Lynn Raye Harris's Blog, page 9

Countdown to Hot Pursuit!

It’s almost here! In 20 days, on July 17th, Hot Pursuit will be available for your purchasing pleasure! It’s been a long road bringing this book to you, but for everyone who’s excited to read about Matt and Evie and the Hostile Operations Team, thank you! And thank you SO MUCH to the reviewers who are embracing Matt and Evie and saying such wonderful things! You all rock! How about a little taste of what people think?

Desere says: “I highly recommend this read for fans of action romantic suspense military-related reads [...] it will leave you on the edge of your seat, and ready to go into any contact situation just to find a hero like Matt.”

Nancy says: “This is one HOT, action packed, hold on to your seat ride. There’s betrayal, murder, car chases, an explosion, a kidnapping and passion. What more could you ask for in a book?”

Sheryl says: “All in all, this was a THOROUGHLY enjoyable read, filled with page-turning suspense and enough heat to make you squirm (in a GOOD way!!) and it has certainly whet my appetite for the rest of the men in the Hostile Ops Team!!!”

Linda says: “Loved this story, it ticked all the right boxes for me. With bags of sexual tension and chemistry between Matt and Evie. ”

SnarkyMom says: “I’M HOT for H.O.T.!!”

Lkay says: “This was a a first book for me by this author, and after finishing it, I can say it will definitely not be my last. It was a great romantic suspense.”

Michelle at MsRomanticReads says: “Hot Pursuit was a thrilling read that thrust a down-on-her-luck chef and her childhood crush turned highly trained SF warrior into an action-packed adventure of life and death set in the Louisiana bayou.”

Beth says: “Hot Pursuit is a brilliant start to what is sure to be a fantastic new series.”

Wendy says: “…a roller coaster of emotions, drama, kidnapping, death threats, boating in the bayou, small town gossip and houses being blown up. I enjoyed it!”

To read the complete reviews, visit Goodreads!

Does all this praise thrill me? Heck yes! You see, this is a story I refused to give up on. Even when I got told it wouldn’t sell to NY, I couldn’t quite shove it in a drawer and leave it there. Every once in a while, I’d bring it out again and wonder if anyone but me would enjoy it. So far, the answer seems to be yes!

Several readers want to know whose story is next after Matt and Evie. First, there will be the novella (HOT MESS, Book 1.5) about Sam McKnight and Georgie Hayes. You won’t meet Sam in HOT PURSUIT because he’s a new troop. But after the novella, the next book in the series (Book 2, tentatively titled HOT REUNION) is about Kevin MacDonald and Lucky San Ramos. And let me tell you, their story is explosive! In more ways than one…

Don’t forget, on the first of every month, I hold a drawing for a $50 gift card for my newsletter subscribers. All you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing else. Click here to join my newsletter.

Thanks for your support and good wishes! Having readers like you means the world to me.

Multi-tasking

As I move closer to releasing HOT PURSUIT, I’ve realized a few things. First, I *love* writing these books about my strong alpha military guys. I’ve neglected them for so long, but now it’s possible to share these stories with readers without needing a publisher’s approval first. And I have to say that the initial reviews on this book are making me very happy. I know there will be people who don’t like it, but right now there are people who do — besides me and my family and friends — and that’s a thrilling thing.

But as I watch the reviews come in, and hear that people are loving the hot military action and romance, I’m realizing that I have to get these books out pretty darn fast. The only way I’m going to get the HOT books done, and meet my Harlequin obligations too, is to write on more than one project at a time.

I usually immerse myself in one book and write until it’s done. But, no more. Today, in fact, I worked on two books. This morning it was a hot Greek CEO. This afternoon, it was a hot military operative. Fun!

I love both kinds of books, and I hope you do too. I know as a reader that I prefer certain kinds of books from certain authors, so it won’t surprise me if some of you prefer the Harlequins over the HOT series and vice versa. But I hope you’ll give them all a try! I promise you the usual sexy and exciting read, no matter which type of book you choose.

