Congratulations Contest Winners!

Congratulations to my December and January contest winners: Sara W of Yorktown, VA and Sherry H of Judsonia, AR. Both Sara and Sherry correctly answered questions about my winter holiday release, A Harlequin Christmas Carol. The prize: one signed copy each of my contemporary romance, Strokes of Midnight featuring down-on-her-luck romance writer, Becky Stone.

Didn’t win this time ’round? No worries. The contest runs through May 31st, with one winner selected each month. Take two ticks to read the short online excerpt and correctly answer the contest question and be entered to win.

Happy Month of Hearts & Flowers,

Hope

A ROGUE’S PLEASURE Wins LASR Best Book Award!

Sometimes life is filled with delightful, seemingly random surprises. Coming into our second week of a new year, I’m happy to report that so far 2011 does not disappoint. This weekend I learned that A Rogue’s Pleasure, my Regency set historical romance debut reissued this summer with Carina Press, was up for a Best Book Award at Long and Short Reviews along with several other books, including those by some pretty powerhouse authors. How lovely!

Even lovelier, I logged online this morning to find that I’d won!

In lieu of lapsing into a full Sally Field (i.e., “You like me. You really like me!”) I’ll sign off now with heartfelt thanks to LASR and to all of you who took the time this weekend to share the love and vote for me. Without further “ado,” below is the lovely book trailer video created as part of my contest prize.

Hope

Happy Release Day!

christmas_350My Victorian Christmas novella, Tomorrow’s Destiny in A Harlequin Christmas Carol officially releases today, November 9th! Though copies have been showing up in selected online retail stores and brick-and-mortar bookstores for the past week, I’m so happy to be able to officially announce the anthology in plenty of time for the winter holidays. And I have plenty of celebrating planned, so please visit my Media & Events page for information on my winter holiday Blog Tour–first whistle stop is RT BOOK Reviews Blog on 11-12–and in-person appearances. The latter include my December 6th reading and signing at Lady Jane’s Salon.

Some readers got the  ball rolling even earlier by entering my monthly contest and reading the online excerpt from Tomorrow’s Destiny. Congratulations to Theresa D of Monticello, NY, my current contest winner. Like many of you who entered, Theresa knew that in Tomorrow’s Destiny, my heroine, Fiona’s birthday is December 25th. Poor Fiona! It’s hard to keep up the Scrooge act when you’re a Christmas baby. Here at HopeTarr.com, even a whisper of “Bah! Humbug!” is strictly forbidden. In keeping with the holiday celebration theme, Theresa’s prize is a signed copy of my Scottish Christmas historical, Twelve Nights.

Hope signing Twelve Nights & Vanquished at Lady Jane's Salon.
Hope signing at last December's Lady Jane's Salon.

My new contest opens today and the prize will once again be Twelve Nights, so if you haven’t yet read Alys and Callum’s sexy Christmas love story, take two ticks and enter.

Wishing you a holiday season brimming with mistletoe moments,

Hope

Contest Winner!

christmas_350Okay, I’ll admit it. Sometimes life…make that Life gets away from me, if not a lot than certainly more often than I’d like. September was one of those months. What with promoting my Beer Gardens NYC iPhone app, Lady Jane’s Salon (October’s Salon was awesome!) and prepping for the release of Tomorrow’s Destiny in A HARLEQUIN CHRISTMAS CAROL a mere 30 days wasn’t nearly enough.

Consider the above as the preamble to a confession. I forgot to pick a contest winner for September. My bad–literally!

In the spirit of “better late than never,” belated but sincere congratulations to Marie E of Lathrop, CA, the winner of my September contest prize: a signed copy of my previous Christmas Scottish historical romance, Twelve Nights. As did many of you who entered, Marie correctly answered that in Tomorrow’s Destiny/A Harlequin Christmas Carol, my heroine Fiona’s eyes are green and blue.

For those who didn’t win, I hope you’ll take two two ticks to read the Sneak Peek of Tomorrow’s Destiny/A HARLEQUIN CHRISTMAS CAROL (due out November 10th) and enter my current contest. But lest we rush the holidays, for now…

Happy Halloween Weekend!

And the Winner is…

jack_276Many thanks to all of you who took time out of busy lives to comment on my Wednesday blog on My Lord Jack at Carina Press. What fun we had! The winner of that special contest is Lise Horton. Yay, Lise!

Next stop on my Blog Tour will be Wednesday, July 21st at Fresh Fiction. Visit me and be entered to win a copy of one of my back list books.

And of course my regular contest continues here, so if you haven’t yet, please take two ticks and enter by answering a super quick question about my Harlequin Blaze Historical print release, The Tutor.

TGIF…

Hope

Jack is Back!

jack_276I’m a sucker for second chance at love stories. Always have been, always will be. Sometimes those love stories themselves get a second chance, too.

My Lord Jack, my Scottish-set historical first published in 2002 with Berkley, releases today with Carina Press, Harlequin Enterprise’s exclusively digital imprint.

Jack is indeed back and he’s better than ever before. Working with Angela James and the talented editorial team at Carina Press, I’ve reedited the book–and yes, I’m hopeful that I’ve learned a thing or two in the past eight years of honing my craft.

