A-musing the World. Time for a good laugh!!! Comment for a chance to win!

Welcome! Well, this is the last week of my A-musing the World Blog Event. It’s truly been a great run and so wonderful reconnecting with my sisters from The Song of the Muses Anthology. This week it’s all about the laughter! Thalia, Muse of Comedy and the author who told her tale, Michele Hart have returned. Some of you may remember Thalia stopping by back in September to interview Melpomene.

Naturally, there’s a contest. Two winners will be drawn. One will win an Ecopy of No Funny Stuff! and an e-book copy of Michele’s Sci-Fi Romance titled Zero-G. The other will win a $5 gift certificate to Digi Books Café. How to enter? Be sure to answer the following question in a comment at this blog. Who is first on the list out of Thalia’s Heroes? Click HERE to find the answer. (Hint: The answer might be found somewhere on the left hand side)

So sit back, relax and enjoy a good time as we learn more about Thalia and her role in No Funny Stuff!

No Funny Stuff!

Something's Rotten at the Gates of Heaven

Under conspiratorial inspiration of Olympian thrones, Thalia, the Muse of Comedy,

sends a blessing of love and laughter to Drew Murphy, a young man cursed to a short and miserable life. But when her favorite messenger Daisy Sullivan accidentally launches the magic --wrong time, wrong place, wrong method, wrong everything!—Thalia must force to light buried secrets of a millennia-old family curse and face down a most vengeful Immortal on his own battlefield if she wishes to free both Drew and Daisy from an unJust fate.

Ares, the ruthless God of War, loves only one thing as much as he loves bloodshed....

How's Thalia supposed to make THAT funny? At least, she's wearing her best sandals!

SKY: Thanks so much for joining me this week! Here, have a strawberry daiquiri.

MICHELE: I’m thrilled to be here, Sky! How did you know I loved strawberry daiquiris?

SKY: A muse whispered it into my ear. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been writing? Do you have a genre preference? What have you published thus far?

MICHELE: I’ve been writing off and on for more than a decade, interrupted by this thing we call life. I’m mainly a Sci-Fi Romance author, but I have an Erotic Romantic Suspense title, plus my Greek Myth Comedy Romance title for Song of the Muses. I have several Sci-Fi Romance titles out there of all lengths. Nice-looking daiquiri, Sky. There’s cream on top, people! Cream on top! A fat, yummy strawberry snuggling the sugared edge of the curvy chilled glass. That’s first rate, first rate, indeed. (She slurps down half the drink like all the strawberries in the world will be killed tomorrow.)

SKY: When you first knew you were going to be part of The Song of the Muses Anthology, what was your first thought?

MICHELE: First, shock, then thrill, then terror. I’d never written a short story nor a comedy before then. What have I done? reverberated through my mind. :-) Here’s to rising to challenges! (She slurps down another half pound of strawberries.)

SKY: I’m glad you’re enjoying your daiquiri.*smirks* Did you find yourself researching Greek Mythology quite a bit while writing your story or were you already a guru in this genre?

MICHELE: I didn’t do much research. I’ve always been a Greek mythology freak since elementary school, and I studied a great deal of European and Greco-Roman/Egyptian mythology under tutelage, so I had a firm foundation built already. When you’ve studied them for so long, there aren’t many new ones coming around. Mighty good strawberry daiquiri, Sky. My head’s spinning. Everything’s a little swimmy. Guys all around us are getting better looking.

SKY: Let’s chat about your muse. What drew you to her? As she was literally your inspiration, share a little about how you formed an entire story around her?

MICHELE: I have a very funny family. Comedy’s a big part of my life, so I jumped at the chance to write a tale for Thalia. I didn’t plan the story, just gave myself a required word count each week and took off with my muse. I started out with a pretty UNfunny situation, a young man dying, and I let my muse run wild. Whew… Everything’s going double on me…I’m feeling dizzy. …Glad I’m not driving... Wow! I am drunk!

SKY: There’s no alcohol in the daiquiri, Michele. Hero time! Introduce us. What does he look like? Where’s he from? Why was he lucky enough to hook up with one of the nine muses of inspiration?

MICHELE: Drew is tall, handsome with dark hair and dark eyes, well-built from workouts to forestall family health problems. He lives in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan and, depressed, he leads a joyless life. He will die soon.

Luckily, the eyes of the gods are upon him. Drew’s forefather had been a faithful servant to Athena, and for his ancestor’s service, Drew is sent a gift to make up for a cursed life. Despite her usual gravity, Athena thinks it proper the gift be delivered by Thalia, the Muse of Laughter. The gift turns out to be a beautiful woman, a servant of Thalia’s who hardly takes a step without a laugh.

Here’s a little bite of Drew:

His smile wicked, Drew pulled the black T-shirt over his head, exposing every curve of his long, gym-sculpted torso and messing up his dark hair. Just watching his casual strip turned Daisy on immensely. A thousand tingles swamped her senses in anticipation of his touch.

