Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Zombies are NOT the New Vampires...

Since opening on October 2nd, 2009 Zombieland has made back almost three times its production budget domestically. When it opens in the foreign market it will break the 100 million dollar mark, guaranteeing a sequel of some kind or another. The 2008 film Quarantine did less than half of that, but that’s still nearly four times the production budget and Quarantine II is shambling down the long road to a theatre near you. On the literary front David Wellington’s Monster Island did so well it spawned Monster Nation and Monster Planet. And one cannot speak of zombies on the page without speaking about that lovely gem Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith with Jane Austen credited as co-author. Left 4 Dead, the first person perspective cooperative shooter game for Windows and Xbox360 is set in post apocalyptic landscape with four survivors fighting against an infected zombie horde. Since its release November 21st, 2008 the game has sold some 3 million copies and has a sequel coming November 2009.

These few drops in the Great Lake of the zombie genre are among the many to incite the phrase “zombies are the new vampires” time and again. They’re not. Really.

Tales From The Lighter Side

Among my friends there has been much conversation as of late on the merits of the lighter, “quiet” book. Opinions vary, as opinions should, but the one thing agreed upon is that they have their place, especially in romance. Unfortunately, I think romance is where we tend to see the fewest lighter books, definitely in paranormal romance.

Secret babies, marriages of convenience, cruel bets, accidental deception, intentional deception, supernatural mysteries, mundane murder sprees, impending doom, all of it has been a background in romance for our couples, trios, and so forth getting together or being torn apart. The line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance has been blended, (or skewed depending on your viewpoint) to such a degree that nearly any catastrophe could befall our beloved main characters, sweeping us to the highest highs before plunging us to gut-wrenching lows. And I get as caught up as anyone in it, but I don’t always need it.

I Got Nuthin'

The title says it all. Despite my inherent bloggy nature and everything to happen over the end of 2008, I’ve got nuthin’.

Mayhaps, I’m still taking it all in right now. It’s been a year come the 26th, that Shifting Passions has been out and people are still reading it. It’s still real. I haven’t woken up and realized I’m just planning, and wishing, and hoping, I’m actually doing.

Okay, there wasn’t nearly as much doing the last eight months as there should have been, but then again, I moved cross-country and started my life over from scratch. I’m embracing the stressful standstill and taking it for what it was at this point. But it left me doing triple duty now, trying to meet deadlines both external and self-imposed before winter’s gone and summer brings new stories I can only guess at.

Abandonment Issues

They cancelled Pushing Daisies, David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who, Stargate Atlantis is in its last season, and even in the face of True Blood, I’m still mourning Blood Ties. I’m suffering serious abandonment issues here folks.

With Three You Get Romantica

Where Do I Fit?

It seemed a rather appropriate question for an introductory post. Hi, I’m Xakara and I write Erotic Paranormal Romance. Or do I?

I know that it’s Romance because it deals with developing relationships and has an HEA. I know it’s Raranormal, because well, the half-blood shapeshifters gave it away. But is it Erotic? What makes it Erotic?