Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

After 10 years, THE PROMISE OF KEIRNA'RHOAN in PRINT!!

Yes that’s right, THE PROMISE OF KIERNA’RHOAN has been in and out of print for more than 10 years now, but this is the first time it’s appeared in paperback and I’m just thrilled. Especially since Samhain gave me such a lovely cover—it looks gorgeous in a bookstore :) The book has been updated and added to for this version, and I’m really pleased with the outcome. I hope readers are too!

Below is a little excerpt. This starts where the excerpt on the book’s Samhain page (http://samhainpublishing.com/excerpt/the-promise-of-kiernarhoan) leaves off (with a little cross over). Here you’ll get to meet Kira Farseaker’s ex-husband (he’s the bad guy). Enjoy!

A Ghost of a Chance now in print!

Following is the blurb and an excerpt from A Ghost of a Chance which releases in print this month. Enjoy!

Blurb:

One life hangs on the thread of her imagination…

Legends, Book 2: Sequel to the award-winning Beaudry’s Ghost.

Troy Brannon is a ghost with no time for heaven. Thanks to his well-intentioned meddling, he’s got a missing soul on his hands. Fortunately he’s learned a skill no well-behaved spirit should have—the ability to zip through time and space.

A side trip to revive a drowning woman should’ve been simple. But the moment he locks lips with Carey Magennis, she generates an inner fire he’s never felt before, alive or dead—and his ability to time travel disappears.

When the rising tide closes over Carey’s head, it’s the end—but only of life as she knows it. She wakes up haunted by the idea she no longer fits in, and by the sexy, lion-hearted ghost of the man who saved her. No one wants to hear about the strange things that have been happening to her since her near-death experience, least of all her image-conscious fiancé.

Troy realizes Carey accidentally stole his gift—and she has no idea the danger she’s in. Wherever her imagination takes her, she goes with it. Literally. Plus, that fiancé of hers has an agenda that doesn’t include her survival.

Saving her will be as dangerous to his mission as she is to his heart.

Warning: This title contains some gratuitous bad language; the sex of your dreams with a professional bad-ass hero; bloody Civil War battles; astral joy rides; and a heroine who “gets it” in more ways than one!

Excerpt:

Sensory Ops - A New Series

Sounds to Die By kicks off my Sensory Ops Series, and I’m thrilled to have it here at Samhain. I am planning six books for the series, and have recently finished the first draft of book 2.

To help me understand my hero, a group of friends blindfolded me at a writer’s retreat. I worked on typing my story on the computer without sight while they played tricks on me. They would stand over me to see if I knew they were there and if I could tell who it was. They would stick stuff under my nose to see if I could identify what it was. They would whisper and plot and giggle across the room to see how in tune I was to them and how focused I could remain on my job of typing.

Overcoming some of their challenges was easier than others, but the exercise achieved the attended goal. It got me in the mindset of Ian and better prepared me for the task of writing his story. I hope you’ll check it out.

Sensiry Ops Series, Book 1, Sounds to Die By

Also, check out my month long blog party. I’m giving away some great prizes with an eReader for the grand prize on Halloween. www.nikkiduncan.com/blog

Said about Sound to Die By – “Nikki Duncan has spun a web of intrigue, suspense, and scorching hot love scenes that will entice any reader.” ~ Talia Ricci, Joyfully Reviewed

Would You Like My Book? Are You Sure?

