Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

This winter might be on its way out but...

This winter might be on its way out but the next one will b here before we know it. In order to ensure that next winter is steaming hot, I’ve put out a call for Samhain Publishing’s Red Hot Winter Anthology.

Help!!! Where Are All the Romances???

Hey all,

Today’s blog is a reprint of one I’ve done elsewhere, but the internet here in Singapore is iffy at best, so this is the best I could do this time. But it’s such an eyeopening subject (at least for me) I thought you all might be interested as well.

It’s about something that anyone who knows me at all will understand how very important it is. In fact, I think it’s one of the most important things on the planet. This is something we really take for granted over in the states. At least I do. So when I discovered the truth of it here, it kinda threw me for a loop. Curious yet?

Well, I’ve finally found something about Singapore I dislike. I wasn’t prepared for it. Hadn’t expected it in any way. And considering how important this certain thing is, I’m not sure I can live here any more. grin

Okay…no more teasing. Here’s the skinny.

Hazards of working from home

Repetitive Strain Injury.
Writer’s Bottom.
Feline-inflicted Injuries Due to Smacking Her When She Walks Across Keyboard.
Falling Asleep at Laptop and Accidentally Typing fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff For Six Hundred Lines.
Slowly Solidifying in Chair Due to Extreme Cold of Unheated House.

The alleviation of many of these conditions is a little tricky. I’m currently experimenting with a mix of pen and tablet, vertical mouse, mini keyboard, exercise DVD and water pistol.

I have, however, found what is, in my opinion, the Ultimate Cure for the last condition. I present it to you below.

Long Distance Letters

Once upon a time, when I was still in college, I met a boy. Well, he went to a different college than I did – we met at a summer party by a bonfire, and that was that. I know what you’re thinking, but no, we never dated. Instead, we began this very odd and interesting friendship based completely on letters. Interestingly enough, we’ve shared our lives with each other for the last twenty years almost entirely on paper.

New Release ~ Breaking Chance by Kim Knox

Breaking Chance came about as part of a challenge.
Set a story in space, give it a dark and dangerous hero, lots of naughtiness and a high body count. Really, how could I resist?

Blurb
What a girl wants and what a girl needs are sometimes two different things…

For Melissa “Lucky” Chance, another stretch in Ganymede’s ice prison is nothing new. The flash-freeze that’s supposed to destroy her will only leaves her with an insatiable desire for the first hot body she lays eyes on. Except this time, she faces a death sentence. Her only hope of escape lies with the man known as The Butcher.

John Ramius understands the logic behind his conviction as a criminally insane mass murderer. No man should have been able to slaughter over fifty men in as many minutes, but no one sees the underlying curse that compels him to sense—and fulfill—someone’s deepest need. Chance’s skill will free him to kill the Sun-King; he will find no rest until he does.

As they run from the forces of the Jovian colonies, Ramius finds himself temporarily sidetracked, not only by Chance’s relentless desire, but by her underlying, unspoken need. Ignoring it—or his own compulsion to do every wicked thing imaginable to her—is not an option.

Only after all their defenses are stripped away do they discover that their meeting wasn’t by chance. Someone is manipulating them both, and the only way out is the path to their destruction…

Product Warnings
This book contains explicit sex, thieves, murderers, a sentient ship and a hero who will give you exactly what you need. Not responsible for reader’s sudden compulsion to jump significant other’s bones.

There’s an excerpt here and a slightly naughtier one on my blog here
And you can buy it from MBaM here

New Release : Pride & Passion

I’m so excited that my release day is finally here! It’s been a while since I’ve had something new to celebrate!!
PRIDE AND PASSION
Jenna Bayley-Burke

He’ll let her have control…until he’s ready to make his move.

The only things Lily Harris inherits after her father’s untimely death are debt, scandal and loneliness. She doesn’t protest when her father’s business partner, Jake Tolliver, steps up to help with the mess she finds herself in—until Jake reveals the last promise he made to her father.

Jake may be as compelling to look at as a marble statue—and stir a frighteningly powerful desire within her—but no way will Lily agree to be his socially acceptable bride while he continues to bed his string of beautiful women—not without getting him to agree to a deal of her own first.

With a well-earned reputation as a feral hunter who goes after what he wants, Jake has his sights set on Lily, and her lack of options puts her right where he’s wanted her from the first moment he laid eyes on her.

Jake’s not above making Lily think she’s having it her way if that’s what it’ll take to have his way in the end. But once he grows tired of playing beast to her beauty, he’s not above changing the rules of the game until they’re both playing for the same prize.

Warning : This title contains a hero used to getting what he wants, a heroine determined not to give in to him, some indecent proposals, a fair amount of pride, and enough passion to burn up everyone’s control.”

Read an excerpt from Samhain

Read an excerpt from Books on Board

Exclusive Blog excerpt

Forgivable Flaws

Reading some of my old rejected pathetic manuscripts—did I mention pathetic?—has lead to me do some thinking about heroes in romances.

Cougar Falls

Cougar Falls, Montana is a magical place. The first time I wrote about it, I just knew I’d like to live there. A small town where folks take care of one another, where the sheriff upholds the law, the ice cream parlour has been up and running for decades, and seasonal town festivals celebrate goodwill. Except the only way to live in the town is to be born there. And to be born there, you need to be rather special. An Ac-taw—shapeshifter—or at least the descendant of one.

In Cougar Falls, there’s the catamount pride, the wolf clan, bear clan, raptor clan, and silver fox clan. And I’m sure there are a few other shifters who’ll show up from time to time. But if you’re not part of a clan or pride, you can’t live in Cougar Falls. The community’s safety comes first, and the town has been in place for hundreds of years because town folks subscribe to town law.