Finally, I have to tell you how much fun writing the HOT series is for me. It’s freeing in ways I didn’t expect. It’s exciting. I love my Harlequin billionaires, but writing these military guys takes me back to my roots. To the way I grew up and the way I lived most of my adult life: as a military dependent. Mr. Harris isn’t in the military anymore, but that life is never far away when I work on these books. I adore it, and I adore the men and women who choose to serve their country. Make no mistake, the spouses and children serve too. Anyone who has ever been a part of that life knows it. I spent years following my husband from base to base, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It was an awesome way to see the world, and a thing that fills me with pride too.

All right, so what’s coming next? Sometime in August, prepare for HOT MESS, a novella set in the HOT world! This one is about Sam McKnight and Georgeanne Hayes. There’s a lot of heat in this story. I think you’ll enjoy it — I sure enjoyed writing it! I plan to have Book 2 in the HOT series ready to go by Christmas, so keep an eye out for that one, and then I have two Harlequins out this fall as well – look for new books in October and December! I’m still working on next year, but you can expect four Harlequins (May, July, December, and as yet undetermined) and of course more HOT books! It’s going to be a busy year, but I couldn’t be happier about it. I hope you’re as excited about it all as I am!

Now how about a peek at the cover for HOT MESS? Does it get any better, y’all?

Alpha Heroes and Kimchee

Welcome to all the new subscribers to this blog! I’m astounded by how many of you have joined up lately, and feeling a little guilty that I haven’t posted anything fabulously interesting recently. How about this for interesting?

One of the things Harlequin does extremely well is translate books into foreign languages and distribute them in lots of global markets. I *love* getting copies of my translations! Here’s my first Korean translation: THE MAN WITH THE MONEY, book 5 in the Notorious Wolfes series.

Something you may not know about me is that I love Korean food! I spent two months there back in 1998/1999, and I fell in love with the food. Bring on the kimchee, baby! Love it. One of my favorite things is Yuk Gae Jang, a very spicy soup that just makes me so happy when I have it. Mmmm.

Quick couple of announcements: if you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter yet, you should! I’m going to start holding a drawing on the first of every month for a $50 gift card to Amazon, B&N, or Kobo. All you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing else.

Secondly, if you haven’t gotten a copy yet, MADDIE’S MARINE is now FREE on all the major outlets! Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords. I’m not sure the price change has trickled out to international outlets yet, but if not, you can always get it free right here on this site or from Smashwords, which has no geographical restrictions.

Now isn’t this cover pretty?

On Being a Dreamer

Does anybody ever know what the future holds? I’m sitting here on my screened in patio, it’s sunny and warm, and I can look up at the sky and clouds, and it just fills me with happiness. It’s like the future is wide open with possibilities, and all I need is this laptop and my imagination to make it happen.

I don’t think it’s that easy, truly, but sometimes it feels that way. I’ve looked up at the sky in a hundred different places, and I’ve felt exactly the same: the future is filled with possibilities. I never know what will happen, but I feel like it has the potential to be good.

It’s the dreamer in me, and I hope I never lose her. She always feels like amazing things are just waiting to happen. The practical side of me worries about everything and knows bad things happen too, but the dreamer doesn’t want to think about it. I think we need the dreamer to keep us optimistic. The worrier keeps us grounded.

Today, the possibilities lie within this book I’m working on. I hope it makes readers happy when it’s done and out there, but I won’t know that for a while yet. Still, I do my best, and I hope you know that whenever you sit down with something I’ve written.

From my patio to yours, happy day!

Hot Military Heroes & Summer Publishing Plans

Hey, y’all! I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend! I worked on my books this weekend, because I have no time to goof off and still get these stories out, but I also had a great day yesterday when the family went out to a nature trail and then to the botanical gardens. First up, Mr. Harris had been hearing about this covered bridge from a coworker, so he wanted to take pictures of it. Here’s one he took of me, and I really like it! I wasn’t dressed up or prepared, so I’m glad it turned out.

But that’s not what this post is about, right? This post is about hot military heroes and summer publishing plans! First up, if you haven’t yet gotten my free read, MADDIE’S MARINE, you can get it at several different places.

