I’d like to welcome Marie Tuhart, author of Her Desert
Prince to my blog today.
RW: Would you like to write a different genre or
sub-genre than you do now?
MT: Paranormal Romance—I have off and on for years
worked on two different paranormal worlds I want to build and write about.
RW: Tell us about your latest book. What motivated
the story? Where did the idea come from? What genre is it? Does it cross over
to other genres? If so, what are they?
MT: I wrote the story many years ago. I enjoy
sheikh books and these characters came to life for me, but other books were
selling. So I set this one aside. I’m not sure where the idea came from. It’s a
contemporary romance, sexy and lightly erotic.
RW: Generally, how long does it take you to write a
book? Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
MT: It really depends on the book. I do work on
keeping a set schedule for writing, but sometimes edits come in when I’m least
expecting them, or something comes up that I need to work on.
RW: How many books have you written, how many have
been published?
MT: I’ve written: twenty full length novels and six
short stories. I’ve published: fifteen full length novels and four short
stories
RW: Which comes first, the story, the characters,
or the setting?
MT: The characters. The come to me usually in a
scene and not always the opening scene.
RW: What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest
for you?
MT: Hardest part is the writing and editing. Some
days I struggle. The easiest—thinking up situations to put my characters in.
RW: Are you in control of your characters or do
they control you?
MT: A little bit of both. I have had my characters
talk up in the middle of a book and say “Hey that’s not me.” And I rewrite a
big chunk of the book to their satisfaction. Other times, I can write with no
interference from my characters.
RW: What do you hope readers take with them after
reading your work?
MT: I want readers to come away satisfied with a
good read and a smile on their face.
RW: What do you do to relax and recharge your
batteries?
MT: I read, and I play games on my tablet. I also
cuddle with my dog, go out with family or watch a TV show I’ve been wanting to
see.
RW: If money were not an object, where would you
most like to live?
MT: I would love to live in London, or maybe right
outside of it. I fell in love with the UK on a visit last year
RW: Party life or quiet dinner for two?
MT: Quiet dinner for two
Her Desert Prince
Catherine Taylor is no stranger to life’s
school of hard knocks. At the tender age of eighteen, she left her
dysfunctional family behind and struck out on her own, finally free to embrace
her passion for creating art. After years of hard work, she has achieved some
degree of acclaim. When she is offered the opportunity to work in the small
middle eastern country of Bashir to create the defining mural for the new
children’s critical care ward, Catherine embraces the chance to meld her love
of children and her love of art. What she doesn’t think she is ready for is the
blatant and instant passion she feels the moment she meets the successful
country’s crown prince, Malik.
Malik al-Hakim has been raised with the sole
purpose of someday becoming the king of his beloved country of Bashir. Years of
careful preparation by his loving family has him ready to take the yolk from
his father one day, but nothing could prepare him for the instant lust he feels
the moment he sees Catherine. Never one to let an opportunity slip by, Malik
pursues Catherine convincing her to explore their desire. But when political
intrigue places Catherine in danger, Malik soon realizes lust has evolved to
love and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the woman of his dreams safely by his
side, no matter how hard she tries to fight their fate.
An
Excerpt:
She stepped outside; the scent of
jasmine filled her senses and her muscles instantly relaxed. The quiet snick of
the door closing spurred her into action. She took the first path until she
found a nice grassy area beneath a palm tree. She sat down and opened her
sketchpad.
Her fingers flew over the pages as she
captured the scenes flittering through her mind. She lost all track of time
until a husky male voice said, “Hello, beautiful.”
Her head snapped up to see the stranger
from the airport.
“What are you doing here?” she asked,
pulling the sketchbook to her chest.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
He slipped closer. “What are you drawing?” He craned his neck but couldn’t see
anything.
“Nothing.” She closed the book with a
snap, but her cheeks turned pink, making him even more curious about what she’d
been drawing.
Then a memory nudged his brain. “You’re
the artist commissioned to do the mural at the hospital.” He shook his head,
trying to reconcile her with the woman at the airport.
“Yes.” Her chin came up, and he couldn’t
help but grin. She was defensive about her work for some reason. No worries; he
thought it was great. But part of him wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss
her again. Instead, he followed a saner choice and sat down on the grass across
from her.
She wiggled an inch or two away, and then
her gaze met his. She was wary of him, but he caught a hint of curiosity in her
gaze.
“I’m Catherine Taylor.” She held a hand
out to him.
“Malik.” He grasped her hand, lowered
his head, and caressed her knuckles with his lips. A slight shiver moved
through her body and transferred to him. So, she was affected by him. Good. He
squeezed her fingers.
Marie Tuhart
Marie Tuhart lives in
the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her muse, Penny, a four-pound toy poodle.
Marie loves to read and write. When she’s not writing, she spends time with
family, traveling and enjoying life.
Marie is a
multi-published author with The Wild Rose Press, Trifecta Publishing and does
some self-publishing. Get alerts for new releases on Amazon or Book Bub. Also,
you can join Marie’s newsletter
where she gives her group advance information on her books, runs contests and
does giveaways just for newsletter readers. Marie can also be found on Goodreads,
Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
Book
Links:
or
universal link to all retailers: https://books2read.com/HerDesertPrince
Contact Marie At:
Website: http://www.marietuhart.com
Twitter: @marietuhart
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/marietuhart