Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Earworms in Romance

Um… did she say worms?

Well, yeah, I did.

One of my writing buddies shared a new term with me the other day: “earworms”. I’d never heard it before (and had to fight the compulsion to wash my ears out after I did!) but it means a song that gets stuck in your head after you hear it once. Which you all probably already knew.

But it got me thinking of which songs were my earworms (do you really want me to say it? Then it will be stuck in your head all day!) and I decided that there are books, stories, and characters like that too (would they be bookworms?! Ha! Come on, I had to do it). Those stories that get into your mind and don’t leave.

I would say for the most part, it’s the good stories and characters that really stay with you. But I suppose there could be some characters that you end up disliking so much that you can’t forget them (one particular really pathetic, needy heroine comes to mind for me but I’m too much of a lady to mention any names!)

I definitely have some ‘earworms’ myself –as far as books go… (get that q-tip away from me!)

Cookies=Magic

If you didn’t quite realize it from the loops of Christmas music in the stores or the commercials on T.V., the holidays are here! You know what that means.

Food.

Glorious food.

Does Size Matter?

Recently I was reading a book—a romance of course—which was fairly well written and had a good plot hook. I was looking forward to sinking into the pages (or onto the screen) and thoroughly enjoying myself. Then something happened that pulled me out of the story, something that irritated me so much I felt like emailing the author. From then on all I could think about was that thing and I couldn’t fully enjoy the novel.

What I’m talking about is describing physical attributes. As romance novelists it’s something we’re required to do. People need to know if their heroine has dark hair, blue eyes, long legs, or that their hero has a scar on his right hip. But how specific should we be?

Love My Characters, Love Me?

My brother recently called me on the phone to inform me he’d read my book. Now my brother doesn’t read romance. He reads science fiction and military books, but not “chick books” as he calls them. And yet, he read my books. Which says a lot about my brother, I think.

He gave me his list of likes and dislikes, and while honest, was also very complimentary. And then he said, “But I see a lot of you in your characters.”

My first reaction was, “Well duh!” But then I realized my brother is not a writer. Not a fiction writer, anyway. We have a special brand of crazy, with narratives running through our heads all the time. And yes, all those characters running around in my brain and on the pages of my novels all have a little bit of me in them.

To me, the only way to write honest characters is to bare your own flaws and inner demons. To truly understand their fears and frustrations, the writer has to take on a little bit of it, too. Which explains why a lot of writers drink a good bit.

For me, it’s almost like a kind of therapy. My characters have to work out their issues, so I have to, too. Now that’s not to say I’ve ever burned down a restaurant or am haunted by a dead husband. My characters have to deal with their own fictionalized disasters, but some of their insecurities – yeah, they’re mine, too. Not that I have an exclusive claim on them. I like to think my characters speak to all of us, that some small part of their neurosis matches the person who reads it. I know they match mine.

So if you read my books and get some insight into Maggie or Brin, you’re getting a little insight into me, too. Welcome to my brand of crazy.

Barking Mad

I want a dog. Not a big one, just one that’ll lie at my feet and keep them warm, or one I can pull up onto my lap and pet. A cat would do too – but it would have to be a cuddly one. Hmm, from what I’ve seen of cats, that’s not so likely. Cats are much more independent.

Lest We Forget

As a writer, I know the value of words. How words have the ability to take us places we’ve never been before—to share laughter and bring respite during times of sadness and pain. Some words help us remember.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
———-

I’m too young to remember the effects of the World Wars. Too far separated from the current situations still waging to have personal experience. But I’ve heard stories—my father describing was it was like to live in a prisoner of war camp as a child in Indonesian. The gentlemen in the nursing home I volunteer at with my children sharing tales . From the Samhain authors, I’ve read stories by Denise Agnew and Elle Kennedy about military men and women—doing what needs to be done.

The words make me think. Make me wonder. Make me grateful.

Whatever your stand, or your memories of war, there are things we shouldn’t forget. Today as we stand in remembrance for two minutes of silence, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month…there are still people fighting for our lives. For our rights. For our happiness.

Maybe it’s you. If so, thank you.
————-
Vivian Arend is spending time today with family, and remembering.
website

Why She Was Almost Only In His Dreams

Delayed gratification has its place. This wouldn’t be it.

The story behind Summer-set

He was hunting a man into exile when he first saw her.

This was the first sentence I wrote of Summer-set, and the story should have sprung out full-fledged from there — how the hunter becomes captivated by the woman he comes across, the danger he brings to her, and the consequences of failing to banish the man he originally sought.

Nope. I wrote that sentence in 2000, and then it just sat there. I didn’t figure out what happened next until nine years later.

The gears started turning when I decided to make the main character a hunter in the most primal sense: a wolf-shifter, one isolated from others of his kind. So when he finally finds someone who accepts his nature, it’s a glorious discovery. And when he loses her, it’s a rending loss.

Because this story isn’t just about the romance that first blooms between the hunter and the woman. I knew they would be together as soon as I wrote that first sentence, and you probably did too as soon as you read it. What Summer-set is about is how they shape that love into a bond that outlasts a bloodthirsty heritage, an ancient vengeance, and a wall of secrets.

You can read the first chapter here (just so you know, the above sentence now leads off Chapter 2), or buy the e-book at My Bookstore and More. I hope you enjoy it.

Karalynn
http://karalynnlee.com

An Interview with Samhain's Executive Editor Laurie Rauch.

Several weeks ago, many of the Samhain editors spent time at Hilton Head with Crissy Brashear and the main office staff. While the editors have spent years getting to know each other on the editor loop and in small groups at conventions, this was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet and spend time together in person. I can’t tell you how good it was to get to know everyone a little bit better. To further that fun, I’m on a quest to interview all the editors at Samhain (and, as a warning to Marty, Marty also!) over the next year or so.

For the first interview of many, I’d like to welcome Samhain Publishing’s Executive Editor Laurie Rauch.

Public Displays of Affection

Have you ever visited the mall and seen a couple holding hands or kissing? That, my friend, is a public display of affection. PDAs (public displays of affection) are a more recent thing, something that has occurred with the relaxing of social rules and less stringent attention to etiquette. It’s quite common to see people getting frisky and many couples like to have sex in public places because it’s naughty and risqué and a bit of a turn-on.