Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Grrr... You Wanna Piece of Me?

So I got in this huge fight with a male friend on Wednesday night. About what? The character of readers of erotic romance, of all things!

A trip to paradise...

10 Days in Paradise releases today!! Woo hoo!

10 Days in Paradise is a story that’s very close to my heart. The story came to me in the midst of a trip back to my hometown of Hilo, Hawaii. I was sitting out on the porch, fighting off mosquitoes, listening to rain pound on the tin roof, and watching the surfers face some killer waves in the tossing sea. And I thought…wow, this way of life is SO different from the way of life of most of my professional peers back in California…

Thus Kanoe Anakalea, the quintessential local boy, and Celeste McMillan, the quintessential upper-class career woman, were born.

Spring, Self-Image and Setting

Yawn. Stretch.
I’m coming out of the writing cave. ((Blinks)) My, it’s mighty bright out here!
And sunny! Hey, it’s almost spring!

Spring. My goodness. Bathing suit season is coming. Time to start my yearly diet…

I live in California, and I have three kids, which means we spend a lot of time at the beach. I love going to the beach. I hide under an umbrella and a wide-brimmed hat (unlike my kids I’m fair-skinned and burn easily) and watch people. People at the beach are really interesting to study. The fact is, most of them aren’t wearing many clothes, and their self-image shines bright and clear. There are those, even without perfect bodies, who exude confidence, and those who give off subtle messages of insecurity.

I like to write about heroines who aren’t a hundred percent comfortable in their own skins, because I think most women really aren’t. Lots of us are really good at faking it, but I think there’s some level of insecurity in a majority of us. I think it’s great to see a heroine grow out of a deep uncertainty about herself and bloom into a person who can love—and be loved—wholly. My upcoming Samhain release, 10 Days in Paradise, is about just such a woman.

In 10 Days in Paradise, the hero, Kanoe, helps to pull the heroine out of her shell, but another big part of the story is her growing connection to the setting (Big Island, Hawaii). It’s a place that strikes a chord in her soul the moment she steps off the plane.

Setting is an important part of any book, in my opinion, and can really enrich a book, make it vivid and ultimately more real. As a writer, I love writing about tropical settings in my contemporaries…mmmm…. As a reader, I love anything with a rich, compelling, believable setting, whether it’s in China or Africa, whether it’s 10,000 years into the future or about cave dwellers.

What about you? What do you think of setting? What are some of your favorite settings in books? I always love book recommendations too!

Take Me Away...

Winter has arrived, but I’m not loving it, at least not this year. This year, my winter has been all about nasty, parching wind, dry skin, the stomach flu, out-of-control deadlines and stress. (Aside: my recommendation to y’all—don’t get your house remodeled during the holidays!) I usually get completely into the holiday spirit. I decorate my house, inside and out. I go on extended, fun shopping trips with my family. I listen to Christmas music. I simply enjoy.

But…not this year. Sob! I want to enjoy it, I really do. But I have so, so much weighing me down.

I’m dreaming of a place to go, a place where I can be free of all this insane stress. My mind keeps going back to Hawaii, where my next Samhain book, 10 Days in Paradise, takes place. Balmy warmth. Sun and sand. More than that, relaxation. In Hawaii, people operate on “Hawaiian time”—which basically means everyone’s late for everything, and nobody worries about it. “Oh, you’re fifteen minutes late for our meeting? No worries, brah. It’s all good…”

Ahhhh….today, I just want to climb to the top of a palm tree and stare out over the ocean. Maybe I’m a little nutty, lol, but my life has been so intense, that just sounds so… perfect.

Where would you like to escape in the midst of all this holiday craziness?

Dawn
http://www.dawnhalliday.com

Honeymoon Castaways Is Out!

So it’s finally here. The release of my first book. It’s not the first book I wrote, but it was the first book that was accepted for publication, the first book I went through edits with, the first cover, the first release, the first review…

It’s been a wild ride, and so much fun. I can’t wait to do this over and over. I’m so glad it was with Samhain, and I’m so happy that I got to work with Sasha, who’s a fantastic editor.

It all started off with the writing…and I had an absolute blast writing this story. I hope those of you who read it have just as much fun!

Newlywed Catalina Robinson thinks it’s not possible to be more satisfied…but then she learns what it’s like to love two men.

A Midsummer Night’s Steam story