A Fan For Life – Plus a Turkey in a Pink Bra

Below is a letter from a fan. I am always so grateful every time one of you takes a second to write me. I read all of them and it’s beyond awesome because:

One life touches another, offering hope, laughter, and joy.

My books have done that for you guys and your letters do the same thing for me. Life is hard, and it’s awesome to find so many friends out there.

I know I sound like a dork, but it’s been a truly amazing experience and to share your lives is just wow. Anyway, I thought I’d share this fan note with you guys. And yes, the she’s the proud owner of the Turkey Vulture in the Pink Bra. :)

Thank you so much.

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“Dear Ms. Ward,

I am used to reading paranormal and fantasy novels, but I had recently given into social pressure (and curiosity) and was introduced to the romance/erotica genre via the 50 Shades and Crossfire series. I had my doubts but I realized that I actually liked some of what I was reading (although the quality of the writing in 50 Shades leaves a lot to be desired, but that is another topic of discussion!).

This past June, I was looking to load up my Kobo with a bunch of new books for my summer reading. We were going a little road trip with the kids and I wanted a little something to keep me busy while the hubby was driving and the boys were arguing in the backseat. Having seen Damaged on Kobo’s top 50 best seller list for a while and with Damaged 2 in the top 10 not long after it’s release, I figured to give them a try. Besides, they were inexpensive and the description caught my attention.

I started reading Damaged without any particular expectations besides light entertainment (I mean, how serious can you take a book with a half naked gorgeous dude plastered on the cover right?). Let me just say that my husband got REALLY annoyed with me, because I basically ignored him throughout the entire road trip! What a surprise!!! I would stop breathing whenever things would get intense between Sydney and Peter, I would break out in a huge grin during their comical banter, I even laughed out loud during the squirrel and turkey scenes!

There are certain things I particularly enjoyed while reading Damaged 1 & 2:

- Contrary to some romance / erotica books out there at the moment, it was not overloaded with sex. I realized that the power of anticipation is so much stronger!!! This series was so much hotter than some more descriptive stuff I’ve read.

- You put a lot of emphasis on storyline and description than in sex and dialog. Sex and dialog are good in a book, but you need context to make it great and you that so well!!!

- THE DANCING!!! I danced for 15 years and miss it tremendously. When the dancing started in the first book, I was hooked! What a fun and interesting spin on the story! I LOVED IT! I LOVED IT! I LOVED IT! In fact, you inspired me so much, that I’ve signed up for swing classes this fall… I have been talking about starting up dancing again for the past 5 years but never actually did it. This book convinced me to go back!

- Sydney is a strong, SMART and funny female character! I hate being inside the head of a stupid, weak and wishy-washy character (Anna in 50 Shades, Abby in Beautiful Disaster).

- The devil is in the details: even the secondary characters are great! I laughed during the “abs of steel” scene in the dorm room. Everything seemed so real. You make the reader feel like they are there in the room with them. Every little detail makes an enormous difference in the reading experience.

After having read Damaged 1 & 2 twice, I bought all The Arrangement books that were out at the time (1-8). I had emotions flying all over the place. I had so much trouble getting through number 4 because I was crying so much. Reading through tears in not easy. You make Avery’s emotions so accessible to the reader, we feel her pain and sorrow along with her. Again, this can only happen when the author takes the time to describe the character’s emotional journey in great detail.

Since I enjoyed Damaged and Arrangement, I bought Secrets, Scandalous and Trystan Scott. I enjoy your writing style and it is interesting to see the evolution of your writing. Once I had read them all, I got curious and checked the order in which you wrote them and, not surprisingly, my order of appreciation of your works go along with the order of release dates. You get better and better with every book!!!

Your newest books are my favorite (especially the Ferro books) but there is not a single one of your books mentioned above that I didn’t like.I love your female characters. They are all women that I can admire: strong willed, smart, funny, true to their beliefs.

I am officially a fan for life!

Thank you so much for your time and creativity. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!

From,
Melanie-Anne B.
Quebec, Canada

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Cover Reveal for THE ARRANGEMENT 11

The cover for THE ARRANGEMENT 11 by H.M. Ward! You guys asked for a cover with a ring on it, so here ya go!

This title will be released before the end of the moth, the weekend of Oct 27th. I’ll post the links as soon as it’s been uploaded. Paperback will appear ASAP. I know there are a lot of paperback readers and I don’t want to keep you guys waiting, but it takes a little bit longer. :)

11 is NOT the final volume. People are asking for an engagement, a wedding, and baby Ferro. Can you imagine? Sean as a daddy. ;) More info on serials vs novels is over here. Have an awesome weekend!

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H.M. Ward – Rapid Releases, Writer’s Block, & What’s Next

I thought I’d take a second to let you guys know how I go about writing my books.

The key thing is: There are always several books in the pipeline at once. I’ll work on something for a while and put it aside when it’s not ‘speaking to me’ anymore. Why do I do this? So I can wait until inspiration strikes and then pick it up again.

Writing this way keeps things rolling along, avoids writer’s block, and periodically there will be a succession of rapid releases where three to four titles get published in a few weeks. You guys probably noticed that. It happened recently when Trystan Scott, Stripped, and The Arrangement all came out back to back. In the span of 4 weeks, there were 3 new titles. It took longer than that to write them, and the only reason I was able to release books that quickly was because I was working on more than one title at a time.

I’d just like to take a second and point out how insane it is to release books that fast. Traditionally, books that are released quickly come out every 6 months, with a typical release date of a year being more the norm. Hardly anyone releases books on a weekly schedule, but I do. On average, a new H.M. Ward title comes out every 2.5 weeks. If I wrote one title at a time, there’s no way that would happen, and you’d actually get books slower because wrestling with a book that doesn’t want to be written is like pulling teeth from a camel’s butt. It’s seriously messed up.

