Jenna Harte
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Romance, Romania and Valentines
I 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.
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.
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.
Did 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!
I 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!
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!
Jenna Harte Fan Page
It seems a little early to be making a fan page at Facebook. Currently I have about two fans; my mother and my sister. But one thing I’ve been learning about book publishing is that the most important thing (after writing a good book) is marketing. Even before publishing, having a “platform” or a ready-made audience is crucial to success. So I have a Facebook fan page. It still needs a little work, but I’d love it if you stopped by. Jenna Harte Facebook Fan Page.
Jenna Harte Remix
I had to completely delete the previous Jenna Harte site because of too much spam and other problems. That’s what happens when you don’t keep up with blog maintenance. But now that I’m ready to find an agent for Deadly Valentine, I need to focus on spreading the word and building a platform.
I’ve got a few treats for those of you have been following my journey. First I have an excerpt of the first four chapters of Deadly Valentine. Second, I have an excerpt of the next four chapters to those who sign up for my email list (see subscription box to the right). Don’t worry about getting too much email. The list is solely to provide updates, freebies and other goodies occasionally.