VISIT ME AT KENDRA'S...AND ENJOY TODAY'S HUNK

Please stop by the lovely Kendra Edens's blog and say hello!  She's helping me promote three of my books this week.  Leave a comment and I'll draw a name.  The winner will get her choice of the spotlighted books.

And for your viewing pleasure...unknown wet guy! Can anyone out there tell me who this lusciously wet god is? I got nothin'...

I absolutely loved this book!! -Guilty Pleasures Reviews

So many thanks to KC Lu at Guilty Pleasures for the wonderful review of Ivy League Cowboy.  She says:

These two are downright loveable!! You are rooting for them to get together from the get go. The chemistry between them is smoking HOT, and lawd once they get in bed you will need a fan. I have to say there are a couple characters I wanted to beat down. Don’t want to give away too much of that part of the story, because I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for ya. I have a feeling y’all will feel the same way.

Read the entire review here.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR UNPUBLISHED AUTHORSENTER THE HEART OF THE ROCKIES CONTEST

I know I've been talking about Ivy League Cowboy's win in the RomCon Readers' Choice award, but long ago in 2008, the book finaled in a different contest -- Colorado Romance Writers' Heart of the Rockies!  Ivy League Cowboy took second in short contemporary that year, and A Cowboy and a Gentleman took third. I also took first in the erotic category that year which led to my association with Ellora's Cave, still one of the premier publishers of erotic romance.

Yes, the HOTR has been very good to me.

Now is your chance to shine!  Enter the HOTR this year.

Heart of the Rockies Unpublished Author Contest 

Colorado Romance Writers is pleased to announce the 2012 Heart of the Rockies Contest for unpublished writers. Numerous past Heart of the Rockies entrants have gone on to publish their works in book-length fiction. This year, there will be nine categories with achievement awards given in each. Entries are limited to the first 215 received. Any entries received after the limit is reached will be rejected and returned to the owner. Each entry will be judged by two experienced judges. Entrants will receive one written critique and two comprehensive evaluations of their work based on twenty different potential problem areas. Each category uses an individualized score sheet for its particular genre. Manuscripts that qualify for the final round will be judged by select editors or agents. All finalists will be notified via phone or email no later than September 10, 2012. The First Place winner in each category will receive a cash prize of $25.00. In addition, winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report. All finalists will receive an achievement certificate.

Please contact the Coordinator Grace Larralde at: HOTRCoordinator@yahoo.com.

The entry deadline is midnight, Friday, July 13, 2012. Any entries received after that time will be disqualified and returned to their owners. Permission to forward granted and appreciated.

Tweet: Colorado Romance Writers Heart of the Rockies Unpublished Author Contest, Now Open! http://crw-rwa.ning.com/

MUSA - A NEW KIND OF PUBLISHER

You all know how thrilled I was to win the RomCon Readers' Crown contest for Ivy League Cowboy.  The contest is judged solely by readers and the standards are tough to final.  Only three short contemporaries made the cut, and I'm pleased to say A Cowboy and a Gentleman was also among them.  The other was a Harlequin release, which had me feeling a bit intimidated.

You see, Harlequin rejected Ivy League Cowboy three years ago.  I had written the book with Harlequin in mind.  It was my 2007 NaNoWriMo project and it spawned two sequels.  I kept the word count to around 50K to work within the Harlequin lines I was considering.

These books about the sexy McCray brothers were special to me, and after the rejection from Harlequin, I held onto them.  I couldn't let them go just anywhere.  Meanwhile, I made a name for myself as an erotic romance author.

Fast forward to autumn 2011 -- My editor from another publisher (who shall not be named), Celina Summers (one of the best editors I've ever worked with), along with three other women, announced the opening of Musa Publishing. Finally, I thought, here is a publisher I trust with my cowboys.  I queried Celina and offered her the books.  She contracted them sight unseen.  I've never had someone have such complete faith in my work, and I'll be forever grateful.

The rest is history.  Ivy League Cowboy, A Cowboy and a Gentleman, and Rodeo Queen released in November 2011, December 2011, and January 2012, respectively, to excellent reviews and respectable sales.

As for Harlequin's rejection of Ivy League Cowboy?  Well, the readers have spoken. And to those of you who love the characters of Bakersville, Colorado, three new books are coming beginning in November!

To learn more about Musa and how they differ from other publishers, click here.

To purchase the McCray Brothers books, click here.

IVY LEAGUE COWBOY WINS 2012 READERS' CROWN

I had a great time at RomCon this past weekend, and the cherry on top was winning the 2012 Readers' Crown award for Best Short Contemporary!  Both Ivy League Cowboy and A Cowboy and a Gentleman were finalists, and Ivy League Cowboy won. The lovely Michelle Callahan, who runs RomCon, told me that I beat myself, as A Cowboy and a Gentleman got the second highest score.  Both are available from Musa Publishing.  Find them here.

Thanks to Michelle and RomCon, and especially to the wonderful readers who judged my books!

FINALISTS IN READERS' CROWN AWARDS

RomCon began last night here in Denver, and I was thrilled to find out that both Ivy League Cowboy and A Cowboy and a Gentleman are finalists in the 2012 Readers' Crown Awards!  This is a very important contest for authors because all books are judged solely by readers who routinely read the genre.  Thank you, RomCon!

REMEMBERING OUR TROOPS...

Welcome to the Musa Publishing Memorial Day Blog Hop!  Please join the authors, editors, and staff of Musa in remembering those who have given their lives for this wonderful country.

Leave a comment AND follow my blog for a chance to win a copy of Ivy League Cowboy, the first in my McCray Brothers series from Musa.

Dusty doesn't fear the feisty bull...but his owner's another story. 

Dusty O’Donovan, an accomplished bull rider, isn’t afraid to ride El Diablo, a feisty stud whose owner, Zach McCray, is offering $500,000 to anyone who can stay on him for a full eight seconds. Though Zach refuses to let a woman ride his bull, he's intrigued by the headstrong Dusty, who he last saw when he was thirteen and she was six. Sparks fly when they’re together, but will Dusty’s secrets tear them apart?

Buy Ivy League Cowboy here.

Got Cowboy?

Yeah, baby! Come visit me at the Musa blog for a chance to win a copy of Ivy League Cowboy.

RELEASE DAY!Ivy League Cowboy by Helen Hardt

This one's a book of my heart, folks, and I hope you you'll check it out. Find it here.

Dusty doesn't fear the the feisty bull...but his owner's another story.

Dusty O’Donovan, an accomplished bull rider, isn’t afraid to ride El Diablo, a feisty stud whose owner, Zach McCray, is offering $500,000 to anyone who can stay on him for a full eight seconds. Though Zach refuses to let a woman ride his bull, he's intrigued by the headstrong Dusty, who he last saw when he was thirteen and she was six. Sparks fly when they’re together, but will Dusty’s secrets tear them apart?

IVY LEAGUE COWBOY HAS A COVER

...Designed by the lovely Kelly Shorten at Musa Publishing, no less. I love it!

For those of you who don't know, Ivy League Cowboy has been around since National Novel Writing Month 2007. It was the result of my foray into NaNo and is very special to me. The hero and heroine, Zach and Dusty, are named after the first two dogs I had with my husband. The real Zach and Dusty have been gone for a while now, but their namesakes will live on in Ivy League Cowboy, coming November 4.

Speaking of NaNo, we're headed towards November. I completed NaNo in 07, 08, and 09, but opted out last year. This year I'm going to kick some NaNo ass! If you'd like to be my NaNo buddy, you can find me under Helen Hardt.

Happy weekend everyone!