Hi everyone,
This is Marie-Claude. Today we get to meet a harpy!!! A paranormal creature from Michelle Lauren’s urban fantasy HOW TO TAME A HARPY. How exciting.
Before I leave the stage to Michelle, we have a winner from the commenter on the last post……Karin!!! Congratulations.

Now to you Michelle, let’s read!
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Ringing the doorbell to Siren Jones’ house would have been easier, but no matter how often I explained my reasons for writing the book about her, the staff still treat me like a member of the paparazzi. So here I am, freezing my butt off as I lobby pebbles at her bedroom window like a lovesick teenager.

A shiver works down my spine and I spin, searching the darkness. The feeling could be anything, but living in Poseidon, Virginia, has instilled a healthy fear of the dark in me. Then I feel it, a pulse of power – subtle but unmistakable. A figure separates from the shadows and prowls forward. Thick, cottony curls tumble down her back and she wears jeans paired with a white sweater that look stark against her dark complexion. She would have passed for human if not for those eyes. Amber and feral, they pin me.

Siren Jones:Stalking is a crime, you know.

Michelle Lauren:You haven’t returned my calls.

SJ:So you decided to hunt the monster in its lair? Gutsy.

ML:It’s about the book. My editor made some last minute changes we need your approval on.

SJ:What kind of changes?

A flicker of power belies her calm tone. Experience tells me to tread carefully. Harpies are normally temperamental, but this one especially is a wild card. Slowly, I pull the galley from my purse and extend the bound pages of the manuscript to her.

ML: She wants to include the scene with your mugging from the night you met Daniel.

A blast of kinetic energy knocks me to the ground. Sputtering, I look up and watch as Siren struggles to control her temper.

SJ:We agreed not to include that! Getting jumped by a bunch of humans makes me look weak and ridiculous!

ML:It makes you relatable. Your ex just trashed you to the tabloids, and then you found him in bed with his secretary. Of course you were distracted! Listen, this is why I wrote the book: to let everyone know you have feelings like us, that you aren’t a monster. Don’t you want that?

Vulnerability darkens those amber eyes, raw and deep, before disappearing.

SJ:Fine. What other changes?

This is the hard part.

ML: My editor found my description of your first time making love with Daniel…lacking. (I can’t hide my irritation at the insult to my writing. Siren, of course, notices and snorts.)

SJ:What does she want, diagrams? You were pretty accurate, right down to Daniel’s size.
MJ:(I blush.) I made an educated guess about that.

SJ:So what’s the problem? Does your editor have issues with my stamina?

ML:No. She just wants more raw emotion. For instance, how did you feel that first time?

Siren hesitates so long I think she won’t answer. Then she speaks, her voice soft and hesitant.

SJ:I felt fragile. Weird, huh? I can bench press a Hummer, but Daniel touched me like I was made of glass, like I was something to cherish and protect. I never felt that way before. I knew then that I never wanted to make love with anyone else. How’s that for raw?

ML:That will do. (Swallowing a lump in my throat, I replace the galley in my purse.) Thanks.

SJ:No. Thank you.

I can’t describe the look in Siren’s eyes, but it warms me. The ghost of a smile parts her lips and then she is gone, faded back into the night.

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Thank you so much Michelle for this interview. Fascinating. Those harpies sure do have a temper! Siren ones is a great character.

Next week, we will have another finalist…Barbara Longley who will talk about her writing and her historical time travel, TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER.
There are only 4 days left until the vote close for the American Title Contest V. The remaining seven finalists will be announced on Dec 15^th.
So don’t forget to vote for your favorite first line at:

http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

Have a great week-end everyone and thank you Sylvia for hosting us today!!!
Marie-Claude Bourque
www.mcbourque.com

Tags: american title, dorchester, publishing, romantic times