Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Green is the Loneliest Number

I was trying to think today how to explain the difference between competitiveness and jealousy. Competitiveness, I think, is a useful trait for a writer — for anyone, really. And jealousy is one of the most destructive emotions known to humans. But they’re closely akin — sometimes uncomfortably so.

Competitiveness is what spurs us on to do better, to try harder, to win — all good stuff. Sometimes winning means beating someone else, but it’s not the beating that should feel good so much as the winning.

If I’m competing with a friend for an award, obviously I want to win. I don’t want my friend to lose, though. If I can’t win, I want my friend to win. Sometimes I want my friend to win more than I want to win because my friend needs the win more. The only time I think it becomes personal is when we compete against someone we dislike. Not all our dislikes are reasonable, but that’s another story. If I dislike someone I’m competing against, then there is a peculiar (and not always guilty) satisfaction in whupping her or his ass. We’re none of us saints.

Blogged Down

When I realized last night that I had a blog due here at Samhain, my immediate reaction was a sinking sensation. Not again, I thought, and I can’t help wondering if readers don’t feel something similar.

Don’t get me wrong. I love interacting with my readers; it’s one of the perks of the job. But I just finished the rough draft of one novella, I’ve got another due on Wednesday of next week, a third novella due on the 30th, edits to my print book for Somebody Killed His Editor due on the 21st, and edits for another mainstream project due on the 30th. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling overwhelmed. And as I calculate how to best use my limited resources, I’m wondering where blogging fits into this.

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright

Hi there! I’m Josh Lanyon and I write m/m romance — usually within the context of a mystery or action-adventure novel. In fact, I have a brand new m/m comic mystery-romance coming out through Samhain in a couple of weeks. First book in a brand, spanking new series. Anyway, more about that another day. I was recently talking to my friend ZA Maxfield, another newish Samhain author, and she was asking about what I do to keep the writing fires burning bright now that I’ve been writing for about a million years. Or what feels like a million years — which is kind of the point.

Criminal Mistakes

Hi there! Josh Lanyon here. It’s my first time on the blog, so please bear with me as I stumble through. I’m a new Samhain writer — new to Samhain, not writing itself. As a matter of fact I’ve been writing gay or m/m mystery-romance for over a decade. I write the Adrien English series which finaled in the prestigious Lambda Literary Awards a couple of years ago — in addition to winning numerous other awards. I also co-write the Crime and Cocktails romantic – crime series with Laura Baumbach. The first book, Mexican Heat, was released in February through Samhain (and also finaled in this year’s Lambdas). This June will see the release of a brand new comic mystery-romance series — exclusive to Samhain — called Holmes & Moriarity. Very excited about that one!

Anyway, these days it seems like everyone is turning her hand to m/m mystery writing — there’s nothing like a little murder and mayhem to go with your romance. And I thought I’d help my fellow crime lovers by pointing out five of the most common the tripwires you’re liable to find strung across your path to successful crime writing. I see many an aspiring crime writer shoot herself in the foot with one or more of these gaffes, but they’re easy enough to sidestep if you give it a little thought.