Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Fire in the Hole

Holy mother of Moses! I’ve got a book coming out today.

Touch Of Fire is all dressed up and ready for perusal. Don’t make it feel like an ugly date on prom night. Go. Read the excerpt. Buy the book. You’ll like it. Really. I wouldn’t lie to you.

I thought I’d give you a little background on how this story happened. I blame it all on one of my crit partners. She had heard about Samhain’s first line contest last year and coerced me to enter.

“Enter,” she told me. “It’s only five lines,” she said. “What have you got to lose?”

Damn woman!

Why was I upset? Because I only had five lines. LOL!

I had been toying with the idea of a post apocalyptic romance for a while, but I had yet to commit anything to paper. As the weeks went by and I kept passing each hurdle in the contest, it occurred to me that the story was already gelling and I knew exactly what kind of people my hero and heroine were. By the time I got the news that my entry had been chosen, the first three chapters and the outline were fleshed out. I could see the whole thing unfold from beginning to end.

I sent the partial to Eve, the editor who requested it, to see if she was still interested. She was! So off I went to finish the story and polish it until it gleamed.

Five weeks later, Touch Of Fire was born.

There’s adventure, danger and sex. My three favorite things! And it’s set 1200 years in the future on an Earth where technology has given way to Elemental magic.

Touch Of Fire turned out to be one of the most enjoyable writing assignments I’ve ever given myself. I had a blast extrapolating how people of the future would interpret artifacts and beliefs from the “last” age. Eagle-eyed readers will easily pick up little clues that reference the old world. Even the Elementals, those weavers of magic are very much tied to what happened 1200 years earlier.

I hope you’ll read the book and send me feedback. Visit my blog and website for the latest news, markets, and to catch up on my shenanigans. I’m always good for a chuckle.

Let me leave you with the five lines that started it all.

***

The Reverend Mother used to tell acolytes that if men were going to brawl, they should at least be naked and glistening with oil.

Leda’s money was on the hulking brute with the Cydian blade, but right now she needed the other guy to win. That one had information she needed, and she wasn’t going to get it if he got himself killed. She was just about to intercede when her quarry tripped on his feet and knocked himself out cold.

Idiot.

***

Hope you enjoy Touch Of Fire. I had a grand time creating that world. We’ll be revisiting it again soon.

In the meantime, check out the interview I did with Maya Reynolds.
Leave a comment (I’m looking for predictions) and vie for a chance to win a copy of Touch Of Fire.