Jenna Harte

Tag: writing

  • Summer Lovin’ and Fun

    sweethartesI’ve had a crazy, busy summer, and have ambitious goals for the fall and winter! To finish the summer, I thought I’d have a little fun by having a giveaway for my Sweet Hartes. Not a Sweet Harte? No worries. You can join in the fun for free. I answer your questions, give sneak peaks to upcoming books, have giveaways and more. Visit the Sweet Hartes at Facebook to join now! Then be sure to stop by to see what sorts of fun and goodies will be going on in August.

    More news….

    I announced on Facebook, that I just received a 3-book deal on my Southern Heat romance series. The first book, Southern Comfort, was the book that sat at Harlequin for nearly 2 years (1 yr, 11 mos, 3 weeks…but who’s counting)! Luckily, during the wait I got an agent, beefed up the book and sold it to Penner Publishing! Southern Comfort will be released in January, at which point book two, Southern Persuasion will be due. The third book, Southern Conflict (I may ask to change that title), is due in July.

    I’m very excited to have received this deal. Unfortunately, it puts off more Valentine books for a time. My goal is still to have To Love, Honor and Betray: Valentine Book 5 published in September as well as a Christmas Valentine short story in December. I have several other book ideas for the Valentines, but with the three book deal at Penner, I need to get the other two books written. Plus I have a new idea for a cozy that I’m eager to write (probably for NaNoWriMo).

    Here is a picture of fall/winter writing schedule:

    Jenna Harte Fall 2015 Writing Schedule

    It’s a little ambitious, but I can write fast when I clear my schedule and I know what I want to write. I know you might be questioning this as it has taken forever for Valentine 5 to get finished. That has been partly busy schedule and partly plot issues. But starting in August, I’m making a big push to get it done and to my editor before the end of the month.

    So that’s it for now… I’m off to write and when it’s time for a break, I hope I’ll see you in the Sweet Hartes group.

  • I Promise to Do Better…

    Last week while I was on vacation with my family, I got a call from my agent that a publisher was interested in buying Southern Comfort. Whoop! Happy dance. At the same time, I had this sense of dread because the offer included a three-book deal (another whoop), but I still haven’t published Valentine book five. Guilt! On top of that, all my traveling left me little time to engage on social media or be involved with the Sweet Harte Street Team.

    I’m home now and in a few weeks my kids are off to college, which I hope means more time to write. My goal is to have Valentine five published in September. And because I feel so bad that it’s taken so long, I hope to have a short Valentine Christmas novella for you in December.

    I hope you’ll be excited about Southern Comfort. It’s a romance that will be part of a series that take place in Central Virginia. Many publishers like the southern setting and had great things to say about it, even when they didn’t buy it. Once that series is done, I hope to move on to a cozy mystery that’s been peculating in my brain. That doesn’t mean the Valentines are done, though. I have several story ideas for them.

    Although the writing (and revising and editing) are foremost, I hope that I’ll do better staying connected with you. If you’re a member of the Sweet Harte Street Team, I’m working with my virtual assistant to come up with fun stuff, giveaways and more. (If you have ideas, I’d love to hear them).

  • Wassup in the Harte-Land

    I’ve been busy, busy, busy … Here’s what’s been going on.

    Curious about where Valentine book 5 is?

    I’m carrying a lot of guilt that the book isn’t out yet. If you haven’t seen the sneak peek, you can read it here. The book is nearly done. I’ve got the love scenes, fun scenes and even some angst. However, the mystery, clues and herrings aren’t quite fitting together right yet. But I’m madly working on it.

    Ever wonder what happened to that Harlequin submission?

    Some of you might remember that I entered and won entry into a pitch contest at Harlequin Blaze. It resulted in the request for the full manuscript in February 2013. Well…finally in January 2015 (that’s nearly 2 years later), Harlequin declined the book. However, I got a note back that had lots of praise and areas to work on.

    I was able to get an agent to represent that book back in November. With her help, I’ve made it even better and right now it’s being pitched to other publishers. Fingers crossed it sells.

    Want to be a Sweet-Harte?

    I’m looking to put together a street team called the Sweet-Hartes (clever, eh?). The only hold up is getting some cool swag. Watch for news about the Sweet-Harte street team coming soon.

    Well that it’s it. It’s time to get back to fixing Valentine book 5.

  • Best Laid Plans… and other Truths of Writing

    First, a big thank you to fans who are eager, yet patient about the release of the next Valentine book. My plan was to have it ready for you Valentine’s day, but editing is going very slowly. However, I’m still working on something special for Valentine’s day, so you might be seeing an excerpt and perhaps some other goodies…(chocolate?)

    The truth is, even when self-publishing, writing, editing, publishing takes a long time. Once I’m done fixing the book, I have to get it to my editor, who’ll need a couple of weeks. Then there is formatting and cover design, etc. However, I will say that traditional publishers take forever. In February, it will be two years since I sent the full manuscript of Southern Comfort (per the editor’s request), and I still haven’t heard anything except, “We’re sorry it’s taking so long. We’ll be in touch soon.” In November, I secured the services of an agent, who got the same response from the publisher. Fortunately, the agent can submit it to other places in the mean time. It’s been a real exercise in patience.

    In November, I submitted the Delecoeur prequel, now called Worth the Risk, to Hachette’s Forever Yours ebook line. The auto response email said I’d hear in four weeks. Admittedly, it wasn’t a good time to submit as it was a week before Thanksgiving. However, it’s now been eight weeks and even with a little nudge last week, I’ve heard nothing.

    So what’s a writer to do? Keep writing of course. I have several projects (including Valentine book 5) in the works and new ideas percolating. I think 2015 is going to be a good year.

     

  • Ten Commandments of Writing

    Ten Commandments of Writing

    I’m nearing the end of NaNoWriMo with less than 13,000 words to go to reach the 50,000 mark in the fifth Valentine book. I’m psyched at how easy it’s been and yet, I feel like at anytime I’ll get stuck. I know whodunnit, but I haven’t determined the clues that give it away yet. Even so, one thing I often forget  is that the more I write, the more inspired and creative I am. It’s true that the muse doesn’t show up first. I have to show up first and trust that the muse will show up…and she nearly always does.  In fact, I’ve learned many rules through NaNoWriMo and the process of getting published. Here are the 10 Commandments I believe are crucial to writing success.

    1. You shall write daily.

    2. You shall not steal other people’s words.

    3. You shall honor your talent by believing in it.

    4. You shall write what you love.

    5. You shall edit… a lot.

    6. You shalt not be hindered by rejection.

    7.  You shall show gratitude towards those who support your writing.

    8. You shall honor your craft by reading.

    9. You shall not express envy toward other writers.

    10. You shall always be learning about your craft.