Drew went to the desk, pulled out a pair of scissors, and began to cut out the neck of his t-shirt, his eyes moving from her to his project and back, teasing.

“What are you doing?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He cut up the sides of the shirt, then cut two holes from the back of the shirt collar. “Last night I was a toga-wrapped warrior seizing the spoils of war. Ask me who I am tonight.”

Daisy loved the game. “Who are you tonight?”

Drew returned to stand before her sitting on the bed, the ruined shirt in his fist mounted on blue-jeaned hips, his grin bright. She had to tear her eyes away from the hard muscle of his hairless stomach too close to her to keep from lustful thought.

“I’m a superhero.”

She watched him throw the shirt back over his head, pulled the back holes over his hair and laid it over his eyes, creating a sloppy cowl, only the bottom half of his face exposed like Batman’s mask. He tied the remaining t-shirt around the back of his head, tightening the cowl.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s your superhero name?”

“I’m the Daisy Plucker.”

Daisy burst into laughter.

Another naughty smile ripened across his handsome face half-shrouded under the makeshift cowl. Her palms itched to touch him so she stroked the hard muscles of his chest. Lightning struck at their contact. He smelled so good, the wood of the log-walled cabin accenting the man-smell of Drew stirring her so.

“Wanna see a demonstration of my superpowers?”

“Over and over again!”

Dealing more of his bedroom eyes from beneath the improvised mask, Drew reached around her back and one smooth snap of his fingers through her cotton blouse unhooked her bra, like a pro. Daisy laughed aloud.

“Superhero trick,” he explained, his smile sexy and outrageous.

SKY: Love it! Just to mix it up, make you think─if you could’ve chosen another muse to write about in this anthology, which one would it have been? Why?

MICHELE: (polishing off her drink with loud slumping noises) I might have written a tale for Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance. I used to belly-dance and have always had a love for dance. Like many little girls, I wanted to be a ballerina. I might have written a story for Clio, the Muse of History, since I’m a history nut.

SKY: Thanks for visiting and sharing!

MICHELE: Thank you so much for having me on your blog, and thanks for the daiquiri.

SKY: My pleasure sis!

Watch a book trailer for No Funny Stuff!



Reviews for No Funny Stuff!:

*Reviewed by Bitten By Books

Rating: 5 out of 5 Tombstones!

…What do you get when you mix the Muse of Laughter, a calamity-ridden man, a fantastically eccentric red head, a Chihuahua with the heart of a rottweiler, and a task from the Gods? An utterly fabulous story filled with humor and depth, that’s what. This story practically flew off the pages and I had so much fun… I loved this spin on Greek Mythology…and the back story for Drew’s family curse was interesting. The interplay between the different deities was well done and a rather humorous version of what was said to happen rather frequently when Olympians take sides. I also got a real kick out of Thalia’s various shoe stores. I highly recommend this tale if you’re looking for a laugh out loud story that is the perfect remedy for a downer of a day or a long day at work. Reviewer: Sarai

Full Review

~ ~ ~ ~

*Reviewed by Long and Short Romance Reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5 Books!

I know, I know, the genre classification isn’t quite on the usual list. However, Ms. Hart’s enthralling tale needs that classification, for it has enough of each element to more than satisfy readers of humorous contemporary and fantasy alike.

Beautifully written, with characters so three-dimensional you feel you can reach out and touch them, this novel is the best I’ve read for a long time. It will have you laughing out loud, chewing your nails, and sitting nowhere but on the very edge of your seat. Be warned: do not try to drink coffee while you’re reading this, you might end up spurting the brew all over your electronic reader. You’ve been warned. I highly recommend No Funny Stuff!, it’s fantastic.

Reviewed by: Eglantine

Full Review

Don’t miss No Funny Stuff! by Michele Hart @ The Wild Rose Press.

Read a hot excerpt, check out more reviews, watch a cool book trailer here!

It’s not over til' it’s over! Michele would like to share one more story with you!

Luminous Nights, a Sci-Fi Romantic Adventure

Cop or convict?

How many faces can one man own?

An assassin wearing a holographic mask and a prison tattoo boards Rachel’s freighter during a prison riot, intent on collecting gadgets capable of changing a man’s identity from the black-market gang who'd stolen them. She’s never sure of Jack's identity nor his goal, but he claims to be an Alliance I-Marshal. Cop or convict? The clues never stop contradicting. Rachel's horrified to find the bright holographic mask conceals the gruesome face of a monster. And the badge doesn’t slow him from murdering people right before her eyes.

When Rachel learns Jack will trade innocent lives for the digital miracles, she determines to make the mercenary grow a heart. How could a stone-cold killer kiss her so hotly? How could she kiss such a dangerous deceiver?

Jack has done years in prison to learn who’d stolen the remaining Gemini ticks, 3-D magic. Nothing will keep him from gaining extreme-technology capable of unleashing galaxy-wide chaos. Forget feelings for Rachel. She can’t stop him from killing everyone involved.

