Please welcome my special guest this week, Michele Hart, whose book No Funny Stuff! was recently released by The Wild Rose Press and spent three weeks at the top of the bestseller's list!
Thanks for popping in today, Michele!
Hi, Christina,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to spread my brand.
Here are the answers to your questions:
Can you tell us a little about your book, No Funny Stuff!?
But it’s been an incredible experience. I love the Muse writers, and I’m lucky to be in their midst. Several of us have become close. I’m proud of NFS!, and the other Muse stories. I hope you’ll check them out @ Meet the Muses.
How did the idea for the plot come about?
No Funny Stuff!’s doing very well holding #3 for three weeks on The Wild Rose Press’s Current Bestsellers, and it’s getting a great reception.
I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?
I quickly wrote my Erotic Romantic Suspense, Looks Are Deceiving, and sold it twice, the first e-publisher who’d folded in the first round of e-publisher crashes. I was very lucky they rushed me to print just before they closed and didn’t have to, so it was a bittersweet happening. They believed in me and made sure I was published before they drowned. I appreciate that. Very soon, Siren Publishing picked LAD up and it’s done very well, hitting #2 on Siren’s Bestsellers List. It all moved quite fast. I’d received 3 contracts be e-mail in a week for 3 different projects. That’s enough to make a writer’s head spin.
I came into the Song of the Muses anthology a few days later than most of the Muse writers, so I had 3 of the Muses from which to choose. It was never a battle in my mind. I was inspired to take Comedy, and I was probably a numbskull to have chosen it! I knew Thalia would be a very hard Muse to write. Sense would have made me choose another, but I had none! I’ve always had great respect for the Comedy Romance authors, but that’s doubled since this project. All hail Katie Macalister! I want to be her!
We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)
I rarely watch TV, hardly have an idea what’s on. When I watch, it’s real-life crime and forensics shows so I’ll learn something or get some brain and plotting exercise thinking out and solving the crime. I won’t watch the dramas. They often present untruths, and I don’t want false info in my head. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are the most important shows on TV right now, IMO. And cartoons. I watch Adult Swim on the Cartoon Channel every night.
What are you working on now?
I’m editing a SF Romance short story called Zero-G, and then I’ll be getting back to my full-size SF Romance, Alien Whip. I’m really looking forward to writing AW again. It’s about a group of people who are abducted by aliens. Here’s a little on that project:
http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.com/b21-book.htm
How can readers keep up with your writing and books?
Please stop by and take the tour.
No Funny Stuff!, a tale for the Muse of Comedy
Watch the Book Trailer, Discover the Excerpts, Check out the Reviews!
http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.com/b22-book.htm
BUY LINK: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.phpmain_page=product_info&products_id=925
Looks Are Deceiving, an Erotic Romantic Suspense
Dive into Steamy Excerpts, Look out for the Fantastic Reviews. Book Trailer, too. http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.com/b18-book.htm
BUY LINK: http://www.SirenPublishing.com/michelehart/lad.asp
Have a magical day,
Michele HartSci-Fi/Fantasy Romance Author Walk Another World ~~~ * * * * * * * * *Available NOW! * NO FUNNY STUFF! * a tale for the Muse of Comedy!http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=925
SONG OF THE MUSES * 9 Inspirations of Romance * coming October '08AMUSE ME * another tale for the Muse of Comedy * coming 2009!~ ~ ~ ~ Available NOW! * LOOKS ARE DECEIVING * a Siren Bestseller!http://www.SirenPublishing.com/michelehart/lad.asp
34 comments:
the alien book will be on my wish list i love future storys its amazing how many things are now common place from ideas from books and tv shows
angie
What a great interview. It was nice to learn more about you. Congratulations on all your success.
Devon
Hi AngieTheresa,
I'm always wanting more Sci-Fi.
You can read more about Alien Whip right here:
http://michelehart.com/b21-book.htm
I hope you like it.
Michele Hart
Hi Devon,
I like your work!
Best wishes for your success, as well,
Michele
Hey, Michele, Just stopping in to say hi. Great interview, and I love your cover!!!
Jami
Hi Christina and Michele! I have several friends who write sci-fi/fantasy romance, and I'm just starting to explore the genre. It's fascinating. And, of course, the muses are wonderful. Congratulations on your success!
Helen
Thank you, Helen and Jami, for stopping by!
Helen, keep an eye out for my new SF Romance short story, Zero-G. You'll like it if you love Sci-Fi.
Great interview Christina and Michele! Loved hearing all about you and your writing, Michele!
I'm currently working on an anthology with members of my critique group. The theme is Civil War romance. We're currently critiqing each others stories and hope to be submitting them soon. Of course, since we critique each others work, we already know each other, but its a great chance to work on a common project.
