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JERR Interview May 28, 2006

A GLIMPSE AT MARIE HARTE’S WORLD

When I first read Marie Heart’s Blackthorne’s Light in the anthology Dark and Dangerous (New Concepts Publishing) I have to admit I was impressed. After that, I kept looking for her books, hoping to see if I could find more from this talented author. Thankfully, it was not a long wait, and her next offering was the novel Lurin’s Surrender also from New Concepts Publishing. Suffice it to say, that book sealed the deal for me and I promptly added her to my author autobuy list. Now her work is available not only at New Concepts Publishing but also at Amber Quill Press and Venus Press, all of which have contracted more than one of her books. Things have changed quite a bit and quickly for her over the past several months, and I decided maybe now would be a good time for JERR to investigate what else she has in store for her fans, so here it is:

Tell us briefly about yourself.

I grew up in the northeast, majored in English at Penn State and was commissioned an officer in the United States Marine Corps. The USMC was a great fit, oddly enough, since I was always drawn to sports and had a ton of male friends growing up. I met my husband eight years ago (a fellow Marine,) married him and his two kids, and just a few years ago we added two more to our family. I left the military after marrying my husband because I wanted to devote myself to my family. Since then, I’ve worked in the Information Technology field, as a middle manager for a Fortune 500 trucking company (and that job was like herding cats!), and currently I manage my family and writing, a challenging balancing act considering the two youngest are 2 ½ and 1 yrs old.

How did you start writing? Is it something you always wanted to do?

I used to write for fun when I was young. I’d pen silly stories on index cards, and they were romances! At the end the girl held hands with the boy, and maybe even, gasp, shared a kiss! :) I’ve always loved writing, even majored in it in college. But it took me a while to realize that in order to be a writer, I had to write, not just talk about writing. It took me a long time to finish my first novel, since I’d spend most days rewriting the first chapter over and over and over again. But having completed that first book, the rest have been easy in comparison. And I learn more and more about the craft of writing with each new work.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been seriously writing for the past five years.

Have there been any major outside influences in your writing (i.e. other author’s, certain books, mentors).

Sure. I love reading: scifi, fantasy, horror, thriller, and especially romance. Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Nora Roberts have certainly shown me that good writing stands on its own, no matter how many “critics” complain about pulp fiction. The creativity and research in both Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series and Christine Feehan’s Carpathian series are truly inspiring. The vampire genre has really saturated the market, yet in these two author’s hands, the books are new and engaging every time.

What was your first work ever published? Had you been working on it for a long time?

Blackthorne’s Light, from the Dark and Dangerous anthology (New Concepts Publishing.) It was a quirky idea I had, and it only took a few days to pen. I wrote it for fun, no pressure. And I decided, what the heck, why not submit it to NCP? The worst they could say was they didn’t like it.

How did it feel to have your first book accepted for publication?

I was astounded, and absolutely thrilled! I‘d spent a year writing steadily, submitting novels into the mainstream world of publishing only to find rejection time and time again, and after LENGTHY waits. I heard back from NCP within a few weeks. And they liked me!

Did you always write erotic romance or did you start in another category? If so, please tell us a bit about your earlier work.

My first written romances were not erotic and targeted toward category romance, specifically the Silhouette Intimate Moments line—at the time my favorite category line. My stories, though, all had characters with paranormal abilities, and the romance was somewhat steamy. And this was before paranormal romances were “in.” I have a trio of books about a paranormal security agency and their rival firm, with the ongoing plans for three more concerning one of the families working in the agency. I plan to resubmit them as single titles after reworking them and adding more “steam” to the romance sometime in the future.

What motivated you to write erotic romance?

Romance, traditionally, is about two people who fall in love and have a happily ever after. When I was a teenager, romances with kisses and bedroom scenes “behind closed doors” didn’t bother me. But as I matured, I began to feel that something was missing. I’m an adult. I don’t need flowery words and hints about sex. I want to see it between the characters I read about. After all, the physical aspect of lovemaking is a natural extension of the beauty of love. It’s not dirty or wrong, and I wanted to write what I wanted to read.

When you submitted your first erotic romance, did it take long for you to be accepted?

No. Blackthorne’s Light found acceptance in a short amount of time. It shocked the heck out of me. The NY publishing houses I’d previously shipped volumes of text to took at least 4 months to respond. NCP answered me within a few weeks.

Your erotic romances span paranormal and futuristic, what motivated you to try these two subcategories first?

I’m a huge fan of paranormal and futuristic romances. I love reading them, and I wanted to write strong heroes and heroines in such settings. I write what I like to read.

Of all the categories you write, which do you find easier to do?

I think futuristics are easiest. They take less research but more creativity. And I’ve never had problems with creativity. Research, on the other hand, can be a real pain!

Of all the categories you write, which is your favorite to write and why?

