ROMANCE JUNKIES and a GIVEAWAY!!! by Marie Harte

I’m Marie Harte, and I’m the “new” owner of Romance Junkies (RJ). I technically took over in late March, but it still feels new to me. J We have over 40 stellar reviewers, and we review anywhere from 50-100 books a month.

Romance Junkies has been around since 2003. I remember being an aspiring author and checking out the website for tips. This was back before Amazon was such a powerhouse, back before the Kindle, the Nook, and ebooks that didn’t come on a floppy disk. There was no such thing as independent publishing unless you went vanity press. And the Big 6 publishers existed.

Now, it’s all different. The romance market continues to topple over on itself, it’s gotten so huge. Yet it’s still a billion dollar genre, much to the chagrin of HEA-haters everywhere. Ha! But one thing remains—authors still need reviews to get the word out about their books.

At Romance Junkies, we’re averaging over 50 reviews a month. Our reviewers choose what they want to review, so they’re more inclined to enjoy the read. We don’t give negative reviews. Some readers in the past have poked fun at us for doing this, saying we sugarcoat things. But they’re wrong. If we don’t like a book, we don’t review it. We do offer critical reviews, but these are from books our reviewers connected with. You know if it’s an RJ-reviewed book, it’s worth picking up.

It’s so easy to snark and make fun. Much harder to give critical advice and be helpful while still pointing out issues. As an author, I know how difficult it is to write your best book and still have people not “get it.” But hey, that’s the world of art. Some love the work, some hate it, some fall in between.

So as a reader, what can RJ offer you? 

We have daily giveaways. I mean, daily. The publishers and authors who blog with us are almost always giving away copies of their books. I have a ton of signed copies of books I gathered from this year’s RWA, and just as soon as my RWA roommate mails them to me, I’ll be giving them away by the box-load! 

And let’s not forget the most important thing we do at RJ--we provide a window into great romance so you can find new authors and books to love.

For writers, we offer a free platform to blog, paid advertising at starving-artist author prices, a resource page with tips and links to publishers, and of course, our bread and butter—reviews with links to purchase the books and to the authors’ websites.

Hey, authors out there! If you’d like to submit a book for review, please follow our guidelines. We get so many books it’s tough to keep up, so don’t fret if you don’t hear back from us. We might just be too busy to get to you at the moment. But we’re trying!

We’re always happy to help connect readers and authors to best enjoy romantic fiction. In the 13 years RJ has been around, that hasn’t changed. The only thing that has changed—a new website and a new owner. That’s it!

Thanks for having me, Romancing the Genres!

AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!!

We’d like to give away (to one lucky commenter on this post) a swag pack full of RWA 2016 goodies*, a mystery romance book in print*, and one large and small cover for advertising (should the winner be a writer.) To enter this contest, simply tell us your favorite genre of romance to read.

*prizes mailed to U.S. address only

♥ Marie Harte

Owner/operator Romance Junkies

http://romancejunkies.com

A Smorgasbord of Books!

I read across all genres. So I thought I would share some of the different books I've read.

First a sci-fi from Author M. Pax. This book is packed with adventure.

"In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bio-engineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the first book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. Try it for free. A space opera adventure. After the war with the Foreworlders, Backworlders scatter across the remaining planets. Competition is fierce, and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to improve his fortunes by destroying his son. He tells his only boy their moon isn’t big enough for them both and gives Craze a ticket for the next transport leaving the space dock. Treated worse than a stranger, like the scuzzbag of the galaxy, Craze is forced to flee his home. Cut off from everyone he knows with little money and no knowledge of the worlds beyond his, he must find away to forge a new life and make sure his father regrets this day."

"The Troublemaker Next Door" is NOT Erotica, but it is VERY HOT!
This is the first of a three book series. Excellent read! Marie Harte writes men who walk and talk like real men. I've never found a better writer who can make male characters so-o-o believable.

"He's not into relationships. She's done with idiots. But where there are friends...sometimes there are benefits. And sometimes the boy next door might be just what you need at the end of every day."

If you like mysteries, Paty Jager's "Double Duplicity", the first in the Shandra Higheagle Mystery series, is a must read.
 Book one of the Shandra Higheagle Native American Mystery Series 
Dreams...Visions...Murder...
On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth. 
Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her. 
Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?

