Interview with Author Marie Harte and Giveaway

Meet Marie Harte author of Test Drive.

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author MARIE HARTE is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking or biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. She lives in in Central Oregon.

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First off, can you tell us a bit about you?

I’m Marie Harte, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author over 100 books. I’ve been writing professionally for twelve years, and I write spicy mainstream and erotic romance in several genres: contemporary, paranormal, futuristic, romantic suspsense, you name it. I’m never bored, that’s for sure. I live in Central Oregon with two growing boys and a cat, and soon (so I’m told) a dog. I love to read. I’m a coffee addict, and I never tire of looking at the mountains around me.

Did you always want to be a writer?

YES. I used to tell stories to myself and friends as a kid, and I continued into adulthood. There’s never a television show, movie, or book better than the fantasies inside my head.

What was your favorite scene to write in Test Drive?

There are so many! But I especially loved writing the guys together. They give each other so much grief, but in a best bud kind of way. So probably that initial bar scene where they’re razzing each other about their darts game and Johnny’s unrequited crush on Lara.

What kind of writer are you? Panser or Plotter?

Mostly a panster, but since I mostly write on proposal now, I have to plot as well. It’s loose, but I’m a quasi-hybrid writer, I’d say.

Where do your ideas come from?

Everywhere. TV, movies, books, watching people, comics. There’s such a wealth of ideas just floating around everywhere I look.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.

The Body Shop, a hot new spicy contemporary series featuring tough, dominant men--mechanics who like to get dirty on and off the job.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?

Romance is my go-to favorite genre. I love stories with tough heroines and tougher heroes. The hero must have a hint of vulnerability, the heroine an inner strength to overcome adversity. I’m also a big fan of urban fantasy, which is new to me. I love reading about characters who discover hidden powers and have to face off against foes, battling incredible odds.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?

That’s too difficult to answer. I have so many favorites. I can tell you my favorite fantasy books are David Eddings’ Belgariad series. My favorite horror novel, Swan Song by Robert McCammon. My favorite YA, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Hmm. Favorite romance? All of them.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write? Why?

I don’t have particular scenes, per se, but I do get stuck sometimes. Often in the middle of the book. I don’t want it to sag, but when my beginning creeps toward the middle, sometimes I’ll drift. I get stuck when the characters don’t act true to type or the story is going in the wrong direction. I’ll just know, because I’m stuck. Once I delete a scene or fix it, it flows. Love scenes and endings are easy for me. I just love the kissing parts!

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

Man, I hate this kind of question, because as soon as I answer it I’ll remember four more authors I’d want to talk to. Okay, first, Edgar Allen Poe, because his writing has stayed with me for a long time. I’d love to know how opium really affected him. I’m too scared to try anything that might adversely affect my brain, and Poe really liked to juice it up. LOL I’d ask Madeleine L’Engle what influenced her, and how she came up with the storyline and characters from her Wrinkle in Time quintet. That book really influenced me, to make me think outside the box. Lastly, I’d love to sit down with Nora Roberts and ask her about her process, how she drafts a story, and how she keeps so creative after writing so many books. I know I sometimes find it a challenge.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?

I’m always working on something right now. *grin* I’m currently working on Gavin’s story. His is the second in my Donnigans series for Sourcebooks, the first book of which releases in November. There’s crossover between the McCauley Brothers (my initial Sourcebooks series), Body Shop Bad Boys, and the Donnigans. The Donnigans are cousins of the McCauleys, and I imagined stories for each of them years ago, when I wrote my first McCauley Brothers book. After Gavin’s story, I’ll go back and write the last Body Shop Bad Boy book, then return to the Donnigans for their last story as well. Lots of work to take me into 2017. Then it’s time for something new!

Which do you prefer, books about hunky brothers finding their true loves or sexy sisters who find their happily-ever-after? Brother bonding or sister bonding? I’m curious…

A smokin’ hot new series from Marie Harte featuring tough-guy mechanics and the women who jump-start their hearts.

GET TO KNOW THE BODY SHOP BAD BOYS

Johnny, Foley, Sam, and Lou are the rough and tumble mechanics of Webster’s Garage. These reformed bad boys are used to living fast, but it’s the women in their lives who take them from zero to sixty in a heartbeat.

JOHNNY

Johnny Devlin’s a charmer with a checkered past. He’s had his eye on scorching-hot bartender Lara Valley for ages, but she’s rejected him more than once. That doesn’t mean he won’t come to her aid when some dirtbag mauls her. When she asks him on a date as a no-strings-attached thank you, he can’t say no. And then he’s saying nothing but hell, yes.

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Up For Grabs:

• 1 Print copy of Test Drive

To Enter:

• US/CA shipping ONLY.
• Which do you prefer, books about hunky brothers finding their true loves or sexy sisters who find their happily-ever-after? Brother bonding or sister bonding?
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck!

Special thanks to Sourcebooks for sponsoring this giveaway.

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