Best of luck with yours!
Hi Michelle! Great interview. All of your projects sound so unique and interesting.
Here are the fabulous reviews for my Spicy Greek Mythology, No Funny Stuff!, a tale for the Muse of Comedy. NFS! spent a month #1 on The Wild Rose Press’s Bestsellers List! YIPPEE! $3 for more fun than shopping for tires!
* Five Stars! No Funny Stuff! is a smart, fast, fun read! I highly recommend it!
Reviewer: Cate Masters, author of The Duende and the Muse and Seventh Heaven
* The Muse of Comedy definitely has what it takes - and as a bonus she has a penchant for fancy footwear. Michele Hart’s No Funny Stuff! had me laughing out loud from the moment Daisy and Drew Murphy ran into each other (well to be absolutely accurate Daisy runs into Drew.) Throw in a vengeful god, a devious goddess or two and a tiny Chihuahua dog with delusions of grandeur and you have a hilariously funny story. As if that’s not enough there is also a family secret to be uncovered – and no lack of romance as sexual tension grows and culminates in steamy, satisfying passion.
But it’s not all laughter and light for Thalia. What starts out as comedy could very easily turn to tragedy and she has to act swiftly if she is to prevent a cruel injustice being inflicted on the man her messenger, Daisy, has grown to love.
For a real page turner that is both funny and touching, I can heartily recommend Michele Hart’s No Funny Stuff!
Reviewer: Hywela Lyn, Author of Starquest
* Two Lips Reviews
Rating: 4 Lips!
Drew Murphy has been cursed by the gods of Mount Olympus to live a shortened life. Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, hears of his plight and decides to make his last days more enjoyable. She contacts her mortal friend, Daisy, and proceeds to relate the tale to her. Thalia gives Daisy a little red box and asks her to bestow the gift upon Drew. What’s inside Thalia’s gift? Is there any way to lift the curse from Drew?
No Funny Stuff! is an amusing tale that kept me laughing at times. I loved the way Michele Hart wove Greek mythology into modern times. Daisy is a loveable ditzy woman who quickly falls in love with Drew. With her cute Chihuahua, Ole’, in tow, she runs into Drew and convinces him to accompany her to rescue her family’s tree farm. Drew reluctantly goes along with her on a journey which will change both their lives. Along the way, Thalia assists the couple, intervening at key moments. Thalia is an utter delight herself as the ever-resourceful Muse of Comedy. She’s a unique character in the gods’ pantheon- loving laughter, humanity, and possessing a wicked shoe fetish! You’ll be glad you read No Funny Stuff! as Ms. Hart immerses you in this imaginative setting.
Reviewer: Victoria
***
Hi Susan,
I wish you ridiculous creativity in your Civil War project. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Debra! Thank you so much. That's a heck of a compliment to a writer.
Here’s a bite of my spicy Greek Mythology Romance novella, NO FUNNY STUFF!, a tale of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, NFS! spent a month #1 on The Wild Rose Press’s Bestsellers List!
$3 for so many chuckles! Lasts longer than a candy bar! Less fattening than cheesecake!
You can hardly buy a pretty feather and tickle yourself for that price!
Something's Rotten at the Gates of Heaven
Under conspiratorial inspiration of Olympian thrones, Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, sends a blessing of love and laughter to Drew Murphy, a young man cursed to a short and miserable life.
But when her favorite messenger Daisy Sullivan accidentally launches the magic--wrong time, wrong place, wrong method, wrong everything!—Thalia must force to light buried secrets of a millennia-old family curse and face down a most vengeful Immortal on his own battlefield
if she wishes to free both Drew and Daisy from an unJust fate.
Ares, the ruthless God of War, loves only one thing as much as he loves bloodshed....
How's Thalia supposed to make THAT funny?
At least, she's wearing her best sandals!
***
Here’s where things get serious….
Crummy Messenger
(This Excerpt is PG-rated, the story is R-rated)
Concealing the gift under a washcloth in her hand, Daisy turned back to the room, intending to stash the present in her suitcase and preventing any questions of it tonight. When she crossed over the bathroom threshold, her foot caught on something. Daisy tumbled downward with a shriek; the gift flew from her hand.
The washcloth flung away, and she watched in slow motion the flashy, sparkly red bow flip end-over-end through the air until the rest of the room rushed upward and the carpet broke her fall.
Drew dashed to her and helped her sit up. She could see him better if those damned stars weren’t in the way.
“What happened?” she muttered, then looked to see Olé stretched over the doorway, the little Chihuahua’s little face looking guilty, yet a sliver of intent lay hiding in his eye. She realized just how invisible the dog had been all night.
