Spotlight On...Michele Hart

Please help me welcome Michele Hart to the keyboard today. Welcome Michele, share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

I’m Michele Hart, and I write gritty, high-action, Paranormal/Sci-Fi Romantic Adventure. Love under all new moons and stars. If you like Sci-Fi detective stories, if you like angels and demons, my stories are for you. I live in Central Florida, and I’m planning my end-of-the-world celebration for December 21st. ***wink!*** I never turn down a reason to throw a party.

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

My latest release is called Gangbusters. It’s an M/F about a trio of undercover cops embedded in the black market taking down drug suppliers. The hero Danny, a cop and secret demon slayer, falls for Faith, an investigative journalist who demands to know exactly what she’s looking at. Danny shows her a war between good and evil, angels and demons, for the souls of humankind. Woooo…. ***Insert the sound of rattling chains*** Someone’s got to save the worlds, you know. :-)

Here’s a taste for you:

In the end, it’s either you or the demon that comes for you.

Daniel Tierney and his fellow I-Marshals take down the organizations producing the most dangerous substance in the Alliance. But reporter Faith Vedder turns up at the worst times, including Danny’s near-assassination. He’s had enough of her interference and requires her source of information.

Faith won’t tell him anything that compromises her Pulitzer-worthy story, not even under the magic of hot attraction. She doesn’t know she’s surrounded by fallen angels at war. Danny’s not finished making demands. She doesn’t understand until a giant, snorting, winged monster slobbers down her back, threatening to flay her.

The gangbusters can’t delay in their mission to shut down gangs until Danny learns the new criminal kingpin of their world is a man who once held Faith’s heart. In the guise of a gangland executioner named Heretic, Danny will destroy him. Even if it destroys Faith.

Angels are watching. Demons are plotting. Faith is the key.

***

Don’t stop. Read more.

Investigate steamy, peril-packed excerpts, read a tense first chapter:

http://www.MicheleHart.com/b28-book.htm

Buy Link: http://www.BookStrand.com/gangbusters

Go ahead. The angels of madness are calling.

What was the hardest thing for you about writing this story?

Accepting that I had to give it to my publisher. Was that too honest?

What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

It’s a myth romance, and it’s sitting here in my hard drive. It’s too big to be given to a publisher. It had served well for teaching me my weak and strong points.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The hardest part is blotting out real life for concentration. I envy those who can easily do it.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I work for an action group planting edible peace gardens around the city. I love the work.

How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

This title came before I was finished writing the previous story in the same series since the series is about crime gangs. Titles usually come to me before I begin the story or early therein. I’ve no process for it. The story tells me.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Be prepared for the long haul. Make yourself an expert at self-promotion. Learn to do a lot by yourself: book trailers, covers, websites. The more you can do yourself, the less you must pay others. Prepare to spend money.

Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

Can I interest you in a sssexy and dangerous shape-shifter escaped from a prison-planet for your spring break affair? How about a brawler with a badge who can read your thoughts? Imagine yourself trapped on a space station with your high-school crush and only hours to live. Find me when you’re ready for a risky mind-control adventure battling the CIA. Feel like fighting the Mob today? Does your heart secretly desire to be frightened by demons, rescued by angels? A gangland hit man named Heretic awaits you…

Discover passion, dare, and adventure under all-new moons and stars. Investigate me. 
http://www.ILoveShape-Shifters.com/

Thanks, Sarah and readers, for having me. Peace on Earth, everyone!

Michele Hart

Read and live an adventure!

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Spotlight On... Michele Hart

Happy Thursday! Please help me in welcoming Michele Hart to 'Off the Keyboard' this morning. Welcome, Michele. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you for the warm welcome, Sarah. I’m thrilled to be here.
I live a very quiet life with family in a sleepy Florida town. It’s ideal for writing, as there is no excitement around but my fantasies. I write from sunrise to past sunset and love it. Couldn’t ask for a better life.

Tell us about Vigilant and where we can find it.

This is the 2nd I-Marshal story. Vigilant is the story of Yadira, a young woman who has lost everything--her home, her freedom, and her beloved protector--on an ugly world filled with crime, desperation, and human trafficking. She’s captured and headed for the black market to be sold as merchandise. The only survivor responsible for the murders of dozens of citizens, she lands in the hands of an Alliance I-Marshal named Weber, who is looking for an illegal teleport. Weber possesses the talent to read auras, and he can tell she’s innocent of the mass murder for which she’s been charged. The Alliance prosecution against her hardly matters when she’ll be put in a cage and sold by the horrible man who owns her to a mysterious stranger who will erase her identity. And Weber discovers a sadistic demon awaiting the moment he can destroy Yadira in the worst possible way. Angel and demons and lasers, oh my!

Where do the mortals fit in the war between the angels and demons? Investigate Vigilant here: http://www.michelehart.com/b27-book.htm

Check out Luminous Nights, the 1st I-Marshal story, here: http://www.michelehart.com/b15-book.htm

Read the First Chapter of Vigilant here:
http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2011/05/vigilant-by-michele-hart.html


Sounds wonderful! What is the most emotional scene you had to write in this piece?

This book is filled with emotional moments. But this one got me. The heroine Yadira receives a letter from someone she loved dearly who had been killed tragically before her. When I wrote it, it was meant to be a contenting thing for her to have this letter, but I realized how very sad it was, and it almost made me tear up. Then my beta reader told me she got teary-eyed, and I thought, Bingo! :-) That’s jackpot for a writer when she can inspire emotion.


Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

Weber must be played by Hugh Jackman. He has the size and he plays the quiet, dangerous protector well.

Yadira should be played by Emilie de Ravin. She played Claire on Lost. She’s perfect for the part. Can you tell I’ve thought of it? Probably every author casts the story in his/her head. It’s part of the fun and great for visualization.





How did you start writing?

It was a who. In the late eighties, I was challenged by a handsome, blue-eyed, punk-rock god named Torch. Don’t tell him I called him that, though. Like all handsome & talented gods, he has a humongous ego. Worthy of it, though. He’s now in Taiwan teaching Chinese children English and inspiring them. They’re lucky. I hear from him often. If he hears I’m calling him a “god”, his head will sink that island. Alpha male. And a very special person, the kind who walks into a room, draws everyone’s attention, and blows their minds in some way. He did it to me for years and changed who I was. I wouldn’t trade Torch for the world. I wish this kind of person on everyone! Torch was the inspiration for Jack, the hero of Luminous Nights, the 1st I-Marshal story.

Torch sounds like quite a guy! Why did you choose your genre?

I love science, gadgets, and weapons. I like rules. So many rules to follow, all the rules of Sci-Fi and all the rules of Romance. It’s fun to craft a story from so many rules. I love the challenge.

How do you approach your writing, are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a solid pantser. I’ve picked up some plotting skills along the way of my career, but I don’t ever want to plot so much that I don’t feel like I’m on the roller coaster ride with the reader. That’s the best part, the roller coaster ride. That’s what I’m reading for.

As a pantser myself, I absolutely agree with you. What’s next for you?

A short vacation, then it’s on to studying for the 4th and last I-Marshal story. The 3rd I-Marshal story, Gangbusters, should show up soon. Look for it.

Where can we find you on the web?

Find me and the I-Marshal stories @ http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.com/ 

Thanks for visiting me me today, Michele.

Thanks for having me, Sarah. Best wishes and happy adventure to your readers.

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Vigilant by Michele Hart

Vigilant

by Michele Hart

One surviving hijacker is charged

with the murders of a hundred citizens.

One cop sees her innocence.

ISBN#: e-Book 1-61034-396-4 * Print 1-61034-682-3

Available @ BookStrand, Amazon, B&N,

everywhere exciting stories are waiting for you!

BUY IT HERE

Alliance I-Marshal Weber hauls Yadira to her home planet and infiltrates the human-trafficking ring controlling her. But he finds himself unbearably attracted to his witness. A gift for detecting deception reveals she’s the next victim of a criminal industry.

Descending into shadowy worlds of slavery, Yadira endures a dark angel stalking her dreams and watches the quiet I-Marshal become dangerous in her defense. Everything about him moves her…except the memory of seeing him execute the most important man in her life. Shouldn’t she take vengeance? Delusions of a heavenly guardian affect her mind.

Slavers and demons plan to snatch her from Weber’s custody while he is uncovering connections, and Weber won’t hesitate to execute the guilty surrounding Yadira. Who but a son of fire can save her from fiends harboring hardcore fantasies of harming her?

Copyrighted Work

[This excerpt is rated PG-13 for action. The story is rated R.]

Hotel Escape

“What if I kissed you before a room of crooks and criminals?”

Goose bumps raced over Yadira’s flesh at contemplation of Weber’s passionate kiss anywhere, in front of anyone, at any time.

She just didn’t know why he would want to kiss her behind closed doors, as blackened with grievous offense as she was. She wished his sister hadn’t told her he could see guilt. She would’ve wept over the state of her soul, if he hadn’t been in the room.

But Weber was in the room, giving her flights of delight with his enticements and innuendo. She was supernaturally aware of his presence, closeness, and possible actions. His hands kneading hers slowed and stroked each finger, stealing a part of her mind.

“I’m available to fill your needs for the case, Marshal.” Her heart pounded in her chest. “If it keeps me from prison.”

He smiled, pleased with her answer, his olive-green eyes alight in the sexiest way. Could his vision carry the power to blank her thoughts and still her actions? Perhaps it was a gift of the unusual gene the I-Marshals carried that made them special. It was a preposterous thought, but she began to think he was something extra-human. Wasn’t a law enforcement officer who saw guilt more than just a cop?

Were delusions of an angel prowling her subconscious messing with her mind?

She wondered how long Weber’s testimony of their being lovers would stay a lie. A firestorm of attraction raged through them. They sat together on a bed now, his hands intimately massaging hers and relaunching all the heat he commanded. He’d kissed her moments ago, programming her to respond to him. Her thighs were on fire. He stared at her lips now as though they were edible, sending her subliminal hints that he would kiss her a second time. The thought of his mouth on hers again… With this much warning, she had time to lose her breath, anticipate the softness of his lips, want him more with every passing second.

“Weber…”

“Yes, Yadira?”

“Have you sent an angel to watch over me?”

A loud bang rocked the room, startling them and breaking the electricity burning the air between them. Her question forgotten, they spun toward the hotel room door to see it had taken a strike to its metal so hard, it dented. She froze in fear.

“Oh, yeah, the Alliance,” the I-Marshal muttered under a sunken brow as though having forgotten some vital information to add to the night. He scrambled from the bed
.
A second strike slammed into the security door with great force, denting its surface again. The lock was not yet compromised.

“Move, Yadira! They’ll be through the door in seven more strikes!”

Snapping herself from a terror-induced stasis, she burst from the bed, ran to and fro, looping the bag of clothes around her neck.

“Weber! Did you kill my guard?”

“No. I only kill the guilty. Your guard probably awakened in the room next door about five minutes ago.”
He grabbed her hand and tugged her into the shower room. There, he unlatched the small, highly placed window. It was the room’s only outlet for fire escape. Hotel guests were not prisoners.

Except for Yadira. She actually was a prisoner.

“Who’s coming through that door, Weber? And why?”

The window did not open all the way, so he ripped it from the metal frame, and he pulled in a knotted rope already hung outside for their escape.

“Probably, an Alliance SWAT team…or two, maybe some fed guys, a few overexcited locals. They’ll blow the door in a few seconds. The I-Marshals have taken me off the investigation, Yadira, and I’ve decided if they won’t release you from the case, I’m going to hide you from the Alliance. They aren’t happy with my plan.”

Yadira’s head snapped back to the sight and sound of new dents driven loudly into the room’s door. The noise of hovercraft blades warping the air blasted through the window.

He propped the room’s chair against the wall, assisting her climb to the high window.

“We’re on the fifth floor!”

“All you have to do is get out of this room. Take hold of the rope hanging out the window.”

Displeased with her catatonic speed, he snatched her up and put her atop the windowsill, feet first through the open window. She was about to scream bloody murder when she felt a knotted rope between her legs. She grasped it for dear life and leaned out of the building to assess their position.

The chaos was much louder outside the metal-plated room. Sirens shrieked, flashing lights blinded her. She saw the hovercrafts that belonged to the warp of blades she’d heard pivoting all around the hotel, their spotlights aimed on her and watching. How did they all get there so fast?

She turned to Weber behind her in the shower room, and snapped, “Aren’t I already under arrest?”

“Just climb onto the rope, Yadira, trust me.”

It was difficult to trust him when police on PA systems blasted, “Imperial Marshal Weber and Yadira Maxwell! Hold your position! You are surrounded! Do not attempt to escape!”

Trust him? The alternative was surrender.

Looking up the rope secured to the tube railing of the building, and seeing a variety of police uniforms aiming weapons at her, Yadira grasped the rope, put her feet on a knot, and wiggled off the window ledge, clinging to the rope and shaking. The red-and-blue flashing lights blinded her. The hard breeze set off by the hovercrafts whipped her hair across her face, stinging her. The sights and sounds of every law enforcement machine focused on her exit shocked her. She hadn’t known she was this important to the Alliance.

Or maybe capturing a rogue cop was this important. She guessed it was.

Weber climbed out of the window and onto the rope above her, and then he shimmied down to and around her, protecting her from crazy hails of rubber bullets or stunner rays. Cops with Tasers waited below the rope to take custody of them. Cops with stunners awaited atop the building. Cops in hovercrafts surrounding them, weapons sighting them, awaited any dangerous move. She’d never seen so many uniforms in all her life put together.

They’d never let her out of prison for this!

His big boots planted on a big knot in the rope below hers. “Turn on the rope and wrap your arms around me, Yadira!”

She looked around the hurricane they withstood, terrified. Emergency crews assembled below. Spectators were shooed away from witnessing their deaths or horrible mutilations when they hit the ground. Did the cops plan to plant a laser beam in the rope, melting the braid and causing their fall?

“What’s happening, Marshal? Why is all of Reigna’s force sighting us?”

“Ignore them.”

Her mouth dropped. “Ignore them?”

“I should have punched your guard harder. Put your arms around me!”

Surely, they’d fall!

“Trust me!”

She wrapped one arm around his neck, and let go of the rope with her other hand, hooking her arm beneath his to reach her other hand and locking them together. He trapped her against him with the rope, one hand gripping the lifeline above her. Sure she’d next tumble to her death or find herself behind bars, she watched Weber retrieve his palm comp with his free hand and type some numbers with his thumb.

Then Weber let go his grip of the rope, and she experienced the terrifying sensation of falling. It felt like they fell for minutes instead of the second it would have required for them to hit the pavement like melons.

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