Interview Annemarie Hartnett + Giveaway

Edited Dec 6 8 AM German time: Extray Day! You can still enter till I'm done with work today. So another 8 hours! 

Please welcome Annemarie Hartnett here today. Today is the release day of her new novel "Head over Heels". I just recently read one of her books and it made me laugh so hard. I’m so happy to have her over today, so again please give Annemarie a warm welcome.

Susi: Hey Annemarie, nice to have you here!

Annemarie: Thanks so much, Susi! I’m very happy to be here today.

Susi: Tell us a bit about yourself?

One of those? Me likes =)

Annemarie: Gah! The worst question first! All right, then. Here goes. I grew up on the East Coast of Canada in Nova Scotia, where most of my work has been set lately. I’m a coffee addict and homemade soap junkie. I’m really short and have crazy hair. I have a small collection of rubber duckies consisting of two devil ducks, a ninja duck, and a pirate duck (I’ve had my eye out for a zombie duck ...) I’m obsessed with those reality shows about hoarding.

I’ve been published for about five years, starting with erotic short stories. I have appeared in several anthologies, most recently “Passion” (from Cleis). My first novella, “The Company of Fools”, was released from Loose Id earlier this year.

Like you said, today marks the release of Head Over Heels, my rom-com from Total-E-Bound. I’m very excited about this book and I’ve got a copy to give away today.

Susi: I thought it would be nice to ask a few other things,that will give us a deep look into your soul *snort* so here are a few bullet questions:

Susi: Tea or coffee?

Annemarie: Both: coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.

Susi: Pepsi or coke?

Annemarie: I’m a lifelong Pepsi girl, but my boyfriend converted me to Coke (I got my revenge – I got him hooked on coffee. Muahaha!) I have a particular weakness for Cherry Coke.

Susi: Cat or dog?

Annemarie: As much as I love dogs, I like a quiet, low-maintenance animal, so I would go with cat. I’ve never owned either, though. My pets tend to be pocket-sized and make weird noises.

Susi: Sunny beach or winter wonderland?

Annemarie: Ooh. Tough one. Since we’re into the season in which scraping the ice off of my car in the morning is a reality, I’d pick a sunny beach.

Susi: Werewolf or vampire?

Annemarie: Werewolf. I was on the fence until the episode of True Blood in which Bill burns to a crisp running through the sun trying to save Sookie. I’d prefer a boyfriend who doesn’t suffer from an epic fail if I’m being hunted by a knife-wielding maniac.

Susi: Star Wars or Star Trek?

Annemarie: Defintely Star Wars. It’s all about the Wookie, man.

Susi: Cinema or home-movie?

Annemarie: Home movie. It’s cheaper and at home you can loudly make fun of the movie without getting any dirty looks.

Susi: Weighted Companion Cube or cake?


Annemarie: Cake. Preferably birthday, with ice cream.

Susi: Why did you decide to write erotic romance and eroticas and even though I will probably look like a really dense woman what is the difference?

Annemarie: I started writing erotica at the spur of the moment after some terrible career advice. I wrote my first few stories back to back and had all published, so I wrote a few more.

Erotic romance was a fairly easy transition. Most of my stories are the beginning of Happily Ever After for those characters. Others are about established couples. My first novella, “The Company of Fools”, was originally a short story and I intended to sell it as such, but once the story was finished I found myself wondering what happened to Kate and Mike after they hooked up.

Susi: I just read Company of Fools and OMG I had to laugh so hard. Is it hard for you to make your books funny or is it just the way you are?

Annemarie: I think it’s just the way I am. The first thing I wrote that was comedic was a short story called “Midday Ruckus”. I wanted to write about a fighting couple and when I was trying to come up with something I got a picture of a farm house with two old men sitting outside having lunch. All of a sudden it starts raining sex-toys. The couple inside is having a fight. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that, like so many writers, I have a boring day job. Some make up for it by writing about werewolves, cowboys, and so on. I come home after a hard day and write about a couple who are complete dorks at heart.

Susi: Your new novel Head Over Heels has a wonderful cover. When I first saw it I was so WOW. Do you think the couple on it fits the characters we will meet in your book? And do you know which cover artist made it?

