Author Spotlight: Helen Hardt, Erotic Romance

Hi, Helen! Welcome. It's great to have you here. Can't wait to get down to the nitty gritty with you.

Thank you for having me, Dayana! It's always fun to visit you. Don't worry, I'll keep it PG ;). Though I would like to give away a pdf of my most recent erotic release, Montego Lay, to one of your commenters today.

Tell me about yourself. What makes you angry, happy, sad, snoopy dance?

What makes me happy is easy – my husband and my two handsome teenage sons. They mean the world to me. What makes me sad? When my boys are sick, when people I care about are suffering. Angry? People who think the rules don’t apply to them. That drives me crazy! Snoopy dance? A new contract, a great review, watching my younger son win a football game, watching my older son win a music competition.

What works best to keep you focused and on track?

Honestly, a deadline. Better yet, a deadline that others know about. I’ve had great success with National Novel Writing Month, where you have 30 days to write a 50K novel. I don’t want to be the dweeb who can’t make the deadline, LOL. Back in December, I had three weeks to write a 25K novella for The Wild Rose Press’s Lawmen and Outlaws anthology. The Outlaw’s Angel turned out to be one of my best stories, according to my CPs.

hmm...looks like I'm the dweeb. I honestly cannot write under pressure. It just doesn't work for me. I seize up and can't think of anything. LOL Ah well... I truly admire people who can just sit down and write like that. I write when the muse strikes me. Seems you work best under pressure *grin* Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?

I hope to make some decent money at some point. I think all writers want that. But if we were doing this solely for the money, most of us would have given up by now.

LOL can I relate to that! Definitely not something to take on if you expect to pay the mortgage, at least as a newbie in the world of publication. When was the first moment you felt comfortable saying, “I am a writer?”

June 2008, when I got my first contract from the lovely Diana Carlile, Senior Editor for the Scarlet Rose line at The Wild Rose Press. She gave me some of the nicest praise I’ve ever received for my writing. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart for making me feel like a real writer:)

Oh, I have to agree with you here about Diana. She is a wonderful editor. She helped me to make Eternal Obsession a much better story. Where do you hide yourself away to write?

I am lucky that I have a home office. From time to time I’ve been known to work in other places with my laptop, but most of my writing is done in my office.

Most authors are avid readers as well. When do you have time to read? Where?

I read in the evenings, usually while lying in bed. I also always have a book in the car with me in case I’m stuck waiting around somewhere. That way, I always have something to do. If I ever have a spare moment, I’m reading:)

Okay, so we writers do love to sit down and read for enjoyment and relaxation but as an author what would you say is your least favorite thing to do? Allow me to clarify: query, write a synopsis, write a blurb, market, you get the picture:)

Good question. My least favorite thing about writing is submitting. People who don’t write have no idea how difficult it is to put yourself out there, and I’m the thinnest skinned wuss you’ll ever meet, LOL.

Oh, I will beg to differ with you there, *grin* I am really a nervous Nellie when I submit a work. I have truly not gained in the confidence arena even with several published projects "out there." Quite frankly, I am more nervous and worrisome each time I submit. How long did you write seriously before your first book was published?

I started writing seriously in October of 2006, when I had a problematic mammogram. After additional testing, the mammogram turned out fine, but it was a wake-up call for me. You never know what tomorrow will bring. If I wanted to write, I’d better start. So I did. My first book was published in August 2008, so that’s a little under two years.

Wow! That's pretty impressive. My first novel was pubbed I believe four years after completion, but I have to admit some of that was me being discouraged and shelving it a couple of times then beginning the entire process of submitting again. How long did it take you to get your first project sold?

I started submitting in June 2007, and sold my first story in June 2008, so exactly one year.

How many manuscripts had you written by the time you had your first publication?

Quite a few. Six novels, three shorts, one novella, I think.

Why do you write?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Because I don't feel complete if I don't. This drive to write has been a part of my psyche for so long that I'm not sure I can explain it any better than that. Many times I've told myself, "gee, wouldn't life be easier if I didn't have this need to write?" Yes, it definitely would be. Writing is not easy. Not only that, it's fraught with rejection and subjectivity. So why do we do this again? LOL

Wow! did you hit the nail on the head with that one, Helen. I know I could have wallpapered my office with rejection letters with my first novel. Then after you finally do break through and get sold, you get trashed by reviews. LOL A writer really does drop their heart out for all to trample, but boy isn't it wonderful when you get those stellar reviews or letters from readers that 'just love your books.' Do you have an upcoming release?


Montego Lay, an erotic short, released last Friday (September 11) at The Wild Rose Press Wilder Roses.