First, there’s Smashwords, where you can download it in any format you wish: http://bit.ly/12VEvQJ

Then there’s Kobo, where it’s totally free to download: http://bit.ly/14HXZu3

Amazon has it, but they haven’t price matched it to free yet. They still want .99, so be aware of that. You might want to wait until they drop the price, unless you just can’t wait: http://amzn.to/12CawNg

Apple will have it quite soon! I’m waiting for it to go live there. Barnes & Noble will also have it, and I’m waiting not-so-patiently for that to happen as well. You can also, and always, get the story right here on my website for free, though you can only read it online if you do.

Another thing you can now do is add HOT PURSUIT to your Goodreads TBR shelf! Go ahead and put it on your shelf so others can see it’s coming!

Now, as for the plans. Plans are always subject to change, based on deadlines and all kinds of other things, but here’s what the tentative plan is. On June 1st, you can get my digital exclusive short story from Harlequin (no military hero in this one). HIS ROYAL LOVE-CHILD is about a prince and a commoner and what happens when they are reunited after 10 years apart!

In July, HOT PURSUIT will be available for your downloading pleasure! I don’t have an exact date, but we are aiming for July 15th. Then you can read all about Matt Girard, Evie Baker, and the Hostile Operations Team! I’m so excited about this book and I can’t wait for you to be able to read it! I know MADDIE’S MARINE is short, and it has that teaser excerpt for HOT PURSUIT — but never fear that HP is short! It’s nearly 100K, so you’ll get plenty to read!

After HOT PURSUIT, I have a novella coming called HOT MESS. There’s no information on this one yet, as I am writing it right now. But I can tell you a little about the hero. He’s Sergeant Sam McKnight and he’s one bad ass soldier. He’s from Texas, he’s big and hot and tattooed, and he’s focusing all his attention on the absolute last woman he can ever have, much to his chagrin. She’s the little sister of his best friend growing up, and she’s off limits. But then he has to get her out of a spot of trouble, and she’s very inconveniently refusing to let him treat her like she’s his little sister too. Which just leads to trouble of all sorts.

Want a taste? Here’s an exclusive peek just for you:

“I’m sorry about Sergeant Hamilton, Georgie. But I won’t let anything happen to you. You can count on that.”

“I know it.” She reached out and ran her palm along his jaw. She’d been aching to touch him. His eyes darkened, became hot pools she wanted to drown in. “I trust you, Sam. Completely.”

He caught her hand and pulled it away from his skin. “You can trust me with your life, Georgie. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you can trust me with anything else. I’m not that good, believe me.”

“Maybe I don’t want good,” she said on a soft breath. “Maybe I want you to be as bad as you can be.”

She didn’t think it possible, but his eyes grew even darker. His expression was taut. His voice, when he spoke, sounded choked off. “Don’t say shit like that to me. You know I’m not going there.”

Georgeanne pushed herself upright, skirting him as he continued to kneel where she’d just been. “You keep forgetting something, Sam. You keep forgetting that I don’t give a fuck what kind of twisted up logic you’ve got going on in your head about me. I’m not your sister, and I’m not thirteen anymore. And my brother has absolutely no say about what I do or whom I do it with.”

And there you have it! More HOT military heroes, a Harlequin Prince, and lots of plans in the works. This fall, I’ll have two books from Harlequin (three, really, because you’ll get a bonus book in December!), and hopefully another HOT book. So long as y’all keep reading, I’ll keep writing!

Happy reading!

Maddie’s Marine and American Idol

How on earth do those two things go together, you ask? Well, they don’t really, but my weekend involved both! On Saturday, I went up to Franklin, TN, to a Meet & Greet with my Music City Romance Writers chapter. It was held at the main library in Franklin, which is a gorgeous town. We signed books and talked to readers for three hours. It was a lot of fun! We also gave away prizes, and one of the ladies who won a prize from me was the amazing Melinda Doolittle of American Idol fame.

In Season 6, the first season Mr. Harris and I ever watched it (after years of being overseas), we were awed by the talent of two particular women. LaKisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle. Week after week we tuned in and watched these ladies wow us with their voices. Simon never had a bad word to say about Melinda’s performances, if that tells you anything.

So, yeah, I had a fangirl moment when I realized that the lady who’d won my bag and books was Melinda. She came in third that year, and she’s had an amazing career since. She is also sweet, polite, and very unassuming. I may have shocked her just a little bit with my fangirling, but I was truly excited. She graciously posed for pictures with me, and here’s my favorite! Isn’t she lovely?

