Author Fan Letter Blog Tour - Molly Harper

Dear Ms. Harper,

I still remember the first time I saw Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs. I was in B&N, and the title caught my eye; nice cover, good blurb, so I picked it up. Little did I know that what was inside would begin a one-sided love affair with your books.

Nice Girls has the funniest vampire transformation story I’ve ever read: the heroine gets fired from her job as a librarian, heads to Shenanigans with the gift card that was part of her termination package, has a few drinks, her car breaks down on the way home so she starts walking, gets mistaken for a deer and is shot by a drunk hunter. Left for dead, she is turned by Gabriel, the vampire she met in Shenanigans.

Jane is the kind of snarky, funny yet caring friend I want to have. Hell, let’s be honest here, she’s got the kind of personality I wish I had. Gabriel is, in turns, sexy and clueless. And who ever thought I’d fall in love with a vampire named Dick Cheney? As secondary characters go, he’s one of my favorites. Jane’s best friend Zeb, her grandmother’s ghost, and her dysfunctional family, including a mother that insists on bringing her casseroles, all keep me in stitches.

The Nice Girls series is one of my favorites and holds a prime spot on my keeper shelf.

You had me at Nice Girls, but then you went and wrote a contemporary - And One Last Thing...

I loved it!! Such a funny divorce scenario: Heroine catches her husband cheating, writes all about it in the company newsletter, and e-mails it to everyone - friends, clients, and family. Bravo! And One Last Thing… has everything I like in a contemporary romance – a funny, sometimes crude heroine, a cantankerous hero who looks like Wolverine (yum!), and a gay BFF (okay, he's her brother, but I think that's pretty awesome that her brother is her BFF).

I’m really hoping this won’t be your last contemporary. As I say in my review – this book is exactly the reason I love reading contemporaries – it’s pure entertainment from start to finish.  This one sits on my keeper shelf right next to the Nice Girls books.

But, you weren’t finished with your domination of my literary soul:

You went and started a series about Werewolves. Naked Werewolves. *wiggles eyebrows* And they’re funny. Sexy too, but laugh out loud funny. I chuckled and snorted  my way through both books until my husband told me he couldn’t hear the TV over my laughter.  I summed up How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf in my review:  You've got the funny, the sexin', a love triangle, a dog in a sweater, and a borderline obsession with meat products. How can I go wrong with a book like that? I think this is where I admit that you have your own section on my keeper shelf.

So, here’s the thing:
I read because I want to be entertained. I don’t want to know the specifics involved in sailing around the world in an 1800’s schooner, or how to track a serial killer using GPS, a paperclip and dryer lint. I’ve got three kids and a stressful day job - I want to immerse myself in the characters and live vicariously through the pages of the books I read. Your stories do that for me: every time I open one of your books, I’m immediately transported into an alternate life where the characters face challenges and overcome obstacles, and I’m fully vested in the outcome without actually having to do it myself. (I think as a wife and mother you can understand where I’m coming from here.)

Thank you, Ms. Harper, for sharing your stories. If you look up the term "auto-buy author" in the dictionary - I've pasted your photo there.

With vampire wishes and werewolf dreams,
All the best,



In case you missed it, yesterday's Author Fan Letter was from The Book Reading Gals, and tomorrow's letter will be at Katidom.  A complete list of participants can be found here.

Review: How to flirt with A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf
~Molly Harper

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Publish Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN-10: 1439195862
ISBN-13: 978-1439195864

From Goodreads:
Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

Mo Weinstein has packed up her life in Mississippi and is getting as far away as she possibly can - Grundy, Alaska. She's leaving a broken relationship and well-meaning but overbearing parents. An accident has her working as a cook in the town's bar/restaurant on her second day. It's a great place to work and she makes several friends and begins to build a new life.

Cooper Graham is a handsome stranger - kind of a jerk, really. Mo can't figure out why he's so rude to her. They have a few run-ins and she starts to put things together, she realizes Cooper is a werewolf! Even with that knowledge, she can't help but be attracted to him.

"But Cooper said to try her pie," I whispered.
Evie was too distracted with Buzz to pay either of us any attention. "He said it was a life changer."
"Well, being trapped on the can for a week probably would change your life," Pete conceded. My jaw dropped, and I glared at Cooper. Well, that clinched it. He was an asshole. I was definitely going to end up sleeping with him.
~page 36 & 37, How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf

There have been some wolf attacks in the town, and Mo is afraid it might be Cooper, but she knows she can't say anything. As they begin to fall for each other,Cooper starts to worry that it might be him, and he doesn't want to risk hurting Mo.

My thoughts: Absolutely fabulous! Molly Harper has done it again - a laugh-out-loud funny book about werewolves in a small Alaskan town. She's got the funny, the sexin', a love triangle, a dog in a sweater, and a borderline obsession with meat products. After reading this book I wanted to pack up my things (and yes, I suppose, my family too) and move to Alaska. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about this book.

I loved her Nice Girls Don't books (my review here) and her contemporary romance (And One Last Thing... -my review here); now I will be adding How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf to my Molly Harper book shrine.

My Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday: How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

__________________

I think anyone who reads this blog knows I'm a HUGE Molly Harper fangirl. I love her Nice Girls Don't series, and her recent contemporary, And One Last Thing... (my review here) made my favorites of 2010 list. I am super excited about her latest series, I assume she's calling it the Naked Werewolf series:

From Ms. Harper's blog:

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it's unusual to find a naked guy with a beartrap clamped to his ankle on your front porch.

But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham-who has been openly critical of Mo's ability to adapt to life in Alaska-has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble. For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it's love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he's worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen. Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. But if he's not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do, anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

Ms. Harper recently posted that The National Post listed her book as one of their least anticipated reads of 2010 - to that I say: Boo you you National Post!!! Their quote: "Who wants to bet this becomes the next True Blood?" is insulting to every fan of the Paranormal Romance genre, as I read it. To Ms. Harper - I for one am waiting impatiently for your book!!!

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Publish Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN-10: 1439195862
ISBN-13: 978-1439195864

Molly Harper's New Covers are out!!!

Yay - huge fangirl squee-ing over here! I think it's pretty obvious that Molly Harper could write a book about how to properly clean your shower and I would buy it. I'm a huge fan of her Nice Girls series and loved her contemporary romance, And One Last Thing...

I knew from her website she had another paranormal series coming out - this time it's werewolves - and today she released the covers!!!

Taken straight from her blog:
Even in Grundy, Alaska, it's unusual to find a naked guy with a beartrap clamped to his ankle on your front porch.

But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham-who has been openly critical of Mo's ability to adapt to life in Alaska-has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble. For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it's love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he's worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen. Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. But if he's not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do, anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

Again from her blog:
Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack Alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite in the butt.

What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried Alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley.

With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous...

Can. Not. Wait!!!