A Muse Me by Jenna Bayley-Burke

As the mother of three, one of whom is a twenty-month-old diva who doesn’t want to miss a minute on either side of midnight, I have plenty of time to daydream. Sometimes it’s about a self-cleaning house or a deserted stretch of beach with an ever-full margarita machine, but usually I ponder whatever story I’m trying to get on the page between naptime and after-school pick-up.

I take my characters with me to the gym, the grocery store, doctors’ offices, bakeries – heck I’ll even play with them while I’m stuck in traffic. It’s the everyday things that make characters real to me. It can also put them in some pretty interesting situations.

MSN.com had a headline about exploding toads and WHAM, they found their way into Par for the Course. Thank goodness there was a golf course with a few water hazards, or it might have been awkward. Good Morning America ran a piece about new exercise routines – aerobic striptease, couples yoga…and then The View had someone on talking about using Kama Sutra to reenergize your sex life. The two ideas blended together in my why-won’t-this-child-sleep-through-the-night haze and VOILA, Compromising Positions had a Sensational Sex yoga class — couples yoga to ease the more demanding postures from the Kama Sutra.

Characters drive the story, but having fun is what keeps me writing rather than giving in to the call of the afternoon nap! I looked forward every day to seeing how Ben would handle the toad carnage, how David would deal with Sophie’s advances. Just as I hope the stories keep a reader turning the pages, they kept me writing to see not what would happen next (I had that part plotted out) but how it would unfold.

My next story blossomed in much the same way. I was watching Beauty and the Beast with my boys while cleaning out old college files. I couldn’t seem to let go of any of my notes and papers on Jane Austen and her stories — Elizabeth Bennett and her preconceived notions, Emma Woodhouse and her sheltered devotion to her father. The Beast roared from the television and the boys demanded it be turned off, and so while they turned out attentions to Hot Wheels, my mind spun a story that combined Beauty & the Beast, Emma and Pride & Prejudice. Hey, it happens! It was such a joy to watch Lily’s vision of Jake change from a beastly ogre to a handsome reflection of love. Pride & Passion will be available next week.

Writing takes effort, don’t mistake my enjoyment for sheer entertainment. But even writers can glean entertainment from their work. You never know what might weave its way into a story…you’ve been warned. I can’t be held accountable for being inspired by anything you might say or do!

Jenna has a new ebook releasing next week. Pride & Passion comes complete with a hero used to getting what he wants, a heroine determined not to give in to him, some indecent proposals, a fair amount of pride, and enough passion to burn up everyone’s control.To find out what Jenna is up to …check out her website

The Most With the Time You Have

Saturday afternoon I clocked in, I worked my shift, I signed the confidentiality papers, I clocked out and—it was over. My company officially closed its doors the next day and I became a statistic of the recession. Everyone who heard about the company closing quickly offered their condolences and support. I felt touched, grateful and…guilty.

The first few hours of learning I would no long have a day job, (evil or otherwise), were rough. I had long term plans, including transferring out of state within the network next year. To go on a mini-vacation with not a care in the world on day and come back to know it was all gone five days later, well there are no words and too many of you don’t need words because you’ve lived some variation of it. Knowing the hardship others are experiencing is what makes me feel guilty.

After the first few hours I thought about all my works-in-progress and the sense of loss slowly transformed to a sense of excitement. The current average I’ve been quoted is three months to find a new job in the non-profit sector, for a town this size maybe six. Things will be tight, but doable and that means three to six months of writing full time while I search.

I was among the countless writers that lamented the writing hours lost to the Evil Day Job, (which by default is any job, not matter how rewarding, that is not writing full time). “Oh, if only I could spend the ten hours of work and travel-time writing I could get each WIP done and truly devote myself to my writing.” It’s a phrase I’ve heard and said some variation of numerous times. When we said it I’m sure we were all dreaming of lotto numbers and big advances that let us retire to write, but what we got was a struggling economy and the consequences of living in such. But time is time.

I spent a day writing up a new budget and figuring out ways to tighten our belt. I’ve spent weeks organizing open call deadlines, prioritizing WsIP, (or is WIP its own plural?), and clearing out my writing space. As January became February I was beside myself waiting for the end of the month. By February 23rd I was all but bouncing up and down as the days ticked by. Everyone around me grumbled, railed, ranted or wailed about the coming end while it took everything in me not to clap and holler the final week.

I wouldn’t have chosen this path to much needed writing time, but it’s the one laid out before me and so I’m going to walk it with a smile and enjoyment. We all have to make the most of the time we have while we have it. Goodness knows we need the money I was bringing in, but being depressed and angsty won’t put me back in the workforce a single day sooner. On the other hand, accepting this as exactly what I asked for—a chance to write full time—will get me well ahead on my project list and get more submissions out there for consideration where they belong.

If you’re a writer, every bit of time you get that you complain about is time you could be writing. Waiting in line, at the doctor’s office, during gridlock, picking kids up from practice, waiting to be called for jury duty, and even sudden “redistribution of personnel resources” are all chances to finish what you started or start what you’ve been talking about.

If you’re a reader I don’t have to tell you how to make the most of those times. What I will tell you is that every opportunity to pursue what you love is the right opportunity, even if it’s a stunning one you would have never chosen.

For those of you like me, I wish you the best, and I hope this change is one that reveals a chance for all you’ve ever dreamed about. For those of you still caught in the EDJ, congrats on the steady income, and good luck on taking advantage of every nook and cranny to pursue the dreams we often lose to the daily grind.

To everyone who’s ever wanted anything but thought there wasn’t time, there is. Good Hunting.

~Xakara