Before a recent family get-together, I got a brief e-mail from my brother-in-law asking me to bring along a copy of one of my books so that he could take it to my husband’s aunt. Now leaving aside the sort of obvious response to that—“Gee, Bob, can’t you afford to buy my book?”—I could see other, more long-range problems. My husband’s aunt is an 87-year-old unmarried lady; once upon a time, you might have called her a spinster. While I may not be too sure of Aunt Beth’s tastes in literature, I’m fairly sure she wouldn’t like my stuff.
This is a sensitive question for a lot of us. We write romance because we like it. We read it. We support it. Catherine Wade had an interesting post on her blog about this a couple of months ago, pledging that she would no longer apologize for writing romances and asking the rest of us to do the same. I’m with her all the way. But at the same time, I know some of my friends and relations won’t like what I do because they’re not fans of the genre. I’ve already had a friend tell me she liked my first book “except for all the sex.” If you read romances, the fact that my books have a lot of sex scenes shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. If you don’t, it may be a bit of a shock, to say the least.
So what do you do when your grandmother wants a copy of your book? Or your grade-school teacher? Or the pastor’s wife? Or your colleague at work who reads mostly literary fiction? Samhain requires its authors to write warnings that are posted with the book description at the Samhain Web site. These are mostly good-humored (hey, we try to be witty about it), but they also serve a serious purpose. Samhain doesn’t want readers buying books with content they’ll find offensive. So how do you head off a friend or relation who might be similarly upset by what you’ve written?
So far I’ve tried the straight-forward approach, telling anybody who asks that, yes, my books do include fairly explicit sex scenes, but no, I’m not writing porn. I have no idea how erotica writers handle this, but I’ll bet they’ve had to come up with ways to alert their maiden aunts before they buy their latest books.
The problem for all of us may be that reading and liking romance is still regarded as a guilty secret by a lot of people, even though it’s one of the best-selling genres in publishing. It’s always possible that my husband’s aunt has been reading romances for years and would look at mine as just another on her TBR stack. But she’s never mentioned it, and I’m not sure how to ask her. So for now, I’ll just tell my brother-in-law that I don’t think my book would be right for Aunt Beth. And then the next time I visit her, I’ll check her bookshelves for copies of Nora Roberts or Danielle Steel or even Barbara Cartland.
And if I find them, I’ll be sending her autographed copies of my books—ASAP.

ROUGH, RAW AND READY by Lorelei James -- available in print!

The fifth book in my Rough Riders series, ROUGH, RAW, AND READY, is available in print!

ROUGH, RAW, AND READY
Lorelei James
Samhain Publishing, 2009
Rough Riders Series Book 5
ISBN: 978-1-60504-230-5

…Torn between the love he has…and the love he’s always wanted…

Chassie West Glanzer hasn’t been a stranger to drama and tragedy. A year of wedded bliss to sexy-as-sin cowboy Trevor Glanzer has brought her the happiness and contentment she never thought she’d find, and mellowed Trevor’s rodeo wanderlust. Then Trevor’s old roping partner ambles up the driveway—and Chassie’s life changes drastically.

Trevor never expected to see Edgard Mancuso again, after it became clear he couldn’t be the man Edgard needed. Now Edgard is back from Brazil to sort out their tangled past, and Trevor is plagued with feelings he thought he’d buried over three years ago. Although Trevor is hat-over-bootheels in love with his sweet, feisty wife, the sense his life is missing a piece has always gnawed at him.

Chassie’s shock that Edgard and Trevor were once lovers turns to fear of losing her husband. Or worse, fear that Trevor will stay with her only out of a sense of duty. Yet as the three of them spend time together, the sins of the past blur and fade, leaving raw emotion—and unbridled passion.

Passion that could heal…or cause irreparable damage to their future.

Warning: this book contains unbelievably explicit sex, including multiple cowboy/cowgirl/cowboy ménage scenes, juicy, hot, male on male action, a bucketful of politically incorrect situations and true Western ideology

****

For excerpts, contests, and information on the Lorelei James Gang, as well as other titles in this series, visit:
Lorelei James Website

It's officially Autumn...

It’s officially Autumn…

and I’m looking forward to, amongst other things, the joys of colder weather coming down the pike. For when I go outside, I’ll bring out the thick sweaters, long coats, and hats. Knowing me, I’ll be spending more time inside, and that means limitless cups of hot chocolate or apple cider while I’m curled up on the couch reading. That’s not all I’m looking forward to, a few of the other things are:

By The Book by N.J. Walters--Now in PRINT!

I’m pleased to announce that By The Book, book 6 of the Jamesville series, is now available in print!

BLURB:

Amanda Barrington hopes Jamesville is the right place for her rare-book business—and her new life. The moving truck barely pulls away before both are off to a rousing start. It’s not her new customer that’s caught her attention, though. It’s the customer’s brother, Jonah Sutter.