The other thing I have to tell you about today is my adventures with Smashwords. Yes, I finally figured out how to format MADDIE’S MARINE properly, and I uploaded it to Smashwords. It’s totally FREE, as always — and you can now download it on your preferred ereader! Simply click here to choose! It will eventually make its way out to all the e-tailer outlets for direct download, but right now you can get any format you wish from Smashwords. It’s a very short story, but I still love it and I hope you will enjoy it. Here’s the fab cover that my lovely web designer made. Doesn’t it just make you want to go somewhere tropical with your own handsome hero?

RT Wrap-Up

Y’all, I had such a great time at the RT Booklover’s Convention! It’s always so much fun, and it always goes way too fast. Seems like I just get there and it’s time to go home. In spite of my best intentions, I don’t take enough photos, I don’t get enough sleep, and I don’t talk to everyone I want to talk to.

Tuesday, after all my flights were on time, I get to KC where the lovely Janette Kenny picks me up. We went to lunch and shopping at DSW, then off to the hotel where we got an upgrade. So far, so good! That night, we joined the Aussies for dinner at a nearby restaurant and I came home with a package of dark chocolate Tim Tams. Mmmmm.

On Wednesday, the official fun began. For the next several days, I went to the most awesome workshops, attended fabulous parties, talked late into the night with old friends and made new friends too. The vibe at RT was so positive. I told Mr. Harris that I felt as if I’d attended a revival. Everyone was happy, positive, and thrilled with the changes in publishing. I’m so very excited for my indie debut coming up. HOT PURSUIT is almost ready to go. I’m finishing up the edits, and I hope to have it ready for you sometime in the beginning of June. If you want to be kept up to date about it, please kept checking back or sign up for my newsletter here.

And now it’s time for some pictures!

My display at RT.

With Janette Kenny, Kira Sinclair, and Andrea Laurence at the Ellora’s Cave disco party. No, I am not bigger than they are — I’m just closer to the camera!

The amazing menu at Lidia’s, where we had dinner Friday night.

At dinner. Janette Kenny, me, Andrea Laurence, Kimberly Lang, Amber Doremus, and Kira Sinclair.

And here I am at the giant book fair. I can’t wait for next year in New Orleans! Every year is bigger and better, and I look forward to seeing what they manage to pull off in the Crescent City. Hope to see you there!

RT Convention

Yep, it’s that time, y’all! I’m off to the RT Convention in Kansas City this week. Hope to see some of my lovely readers there, as well as catch up with my author friends. If you’re going to be there, look me up. I’ll be at the Harlequin Series Soiree on Wednesday at 2:30, so stop by and say hi. I’ll also be at the Giant Book Fair on Saturday, and the Fantastic Fan Day events that evening. Naturally, I’ll be at the various parties and balls, so catch me there too.

Looking forward to a fun time, as always!

Impatience

I’ve discovered I’m impatient. Well, maybe I always knew it, but my brain is whirling with so many thoughts these days and so many plans and I am IMPATIENT as hell for them to come to life. First, I am about sick with impatience waiting to get HOT PURSUIT out to you. It’s still in editing, and I know that will make it an awesome book in the end, but I want to share it with you! I’ve been waiting for so long. I’ve had a cover for months — and yes, I’ve held back showing you. Unless you’re on my Street Team, Lynn’s Lovelies, and then you saw it a while back. (Hint: Join my Street Team for exclusive peeks, excerpts, and goodies! We have a secret Facebook group, and I will be happy to invite you in if you’re on Facebook — just send me a message over there and I’ll make it happen.)

I have more books to write in that world, and I have three more Harlequins due quite soon. Next year, I’ll have a sheikh duo coming out. No titles yet, though I have titled them myself and I hope I get to keep them! Because, for once, I think I did a good title job! I’ll also be participating in another continuity series (like last year’s Santina Crown and this year’s Sicilian Corretti Dynasty), and my book will be the final book in December 2014. No idea yet what my book will be about, but I’ve heard hints about a Don Draper-like character. Yum!

You see why I’m impatient? I have so much going on! And, aside from my military books, I have another series I want to write. This one involves four brothers, a small town, and some dark secrets. When will I ever get the time to write them all?