Then the picture of the gift in flight set Daisy to a panic.
“Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no,” she chanted, imagining the gift from the gods fragile and now broken by her hand. She went to her knees and crawled along the floor, seeking the missing gift beneath the dresser, the desk. Olé joined her, sniffing but not knowing any better than she did for what the heck they searched.
She crawled over to one bed and threw up the covers to check beneath it. All she saw was Drew’s face appearing on the other side of the bed. “What are you looking for?”
She threw the covers back into position. “I don’t know,” she admitted, and crawled around to the other bed, checking every corner where the gift could hide. She noticed Drew’s interest, possibly focused on her upturned derriere.
She flipped the other bed spread flaps up and checked beneath to spot the box in shadow. Relieved, she reached under the bed frame and grabbed the box, bringing it with her as she rose, but the relief was short-lived. In her palm, the tiny, elaborately decorated red box lay open and empty. Drew stared expectantly at the inch-sized cube. She found nothing on the floor.
Before Daisy could consider what punishment the gods might demand of a lousy messenger, her nose detected a scent she knew well from the wild roses woven into the farm’s front gate. Roses meant home to Daisy.
Drew’s brow crashed. “Do you smell flowers?”
He leaned toward her and sniffed so close she felt the tug of breeze into his nose. “It’s you. You smell like flowers. Must be your shower soap.”
But she used the soap she made on the farm, oatmeal and otherwise unscented.
Daisy became super-aware of Drew’s close proximity. He just stood there beside her, wearing nothing but a hotel bed-sheet toga, the corners tied at one shoulder and draping the long line of his physique. Her eyes rode the open side of the toga, down his rib cage past his hips, where hard thighs and scattered hair took over. She was struck with the strongest urge to touch him, to slip her hands to his chest and run her fingers through the hair there. To caress his city-pale flesh, knead his weight-sculpted biceps, stroke the sides of his lean torso. The feeling was so strong, she broke into a sweat. Her palms itched.
Drew stepped back and began to hyperventilate. He paled, dropped onto the bed, his hand to his chest as if his breath had escaped him. He looked truly panicked.
“What is it, Drew?” Daisy asked, fearing the moment. She tossed the empty red box aside and took his hand to feel it clammy.
Was this The End?
***
Want to read more? Fabulous Reviews, Steamy Excerpts, and a Book Trailer are Here!
http://www.michelehart.com/b22-book.htm
NO FUNNY STUFF! is proud to be a part of the Song of the Muses anthology,
9 Tales of Romance for the 9 Muses of Inspiration.
Meet the Muses! --- > http://www.michelehart.com/songofthemuses.htm
Writing, Tragedy, Music! Astronomy, Erotic Love, Dance! History, Comedy, Glorious Praise!
Song of the Muses anthology presents a tale of Romance for every muse,
both Historicals and Contemporaries for every taste.
Don't miss them!
Have a Fate-blessed day.
Great interview, Michele! Wishing you the very best with 'No Funny Stuff!'
Hugs!
Judith
Hi Judith,
With your good wishes, I should do well. : - ) Thank you.
What a fun interview, Michele! Now I feel like I know you a bit better. Alien Whip..now that's a great title and I'm really looking forward to reading Zero-G. I'm half way through your muse tale and laughing and loving every minute of it! Congrats on your fantastic run on the best seller's list!
Loved the interview Michele - and NFS is a brilliantly humorous love story, I enjoyed every word of it.Congratulations on it's roaring success.
Lyn
Thank you, Lyn and Alisha! I'm very proud to be a part of the Muse project with you. I couldn't have picked better company.
Alisa Paige is the author of A Love Beyond Time, Clio's, the Muse of History, story. Hywela Lyn is the author of Dancing with Fate, Terpsichore's, the Muse of Dance, story, both beautifully done. I highly recommend them. They've been getting rave reviews!
I’m thrilled to present LOOKS ARE DECEIVING, my Erotic Romantic Suspense, brought to you by Siren Publishing. Looks Are Deceiving debuted at #2 on Siren’s Bestsellers List and parked there for three weeks!
***
You Never See Everything.
All shadows and mystery, Elissa Baker’s in hot pursuit
of something bigger, uglier, and meaner than Greg Moretti,
and she keeps her destiny with the scum of the Earth a closely guarded confidence.
Only Greg--muscles, brains, and passion—
can wreck her long-laid path by being Mister Right and refusing to let her go.
How can she resist her Latin lover’s dark-chocolate eyes
always arresting her, his hypnotic lure stealing her soul,
and dealing lusty persuasion like trump cards in a fixed bet?