This book by Kate Curran /Kathy Coatney was very entertaining. The pace was perfect and the characters came alive on the pages.

"Leave Me Breathless… What do an inquisitive reporter, a dedicated cop, and a band of geriatric mystery sleuths have in common? The desire to see justice done! Tossed from a prestigious San Francisco newspaper, journalist C.J. Pulaski returns to her hometown of Conspiracy, California, in disgrace. She’s hit rock bottom and will do anything to find her next big story and get her career back on track. In desperation, she even joins her father's Trench Coat Brigade, a wacky group of seniors with a penchant for solving mysteries. After his partner was killed in the line of duty, Nate Cole left the LAPD to become police chief in Conspiracy. Small town living suits him just fine until he has to solve a thirty-five-year-old murder, keep the Trench Coat Brigade in line and deal with a spunky, outspoken reporter. Now, Nate suspects there’s been something missing from his life."

There are so many good/great books available. I just can't keep up with all of them!! My to-be-read pile is so big, it will take a couple of years to read all the books. Unfortunately, I keep adding to the pile! Go figure. I'm a writer and a reader!!!  

What genre do you like to read?  

SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE by Marie Harte

COUGAR FALLS SERIES

Erotic and Comtemporary Romance Author Marie Harte has written multiple series about different groups of Shifters. Read on to learn more about this popular subgenre!

Shapeshifters. The new black in paranormal romance. It used to be vampires were all the rage. Now it’s things that go all furry and fangy at night. *grin* I love shapeshifters, and I love how varied the types can be. There’s an animal connection, a sense of nature and wildness a lot of us forget surrounded by concrete and computers. When I first started writing them, I envisioned normalcy, for the most part. Small town life populated by people with small town values and a sense of community…who just happened to shift into animals. Contemporary but with a twist—Cougar Falls.

I named my series after the fictional town of Cougar Falls, set in Montana. Big Sky country, open and full of the wildlife my characters often inhabit. There are cougars, wolves, bears, raptors and foxes. And more species I haven’t had the time to dig into, unfortunately. The Cougar Falls series is 8 books long, and I have several more on the backburner waiting to be written.

Another series centered around people changing into animals is my Mark of Lycos series. I recently rewrote all three books, and Totally Bound plans to re-release them next year with shiny new covers. With the Mark of Lycos books I went a little more outside the box and involved magical creatures, demons and gods. There are animal spirits that guard my shifters in their Great Forest. The Wolf in the Forest, the Bear in the Cave, and the Fox in the Den. Clan wars, sorcerers, and demons populate the lands the shifters inhabit, away from humanity. The Mark of Lycos series is different from Cougar Falls, where the shifters are more mainstream.

AUTHOR MARIE HARTE

But my current leaning on shapeshifters is even less traditional. I created my own group of shifters, the Circs. The men of Circe’s Recruits, the surviving squad of Marines, have been genetically modified with the hopes of turning them into supersoldiers. Except the experiments had side effects, and of the 78 men initially tested, only 5 turned out sane. The men of Circe’s Recruits change at will into hulk-like creatures with armored skin, fangs, claws, enhanced senses—and enhanced sex drives.

The newer shifters have psychic abilities as well. My Circs are a ton of fun to play with, because I weave government conspiracy, mating problems, and genetic mutation into the mix. Think mad scientists funded by the rich and immoral.

And of course, there are mating heats. Fated mates are a trope of shapeshifter romances I both like and loathe. So I took out the fated part and forced my shapeshifters to have to mate only with another Circ—gender notwithstanding—to sate that biological imperative to procreate. It’s not an easy transition from human to Circ, and it makes for great conflict. My books also explore sexuality and polyamory. Pack mentality in a carnal sense.

CIRCE'S RECRUITS
(Dawn Endeavor)

When my Circe’s Recruits series first released years ago, they resonated with readers. So I wrote a second series continuing the Circ shapeshifters called Dawn Endeavor. Fast forward a few more years.

Having obtained the rights back to Circe’s Recruits, I decided to write a new Circ book. I wanted to see how my original shifters turned out, and how they’d handled marriage and babies, as well as dealing with a new group of Circs who’ve never played by the rules.