All right, enough whining — here’s what you need to know: HOT PURSUIT is tentatively scheduled for May. There will be a cover reveal soon! There will also be a prequel novella and at least two other books in the series. I hope to have the novella to you by summer’s end, and then the next book perhaps by Christmas. I hate stretching them out so far, but I have to fit them in with the Harlequin work.

While I’m not revealing the cover yet, here’s the blurb. I hope it interests you! Matt is seriously hot, and I think he’ll take your breath away. Which is why I’m getting so antsy about this! If you want to know more, like when the book finally hits stores, sign up for my newsletter (scroll to the bottom of this page and type your email in the box) and be among the first to know when the book goes live. I’ll also announce it on Facebook, Twitter, and this site.

The last man she ever wanted to see…



Evie Baker’s luck just ran out. Thanks to an ex-partner with organized crime ties, she’s lost her restaurant, her money, and nearly all her self-respect. Forced to return to her hometown and work as a shampoo girl in her mother’s salon, she doesn’t think her luck can get any worse.

But then someone starts shooting at her, her sullen baby sister is suddenly missing, and the high school heartthrob who stole her heart—and her virginity—is the only man big enough and bad enough to help.

Might be the only one who can save her…

Captain Matt “Richie Rich” Girard can’t afford to get involved. He’s already on the verge of a court-martial after a Top Secret op gone wrong, and he’s been ordered to stay out of trouble while he’s home for his sister’s wedding.

But when Evie’s ex-partner turns up dead, staying out of trouble is the last thing on Matt’s mind. He failed Evie once before; he can’t fail her again. If he’s going to protect her from a killer, and find her sister before time runs out, he’ll have to risk his entire future—and both their lives—to do it.

Things are about to get HOT in the bayou!

Do the Work

Y’all, I don’t usually talk the writing stuff much anymore, but I can’t help myself this time. I had company in town this past week, and while I took some time off to do things with her — some shopping, some lunching — I also sat myself down at my desk and did the work. I may be my own boss, but I still have a job to do and jobs don’t get done when you lollygag.

So what do you think happens when writers tell me they just can’t get the work done? That they have to watch their favorite shows, and do all their Facebooking and Twittering, and yes they have a deadline screaming toward them at light speed, but they’re probably going to miss it because, well, it’s football season! Or Downton Abbey is on. Or it’s spring and they have to plant the bulbs.

If you guessed that I probably turn apoplectic, you’d be right. It’s infuriating when someone asks me how I manage to write so much while wringing their hands and hoping I’ll give them the secret formula that will suddenly make words pour onto the page.

And I do give them the secret, but they don’t listen. The secret is this: DO THE WORK! If you want to make a career of this, if you want to be a published author and have people read your stories, then you have to turn off the television — or whatever distracts you — and do the work FIRST. Do it! Stop talking about it, stop wringing your hands, and stop making excuses.

Your shows can be DVRed. You can watch them once you meet that deadline. I don’t know what to tell you about sports, since that’s not my hang up, but I’m pretty sure you can’t watch every darn game Thursday through Monday. You can’t do everything. Make a choice. And if you choose the football, don’t whine about the writing. You chose it!

Seriously, the only way you get ahead in this job is to make it a priority. Writing does not come last. Writing does not come after you finish everything else. Writing must be a priority. Yes, your family is the most important thing. I don’t disagree with that at all. There’s a saying you might have seen before: “Happy wife, happy life.” It’s cute, right? But I think it should also be expanded a bit. “Happy family, happy marriage, happy life.” It doesn’t rhyme, but it’s closer to the truth, I think.

So this is my rant for the day. If you’re a writer, if you want to make this a career, you need to make sure you’re willing to do what it takes. You can’t write when you feel like it. You can’t build a career or gain readers if you take such an approach. If you want this — really want this — you have to work for it. It’s still a job, and it still requires you to put in the time.

So put down the remote, stash the coupons for the mall, and get your work done first. Your work ethic is vital in this business. If you don’t have one, if you’re easily distracted, then you aren’t going to succeed.

But if you get that work done, you’ll be surprised at how everything begins to flow. Make writing a priority, and you might just be amazed at how much you get done. Good luck and get to work! That’s what I’ll be doing…