Jenna Harte

Author: JHarte

  • Review: Heat Wave

    Heat Wave
    Heat Wave by Richard Castle
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    I probably wouldn’t rate this book as high if it wasn’t attached to Castle the tv show. Part of it’s fun is knowing it’s the book Castle wrote in response to his adventures with Beckett. It’s fun to see the characters of Rook and Heat in Castle and Beckett and some of the events that happen on the show in the books. And readers who want Castle and Beckett (Rook and Heat) as a couple (which doesn’t happen until season 5), don’t have to wait that long. But it’s not as well written as I might expect Castle to write for being a rock star mystery writer.

    View all my reviews

  • Getting to Happily Ever After

    Getting to Happily Ever After

    Writers are sensitive creatures. We want the love and accolades, but don’t always take criticism well. One thing I’ve learned is to listen to or read feedback and reviews with an open mind. I have been fortunate that people who’ve been leaving reviews have been gentle in their critiques. And while it isn’t always fun to hear the negative, if I’m open to what is being said, I can learn from it and improve my writing and story telling. That leads me to today’s post.

    I got a review recently for Old Flames Never Die book two in the Valentine series that said it wasn’t as good as the first and that the problem was that there was “too much back and forth between the main characters” and “I thought the trust and walking out on each other had been resolved in the first book”. Admittedly, I was concerned there was too much angst and discord in this book, but at the same time, I didn’t think Tess and Jack were at the level of smooth sailing by the end of the first book. Clearly, Tess made gains in Deadly Valentine. She learned to let go and allow love in her life. But I don’t think she was at the point where she was completely free of her baggage. She grew up with rejection, had the fiasco with Brad, and was even rejected by Jack in book one. I don’t think you let all that go in an instant. So book two tested her faith in love and I think she did a pretty good job.

    Jack too had his issues. The problem with alpha males like Jack is that they can sometimes come off too perfect, which is boring. Jack has many great qualities, such as his unwavering love for Tess. But he’s also a man used to getting what he wants. Sometimes he needs to push, and push hard to get it. We saw it a little in book one and a lot in book two. The problem is, the more that Jack pushed, the more Tess questioned their love. So Jack’s journey was about learning to let go and trust too. He couldn’t bully Tess into loving him the way he wanted her to love him.

    Fortunately, book three, With This Ring I Thee Kill, doesn’t have all the angst. Tess and Jack disagree and occasionally squabble, but the relationship is now set and at the place the above reviewer hoped they’d achieved in book two. With This Ring I Thee Kill sees even more growth in Tess and Jack, lots of great banter and play, and passionate love. Oh… and of course murder and mayhem.

    With that all said, if I have to explain myself in a blog post, it suggests that I didn’t do my job in the books, which is something I need to work on. On the other hand, everyone gets something different from books. I’ve read books that have out of this world reviews and I couldn’t figure out why. And I’ve read books I’ve loved that had a few bad reviews, and again, I couldn’t understand why. In the end, reading is subjective. I just hope that readers who like romantic couples embroiled in mystery enjoy my work, because I sure enjoy writing it!

  • Great Romantic Couples – Nick and Nora Charles

    Great Romantic Couples – Nick and Nora Charles

    When you think of romantic couples, you probably think of Elizabeth and Darcy or Cleopatra and Anthony. I agree that they are romantic couples, but along with the romantic words — “You pierce my soul,” Capt. Wentworth in Jane Austen’s Persuasion — is the everyday banter that comes between couples once they start their ‘happily ever after’. That’s what I love about Nick and Nora Charles. They come from opposite worlds and yet click so well together. I wonder what their courtship was like. Did they struggle like a typical romance couple…she the rich heiress and he the blue-collar gumshoe who come from different backgrounds? Or was it chemistry when they met and neither cared about the differences? I like to think it was the latter. I can’t imagine Nick worrying too much about what Nora’s family would think of him.

    I love how Nora can keep up with Nick on the quips and while they tease each other, you can tell they love and respect each other. And then there is the humor. I like angst as much as the next reader, but I love quirky characters, funny situations, and engaging banter.

    If you’re not familiar with Nick and Nora, you can read The Thin Manby Dashiell Hammett, but theThe Thin Man movies are my favorite starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

  • Rockstar Writers

    Rockstar Writers

    I recently discovered the TV show Castle. It has all the elements I love; attraction between characters, mystery and in this case, it involves a writer. I haven’t caught up on all episodes, but TNT was showing a few last night.  In one of the episodes, Castle’s new series of books featuring Nikki Heat (based on Beckett the detective he follows around), is being made into a movie. The actress hired to play Nikki joins the group to follow Beckett around as part of her researching of the role. The actress is thrilled to meet Beckett, but barely acknowledges Castle. He introduces himself again, telling her wrote Heat Wave, she’s still not impressed. “I’m your creator,” he mutters in the endearing way Castle pouts.

    What’s interesting about this show is that in many ways Castle is the rockstar of mystery writers. He’s rich, famous and handsome. But if you think about it, in real life there aren’t many celebrity writers…at least writers that have the same problems that television and movie celebrities have. In many cases, people may not even recognize their favorite authors if they passed them on the street. And very few authors are invited on television unless they are super-rockstars. I recently saw E.L. James on Katie. J.k. Rowling was on the Daily Show. I’ve seen Stephanie Meyer on two talk shows. But I’ve never seen Grisham, Nora Roberts or even Susanne Collins on TV, except for clips from local news stations posted on YouTube.

    I guess because writers aren’t seen very much, the best they can hope for is getting on the bestsellers list. If they’re lucky, their books will become a phenomena and garner a movie deal and then maybe they’ll be a celebrity. Of course, authors never go into writing to become a celebrity. But it’s got to be a happy bonus when the public and media create buzz that propels a book’s success.

  • Old Flames Never Die, A Sneak Peek

    Old Flames Never Die, A Sneak Peek

    UPDATE – The sneak peek to Old Flames Never Die was removed to meet TOS of Amazon’s KDP Select program. Old Flames Never Die is now available for purchase for $2.99 at Amazon.

     

    Last week I sent the complete manuscript of Old Flames Never Die to my editor, which means it will be ready for publishing very soon. For those of you who’d like a little sneak peek of what’s to come in book 2 of the Valentine Mysteries, I’ve got a treat for you! You can read the first few chapters here: Old Flames Never Die Sneak Peek

    I’m still working on the blurb, but so far I have:

    Tess Madison is jobless, homeless and hopelessly in love with the sexy, blue-green eyed Jack Valentine. But their new love is put to the test when the husband of an old flame of Jack’s is murdered. Jack thinks she innocent and vows to help her. Tess isn’t so sure and with the help of her friend and Jack’s nemesis Det. Daniel Showalter, she joins the investigation. Now Tess is pitted against Jack and as they each seek answers, not only do they put their love at risk, but their lives as well.

    I’ve got a mock up of the cover as well. It still needs work and I haven’t bought the art yet, but here’s a peek at what’s created so far.

    By the way, Deadly Valentine, book one in the Valentine Mysteries is now available for Nook, other ereader formats, and in print.

    If you have any feedback, please let me know. You can comment below or contact me here.