I got the rights back to The Vampire’s Protector and it’s almost ready to rerelease. I like to read through the entire story and give it another polish before self-publishing. I don’t change plot or text. Just find mistakes, update tech, and maybe clarify where I feel it is necessary. I’m retitling this one because the title the publisher gave it never worked for me. The vampire in this story, the heroine, does not need protecting. (Okay, maybe for a chapter or two.) But she’s very capable and strong. I know this new title isn’t the most romantic, but it is much better for the story. The hero is Nicolo Paganini. Yep, that Paganini!
Currently available in the UK, is my second book with Harlequin Romance, The CEO and the Single Dad. (It’ll be in the US closer to end of March.) This was a fun story to write, but also had a lot of angst and the issues both face are deep and required a tender touch. I love the hero, Bowen, who has an amazing relationship with his six-month-old daughter, whom he calls ‘Chicken’. When the one woman who changed his life years ago, and then left him suddenly, reappears in his life, how will he face this new challenge? Of course he wants to embrace her with open arms, but now he has a daughter to think about, and no woman will ever be more important to him than his sweet girl.
For some images that inspired the story, check the Pinterest page here.
This was fun to get in my email the other day. The new cover for a duet compilation that comes out in the UK this summer (June, I believe). It features An American Witch in Paris and The Witch’s Quest. I love it!
Here’s something fun! I recently did a podcast with Bean To Barstool, which is a guy who writes and podcasts about all things chocolate and craft beer-related. We had a fun chat about Lust and Chocolate! And, yes, we even … Continue reading →
My first book for Harlequin Romance is now available in digital and paperback editions! In this heartwarming debut for Harlequin Romance by Michele Renae, there’s a second chance up for grabs, but only if they’re brave enough to take it… … Continue reading →
Starting October 13th, and for a VERY limited time, you can now get the digital edition of PARIS SECRETS from Amazon for free. Go get it right now! Don’t miss this deal! It’s better than a deal, it’s free!
Hey all! Hope you’re enjoying the cooling weather. Fall tends to drop on Minnesota heavy and hard, and then segue into Winter far too quickly. Went for a brisk walk this morning, but it’s supposed to warm up by the weekend. Gotta suck in all that sunshine while I can!
So I’ve had in mind to change the title for The Chocoholic’s Guide To Getting It On for some time now. One: because it is a mouthful. Two: because it is not some weird sex manual. Three: because I can. Four: with Michele Renae now writing for Harlequin Romance I wanted to update the Renae backlist.
So I give to you: Lust and Chocolate! And also I wanted to redesign the cover. I love the original cover, but I wanted this time around to be more like the trendy rom/com covers that are currently on bookstore shelves. This is a rom/com. It’s chick lit. It’s a fun, sexy romance. With bossa nova and bullets! I had contemplated calling it Bossa Nova and Bullets but…eh, probably not.
So the story remains the same. Nothing has changed inside the cover. Only the title and the cover art. So if you haven’t picked this story up yet, I do hope you’ll give it a go. It’s currently for sale digitally at Amazon and B&N, and I hope to get the paperback up within the week.
Food journalist and chocoholic, Melanie Peters, lands a plum assignment for the top-rated Sexology website: Uncover what makes Sommer Chocolates so lust-worthy. Determined to get her hands on the coveted bonbons despite a year-long waitlist, she camps out on the doorstep of the world-famous chocolatier whose creations are reportedly “better than sex”. Melanie has never been satisfied by a man—but chocolate never lets her down.
Maksim von Sommer has recently gone from international playboy to castle-bound recluse. He’s fending off loan sharks, and licking his wounds after a disastrous romance. Rumor has it he’s lost his sweet touch—the famous S Chocolate has disappeared from his signature bonbon collection. Maks can’t leave his castle without tripping over reporters. Or make that, one intrepid reporter.
Maks is intrigued when he realizes the woman who spent a rainy night on his doorstep has literally written the book on the craft chocolate process he is secretly studying. Melanie’s on a mission to uncover the source of Sommer Chocolates’ appeal. Is it the bonbons? Or will the sexy chocolatier teach her that the sensual indulgences are even more exciting than tasty sweets?
Does it seem as though it’s been a while since I’ve put out some new work? I suppose it has. A few years, at least. I’ve republished my Nocturne backlist over the past few years. Just put out Bewitched (Captivating The Witch) last month. And I have 3 more Nocturnes I got rights back to that I will attempt to get out…soonish. I don’t ever rewrite those older stories, but I do like to read through them again and do some minor editing. Then I format and create a new cover. So it takes some time. I enjoy the process!
Now, what’s going on with really new stuff? Like never been published before stuff? Well, my alter ego, Michele Renae, has a story out this December/January with Harlequin Romance, and I’m very excited about it! I just got the cover for Cinderella’s Second Chance in Paris. While I had hoped for both hero and heroine on the cover, I think she looks a lot like the heroine. To see photo inspiration for the story, go here. This was a fun story to write, but also cathartic. The hero and heroine are both widows, so they are getting a second chance at love. And do they dare? Do they deserve that second go-around? The heroine is also taking a plunge into a new job in a foreign country. All alone! Navigating widowhood is interesting, messy, challenging, but also a learning process that can’t be ignored. So I’ve set the story in my favorite place, Paris, to give a bit of glitz and fantasy to the read, but overall I feel it’s a very emotional story. With lots of fun tossed in to balance the serious moments. Raise your hands, strange girls!
I decided to write this story as Michele Renae because I’ve done a couple other light, chick-lit romances (and one erotica) and felt that Michele Hauf is mostly associated with the darker paranormals. And you know? I was in the mood for a name change. Seriously. I feel more Michele Renae lately than I do Hauf. Go figure! So do check it out, and let me know what you think. Here’s to a colorful and brisk Fall with lots of s’mores and hot chocolates!
Okay, so I just pressed ‘publish’ on the six paragraph post updating what I’ve been working on. And…Wordpress just dropped it all but the title. Agh! Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned in that post how much I hate WordPress?
Anyway, this will be short because this is attempt number two. I have a new release from Mills & Boon True Love (Harlequin Romance) this December, Cinderella’s Second Chance in Paris.
I’ll try to post again, more thorough info next week, if I can access this site again. Fingers crossed!
Friday July 30th and Saturday July 31st, THE CHOCOHOLIC’S GUIDE TO GETTING IT ON is free at Amazon (US), so now is your chance to pick up that story! I’ve recently added it to Kindle Unlimited, so if you are a member, you can read it for free any time. But I wanted to make it free to those who are not subscribed to KU, so here you go. Enjoy!
Available April 2015
The Werewolf and the Socialite. Two Different Worlds. One Shared Destiny.
Like the jewels she stole, Paris socialite Blyss Sauveterre is someone to be handled carefully. Stryke Saint-Pierre discovered that when the beautiful thief used their attraction to pilfer an infamous diamond. But when they make love, Stryke senses that—just like the gems she covets—Blyss has more facets to her than meet the eye…
Blyss cannot let the brutish werewolf know that these heists pay for an elixir to keep her wolf at bay. Until her latest theft puts a pack of deadly demons hot on her trail. Now the redneck werewolf is this socialite’s only salvation. But when the danger is past, dare Blyss succumb to the desire to let her inner wolf run wild with a man who represents all she could ever want?