Here's the blurb:

Vacationing at a Montego Bay nude resort, Lisa Brooks finds herself volunteering in a bondage demonstration on the beach. She’d like to continue the instructions with the Jamaican native, but the gorgeous resort employee has other duties to perform. Though disappointed, Lisa accompanies a friend to an erotic casino night where the chips are free and redeemable for sex. A night for a mysterious encounter? If only she could buy the island hottie she really wants.

I have two upcoming releases. The first is in your favorite genre, Dayana, dark paranormal. Blood Wolf was one of the winners of The Wild Rose Press’s Got Wolf? Contest and will release on October 9 in a two author anthology. This is one of my favorite stories and favorites heroes, so I’m very excited! My next release is a very hot western ménage called Slow and Wet, and is my first release with Ellora’s Cave. It’s coming on November 24.


Here’s the blurb for Blood Wolf:

When mysterious Damian MacGowan saves Suzanne Wood from a gang of thugs in a small Scotland town, she's beyond grateful. But his possessive need to be near her troubles her. Damian doesn’t understand why he’s drawn to Suzanne. He knows only that he must have her, or he will die. As the two get to know each other, love blossoms. But Damian has a secret, and an enemy, that may keep him from Suzanne forever.

Definitely sounds like a must have. Tell us about your Hero. Do you have a favorite, if you’ve written multiple books?

My heroes are all very different, and I love them all:) If I had to choose favorites, I’d go with Bobby Morgan in The Outlaw’s Angel and Damian MacGowan in the upcoming Blood Wolf. Both are fiercely passionate and capable of great love, yet they’re a little tormented. Very sexy!

Thank you again for having me today, Dayana! Readers, remember to leave a comment and you may win a pdf of Montego Lay.

Short bio:

Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning romance author. She met her real-life hero in law school, and they live in Colorado with their two teenage sons. Helen writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance. She is currently contracted with The Wild Rose Press and Ellora’s Cave. Her non-writing interests include Harley rides with her husband, attending her sons’ sports and music performances, traveling, and Taekwondo (she’s a blackbelt.) Visit Helen at http://www.helenhardt.com/ and http://www.helensheroes.blogspot.com/.

This has been a very unsettling week for me so I've been a bit behind myself. On Sunday morning my friend's fiance had a stroke. It was so unbelievable and shocking that we just moved through the last couple of days in a fog of mechanical reaction.

It really hit me like a ton of bricks in that moment just how fragile life is. Your entire existence as you know it can change in the blink of an eye. Well, fortunately, Donnie did not have any bleeds and his extremities and speech are coming back wonderfully. Tonight he was speaking full sentences and he is walking better and greater distance. So we are so very thankful. I can't tell you what a wonderful improvement this is over Sunday morning in the ER.

Anyway, I've been struggling between the job, helping my friends, and other responsibilities this week so the blogging has sort of halted. I did want to toss out a quick reminder that Helen Hardt will be here in the Author Spotlight this week, so please drop on in and check us out. Helen writer really hot, hunky heros and very spicy erotic romance. Don't miss her.

D~

Today's guest is multi-genre romance author Helen Hardt of Helen's Heroes...

If you are not familiar with Helen's Heroes, it's only the hottest collection of men you've ever seen.

Welcome, Helen! It's such a treat to have you here. I know you have something wonderfully seductive up your sleeves today. Can't wait to hear what you've got in mind to talk about.

Dayana, thank you for having me today! Let me ask a couple of questions.

WHY DO WE LOVE OUR ALPHA MALES?

What is it about those Alpha males?

Romance readers love them, and I’m no exception. The Alpha caters to our fantasies, our base needs. He’s devoted to his heroine with an almost savage intensity and is willing to move the world for her. He can make her his with a glance of his smoldering eyes. He takes control in the bedroom, fuels her own desire.

Is this what we want in real life? Today’s woman is independent and free thinking. Not too many of us would react well to a man taking Alpha control.

But in a romance novel? Oh yeah…

The Alpha of all Alphas is, in my humble opinion, the Alpha werewolf. The fierce loyalty and passion that floods him when he finds his mate gets me every time. Talk about belly tugs ;).


My upcoming dark paranormal, Blood Wolf, features just such an Alpha wolf. The problem? Damian MacGowan was abandoned by his birth mother and grew up as the adopted son of a castle caretaker in a small town in contemporary northern Scotland. Consequently, he knows little about his condition. When Suzanne Wood tumbles into his life, he wants her, needs her, must have her at all costs. But he doesn’t understand why. To make matters worse, a dangerous enemy lurks nearby, intent on destroying him.

