Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The truth behind Loving Her

I've been asked so many times about the experiences the girls go through in Loving Her, and where I "came up with" those. They come from real life. Stories that either myself or friends have experienced. Those stories are true to life.

Today, I have once again experienced the prejudice that is so common to us in the GLBTQ community. No matter how many times I go through it or how old I get, it still eats me and hurts me right at my core. I - we- are human beings. We are no different than our straight counterparts. Color, gender, religion, sexual orientation: these are all only small pieces of the greater picture of us as human beings. We all need to live and let live. I pray that one day soon, we can all live as one HUMAN race!

If you haven't yet ordered, purchased, or downloaded your copy of Loving Her, I ask that you please do so. Maybe, just maybe that book will help to bring us all a bit closer as PEOPLE. Thank you.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Ask the Author Day AND some very exciting news!!! :)

So, today's Ask the Author is going to be a bit different from ones in the past. I received an e-mail asking me about my past, and what has influenced me to write the fiction that I am now writing. So, today you'll get a brief narrative on yours truly ;)

I have been writing as far back as I can remember. As a kid, I wrote stories about animals. As a pre-teen and teen, I wrote romance novels for myself. Having always been intrigued by history, I also began writing historical fiction and non-fiction as a teen as well.
Historical non-fiction became my bread an butter from that point on, so to speak. One of my "specialities" was a history of women's struggles, feminism, and some very unique and brave actions of specific women in history. I think focusing on strong women throughout history was a good lead in for the fiction I write today. If you look at my characters, they all have tremendous depth, strength and power. They're all incredibly strong, intelligent and motivated women. That's definitely something I took with me from the women of days gone by.
The stories in Loving Her came about two ways. First off, Jen and Liz were these random characters that popped into my head in about 2003. I had no idea what to do with them, or what their story would be, so I just kind of "held on to them."
Then, in 2006, I saw this cute blonde girl working tremendously hard at a pizza parlor outside Philly, and she was the catalyst to write Linda and Katie's story. As I began to write their story, it dawned on me that Liz & Jen now had a home. All the other characters and their stories kind of came into place. So, Loving Her was my first real venture into fiction, and kind of happened by chance, so to speak.
Carol in Imperfect is very much a reflection of who I am. She was inspired by a certain actress, but her personality is all me. Alex in Imperfect is a much stronger character. I'm not sure where her powerful personality came from, it might come from my roots as a historical non-fiction writer ;) The exciting news is that Imperfect will be out later this summer! Stay tuned for that! Imperfect is my first full-length novel, and it will touch your heart!!! :)
Lastly, Lareina in my up-coming suspense novel is a big reflection of my nerdy side. Physically, her build is identical to mine, but she's a Ph. D. student in algebra. Yes, I'll admit it, I LOVE algebra! LOL. Anyway, she uses that intelligence and her quick wit to stay alive and help lead the police to come to her rescue. She is the woman I hope I would be if I was to be kidnapped and tortured as she was, but she's really quite extraordinary. She's strong, beautiful, intelligent. She is a woman we should all aspire to emulate. I'll keep you posted on the release of this book as well. ;)

In other news, I have some very exciting news from Vanilla Heart Publishing!! Check this out:
Loving Her is now published online at Smashwords and ready for immediate sampling and purchase!

* L.E. Harvey's Smashwords Author Profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/leharvey
* Book page to sample or purchase Loving Her: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2401

I hope you'll take time to check it out at Smashwords, where you can sample the first 25% of the book for free.

Please check it out & spread the word!! :)

Thanks so much, and happy reading!! :)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Book Discussion - Liz & Jen

I'm sorry that this is delayed. If you read my other blog for today, you'll see my mouse died and it took a week for a new one to come in so I could use my computer again. NOT good for a writer! LOL.

Anyhoo, let's get going on Liz & Jen's story for this month's book club discussion.

1) How long have Liz and Jen been together?

2) What are your thoughts on Jen being Liz's one and only partner? Is it really possible to find your "one" right off the bat? Is it possible that Liz is straight and she doesn't even know it? What do you think?

3) Can a person like Liz be real or is she too extreme being a ballerina and having a tricked out pick up truck with a large big block engine?

4) What is Jen's life like now? Is it really a good idea that Liz is working again and Jen is home alone?

5) Why did Jen call Donna when she fell and not Liz?

I think there's a lot more we could do, but let's start with this and see where the discussion leads!

Up dates!!!!

Hello Bloggers! I'm sorry I've been MIA. My mouse died and it took this past week for the new one to come in.

So, I've missed a lot, so here is all the latestes news ;)

First off, a guest blog spot on J. K. Coi's blog earlier in May. It's a unique blog, so check it out: http://jkcoi.blogspot.com/2009/05/guest-author-le-harvey.html

Next, I was featured on Chelle Cordero's Women in Charge blog. It was a fun interview, so you definitely want to check that one out as well! :)
http://cce613.xanga.com/702942110/woman-in-charge-le-harvey-author/

All summer long, VHP has some great specials! Check out the special for June:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=237638673&blogId=492193916

Lastly, and most importantly, this month is Pride Month. If you've read Loving Her, spread the word, give good reviews on amazon, etc. If you haven't read Loving Her, go get a copy. You can get it in print, e-book or kindle forms! It's a quick easy read, and it's about love and devotion between people. It shows the realities of what we face in the community and as human beings. So, please, check it out.
Along with that, I am proud to announce that the Nevada Legislature has bypassed the Governor's Veto and the Domestic Partnership Bill is going into law!! It will officially be enacted on October 1. So, let's celebrate that victory: support GLBTQ artists of all types (yes, I'm including myself in that) and buy books, art and support projects or events that support and help our community!