Annemarie: The artist is Natalie Winters, who in addition to being a great cover artist is also a writer herself (http://mandyroth.com). The moment I saw the cover my eyes bugged out – the male cover model is about as close to Sam as you’re going to get without me beaming the pictures in my head into reality. It fits the story very well, as “Head Over Heels” is a simple, no-frills erotic romance.

Susi: Tell us a bit about your new release “Head Over Heels”?

Annemarie: It’s the story of Chrissie and Sam, who have been on a group vacation with friends. The story begins as they arrive at a cottage in the fictional town of St. Paul, Nova Scotia with their friends, Laurie and Tony. A miscommunication puts them in the same bed that night, which is a conundrum for Chrissie because she’s got such a crush on Sam but also has a hands-off policy in place to avoid complications while on vacation. Needless to say she gets over it very quickly.

Susi: The situation itself seems really hilarious. To be forced into sleeping in the same room as your vacation crush must be something a girl could dream of, or not? How did you come up with this idea?

Annemarie: I think the scene itself came from another story I was trying to write that never got off the ground as a short erotic piece. Ultimately I resurrected it for a vacation story with a lighter tone. The original story was much shorter when I submitted it to Total-E-Bound, but the editor enjoyed it so much she wanted me to lengthen it. That’s how the finished product came about. In addition to this, I wanted to write a road trip story set in my neck of the woods. I’d taken a similar trip to Sam and Chrissie’s in 2009 and found a lot of great locations along the way.

Susi: Tell us a bit about your heroine Chrissie. What makes her special? What kind of person is she? And what would her first tweet from her vacation say?

Annemarie: Chrissie is a great, easy-going heroine, but she has the tendency to think things through a little too much. Her initial reluctance to have a fling with Sam comes out of seeing how badly things went on a previous group vacation that involved a hook-up. She’s not one for the drama and this makes her a great match for Sam.

Chrissie’s first tweet from vacation would probably be a Twitpic post of Laurie slathering herself with hand sanitizer as she comes out of an outhouse.

Susi: Susi: What is it about Sam that makes Chrissie attracted to him? Is he really as dorky as the blurb says?


Annemarie: Sam’s that guy everyone knows. He likes video games, is fascinated by pirates, and loves his bike. All of this has Chrissie charmed, not to mention he’s gorgeous. He just makes her giddy, and she loves that about him.

Susi: You also had another release this month: You wrote a story in the Passion anthology. Can you tell us a bit about that one too?

Annemarie: “Crave You Close” is the story of a young married couple who are going through a rough time. They’re struggling financially to stay afloat and have been forced to move back in with his family, which means they have to steal time alone whenever they can. Essentially, it’s about keeping the faith in one another no matter what. It’s definitely the most heartfelt thing I’ve published, and I’m really pleased to be a part of a wonderful anthology like Passion.

Susi: Now the mean questions:
Can you give us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Annemarie: 
1.They’ll find out the answer to the question “Why did the naked man jump into the lake?” (Ok, not really. It’s a guy thing. I don’t try to understand it, and neither does Chrissie.)
2.Hot sex with the works. We’re talking toys, public places, and men dressed like pirates.
3.My coffee addiction won’t pay for itself, dagnabbit!

Susi: If you would be forced to read only one author for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Annemarie: Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her works have ranged from the creepy to the comedic – one of the few authors I have read and re-read multiple times, as is evidenced by the tattered spines of my collection.

Susi: Last question: what would you ask yourself if you were in my position? And please feel free to answer!

Annemarie: I’d want to know which of my characters I’m most like. Hands down, the answer to that question is Mike MacNab from “The Company of Fools.” Mike is pretty relentless when he makes up his mind about something. That’s me all over. I just wish I had Mike’s money.

Susi: Thanks Annemarie for coming over and answering my questions!

Annemarie: Thanks for having me, Susi. Now let’s give away a book.

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Annemarie offers one copy of Head Over Heels to one lucky commenter. 

Just leave a question for Annemarie or leave a comment about the interview.

Please leave me a way to contact you (email in blogger profile or twitter name is okay for me).

Open to everyone who can read an ebook. =)

Giveaway ends on Sunday December 5th and I will announce the winner in the evening. 

Good Luck.