Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Earworms in Romance

Um… did she say worms?

Well, yeah, I did.

One of my writing buddies shared a new term with me the other day: “earworms”. I’d never heard it before (and had to fight the compulsion to wash my ears out after I did!) but it means a song that gets stuck in your head after you hear it once. Which you all probably already knew.

But it got me thinking of which songs were my earworms (do you really want me to say it? Then it will be stuck in your head all day!) and I decided that there are books, stories, and characters like that too (would they be bookworms?! Ha! Come on, I had to do it). Those stories that get into your mind and don’t leave.

I would say for the most part, it’s the good stories and characters that really stay with you. But I suppose there could be some characters that you end up disliking so much that you can’t forget them (one particular really pathetic, needy heroine comes to mind for me but I’m too much of a lady to mention any names!)

I definitely have some ‘earworms’ myself –as far as books go… (get that q-tip away from me!)

Does Size Matter?

Recently I was reading a book—a romance of course—which was fairly well written and had a good plot hook. I was looking forward to sinking into the pages (or onto the screen) and thoroughly enjoying myself. Then something happened that pulled me out of the story, something that irritated me so much I felt like emailing the author. From then on all I could think about was that thing and I couldn’t fully enjoy the novel.

What I’m talking about is describing physical attributes. As romance novelists it’s something we’re required to do. People need to know if their heroine has dark hair, blue eyes, long legs, or that their hero has a scar on his right hip. But how specific should we be?

Love My Characters, Love Me?

My brother recently called me on the phone to inform me he’d read my book. Now my brother doesn’t read romance. He reads science fiction and military books, but not “chick books” as he calls them. And yet, he read my books. Which says a lot about my brother, I think.

He gave me his list of likes and dislikes, and while honest, was also very complimentary. And then he said, “But I see a lot of you in your characters.”

My first reaction was, “Well duh!” But then I realized my brother is not a writer. Not a fiction writer, anyway. We have a special brand of crazy, with narratives running through our heads all the time. And yes, all those characters running around in my brain and on the pages of my novels all have a little bit of me in them.

To me, the only way to write honest characters is to bare your own flaws and inner demons. To truly understand their fears and frustrations, the writer has to take on a little bit of it, too. Which explains why a lot of writers drink a good bit.

For me, it’s almost like a kind of therapy. My characters have to work out their issues, so I have to, too. Now that’s not to say I’ve ever burned down a restaurant or am haunted by a dead husband. My characters have to deal with their own fictionalized disasters, but some of their insecurities – yeah, they’re mine, too. Not that I have an exclusive claim on them. I like to think my characters speak to all of us, that some small part of their neurosis matches the person who reads it. I know they match mine.

So if you read my books and get some insight into Maggie or Brin, you’re getting a little insight into me, too. Welcome to my brand of crazy.

Why She Was Almost Only In His Dreams

Delayed gratification has its place. This wouldn’t be it.

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

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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: