Tips from Writers

The lovely Shelley Munro has been sharing tips from her fellow writers all month, and mine is up today! Hop on over to her blog to read it.

AT RT!

My apologies for missing hunk day. I'm in Columbus, Ohio at RT enjoying the real hunks! I met last year's Mr. Romance, Charles Paz, who's as nice and hot in person as he is in his photos and his guest appearances on my blog.

I had a pleasant flight with my chaptermates Lizzie T. Leaf and Melissa Mayhue, and I'm rooming with my good friend Monica Kaye. Last night was a meet and greet for Ellora's Cave authors and I met my blogging friend Sam Cheever.

All in all a great start to RT!

See you back here on Monday when the talented Jean Hart Stewart will be here.

Visiting Skhye......and My First Cover Quote!

Happy Friday all! Today I'm visiting Skhye Moncrief again, this time talking about the research I did on Native American history for Rhythm of the Drum. Hope to see you there!

And speaking of Native Americans...I'm excited to display the cover for my good friend Paty Jager's upcoming release, Spirit of the Mountain. Not only is this a wonderful story, but it marks my very first cover quote! Look for Spirit of the Mountain on August 13 at The Wild Rose Press.

Have a great weekend!

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Niko

Niko is a personal trainer, model and (ahem) adult movie actor. I have one other photo of him that I didn't feel I could post, even on my gated blog.

Let your imaginations run wild, ladies...

MEET THE HEROLogan from Right Where I Need to Be

I've been hanging out with Wendi Zwaduk on the loops and blogs for quite some time, and I'm thrilled that she's making one of her current blog tour stops here at Helen's Heroes! Wendi's new novel, Right Where I Need to Be, is coming April 30 to The Wild Rose Press. Before we meet her tasty hero, Logan, here's a little about Wendi:

Wendi always dreamed of writing the stories in her head. Tall, dark, and handsome heroes are her favorites, as long as he has an independent woman keeping him in line. She earned a BA in education at Kent State university and currently holds a Masters in Education with Nova Southeastern University. She loves NASCAR, romance, books in general, Ohio farmland, dirt racing, and her menagerie of animals.

Blurb:

Sometimes the love of your life isn’t the one you expect, but he’s the one you need.

Cass Jenson needs an actor for her made for TV movie. The previous actor dropped out, leaving her stranded. Her savior shows up looking sinfully sexy and totally right for the part, but what part is she auditioning him for? Her movie or her bed?

Logan Malone needs an acting job and fast. With his string of broken hearts, his professional life lies in shambles. To resurrect his career, he must audition for a television role which could be the job of a lifetime. That is, if he can work with distraction and Cass is a major distraction with a heart of gold. Is their budding relationship enough to survive separation, lies, and a couple zany fans?

And a taste of our hero:

Logan’s hand caressed her shoulder. “Can I help you finish? You and your friend should be sipping margaritas and ordering the lawn boy around, not sweating yourselves to death.”

She raised her brows. “You thought being a movie star meant you were entitled, that’s what.”

A wolfish grin curled his lips. Flecks of gold lit his hazel eyes, sending a fresh rush of lust to her core. He leaned in very close to her ear. “Maybe.”

She took a fortifying breath and fought the urge to taste him. Damn that cologne. Her heart skipped a beat. She donned her best sultry smile. Two could play his game. “Really?”

He nodded. She licked her dry lips. How could one man be so irritating and damn sexy at the same time? She scooted close enough so her bare knee brushed against his denim-clad thigh. Firm muscles without an ounce of fat. Ooh. “Do you want to explore?”

“Uh-huh.”

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Scott Herman

You all are the best! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment on the pen name bashing. You guys rock and I have all your backs, I promise. So I owe you a drool-worthy hunk today :). And I think I found him. The green tighty-whities have to go, but God I want to lick those abs!


Scott Herman, born in 1985 in Salem, New Hampshire, is an American model and fitness trainer. Aside from everything to do with the gym and fitness lifestyle, Scott enjoys doing a little bit of everything else like trying to learn new things, working on cars, acting, and meeting new people.

Any new people out there who might want to meet this hottie?

Bloggers and Pen Names and Karma...Oh My!

This morning my lovely friend Amber Skyze alerted me to a blog post. I won't post a link because I don't want to publicize the blog. They don't deserve my publicity. Suffice it to say it wasn't flattering to Amber or me. This particular blogger decided it would be a nice day to make fun of erotic authors' pen names, and Amber and I were among those chosen. The blogger compared erotic authors' names to porn star or stripper names. Well, I've never heard of a porn star named Helen. Isn't that a grandma's name? Helen is actually my real name, and I always hated it. I grew up among Lisas, Kathys, and Tracys, and all those little girls had grandmothers named Helen.

Anyway, I can only guess that the reason my name was included was because of the last name Hardt, which of course has the word "hard" in it. I almost never comment on nasty blogs. Why waste my time? But I did today. I couldn't help myself.

You see, my pen name has a sentimental meaning. Helen Hardt was my grandmother's name. (Didn't I tell you everyone had a grandma named Helen? lol.) I chose this pen name when I first decided, as a young girl, to become a writer -- long before I decided to write erotic romance. My father, an aspiring writer, used Hardt as his pen name. A few years ago, when I got my first author contract, I considered other names, including my real name. Even though I've never cared for the name Helen, I decided to keep it because it felt weird to me to be called anything else. After lengthy discussion with my husband, we both decided that Helen Hardt was the way to go. It was the name I had chosen long ago, and now that I was realizing my dream, it seemed appropriate to use it. It's a nod to my roots. I also like the alliteration -- makes it easy to remember. And it sounds like "heart" which works well for romance.

Never did I consider the word "hard" embedded inside it. Hardt is a German surname. I am a fourth generation 100% German-American, which also makes the name appropriate. My married name is Scottish, though I don't have a drop of anything but German blood in me :).

Amber told me she chose her last name because it was part of a romance magazine she owned ten years ago. Another sentimental reason.

Why is it that some bloggers out there have nothing better to do than try to drag others down? Believe me, I wish I had that kind of time on my hands. Do they think it makes them look intelligent? Witty? Personally, I think it makes them very small people.

The foregoing notwithstanding (yes, I was a lawyer in my previous life, lol), I'm not overly upset about this. I just felt it was worthy of mention. Tell me about your pen name? Why did you choose it? Is there sentiment behind it?

Tuesday update -- I was telling my 17 year old son (who's a very optimistic person with a genius IQ) this story and he said, "Look at the bright side, Mom. You're well known enough that they make fun of you."

Ha! Very good point! I'm reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean:

Norrington: You are without a doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of!

Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.

Visiting Skhye Today!

Today I'm over at the lovely Skhye Moncrief's blog talking about some of the research I did for Lessons of the Heart. Please come by and say hi!

My AMP editor, Celina, alerted me to another great review for The Cowboy and the Cougar. Dawn at Love Romances and More says:

THE COWBOY & THE COUGAR is a great story that will appeal to those who enjoy an “older woman/younger man” scenario, strong chemistry between the main characters, and some really explosive sex that had me panting in the end. Add in some wonderful secondary characters to keep the story flowing smoothly, this author does a great job in capturing all the inner turmoil, vulnerabilities and hearts of her characters perfectly. I am looking forward to more from Ms. Hardt in the future. If you enjoy a really hot, sexy book that will leave you breathless then grab THE COWBOY & THE COUGAR. I do recommend having a bucket of ice or your significant other nearby to help ease the ache after reading this one. Truly a spectacular read and one I plan to enjoy again. I look forward to more Cougar Club books in the future.

Thank you, Dawn!

Have a great weekend everyone!

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Rafael Lazzini

My blogging troubles appear to be over! So I'm back to regular blogging and commenting. Today I'm at The Cougar Club. Please come by and say hello!

On to today's hunk...

What is it about those Brazilian men? There's Henri, Caco, the other Rafael... So for Cari and all you others, myself included, who love those sexy Brazilians...I give you Rafael Lazzini -- six feet two inches of gorgeous Brazilian masculinity.

Many thanks to the lovely Kealie at The Menagerie for introducing me to this hottie!