That’s a tough one. I don’t particularly have a favorite. They each have their own draw. Futuristics are fun because I create everything about the worlds in which my characters live. Paranormals are interesting because I take a world already in existence and mold my characters and plots around it. Contemporaries are different but also fun. I can spend more time on characters and plot because the world and rules in which my characters live have already been established.
I know, I didn’t answer the question. If I had to make a choice … futuristics. What can I say? I’m a control freak.

Every publisher has a different editing style, and you have books in more than one publisher, was it difficult to adapt to their respective “house styles”?

Just in NCP, where I started, I have had at least three different editors. My first few books had little edits. Then, due to the influx of submissions at NCP, they added help and I was assigned a new editor, and I had to adapt to her opinions. Two books later I had another editor, and she focused on different things than my first and second editors had. Ack! And Venus Press and Amber Quill are the same. I don’t see a difference so much in publishing houses per se, but in the editors themselves. On the whole though, I feel very lucky to have worked with such talent. The editors I’ve worked with have been thoroughly knowledgeable about grammar, constructive with criticism and open to my ideas. I couldn’t handle an editor who said, “Do it my way, end of story.”

Tell us about your series at New Concepts Publishing, Amber Quill Press, and Venus Press.

At NCP I am involved with the Storm Lords, a series concerning four identical quadruplet princes with the powers of the elements. They are sent to earth, a non-magical plane, in order to find their affai—brides who can withstand their power. Only with these special women at their sides can they hope to vanquish the evil bent on destroying their homeworld and everything they hold dear. I’m currently working on book 4, Cadmus’ story, and will finish the series with their uncle’s tale (to wrap things up.)

I also have several futuristics based in the Vrail System. They have intertwining characters but the books aren’t in series. Lurin’s Surrender was my first and Seriana Found was the latest published.

At VP, I’ve started Talsons’ Temptations. It’s not so much a series as a grouping of books about four brothers. Roarke, Zaret, Val and Romy are four brothers who share an Otra, alien father. The Otra are a race of beings from another world, who possess extrasensory perception and abilities. And they are a very sensual people, of course. Talson’s Wait was Roarke’s story, and Talson’s Test, Zaret’s story, is coming soon to VP.

My pending release at Amber Quill is not part of a series, but is a special project, a short fantasy piece that was different and fun to write. It’s entitled, Darkson’s Forfeit. Personally, I love that title. It came out of nowhere.

Of all these series, is there any that holds a special place in your heart?

I’m very pleased with the Storm Lords. My other books have characters that appear in a volume and spin off into their own work later. But I had wanted to write a series of books specifically about four brothers. And I wrote book one with the knowledge there would be four more books coming. (The fifth book is about their uncle, and ties the brothers’ stories together.)

You also have a contemporary romance in the works, is it contracted yet?

I have one novella that has been sitting in “limbo” for over a year. Not sure what’s going on with that one, but I’m happy to say Fit to Be Tied, a novella for the Bad Girls Do It Better series with Venus Press, is under contract.

Could you tell us about your current work in progress?

Tentatively titled, Aftershocks, this Storm Lord novel concerns Cadmus Storm. Renowned prankster and all-around charmer, Cadmus Storm has a penchant for melting a woman with a smile. But the tables are turned when he finds himself inexplicably drawn to a tall, scheming blonde used to managing men with ease. Ellie Markham has no intention of getting involved with Storm Lords, Djinn or any of the magical creatures from her father's world. It's enough she agrees to spy on the aggravating Storm Lords. But one look into Cadmus' deep brown gaze and she can't deny her sudden, unwelcome attraction. Mistaken perceptions, conflicted loyalties, and building danger cloud the larger truth growing with Cadmus and Ellie's every shared glance and unspoken word. To battle and defeat the evil lurking all too near, they will have to stay rooted to each other, and to love growing between them.

What has been the best piece of advice you have ever received as a writer?

To never stop writing. A writer writes. Period. And never, ever quit.

What has been the highlight in your writing career so far ?

The success of the Storm Lords books. The Fire Within and Below the Surface have both been Fictionwise bestsellers, and I have received some wonderful emails from readers about the series.

What are your plans for the future?

A lot more writing! Too much to do, not enough time. I have three more Mardu brothers to write about (futuristics from the Vrail system,) a cool fantasy/otherworld romance about tribal conquest against evil set in a desert landscape, and two shapeshifter works I’ve been toying with.

And now, for the fun questions!

What sound or noise do you love?

The staccato of a typed period signaling the end of a story.

What sound or noise do you hate?

My two alarm clocks—early morning toddler tears.

What is your favorite cuss word?

“Fuck.” It has so many applications. :)

If Heaven exists what will God’s first words to you be when you arrive?

Those with holey shorts and flip-flops need not apply.

To find out more about Marie Harte you can visit her website at www.marieharte.com.

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