Once in a while, a few very excited fans will tell me to just write one thing at a time thinking that’s what works best, but the truth is that different things work better for different writers. This is what works for me, so the next time you see my upcoming releases, you can know those titles are coming pretty quick.

  • What are you working on now? SECRETS & LIES, THE PROPOSITION, DIVERGENT, THE ARRANGEMENT, plus some other stuff that has no title yet.
  • What did you just finish? A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE (This year’s Holiday Novella)
  • What are you working on next? THE ARRANGEMENT 11
  • What’s the weirdest sentence you’ve written this week? Uh, that thing about the camel’s butt takes the cake.
  • Where can fans offer their ideas for your books? The facebook page. Right now I’m taking names for the heroine in A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE. ;)
  • Which book comes out next? Either ARRANGEMENT 11 or THE PROPOSITION. I haven’t decided yet. Then at the end of the month A LITTLE CHRISTMAS ROMANCE will be released. ;)

Okay peeps! That’s all for now! Feel free to stop by the facebook page and say hi. :)

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Cover Reveal: THE PROPOSITION (Bryan Ferro)

Here’s something to make your Friday absolutely Ferrolicious! The next bad boy in the Ferro family has his own serials starting in a couple of weeks. You saw a glimpse of Bryan Ferro in STRIPPED. Arrogant, sexy, and powerful, Bryan Ferro is always at the center of trouble.

These will be serials. If you love THE ARRANGEMENT, you’ll love these. Not sure how many volumes there will be at this point. I’m letting it develop organically. I love that about Sean and Avery. There are so many books, and they’ve been through so much, that it feels like they’re real–like I know them. It’s because of the story format. Serials are great for people who like short reads and want something to read between novels.

Speaking of which, the next three major novel titles have been announced. BROKEN PROMISES (Trystan Scott), STRIPPED 2 (Jon Ferro), and SECRETS & LIES (Ferro) are novels that will take us into early 2014.

More hotness coming your way. Keep an eye out for teasers and more fun Ferro stuff. And if you haven’t done it already, sing the petition to get a Ferro movie or TV show. :)

Have an awesome weekend!!!

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New Release: THE ARRANGEMENT 10 (The Ferro Family)

THE ARRANGEMENT VOL. 10 was released today!

Volume 10 in the New York Times Bestselling Arrangement Serials

When Avery realizes that her latest client wasn’t Sean she doesn’t know what to do. This person has invaded her life on a personal level and to make matters worse she doesn’t even know who he is. The only good thing that came from it has been seeing Sean again, but now that he’s in front of her, she doesn’t want to let him go. However, it’s time for Avery to stop pretending and move on with her life, and she knows that Sean Ferro will not be part of it.”

Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 20,000 words each.
~The Arrangement Vol 1-10 are on sale now.~
FERRO family novels: DAMAGED & STRIPPED

GET THE ARRANGEMENT 10 AT THESE RETAILERS:

         

B&N, iTunes, and paperback will be available soon.

Nook usually goes live pretty quick. If you can’t wait to read the book, you can grab the kindle edition and read it on your Nook. Google for directions. iTunes readers can grab the Kindle app and read it that way, if you don’t want to wait. Oh, and here’s the link to the book on Amazon UK, too.

I’ll update the links as they become live. Thank you so much to all the fans who love this series!

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A Ferro Brothers Movie? Help Us Get One!

A FERRO BROTHERS MOVIE? Oh yeah!

There have been several active fans who are trying to get the Ferro brother’s a movie! Head over here and help them out:

#1. Go sign the petition and make it happen! One of the peeps set this up. Help her get it going.http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ferro/signatures

#2. Go like this facebook page: Go help them out! Show us pics of your dream cast! https://www.facebook.com/Ferrobrothers

You guys are awesome!!!! Thanks for setting these up! Cheering for you!

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Pst! ARRANGEMENT fans! Property Of Miss Black Shirts, PJs, and More!

So many people have been asking for ARRANGEMENT T-shirts, hats, and whathaveyous. It’s taken a while to get them up, but OMG! Isn’t it cute? This is the Property of Miss Black collection. You can grab the things you see here, as well as, wine stoppers, footie PJs, sweatshirts, bags, and more. International delivery is available and each item is custom made when you order it!

To see the entire collection, click here.

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STRIPPED Made the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List!

Wahoo! STRIPPED made the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller’s list at #8. Thank you so much to everyone who read the book! You guys are amazing! I can’t wait to share more of the Ferro family with you!

The next book out will be ARRANGEMENT 10. Then you guys will get an introduction to the guy that’s the black sheep of the entire Ferro clan – Bryan. You get a glimpse of him in STRIPPED. Get ready to see more in THE PROPOSITION coming this fall. Sqeeee!

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Cover Reveal for ARRANGEMENT 10

Here is the cover for ARRANGEMENT 10. I have tons of people asking about the release date. I’m aiming for sometime next week. I’ll post the links as soon as the book is live.

No, this isn’t the final book in the series. If you have no idea what a serial is or if you’ll like it, please check out this post before jumping in. When will 11 come out? Soon! These are released about every 4 weeks.

Someone asked if my novels go on forever too. No, they don’t. Each novel series has 2 books. That’s it. The rest of the serials are complete at 5 books each (SECRETS and TRYSTAN SCOTT). THE ARRANGEMENT serials tangle in and out of the Ferro family novels. Each series is stand alone, meaning you don’t have to read the others to know what’s going on.

Thank you so much for all the emails, messages, and posts about continuing this series. For those of you that love Sean and Avery, another serial THE PROPOSITION will begin this fall and features Bryan Ferro. I can’t wait to share it with you!

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