Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Bound by Design by Natasha Moore released today!

Did you ever do something when you were young and foolish, and afterward said, “Never again!”? Well, in my new novella, Bound by Design, part of the Binding Ties anthology, my heroine, Jenn, has vowed just that. She played around with a Master/slave relationship in college and while parts of it were amazing, she gradually lost herself to the boy who called himself her Master. After she was rescued, she vowed, “Never again.”

But then she meets a man whose quiet strength and obvious dominance rocks her down to her toes. There’s something about Scott that draws her to him, that frightens and excites her at the same time. That tempts her to try a taste of that old lifestyle.

Bound by Design got a 5 cherries review from Whipped Cream Reviews! It said in part…“Natasha Moore builds a beautiful world that draws you in. This is a great flowing story with lots of wonderful characters full of love and trust this book is not to be missed. If you enjoy a story full of excitement and trust this is the book for you. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author. “ You can read the whole review here:
http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2009/09/bound-by-design-by-natasha-moore.html

To celebrate the release of the Binding Ties anthology, Jenna Ives, Skylar Kade and I are holding a month-long contest. In honor of the bondage theme of the anthology, we are giving away a beginner’s Bondage Kit, complete with blindfold and wrist and ankle cuffs! Wouldn’t that add a little excitement to your evening? All you have to do to enter is send an e-mail to bindingties-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Have you ever said, “Never again?” and then done it anyway?? Was it a mistake? Or are you glad you gave it another try????

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

Spot the Handwavium Contest: Heart of the Volcano, out today.

See all those pretty covers on the front page of the Samhain site. And, ooh, look, for the first time one of them belongs to me!

Can we take a moment to worship Scott Carpenter, god of cover art?

I started writing Heart of the Volcano in late 2008. I’d won the Romantic Novelists’ Association Elizabeth Goudge Award with the first chapter of an as-yet-unwritten faery book, A Stolen Cloak of Feathers, and I was determinedly trying to write the rest of it. It stalled horribly at 37,000 words (I know, ugh) and I shoved it aside and decided to write something short, fun and shapeshifty instead.

Heart of the Volcano wasn’t quite as easy to write as I’d intended it to be. I had to ask people some actual science questions, which is always alarming (research, seriously?). But I worked it out in the end, and sent it off to my then-boss, Angie James. Who, in a spirit of pure evil, didn’t send me a formal acceptance letter, but just marked it as “accepted” on the submissions-tracking spreadsheet (which I manage) and left me to find it. At which point I may have screamed a little.

And now here it is, fresh and shiny and for sale today!

Read on for the blurb, a link to the excerpt, and how to enter the contest.

Bound by Steel in Print!

When I created Lianon, the female hero of my first book, Crossing Swords, I knew I’d be spending more time with her. She’s one of my favourite characters ever, and according to many readers and a few reviewers, she’s what made that book for them, too. But Lianon is something of an anomaly in the genre. She’s the anti-romance heroine.

The Smiley Face Factor

Sometimes it’s the small things that make the difference between finishing your first book and setting it aside before you ever reach the end. For me that small thing was smiley face stickers. Like a lot of aspiring writers, I had the ideas (too many really) but not always the determination and motivation to see them through.

Contests : Do you have to be the homecoming queen?

Romance writing is ripe with contests. Entire websites are dedicated to tracking contests and winners. Writers on their way to publication are encouraged to mold their writing into the best version possible before presenting it to editors and agents.

Once a book is published, there are more contests looking to sift through and find the best representation of the industry. These contests are cost prohibitive, so authors need to take into consideration lots of variables — who is judging, what is offered to finalists and winners, how many books need to be shipped, the entry fee, etc.

Like the contests for aspiring authors, most of the contests for published books are judged by writers, some are graded solely by authors, and a few are ranked by industry professionals like booksellers and librarians. For me, comparing who the judges are is like comparing winning the Oscar (judged by peers) to the Golden Globe (voted on by the press). Anytime your work is recognized, it’s fantastic.

No matter who is evaluating the novels, a story is being read by someone who might not have read it otherwise. Anyone who volunteers to read for a contest obviously likes romance novels, so if your story wows them, they’ll likley find another of your books. And tell their friends about their new find. Finalling is just icing on the cake!

Why do I have contests on the brain? Her Cinderella Complex is a Passionate Plume finalist! There are quite a few Samhain books on the list. Check it out ::

Contemporary

**Jenna Bayley-Burke – Her Cinderella Complex **Mari Carr – Erotic Research

Paranormal / Time Travel

**Dana Marie Bell – The Wallflower, Halle Pumas Book 1 **Crystal Jordan – Treasured
___________________
Jenna Bayley-Burke

The Role of a Lifetime--coming to PRINT!

Wow! It’s not often an author gets to celebrate her book release TWICE. But here I am very happy to announce that my romantic comedy, The Role of a Lifetime will be released in print this Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

My mom already has a copy in her hands and has told me after reading two pages that she loves it and has laughed at loud.

Yes, that’s right. After two pages.

Needless to say, I have encouraged her to keep reading. I also told her that although I truly believe her when she said what she read was hilarious, she really, uh, hasn’t gotten to the funny part yet.

sigh

I wish all my readers were as easy. :)

I also wanted to thank everyone at Samhain involved in my publication process—especially my editor, Laurie, and Donna, who worked on the galley, and Angie, who did a lovely job on my cover. And of course, the boss, Crissy Brashear. Thanks so much!

CONTEST: Please check out my blog on Tuesday for your chance to win a copy of my book!

Coming up for air...

Hi everyone. Imagine me poking my head from my writing cave and looking at you all with owl eyes. :) Happy New Year! Oh, I’m still getting used to this 2009 thing—more deadlines, going to bed later, waking up earlier. I can’t believe January is already almost over.

Dance of Seduction Print Release Contest!

Dance of Seduction will be released in PRINT from Samhain this month, so I figured I’d hold a little contest on the blog today, and tell you a bit about why I chose the profession I did for my heroine.

Like Fairy Tales?

But always thought they were over too soon?

Have I got a book for you! My first novel, A SPELL FOR SUSANNAH, is being released in print from Samhain on November 25, and I’ll be chatting at the Samhain Café as much as my children allow me to that day. I’ll be giving away a copy of SFS in ebook format. But speaking of my children, who are out of school on Thanksgiving vacation this week, my 6 year old is a budding video artist.

Don’t believe me? Check out this cool video she helped me make for SFS:

Beaudry's Ghost In Print & Contests!

Lots going on for me in the next couple months! My award-winning paranormal romance, Legends, Book 1: Beaudry’s Ghost, officially releases in print Oct. 28 (though you can order it on Amazon right now for the pre-sale discount price).