Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

I Need More Time

There are not enough hours in the day. At least not enough hours when my eyes aren’t tired and my brain’s not worn out enough to get some writing done. I try not to waste my time, to keep the TV off and kust keep adding more tempting books, unread, to my growing TBR pile. Unfortunately, the day job gets my best hours.

The Ride of Her Life is in Print!

On September 29, 2006, I received an e-mail from then-editor Jessica Bimberg, offering me a contract for the manuscript that would become The Ride of Her Life (yes it went through a title change) I had to re-read that e-mail several times before I could comprehend that instead of yet another rejection, this was actually an acceptance! And now. practically two years to the day, my first full-length romance novel is available in print.

Tale of Two Movies

A few weeks ago I saw two movies at the theater on their opening weekend. The same weekend. Saturday, I went with my twenty-something son (a superhero fan from way back) to see The Dark Knight. Then on Sunday, I went with my husband (we wore out our Abba cassette tape back in the day) to Mama Mia. While I enjoyed both movies, they were as different as…well…night and day. Seeing the two back to back made me really think about what I like in movies – and in stories in general.

The Passion-Minded Professor by Natasha Moore

I'm In Heaven

Or I would be, if I had a bunch of money and a bathroom that I could do more than barely turn around in. Last year my husband and I bought a charming house just a half block from the lake. The houses on our street were once lake cottages that were long ago converted into full-time homes. Now when I say lake cottages, I’m not talking about the huge “cottages” being built around lakes nowadays. These are tiny houses. Some have been added on to, like the house we bought, but the rooms are still small. And the bathroom is tiny and desperately needs updating.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

No, it’s not my favorite Christmas song, but it’s the one that comes to mind as I look out my window at the snow falling and the wind blowing. It’s not even a holiday song when you think about it – more a romantic winter song.

The Ride of Her Life

I was always the good girl. I never considered cutting class or skipping school. I always had my homework done on time and never considered rebelling in any way. But like Sarah, in The Ride of Her Life, I dreamt of great adventures. Maybe that’s why I became a writer, so I let my characters do all the things I never dared.

But then, I’ve loosened up over the years!

Here’s the blurb:

After a devastating diagnosis, sensible Sarah Austin yearns to live life to the fullest. When she talks her former teenage crush into a cross-country ride on his Harley, she thinks it’s her one and only chance for adventure, including a fun fling with Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Bastian. No longer a rebel, Dean Bastian is now a counselor for troubled teens and ready to settle down. He doesn’t know why Sarah is so desperate for an adventure, but he’s willing to do anything to keep a smile on her face, even pretend to still be a bad boy. Sarah doesn’t want to burden anyone with the future she faces, but can Dean convince her that the rest of their life can be an adventure…together?

Join Sarah for The Ride of Her Life!

Natasha

Nothing Stays the Same

One of the first things I learned when I started studying writing was that our characters need to grow and change during the story. I suppose there’s some fiction out there where a character goes through a series of ups and downs and ends up no different at the end of the story than he or she was at the beginning but honestly, I don’t enjoy those kinds of stories. I love stories where the characters start out at one place in their lives and through the events of the story, and the interaction with the other characters, they end up in a new, better place at the end. For me, those stories have satisfying endings. They seem real.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

I’m heavily into wedding mode right now, so I have happily ever after on the brain. My daughter is getting married in June, so most of our conversations revolve around flowers and cakes and how-on-earth-could-you-have-that-many-people-on-the-guest-list?? She’s looked forward to this for a long time (she and her fiance have been together for six years) and I’m not the only one who’s warned her not to get so stressed over all the planning. After all, it’s not the wedding that matters so much as their life together afterward. That happily ever after part.