Reaching into the psyche of both man and beast was a challenge I enjoyed. Damian is definitely Alpha, but he’s also gentle and kind. His struggle with his feelings and with his condition is heart-wrenching at times.

Do you have a favorite Alpha hero? Wolf or otherwise? Why do you love him? Tell me in a comment. You’ll be entered in my drawing for a prize package that includes a print copy of Lawmen and Outlaws which contains my western historical novella The Outlaw’s Angel, a book thong, and a download of your choice of one of my erotic shorts: Seduced in Seoul, Passion in Paris, or Thai’d Up.

Blood Wolf is one of the winners of the Got Wolf? Contest sponsored by The Wild Rose Press and is coming in October in an anthology with the other long winner. I hope you enjoy the following excerpt:

Damian approached her, took her hand in his, and caressed her palm with his scabbed fingertips. “I don’t expect you to understand this when I can’t explain it to myself. But there is not a doubt in my mind that you belong with me.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know your hair is the color of burnt mahogany, and it feels like silk against my skin.” He sifted her tresses with his fingers, then cupped her cheek. “I know your eyes are like the night fog, with little golden sparks that pierce the thickness around my soul.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “I know your mouth tastes of wintergreen and fresh blueberries. I know your body feels like heaven pressed to mine. I know your beautiful name fits you. I know there’s an idiot somewhere who let you go, but I thank God for his stupidity.” He lightly traced the angle of her jaw line. “I know ye’re mine.”

Suzanne quivered; her juices pooled in her panties. This man was seducing her with mere words. She was close to climaxing already, something she had only managed previously by masturbating. Never with a man.

“I won’t force you to lie with me,” Damian said, “but I will share this room with you. That’s not negotiable. I need to be close to you.”

“I can’t allow you to stay here. If you want the room—”

“I said it’s not negotiable!” Suzanne jumped as Damian pounded his fist into the adjacent wall. “I need to be with you. I need your scent near me.”

“What you want is impossible.” Her voice cracked with nerves. “I refuse to share a bed with a man I just met.”

“I will leave you alone, but we will share this bed.” He lifted his shirt over his head and threw it over a chair. She gulped in a sharp breath. His chest was golden and beautiful, pure muscle accented by a smattering of black hair. Suzanne instinctively looked away as he began to unbuckle his jeans.

“No.” He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her gaze onto his. “I need you to look at me. To see me.”

More about Helen:

Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning romance author. She met her real-life hero in law school, and they live in Colorado with their two teenage sons. Helen writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance. She is currently contracted with The Wild Rose Press and Ellora’s Cave. Her non-writing interests include Harley rides with her husband, attending her sons’ sports and music performances, traveling, and Taekwondo (she’s a blackbelt.) Visit Helen at www.helenhardt.com and www.helensheroes.blogspot.com

Halloween Mini Tales Finalists! Place your vote today!

Here we go. I am posting the two best stories and counting on you to vote for the one you like best. Please email your story votes privately to me at gothscribegirl@aol.com. After the winner is announced I would be happy to post all the stories for you reading pleasure. They are all wonderful! This has been a grueling project, LOL

Good Luck to Helen Hardt and Rhonda E. Dove!

And selected stories are:

The Wolf’s Reclamation

Kayla Fontaine’s skin itched with a wicked fever. Every inhale brought his masculine scent to her. She stood at the foot of his bed, her eyes marking the subtle rise and fall of his hairless muscled chest. She closed her eyes, reigning in the need that heated her from within. Tyler Jackson. She memorized his name, everything about him. He was her hunt, her need, her way out. He just did not know it yet.

“I know you’re there.” The deep resonance of his voice bounced off the undecorated walls of his bedroom.

Kayla’s heart froze in time, her breath closed off. She opened her eyes and stared at his shadowed face. She feared his rejection, even if she understood its possibility. Against reason she relaxed her poise.

“Who are you?” He shifted under the thin sheet.

She sensed his reserve and leapt, clearing the foot of the bed and landing with her hands beside his head and her knees on either side of his hips. His hand whipped out. The glare of a bedside lamp spread across the room with a warm glow. She growled. The vibration resonated so deep in her chest she felt his body shake between her knees.

His eyes widened and in those dark chocolate depths she saw herself. Glowing gold eyes, a wolf trapped in the light. She smelled the man beneath her, a man showing no fear.

“You’ve been following me.” A statement. A fact.

“Yes.” She relaxed her arms and slid closer. She felt his exhale brush against her face. She released a breath of her own, letting it wash over him. His eyes closed, his deep inhale pushing his chest against her body. His hand slipped from the bedside table to her leg.