From the moment cynical, ex-military Jonah sets eyes on Amanda, he wants her like a house afire—which is what she’s going to have if she doesn’t get house’s electrical system overhauled. He knows he’s not a forever kind of guy, but he’s more than willing to be her fix-it man. In more ways than one.

The sparks that fly between them have nothing to do with faulty wiring. And when unexpected danger threatens, Jonah finds himself dealing with more than just the desire to get Amanda into bed.

Protecting her means moving in, which exposes them both to a new danger—losing their hearts.

Books 5 and 7—A Legal Affair and Past Promises—will be released in a two-book anthology (Jamesville Affairs) early in 2010. Books 1-4 are available in print.

You can check out my Jamesville books at http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/n-j-walters

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

http://www.njwalters.com
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)

Cabin Fever: Now Available!

I could barely sleep last night, I was so very excited about today. Glutton for Pleasure was my first published book, but Cabin Fever was the first book I believed in enough to get serious about my writing. Over three years, it’s gone through more than a couple of overhauls in plot, length, names, and settings. One thing that has never changed, for me at least, is the essence of the main characters. I loved this hero and heroine so much, I just couldn’t ignore them or deny them their hard won happily ever after.

I sincerely hope you enjoy Genevieve and Alex’s story.

BLURB:

Ever Wonder What It Would Be Like To Become Someone New?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to simply start over? Become someone new. No doubt, everyone at one time or another has speculated. But what if your life depended on it? Would you be willing to leave everything behind in order to survive?
Well, that’s the subject of my upcoming, July 14th release from Linden Bay Romance , entitled Worth Staying For.
For Doctor Jordan Scott, the most dangerous place to be in love.
Dr. Jordan Scott thought she knew her fiancé, Caesar, better than anyone…until Detective Riley Donovan confronts her with the truth about her brother’s death. His murder was no random act of violence—and Caesar is the prime suspect, which puts her directly in the path of danger. Their relationship may be strained, but Jordan can’t believe Caesar lied when he claimed he’d severed all ties with his drug cartel family.Riley has seen enough to know that Jordan is telling the truth, despite what his partner believes. Then again, his instincts aren’t exactly on point when it comes to Jordan. He’s already broken two hard-and-fast rules when it comes to witness protection: never get emotionally involved and never fall for your star witness.Now the trick will be to keep her alive long enough to convince her to trust him—and find the truth behind her brother’s murder. Before she becomes the next victim.Warning: Contains a hero to die for, one courageous leading lady, lots of heart-pounding action, and a rollercoaster ride of emotion.
Read an excerpt:
Check out all of my latest releases at:
http://www.maryeason.com/
All the best…
Mary Eason

Three's Company in Print!

Jayne Rylon had a bit of trouble logging in so I’m posting this blog on her behalf.

Three’s Company is a fitting name for my first print book. In addition to being a smoking hot anthology about menage, it’s allowed me to get to know two amazing authors whose books I enjoyed long before we teamed up together. Both Jess and Lorelei have been supportive of me joining them as the newbie to Samhain.

Working with them on this project has been phenomenal so I wanted to shout out a big thank you here. I hope you all enjoy the end result, now available in print!

Three’s Company
by Lorelei James, Jess Dess and Jayne Rylon
ISBN: 978-1605043241
2009 EPPIE Winner for Best Romance Anthology

A Question of Trust by Jess Dee. Gabriel fulfills every one of Madelines sexual fantasies. Until he introduces her to his best friend Connor. Suddenly Maddie’s horizons are expending in a whole new direction that breaks all the rules.

Nice and Naughty by Jayne Rylon. Alexa limits her adrenaline rushes to boardroom negotiations-until she indulges in a high-octane encounter on the hood of her sports car. Justin is supposed to be just a refreshing summer affair, but he’s called for the kind of backup that shifts the odds in love’s favor.

Wicked Garden by Lorelei James. Billy ran out on Eden the night of prom. Now he’s back and she’s hoping a fling will finally untangle him from her past. She hadn’t counted on his wicked side-or the return of old lover Jonto appeal so strongly to her dark, hidden desires.