LET'S WELCOME AUTHOR OF: ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN: MARIE HARTE

LET’S

WELCOME

MARIE HARTE

AUTHOR OF:

Rad-Reader:  How did it take you to come up with this storyline?

Marie:  Sourcebooks wanted a Halloween book and asked me to write it. So of course, I said yes! They’d mentioned something about a masquerade party and I ran from there. I’d been wanting to write Sadie’s book because I loved her character (introduced in A SURE THING.)

Rad-Reader:  Did you go to a masquerade party and did it have the same results? 😉

Marie:  I wish!

Rad-Reader:  Has anyone you’ve known ever kissed anyone in a mask that they didn’t know?

Marie:  Sadly, no. 

Rad-Reader:  Was Harrison (Gear) just based on someone you made up or one of several someones you’ve known?  Or maybe from TV and movies put together?

Marie:  I had in mind the ex Mr. Sandra Bullock, you know, that jerky guy from that motorcycle reality TV show. But I wanted a spin on it, where the hero isn’t a bad guy. ( I SOOO loathe cheaters!) I also like the idea of the gruff, Neanderthal-like hero who’s really a teddy bear on the inside.

Rad-Reader:  Was it originally part of your storyline to have Sadie punch Sarah or something you came up with while writing her character?  Can’t say we have all not had that moment where we wish we could do the same thing. LOL!

Marie:  I’ve had moments where I’ve just wanted to respond physically. So I let Sadie do it for me! You know you’ve wanted, at some point in your life, to just punch some witchy chick in the face!

Rad-Reader:  Tell us about your two main characters.  Backstory?

Marie:  Sadie is exactly who she presents herself to be. Rough around the edges, a woman not afraid of her sexuality, and at heart, a homebody. A grownup Tom-boy, if you will. Gear is a man who just wants to create amazing motorcycles. But he let his friend take him on a ride into reality TV he never really wanted, complete with a fiancée he didn’t plan on either. Both Sadie and Gear love their families. I liked them having that in common.

Rad-Reader:  Did you find it difficult to write the characters coming from two creative backgrounds in two totally different worlds?

Marie:  I like their differences. That makes them more fun to write. Both creating something—one in the kitchen, the other in a garage. 

Rad-Reader:  Were you asked to do a Halloween book and the masquerade just came to you? Or the masquerade story came during Halloween?

Marie:  I think Sourcebooks mentioned a masquerade. And that was all she wrote!

Rad-Reader:  Was it fun writing about Sadie?  Because she could be out of control in a good way (Friends, family, chocolate) and yet fearless too?

Marie:  Yes. Sadie is one of my favorite heroines because she’s just out there. She’s tough and tumbles yet feminine and unapologetic. I loved her.

Rad-Reader:  Do you like having either cars or in this book motorcycles in some of your other books?  I read Bodyshop Bad Boys.

Marie:  My heroine in the fourth McCauley brothers book, Del Webster, runs an auto-mechanic shop. For my next series, I’d wanted to immediately write about the Donnigans, cousins to the McCauleys. But my editor suggested a series based on the funny mechanics in Del’s garage. They make a limited appearance in that book, but I had fun fleshing them out in their own series. And since I was still writing my Body Shop Bad Boys, it was a natural fit to make Gear a…wait for it…gear-head. LOL  But motorcycles, in his case.

Rad-Reader:  Is this book the only holiday book or have you done one of the other holidays?

Marie:  I love holiday reads. I wrote ANY GIVEN SNOW DAY as a Christmas release this past December (2017). Think Hallmark with a touch of spice. I had a lot of great responses to it and plan to write a follow-on this Christmas. And I have an erotic novella, SATURNALIA: THE LORD OF MISRULE, that I did for an old publisher calling for different holiday books. (It’s an oldie but a goodie.)

Rad-Reader:  In most of the books I have read of yours the lead female character has strength but it is hidden and then it is drawn out.  How do you write that so many times where it is still fresh like the first time I read one of your books?

