Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Pet names...and a contest!

Pet names are something I tend to struggle with. Either an endearment sounds right spilling out of a characters lips or it doesn’t. Sometimes “baby” and “honey” just don’t cut it. Could you imagine calling someone who’s seven feet tall, “baby”?

Me neither. That just sounds goofy to me.

More than once I’ve read a great book that was ruined by a silly pet name that threw me right out of the story every time I read it.

So, here’s the deal for this rainy Friday morning: Leave me a comment with your favorite pet name, or the worst endearment you’ve ever heard, and I’ll enter you to win a free book. Whoever’s pet name I decide to use in my current work in progress will win a free autographed copy of my latest print release, Shameful. The winner of the worst endearment ever will win a digital copy of Shameful.

I’ll even get the ball rolling for you all. My favorite pet name is “darlin”. It’s actually what Shame calls Gail in Shameful. Darlin’ always makes me think of a slow southern drawl and hot summer nights. The worst is “dearling”. It reminds me of little old ladies, for some reason. Nothing like picturing your grandma to throw you right out of a intimate scene. :)

What do you like?

With conference season fast approaching, my brain is firmly locked in promotion mode. I’ve been scouring websites, trying to figure out what kind of promotional items I want to put my name on this year. Last year I did bookmarks — and I’ll probably do those again, because they’re so much fun to design — but I’d really like to do something different this year. Something eye catching that people will want to take home with them.

At the moment, I have bookmarks, magnets, and pens on my list of things to order. What do you think would make an interesting promotional gift?

Couch Potato TV

At the beginning of the new fall season, I had grand plans for all the new shows I wanted to tune in for. After a crash course in reality, I’m just not patient enough to sit in front of the television for that many hours. What I’ve settled for is Grey’s Anatomy, Torchwood, and Private Practice. I’m sure I’ll make time for Project Runway when it debuts next month as well.

Which programs are you salivating over this fall?

Now Available: Sins Of The Past By Amanda Young

“Sins of the Past” by Amanda Young
Genre: Gay-Lesbian Romance, Red Hots!

ISBN: 1-59998-599-3
Length: Novella
Price: 3.50
Publication Date: September 18th

Two men bonded by love. A long forgotten secret neither knew they shared in common.

Andrew Vought is a wealthy single parent who’s all but given up on love. Ryan Ward is an up-and-coming landscape architect, who’s never believed true love exists.

In each other’s arms, they find the love they’ve sought. But can a budding new love survive the secrets both men harbor?

Excerpt © Copyright 2007 Amanda Young

Available Next Week In Print: Missing In Action By Amanda Young

I’m so excited to announce the release of my very first book in print.

“Missing in Action PRINT” by Amanda Young
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Red Hots!

ISBN: 1-59998-637-X
Length: 236 Pages
Price: 12.50
Publication Date: September 25th

Sara believed Tristan died while stationed overseas. The last thing she expected on the eve of her engagement to another man was to be attacked by a monster…and have Tristan come to her rescue.

First book in MIA series

Excerpt © Copyright 2007 Amanda Young

Taboo Desires

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my Midsummer Night’s Steam story, Taboo Desires. I hope you all enjoy reading Cole’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Short Blurb:
When his girlfriend demands he settle down and start a family, Cole Winchester has some hard decisions to make. Marry his girlfriend, or finally own up to his taboo attraction to other men.

Now Available: Shameful by Amanda Young

I am so thrilled to annouce the release of the second novel in the MIA series this morning. This book focuses on Shame, one of my absolute favorite characters to write about. In the first book, Missing in Action, he was Tristan’s sarcastic, oversexed partner. In his own book, Shame has demons of his own to battle.

Men, are they really that easy?

Do female authors write men as we want them to be, as we’d like to believe they are, or somehow try to pigeon hole them into the same over-analytical box we paint ourselves into?

There’s an old joke floating around the web about the difference between the sexes and what would satisfy them from a prospective mate. I can’t remember the minute details now, but the punch line was lines and lines of what it would take to satisfy a female and just a few select words for the male (naked, will bring food).

Are men really that simple?

My SO laughingly says yes, but I have to wonder. When you cut it down to the basics of what makes a man, what do you have to include for that character to come off as male? Try thinking about what defines masculinity to you, without the physical descriptions, and see what you come up with. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Missing in Action Released Today

Sara believed Tristan died while stationed overseas. The last thing she expected on the eve of her engagement to another man was to be attacked by a monster…and have Tristan come to her rescue.

Excerpt from Missing In Action
© Copyright 2007 Amanda Young

Suspending your disbelief

A year of sharing my writing with other people and receiving responses like, “that would never happen in real life” or “I don’t think that’s even physically possible”, has made me wonder how much an author should push the boundaries of what’s believable. Exactly how much should any given individual be able to suspend their disbelief before they start shaking their head and throw down a book in aggravation?