“This is crazy. What the hell is going on?” His fingers tightened on her thigh.

Kayla shifted above him, allowing him a chance to glimpse the abnormal bulk of muscle, the densely fine hair that covered her body. “Do you see me, really see me? The woman inside?”

His eyes tightened. “Yes.”

“You could make me that woman, only you can do that.”

“How?”

“Trust me enough to love me, if just for tonight.” She slid closer and breathed across his face.

“This is still crazy, am I dreaming?”

“No.” She shifted against him. “Believe in me for one night, and I will believe in you for a lifetime.”

His head barely nodded before she took the kiss of life he offered. The grip of his hand tightened on her leg and he flipped her on her back, kicking away the sheet. A tear fell from her eyes as he merged with her. She felt pleasure and pain, her body changing under his commanding thrusts. She saw him with human eyes; felt him with human hands. He gave her a new life and she vowed to make his whole.

Written by Rhonda E. Dove

~~~~~~

Logan's Curse

Onyx fur vanished as Logan emerged from wolf form. My breath caught at his silky black hair, his muscled chest.

“Mary, my love.” His baritone voice cracked as his vocal cords adjusted. “It’s been so damn long.”

“We can’t waste time talking,” I said. “Each Samhain you change a little sooner. Take me to bed.”

He trailed his finger down my cheek, tracing my jaw line. Sparks erupted on my skin. “Let me look at you through my own eyes.”

“But you see me all year.” I needed him. His lips on mine. His body inside me. We had so little time.

“It’s not the same, Mary. Please.”

He pushed my lace robe from my shoulders, his calloused fingers lingering on my naked flesh. I cupped my breasts and held them out in offering.

“So beautiful. So ripe and full.” His golden hands covered mine and his thumbs circled my nipples. Fire shot through me and landed between my legs.

“Logan.”

He leaned toward me and covered my mouth with his.

His heated tongue slithered over my lips and plunged inside. He groaned and squeezed my breasts, then moved one hand upward, fisting it in my hair and urging me closer. The kiss was hungry, firm, drugging. He tasted of vanilla cream, of musky man.

Of sweet memory.

We devoured each other for precious moments, until I ripped my mouth away. I panted, breathless, as I pierced his warm blue gaze with mine. “You. Inside me.”

His eyes smoked. “You’ve never looked lovelier, Mary. Your nipples are like pebbles of carnelian.” He pinched one, then the other. I shivered.

“Are you wet for me, love?”

Wet. Gushing. “You know I am. Make love to me.”

He lowered his head and his firm red lips, swollen from our passionate kisses, encircled my nipple. He sucked, gently at first, then harder, until he tugged and bit me. “Ah, yes, Logan. Just like that.”

He swirled his tongue over the plump flesh, licking and nibbling, until he seized the other nipple and suckled. Juice trickled down my inner thigh.

“Logan. Lover. Please.”

He swept me into his arms and carried me to the bed. The bed that had once been ours. His body covered mine, wisps of black chest hair tickling my tender nipples. My sex throbbed. Ached.

“Look at me, Mary. Look into my eyes, and remember who I am.”

“I always remember, Logan. I never, never forget.”

He entered me in one smooth thrust. Sweet joining of bodies, of souls. He surged, claiming me, loving me, and my body shuddered, exploding into nirvana as he plunged, his golden muscles tensing when he spilled into me.

“Mary. I love you. Always.”

“And I love you, Logan. Forever.”

He released me, and within minutes my ebony wolf returned. He left the bed and settled in his usual spot by the door.

“One day, Logan, we’ll break this damned curse.”

I closed my eyes, recapturing my lover’s warm caress, praying I spoke the truth.

Written by Helen Hardt

~~~~~~~

I look forward to seeing which way the pendulum swings on these. Thank you all for participating.

D~

Good Morning! Please welcome the award winning erotic author, Helen Hardt, author of Seduction in Seoul

Halloween – the Perfect Time to Unleash your Fantasies!

Dayana, thanks for having me today! I’m thrilled to be here, and I’ve enjoyed hearing from all of your other guest bloggers.
This is my favorite time of the year. I love the fall, with all its vibrant colors and woodsy fragrances. And smack dab in the middle of beautiful Autumn comes the mysterious Halloween. On this night, we dress up and masquerade as someone or something else. Who can resist playing along? For just a little while, our fantasies take over and... Well, ahem, Dayana does have a PG rated blog.