Marie:  Thank you! I try to write stronger female characters who go through trials but come out on top. I’m not huge on angst, because I like humor and banter. But I will occasionally throw in the tears because the sadness makes the eventual joy so much better. My heroines have issues with their parents, men, their self-esteem. But they all have a core of strength. At some point I’ll try to write a heroine I don’t like or can’t relate to, just to see if I can make her likable. (I will say, Maddie Gardner, from THE TROUBLEMAKER NEXT DOOR, was a more high-strung than I normally make my leading ladies. And she ended up being so much funnier!)

Rad-Reader:  Was it always part of your story for both of them to have similar brothers?  This added to the story.

Marie:  Yes. I’ve loved Elliot for the first time he made an appearance (A SURE THING.) He’s sexy, sweet, and handsome. And he has no luck when it comes to finding a good man. Then you have Thor, Gear’s brother. Who’s brilliant, a bit dorky, and got that sexy-geek vibe going for him. Not saying they have to pair up or anything, but I have high hopes. 😊  At some point, I WILL write Elliot’s story. 

Rad-Reader:  Did you have more fun writing about the motorcycles or the bakery or just the simple punch?

Marie:  I love Gear’s friends. I still hope to someday write a story for Smoke and Chains. I mean, come on. Their names are Smoke and Chains!

Rad-Reader:  Did you buy yourself anything special after you sold your first book?

Marie:  Hmm. That was back in 2004. I don’t remember!

Rad-Reader:  Are there going to be any other books in this series with any of the brothers or sisters?

Marie:  I would very much like there to be. But it all depends on timing, sales, and the publisher. But I already have ideas for Iris, Thor, and Elliot. (Sadie’s cousin had her story told in A SURE THING and her sister, Rose, is already married.)

Rad-Reader:  If your book was made into a movie who would you want to play…

Sadie:  Amanda Righetti

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366550857150914904/

Gear:  Charlie Hunnam


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/214202526001043758/

Marie:  Holy Hannah! You nailed it!! I’d go with both of those actors, no question. 😊 (SoA really lends itself and Charlie Hunnam to Gear.)  But for Gear, someone else to consider… 

Joe Manganiello  http://bit.ly/2vBUf4J

Thought about him but to get him at his correct age he was not in shape then now if you could have his body now with his face then. Okay, we could see that. LOL

Rad-Reader:  Where were you born?

Marie:  I was born in Pennsylvania.

Rad-Reader:  Who encouraged you to become a writer or was it just a burning desire?

Marie:  As a child, I used to make up stories and write for fun. Back then it was in purple marker on notecards. I have always loved reading, so creating my own books was a natural progression for me. I majored in English in college and used to toy with writing. Then I got serious!

Rad-Reader:  What is your favorite style of dress especially if money is not an issue?                                                 

Marie:  Jeans and a casual T-shirt. Yeah, I’m cool like that. LOL

Rad-Reader:  If you could live anywhere where would that be?

Marie:  Right now, it’s in Central Oregon. I walk two steps from my house and have a view of the Cascade Mountains. It’s beautiful here, in the Pacific Northwest. But if money were no object, I’d go back to Europe and tour the countryside. 

Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?

Marie:  I’m currently working my next series for Sourcebooks, tentatively titled “Love on the Move.” The first book should be out in 2019 sometime, I believe. I’m all about blue-collar heroes. These group of heroes is veterans at a moving company. Hijinks ensue. 😊

I’m also re-releasing several of my older series I have the rights back to, in particular, the precursor to my contemporary books at Sourcebooks. THE WICKED WARRENS series. Spicy novellas and short novels about the Warren brothers and their friends.

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your next book?

Marie:  

https://www.amazon.com/All-Want-Halloween-Marie-Harte-ebook/dp/B01NC0B6RZ/ref=pd_sim_351_14?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Y1FAJQP5EJ9P5KGFKN9T

Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?

Marie:  Check out my website for what’s coming up. http://marieharte.com  I have contemporary and paranormal sexy romances.  I also have a Facebook group where I share snippets, previews, and hold contests. http://bit.ly/MH_Readers

Thanks for having me!

Marie,

We would like to thank you for taking the time to be with us.  You have a gift for taking characters that should not be all that lovable and making them wiggle their way in.  I really believe it's the humor that you bring into the mix.  As my wife always says you are now a 1 Rad-Reader Misfit which you can come back anytime to use our Shout Out: An Author's Place page to let us know when you have a new book coming out.

Thanks again,

Pat & Char