, which ran from 1979 to 1984 as a weekly TV series. When the show was unexpectedly cancelled, the stars, Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers, continued to work together in the play Love Letters and were able to eventually re-invent Hart to Hart as a two-hour movie series in the 1990’s. After eight movies, the Harts were finally retired from TV, but not from the hearts of its fans who continue to talk about, write fan fiction and share DVDs created from home-made VHS recordings of the show (only seasons one and two and movies are for sale on DVD ).

The Harts depict the happily ever after die-hard romantics love. They are rich, beautiful and deeply in love. The actors have said in interviews that there were attempts by writers to create angst in the marriage with roving eyes and infidelity, but both were adamant that the Harts were 100 percent committed to each other. Thank goodness because that is what made the Harts a great romantic couple. Jonathan never questioned Jennifer when it appeared she’d become a thief. Jennifer never question Jonathan’s fidelity when evidence suggested he might be having an affair…twice. That’s the kind of love, trust and commitment true romantics love.

Like their predecessors Nick and Nora, the Harts also were a fun couple who bantered and played. Oh, and they also solved crime, although any die-hard Hart fans will tell you that the plots were less important than watching the relationship. The Harts had the perfect relationship, so it’s no surprise that they won in my survey of favorite romantic couples (as of 2/26/13).

If you’ve never seen the Harts, but are a die-hard romantic, it’s worth checking out the show. Season one in particular had the banter and fun reminiscent of The Thin Man. But all seasons have their share of love, romance and mayhem.

With This Ring, I Thee Kill is Published!

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My goal was to deliver With This Ring, I Thee Kill by Valentine’s Day. And technically, I did…until technical problems slowed me down. The book has been up and available all day, but I found some errors and formatting issues that took awhile fix. But the fixes have been made and the book is ready for you to read. Whoop!

My editor says she likes this book the best of the three Valentine mysteries. Another reader gushed over the ending. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much.

Grab your copy of With This Ring, I Thee Kill.