In my Scarlet Rose release, Seduced in Seoul, the hero, Dylan, engages in a masquerade with the heroine, Allison. Though he doesn’t wear a mask, he plays a naughty little game with her, pretending to be something he’s not. His pretense encourages Alli to play a game of her own, and she reaches inside herself to explore her secret fantasy – to be a sexy-talking seductress. Here’s the blurb:

The last thing Allison Sanchez expects when she arrives in Seoul is the Asian god waiting for her at the airport. Right away it's obvious he can't understand a word she says. But body language is universal, and Allison soon casts aside her inhibitions in favor of engaging in one of her secret fantasies with the hot chauffeur. Talking dirty during sex takes Allison to an all new high until she discovers her exotic lover is only half Korean--and her brother's American roommate.

What happens when Alli discovers Dylan’s deception? You’ll have to read the story to find out ;).

Halloween gives us the perfect excuse to play a little. Back when my wonderful husband and I were dating, we went to a Halloween party. When I found out he was dressing as a 1920s gangster, I decided to play along. I found a short, flapper-style sheath, some fishnet thigh highs, a sequined headband, and I morphed into a gun-toting speakeasy showgirl. Underneath I wore...oops, PG blog again. Suffice it to say, it was a memorable evening.

Have you ever engaged in some lighthearted masquerade fun? Or had a particularly memorable Halloween costume? Tell us about it in a comment. Tomorrow, I’ll draw a name from those who commented and send a download of Seduced in Seoul to the winner.

Thanks again, Dayana, for having me, and an early Happy Halloween to you all!

Please Welcome today's guest, Erotic Author, Cari Quinn!

To Be or Not To Be...Published

Thanks so much, Dayana, for allowing me to blog today. It's been a great month of posts so far and October still has two weeks left!

Most authors come to another author's blog to talk about their latest release, but I don't have a release yet. I'm still waiting for "The Call" or "The Email" or however that special moment should arrive. Not only that, I can't claim a whole slew of rejections to prove how hard I'm working to change that fact because I've yet to submit anywhere. That's right - two and a half years since I started "writing seriously" and I still haven't swallowed my nerve enough to submit.

I've entered two contests, though: the romance industry's biggie for the unpublished masses, the Golden Heart, and the Virginia Romance Writers' Fool For Love contest, which I won in the Short Contemporary category with my manuscript, Virgin Territory. Winning my first (and only) chapter contest was a terrific experience in a lot of ways. For not much money, I got two detailed critiques from published authors, then a third when my manuscript ended up needing a discrepancy judge because of the wide variance between my scores. I got some positive feedback, and some not so positive. But it taught me something any writer who has battled in the trenches knows. Writing ain't for the faint of heart. It's just not. If you can't stand the idea of your "baby" being dissected by strangers, it's going to hit you pretty hard to know not everyone will get your jokes, or think your hero's as wonderful as you know he is. It hit me hard after I got the judges' scores back. I even stopped writing for a few days. But I started again - hey, nothing can keep me from writing too long, because it's in my blood - and I'm still going.

Actually, I think that contest was the perfect microcosm of a book's reception by the public. Sometimes people get your voice and your characters. Your book resonates with them and they eagerly anticipate your next release. Someone else can read the same book and have an entirely different response. And that's okay. I heard a piece of advice once that a writer wants to have a voice that incites great love and yes, maybe even strong dislike, because that voice means you're different and being different is what will get you sold.

That's MY theory, anyhoo, and I'm sticking to it.

I'm still learning. Still struggling. Still enjoying writing the kind of stories I like to read. Still waiting for that moment when my Call or Email comes, so that I can start fretting about a whole new set of problems: contracts, actual deadlines, pleasing my editor, thrilling my fans...

Having fans. Whew. There's a heady thought.

Next week, I'll be submitting my baby to my dream publisher. Okay, one of my babies to one of my dream publishers (I have a lot of dreams!) But regardless of what happens, I'll have joined the ranks of those fearless enough to put their work out there, and I'm proud of that. I just started a new blog-cariquinn.blogspot-where I'll be posting book reviews and chronicling my journey to publication. Hope you'll stop by to say hi. I love to meet fellow writers and readers.

Before I go, I want to give a shout out to someone else who won a contest recently: The Wild Rose Press's bestselling author of the Scarlet rosette Seduced In Seoul, Helen Hardt. She took first place in the Colorado Romance Writers' Heart of the Rockies contest in the erotic category and second AND third place in the short contemporary category. Congratulations, Helen! She'll be blogging here on Monday, October 20th.

Thanks again for having me, Dayana. It's been a blast! And thank you to YOU for reading.

Cari Quinn
http://cariquinn.blogspot.com/