Interview & Giveaway with Author Marie Harte

Today J9 is interviewing author Marie Harte. Welcome to The Book Vixen Marie!

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J9: What made you decide to set this book in a post-apocalyptic world?

Marie Harte: I love the idea of second chances. So when the world is hit hard by "sky rocks" and most of humanity is killed, I thought it would be fun to see what the do-over looked like. No more technology mucking up the works, no more pollution, and no more killing the land.Everything is fresh in the do-over. I wanted to see how my characters would interact having a lot less to work with than we do today. And the fact that mankind finds it harder to reseed the world, when there's maybe one woman to every ten men out there, definitely ratchets the tension.

J9: Do you have any influences you drew on when writing this book?

Marie Harte: My friends Cat and Teri helped me think up the concept of an Amazon Western, when the three of us were hanging out in our hotel room at the San Francisco national romance writer's convention a few years back. I love Westerns, and I wanted a kick-butt heroine. Who's more take-charge than the mythological warrior women of the Amazon? I also drew on every Western I ever watched as a kid growing up. Reruns of The Virginian, Laredo, Rawhide, and The Rifleman come to mind. Then there are Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns, which I absolutely love.

J9: Are you a fan of the western genre since this book seems to be based on the western motif?

Marie Harte: :) Yes. See question #2. I was so excited when they came out with the movie Cowboys and Aliens last year. It was like my personal heaven, especially when they cast Daniel Craig.

J9: This books seems to use a lot of imaginative elements, for instance the carnivorous horse.  Is it easy for you to come up with ideas like this?

Marie Harte: I'd love to say I've come up with all the ideas myself, but I've read so much fantasy, horror and romance over the years everything kind of meshes together. I'm a product of my entertainment. From television to books to movies to my muse. I watch people a lot, and often my mind wanders, thinking "what if...?" . Paranormal fiction is a particular favorite of mine. I love ideas that are outside the box. And I often see monsters as the good guys, hence Beast, the carnivorous horse with a sense of humor.

J9: How many books in this Amazon Western series are you planning?

Marie Harte: My plan was always four books. Each Amazon gets her own story, one completely stand-alone from the others, except for the last book, of which the end will tie them all together as the crown is finally found and they must fight to get it back. In order, the books are Tip of the Spear (1), Bite of the Blade (2), Kiss of the Curse (3), and Keeper of the Crown (4). 

J9: You left this book end with a teaser of Thais' Amazonian sister's story as next. Do you know when Luiza's story will be released?

Marie Harte: I'm not sure yet. I had planned on writing it for publication in the spring, but I recently found out I might have some newly contracted books to write, which is actually pretty exciting. I'd say more, but I haven't signed any paperwork yet. Fingers crossed. In any case, I plan on the next book releasing in 2013. Hopefully the spring, worst case, the summer. 

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I've been writing as far back as I can remember. Interest in the written word, no doubt spawned by my English teacher father, continues to this day. I'm a voracious reader, gobbling everything from romance to horror to fantasy and more. I'm in love with the art of putting pen to paper...so to speak.

I majored in English from Penn State University, earning a B.A. in Liberal Arts, as well as a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Five years later, after serving as a communications officer, I left the service to focus more on family. After going through an assortment of jobs--the Marine Corps Reserve, a government contracted agency as an IT representative, a middle manager for a Fortune 500 transportation company--I stopped working to raise two new additions to the family--my youngest sons. During this period, I decided to stop dreaming and start seriously writing.

In December of 2004 my first story was published, and I haven't looked back since.  I currently have fifty titles with Amber Quill, Carina Press, Ellora's Cave, Loose Id, Samhain, Total E-Bound and Whispers Publishing.

I've received several awards to include: the 2005 Passionate Plume for Sci-Fi/fantasy romance, the 2006 Amber Quill Heat Wave contest winner, 1st Place in Steamy Erotic romance for the 2006 Lories, finalist in the 2007 Linda Howard Award of Excellence, and finalist in the 2008 Reveal Your Inner Vixen MRWA contest.

Find the author online: website | blog | twitter | facebook

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Title: Tip of the Spear
Series: Amazon Western, #1
Author: Marie Harte
Genre: Post-Apocalypse
Published: October 2012 by MHP

After people polluted the planet beyond recognition, the sky rocks came and reduced the world to rubble. Yet mankind refused to die, and the world was reborn. Welcome to the New West, where the Nature Laws rule.

1. Procreation is necessary, not optional
2. Women are a precious commodity
3. Harm the earth, lose your life
4. If it can eat you, it will.

Welcome to the New West, where the Nature Laws dictate who lives and dies by the way they treat the land, carnivorous horses and blood trees are accepted mutations courtesy of the sky rocks, and the Impact Zone separates the earth-friendly territories of the West from a more sophisticated, steam-powered East. Women are rare commodities, living in extended families with more than one husband, and children are a necessity in a world where sterility is often the norm, not the exception. Life is full of challenge, romance and adventure. Something one courageous, wounded Amazon will find out first-hand.

Thais (Tay-iss) lost her mother, her queen, and most of her tribe at the hands of brutal foreigners, all while she enjoyed a respite from duty. But the young Amazon with vengeance in her heart refuses to lose anything else. She’ll bring back the queen’s stolen crown or die trying. Life in the Territories has its perils: the Nature Laws, carnivorous beasts, and treacherous men who survived the Time of Dying. One man in particular, a warrior in his own right, has an odd effect on her senses. She comes to desire him, to trust him, and she doesn’t like it. Men are good for war and breeding, neither of which Thais has time for, not when she’s so close to finding those responsible for the crown’s theft. In the course of her quest, Thais finds much more than atonement for her troubled past, but a pure and lasting love, if only she has the courage to accept it.

    

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Thanks to Marie Harte, one lucky winner will receive an ebook copy of Tip of the Spear. Good luck to all who enter!

• No purchase necessary.
• Must be 18 years old or older to enter.
• Giveaway open Internationally. Void where prohibited.
• Comments are appreciated, however, you must fill out the Rafflecopter form in order to enter this giveaway.
• Please read TBV's Giveaway Policy before entering.
• Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 11/24/2012.

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