Restauranteur Greg Moretti is crazy for a woman
who leads a smoke-and-mirrors life.
He’ll fix that by cooking up some heat, triggering a little hunger,
and melting the ice-wall protecting her soul.
Elissa will need to choose between Greg and the criminal world.
What keeps her from his total consumption? Why does Elissa keep so many secrets?
Greg will take no hostages nor will he back down from his chase
until he identifies his competition and makes Elissa
want him more than her other distractions.
Good boys can be bad too…and lethal to the heart.
The serendipitous solution to the cold-case murder of Greg’s father
leads to a gun battle that changes everything. Who invited the Mob?
Someone’s going to lose, and someone’s going to die. Another someone.
Everything changes with the pull of a trigger. Nothing looks the same after this....
***
LOOKS ARE DECEIVING by Michele Hart
Read the Hot Excerpts, Watch the Book Trailer and Explore the Fabulous Reviews!
http://www.michelehart.com/b18-book.htm
BUY LINK: http://www.SirenPublishing.Com/michelehart/lad.asp
Visit Me @ * http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.Com/
Don’t you love mystery? : - ) I do.
Dear Aliens,
I’ve many things to say.
Firstly, if you are reading this message on the Internet, please cruise my publishers’ web sites and buy my books. Quite the bargains they are!
Second of all, welcome to Earth!
I can imagine from afar we look like a warmonging species with an ugly propensity for greed. And we are. I’m hoping you also notice our desire for peace, our heart-felt creativity, and our small acts to promote harmony, which do not carry the flash of weapons or the wails of the oppressed to be blatantly noticed and counted. We’re a bit of the lower end of the learning curve when it comes to contentment and cooperation, high on the temper and bravado. We’re a young species, and we don’t get this life-thing yet.
But trust me in that there are more good things going on here than bad, so if you have any plans to exterminate us, well, I hope you take that into consideration. It’s true, we’re still a little dumb and under-evolved. We’ve not yet given up throwing sticks and stones at one another, defiling our planet, abusing our fellow creatures. I’m not sure when we’ll get over it, soon I hope.
Every now and then, something wonderful happens here that turns hearts around. Like puppies being born, puppies of all kinds. Poodles, giraffes, koalas. Tigers, bears, zebras. Humans. They’re born here every day. Gosh, they’re cute, big-eyed, clumsy, and they fill us with hope. Maybe if you decide we adults are a bunch of jerks making the worst possible decisions and aren’t worth keeping, you’ll think the puppies are cuddly and full of potential. Give us a little more time to catch on.
Third, do you have the cure for cancer, and would you trade it for what’s behind Curtain #1?
Possible prizes: 24 shiny beads, a bridge in Brooklyn, or a book of “Your Momma So Fat” jokes.
If you give us a call-ahead, we can throw a hellacious party for your big entrance. Have your people call our people.
Peace out, dudes!
Love ya, Resident Michele
I love reading about ancient gods and goddesses and I'm sooo looking forward to reading all the books in this wonderful Muse series!
Hahaha Michele, simul posted there. OMG I think you're almost as crazy as I am!!!
:-) I resemble that remark!
Usually, it's only medical doctors calling me crazy. And they charge me for it!
Everyone will be pleased with the Song of the Muses anthology. Pick the Muse who inspires you!
I'm excited to say we'll be doing a 2nd set of stories! The Wild Rose Press is a wonderful place to be! Best stories and authors around.
Hey Michele,
Just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on the sucess of No Funny Stuff!
Jenny P.
Thanks, Jenny.
I'm hoping one day to grow up and equal your massive sales record at Siren.
Take care!
Thank you, all, for stopping by and playing with me in Christina's sandbox. I had a fun time, and I hope you stop by and say hi whenever you see my name doing promotions or chats.
Everyone, I wish you ridiculous prosperity in life,
Michele Hart
author of
No Funny Stuff!
Looks Are Deceiving
Amuse Me!
Zero-G
Luminous Nights
I loved the interview. Sorry I was in air traveling all day and just got to it now. Congrats on your book.
Love that cover and thanks for the interview, very interesting.
Interesting interview!
I'm a huge sci-fi fan, too, and if there's humor involved so much the better. I enjoyed your interview. all the best with your book.
Thanks for your nice replies, Debs, Christina, Barrie, and Shelley.
It was a lot of fun.
Great Interview. I love learning about other authors and their successess.
All the best,
Suz:)
Thank you Suz. I wish you great success, as well.
-Michele
Greetings, All!
Congratulations goes to Judith Leger for winning the drawing for a free copy of No Funny Stuff!.
Thanks so much, everyone, for playing with me!
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