Buy Luminous Nights through Book Strand.

e-Book ISBN#: 1-60601-884-1 * In Print Soon!

Read excerpts packed with peril and passion, watch a kick-ass book trailer here.

Read the First Chapter of Luminous Nights:

Short Excerpt:

Conversation between the convicts faded into the background of Rachel’s thoughts.

Unbearably compelled to look, she steeled herself to study the horror drawn onto her passenger’s face. The tattoo was horrible. Gross black crags, bleeding rips were inked onto his face. Yellow ooze seeped from bloody gorges. Festering clumps of greenish gangrene had been inked within the dripping lacerations. The morbid artwork made him look as though his face had been shattered by some terrible accident and had only partially grown back together without the benefit of a surgeon.

Jack looked like a demon dragged from Hell.

Sight of it nauseated her more than the teleportation or the jailhouse cigars. She couldn’t look away. The tattoo fascinated her almost as much as it horrified her. For the first time, she felt true evil radiating from the man she’d called Jack, and she was unable to forgive herself for allowing this man passage on her ship.

Had the tattoo been put there as psychological punishment, to cage the man within himself, or had it been placed there to keep the civilized worlds away from him? What kind of psycho twist would it add to a person’s mind to see his own face so disfigured every time he looked into a mirror, to know such a ghastly sight accompanied him on his every appearance and deed? Did the officials of the prison planet do that to him? Had he earned it?

Her dangerous passenger reached over and slugged her hard on the shoulder, so hard she cried out.

“Stop looking at my face!” Jack ordered meanly. And she turned away.

Unaffected by her abuse, Quattro stated, “I saw earlier you’ve tried out your mask. You seemed to have mastered its operation, already. Go ahead, give the girl some relief and turn it on. I’d like another demonstration. My men and I are damned sick of seeing your spooky face.”

“Your men are fuckin’ cowards.”

Not one of Quattro’s men stepped forward to prove him wrong.

Warily assuming she could view the dead I-Marshal’s face, she turned her gaze up to him. Her passenger sent his hand to the Gemini tick at his hairline, and the perfectly sunny, perfectly sculpted face she’d almost fallen prey to, swept over his evil features like sunshine awakening a darkened planet. After a brief blip in the projection, the golden mask glowed again, pale and glorious, eyes blue as a Terran sky, robbing her of further inspections of the tattooed face below it. He was beautiful again, like she was used to. She really didn’t want to look at the macabre artwork anymore. The hideous sight was never going to leave her mind.

The illusion of Luminous’s glorious face looked solid on his head, seamless and smooth and completely deceiving, totally 3-D, changing with the angle of the beholder, hardly standing out as odd at all, much less fake. She wondered if the projection would ripple, if she touched it. He’d kissed her twice without much participation from her, but she hadn’t opened her eyes to see if the mask reacted to the contact. Damn her for missing the opportunities.

Ew… He’d kissed her twice. What had been hot expressions of interest now sent chills down her back.

Rachel gained some relief to see the handsome face of justice again, though she knew it said nothing for her safety. At least, she was no longer forced to look upon the horror of his real face anymore. Her shoulder throbbed from his hard strike.

Quattro moved from his spot before ravaged Bellatrixian artwork and tapestry, and he slowly circled her, her passenger, and Jet, inspecting the 3-D mask from all angles. His fetid smell wafted through their air, the odor of a man gone years without bothering a proper bath. Quattro coughed nervously as his sight confronted the eight-pointed star of the Draco Alliance Imperial Marshals stitched into the leather of her passenger’s coat.

“Must’ve been difficult to find an I-Marshal your size to kill for his trench coat.”

“Not hard to find one my size, but difficult to take him down. I couldn’t use my laser, if I wanted the coat without the badge burned from the back. Couldn’t use the razor disk, if I didn’t want blood on the coat. Killing him had to be up close and by hand. The hardcore sonofabitch put up a hell of a fight. The coat’s quite a trophy, but I like his badge the best.”

The room, filled with dozens of escaped criminals, was so quiet, Rachel could hear the snaps of the hearth all the way on the other side of the hall.

Jack was angelically beautiful again with the help of 3-D technology, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t harm her before all of his prison buddies.

Watch a book trailer for Luminous Nights!



Visit Michele at her Web site: http://www.iloveshapeshifters.com/.

Don’t forget to enter the contest by leaving a comment that answers the following...Who is first on the list out of Thalia’s Heroes? Click HERE to find the answer. (Hint: The answer might be found somewhere on the left hand side) Contest closes Friday, November 19th 12 PM EST.

I hope you got a good chuckle out of this post. Michele and her muse, Thalia are one of a kind! It was such a blast having them visit.

Be sure to swing in on Monday, November 29th, as my What Every Girl Wants Under Her Tree Christmas Blog Event launches. My best to you all. Enjoy your week!

~Sky