I hope you’ll take two ticks to read an excerpt. Or take more than two ticks and visit me on one of my blog tour stops for the book. Most of my guest blogging gigs, including today’s at Romance Writers of America, New York City involve a prize giveaway: one or more of my back list print releases. Prezzies, we all love those.

tutor_276And if you’re in New York City, you might just catch me up close and personal at one of my upcoming readings for my other July release, The Tutor.

Hope

Lady Jane’s Winter Holiday Open House

Happy holidays and happy birthday, Harlequin!

The December 7th Lady Jane’s Salon heralds the winter holiday season and celebrates the final month of Harlequin Enterprises 60th anniversary year with a very special salon event.

I’ll be reading from Twelve Nights, my Christmas Scottish Medieval for Harlequin Blaze as well as my twelfth published book. Twelve Nights is the sequel to Bound to Please, the novel that launched the super popular Historical Blaze Miniseries. To win a signed copy of Bound to Please, check out my current Contest.

Copies of Twelve Nights will be available for purchase on-site at the Salon, and I’ll be signing copies at the break and immediately thereafter.
Guest author, Stacey Agdern.

Joining me will be romance fiction reviewer, bookseller, and author, Stacey Agdern reading from her Hanukkah novella, Rededication, and Senior Editor for Harlequin Blaze, Brenda Chin recapping highlights from Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary year.

The Salon meets on Monday, December 7th from 7-9 PM at Madame X (94 West Houston) in Manhattan’s Soho district. (Subsequent salon nights are the first Monday of each month). Admission is $5 or one gently used paperback romance novel to benefit Share-the-Love.

I hope to see you there.

Congratulations November Contest Winners

So, last night I attended a performance of Over the Rhine, my new favorite indie band based out of Ohio at Manhattan’s Highline Ballroom along with my Strangely Beautiful author friend, the lovely Leanna Renee Hieber.

Today I blind-picked my two November contest winners and wouldn’t you know it, both are from Ohio!

Congratulations to Rosemary K of Willoughby, OH and Katherine F of Springfield, OH. Both Rosemary and Katherine knew that “Cat” is the name of the feline character in my out-now release, Twelve Nights.

Each winner will receive two copies of Bound to Please, the prequel to Twelve Nights, which launched the super successful Historical Miniseries for Harlequin’s Blaze line.

More copies of Bound to Please will be given away to three winners in my December Contest, so if you didn’t win this time, please head over and enter.

Finally, my Holiday Goodness Challenge is one-third of the way to our $200 goal with Hope’s Heroes to be announced here…anon. In the meantime, please put Marian’s Dream and the homeless cats it helps on your personal holiday goodness lists. Santa thanks you and so do I.

Hope

Holiday Goodness Challenge 2009

Times are tough, times are hard, nobody’s denying it. And though purse strings may be tight, I’m convinced hearts are bigger and more generous than ever before.

Hope for the Holidays

In keeping with the holiday spirit of counting my many blessings, including the release of Twelve Nights, my Christmas Harlequin Historical Blaze, I’ll be giving away twenty copies of  Vanquished, the first of my “Men of Roxbury House” trilogy to the first twenty readers who donate a minimum of $10 to this year’s Holiday Goodness charitable recipient, Marian’s Dream: Philanthropy for Animal Advocates.

A Good Dream

Founded in 1981 as a memorial to Marian Rosenthal, Marian’s Dream is a 501(c)3 public charity with the mission of helping donors help companion animals through support of innovative programs and projects operating on the local, regional and statewide levels. Funding accessible, low-cost spay/neuter resources is a particular focus.

$200 will provide four feline spays or six feline neuters. If that sounds like a modest goal, consider that one female cat can birth two litters a year. That’s up to a dozen unwanted kittens, many of whom will have additional litters of their own.

Shelters and rescue groups are overwhelmed. The solution lies in prevention.

Goodness Spilleth Over

Hope holds Sweeney, once homeless, now very much homed.
Hope holds Sweeney, once homeless, now very much homed-and loved!

I’ll be running the Holiday Goodness Challenge now through January 1st. You can make your donation to Marian’s Dream online via PayPal or by check. For verification, I’ll need you to send: 1) a copy of your donation receipt, either photocopy or forwarded PayPal receipt, 2) the name of the person to whom you’d like the book inscribed if you’re giving it as a gift, and 3) your snail mail address to me at [email protected] or PO Box 1344, New York, NY 10276. If by email, please include “Holiday Goodness Challenge” in the subject header.

As we approach our $200 goal, I’ll be posting the glad tidyings here along with the first names, surname initial and home state of the first twenty generous souls to step up to the proverbial plate.

Thank you for keeping Marian’s beautiful dream of a world with no more homeless pets alive this holiday season.

Hope

PS: As always, please feel free to Re-Tweet or repost and pay the ‘goodness’ forward.

Congratulations Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Linda Henderson, the latest and last ((sniff, sniff)) of my Sizzlin’ Summer Contest winners.

Sad as I am to see summer go, I’m also super excited for fall and yes, my new contest.

To ramp up for the release of Twelve Nights, this time ’round we’ll have double the winners and double the prize. Two winners will each receive a signed copy of Bound to Please (in which we briefly meet the hero and heroine of Twelve Nights) and a signed copy of my New Year’s theme release, Strokes of Midnight. Visit my contest page and enter to win. HopeÂ