Make no mistake. This book is really about Gideon and his crew. They aren’t disciplined. They aren’t military. Most of them are barely a step up from being criminals, and now they have fangs and claws and drives they can’t control. I can’t wait to see how they turn into the heroes they were born to be.

Visit Marie at http://marieharte.com/

Shapeshifter – One that seems able to change form at will.

Miriam Webster’s Dictionary definition of Shapeshifter - one that seems able to change form or identity at will; especially :  a mythical figure that can assume different forms (as of animals)

Growing up in an area rich in Native American history I have always been curious and empathetic to the band of Nez Perce who summered in Wallowa County many generations before Lewis and Clark entered their lives. This fascination and believing I encountered a Nez Perce spirit warrior one summer while I was riding my horse on the mountain behind our house, gave me the inspiration for a trilogy about three sibling shapeshifting, Nez Perce spirits.

I read several book with Nez Perce myths and legends as well as nonfiction books on how the Nez Perce lived and their beliefs.  Using the myths and legends I came up with the sibling shapeshifters. They were taken from their Nez Perce or Nimiipuu(as they call themselves) band by the Creator. Their father had chosen cowardice over the lives of his fellow band members. By sacrificing the men of his band he made his children scorned by the people. The Creator took them and made them spirits to look over the Lake band of the Nimiipuu. As spirits they can shift into shapes at will or enter other animal bodies to keep the Lake Nimiipuu safe.

The oldest brother I gave the shape of a white wolf. He traveled over the mountain by the Lake where the Nimiipuu summered. Because of his trouble holding his anger and his need to avenge his father’s cowardice, he was forbid to leave the mountain. To leave the mountain he would become nothing but smoke. In his story, Spirit of the Mountain, he must let the mortal maiden he loves go with another off the mountain.

The middle sibling and second brother takes on the shape of a great bull elk. I came up with his animal from a legend I’d heard growing up and read in several of the myth and legend books. As an elk he lived in the lake. The legend says that a great antlered beast lives in Wallowa Lake.  When the Nimiipuu children were bad they were told the great beast would come out of the lake and take them. There was a winter when historians believe a herd of elk tried crossing the frozen lake and the ice broke. They fell in and their antlers remained up above the ice and that is what started the legend.  This elk spirit is the playful, light-hearted sibling. Which infuriates the older, serious wolf spirit. Wewukiye’s book is Spirit of the Lake.

The third sibling, the sister, travels about as a bald eagle. She soars in the sky and is the only one who can converse with the Creator. She sees more and is the most adamant about not allowing the mortals to know they exist or to show themselves to the mortals. Her book is Spirit of the Sky.

   

The spirit entity in these books is all a figment of my imagination, but it felt real to me. My fascination with the Native American culture, their healing herbs, chants, legends, myths, and vision quest all primed my imagination when I came up with the spirit siblings who are the main characters in the books.

While my shapeshifters do shift into animals there are other writers who have shapeshifters that defy Websters definition. One of those authors is Marie Harte. I asked her why she liked to write shapeshifters. This is what she had to say:
There's a wild quality to a shapeshifter that's both sexy and frightening. That uncontrollable aspect to a hero can be sexy. Will he be ruled by his heart or his instincts? And will that rugged side hurt or help him when it comes to finding a mate? I love female shapeshifters because that power to shift forms gives them an extra butt-kicking factor that I love in my leading ladies. Mentally, women can be as tough, if not tougher, than men. But physically men have a biological advantage.That's not necessarily the case when the heroine can grow fangs and claws of her own.

And this is what she had to say about her shapeshifter books and how she has bent the norm on shapeshifters:
I have a few shapeshifter series out. My Cougar Falls and Mark of Lycos series are more traditional, with the shapeshifters turning into animals. But my Circe's Recruits and Dawn Endeavor series involve a different type of shifter. I threw together the military, gene experimentation, government conspiracies, and found a group of men and women who shift into creatures neither man nor beast, but a mix of both. It's been a really fun ride, and I have a new book in the Circe's Recruits series arriving soon--Circe's Recruits: Gideon. His was supposed to be one follow-on book. Instead it looks like Gideon is starting a new series of his own. *sigh* Those Circs are so difficult to control.

Marie's books prove, a writer, with the right incentive and creativity can make any type of shapeshifter "real" in the reader's mind. http://marieharte.com/books/gideon/

Have you read any shapeshifter books?  If so, what were they and what did you like about them?

About Paty Jager

Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that eventually turn into yet another story. She recently returned to the genre of her heart- Mystery.

You can learn more about Paty at

her blog; Writing into the Sunset 

her website; http://www.patyjager.net  

Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paty-Jager/132536633482029

Newsletter: Paty’s Prattle: http://eepurl.com/1CFgX

Paty’s Posse: https://www.facebook.com/groups/402519373168442/?ref=bookmarks

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager 

twitter  @patyjag.

I Want To Take You To…Funky Town by Guest Erotic Romance Author Marie Harte

• Alpha male: the growly, overbearing leader-type who’s big and strong yet a push-over when it comes to his perfect love

• Kick-butt heroine: typically found in urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and usually the type I make my heroines

• Shapeshifters: the new black.  Humans who can shift into animal form and back, who are often as much affected by instinct as reason

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• Erotic romance: romance that centers on couples (or more) in love who express that journey through a physical courtship

• Funky town: that place I’ve created to toss in the
  characters like salad in a bowl

Put those all together and I come in. Hi. I’m erotic romance writer Marie Harte.

I write erotic romance in several different genres, mostly paranormal and futuristic, but I do like to play with contemporary stories to keep my mind fresh.

I’m as avid a reader as I am a writer, so I try to figure out what makes me, the reader, like what I, the writer, should be creating. Interesting characters, sure. An engaging plot that’s more than tab A sliding into slot B, definitely. But there’s that something else that makes me read a book and want to know more long after the book ends. A lot of times it’s the world in which the characters interact, the rules by which they live, that intrigues me to no end.

Take Robyn Carr’s Virgin River stories or Debbie Macomber’s small town romances, like in her Cedar Cove series, where the town is a big part of the story. Lora Leigh’s Breed series, where genetically altered men whose DNA is part animal live in structured compounds. Or Christine Feehan’s Carpathians, vampire-like beings so named because of the Carpathian mountains from which they came.

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 Cougar Falls is a small town in Montana outside Glacier National Park. A place where everyone knows everyone else. There’s an ice cream parlor, a popular diner, places to eat and shop down the main street, and a central park where seasonal festivals and fun times are had by all. The sheriff enforces the rules made by the town council, and justice is swift and fair. 

I’d like to live in such a place, where I could feel free to be myself surrounded by friends and family. Unfortunately, I will never find it, because I’m not a shapeshifter.

You have to have some Ac-taw blood to be recognized by the powerful totem protecting the town and its residents. Bummer of it is that I’m all too human. But my characters aren’t. A family of prankster mountain lions rule the catamount pride. There are sly silver foxes, chatty raptors, anti-social bears and obnoxious gray wolves interacting with one another on a daily basis, which makes for equal parts chaos, drama, and sexy shenanigans. And every time I think I know everyone in town, someone new shows up.

That’s the kind of world I want to read about. And I can prove it, because my extensive reading library is filled with books like this, about characters that interact on alternate worlds, in western towns, and in English countrysides. What’s funny is that about a year ago I moved into a place like this. Not the shapeshifter part, which is too bad, the small town part. Bend is in Central Oregon, and I think the population is now somewhere around 86,000. The Cascade Mountains frame my new high desert landscape, and the people are really friendly. I know my neighbors. I say hello to people I recognize in stores, and I’m at one festival or another just about every weekend because there’s always something to do here.

So it makes me wonder if all the stories I read have influenced my life in a larger way than budgeting for books.  The Cougar Falls books were a way for me to reach out to Big Sky country without being there. But the Internet, books and reference material can only get you so far. I currently have a psychic series set in Bend, Oregon, and it feels good to put my characters in places I imagine downtown, or in actual downtown. So I guess it’s time for me to head to Montana and see the places I’ve created in my head. Except the next book I’m writing in the Cougar Falls series is in Miami…  Time for a road trip.

To read more about Cougar Falls or Marie, check out her website  www.marieharte.com.
 
A Matter of Pride is her latest release, available from Samhain.