Samhain Publishing

I’ve been reading over the recent Samhain author blogs (I’m one of those eternal lurkers!) and have noticed that a lot of changes have been happening in people’s lives at the moment. I have to say, ours is no different.

The past two weeks have been taken up with moving countries, which is why I couldn’t think of a topic to write about today. Last time, I went through a bit of the background of The Dragon of Ankoll Keep, and there was a vague thought this time to do the same with Combat!, but all my best intentions flew straight out the window, surrounded as I am by unpacked boxes and — to be honest — a floor that could use a good vacuum and mop.

We have moved to Malaysia, which is an interesting personal experience for me. I was born in this country (though not in this particular part of it), yet I haven’t visited it in years. Everything has a familiar, yet different, feel to it, and I have to catch myself from assuming too much about anything. The amount of space around is a relief after the crush of Singapore, the people are genuinely friendly, and life is full of settling-in details at the moment.

Having said that, I’ve realised only this morning that, in the excitement of the move, J and I have not been as mindful of our children’s fears as we should’ve been. They were excited and happy to move to our new house but, as we all know, subconscious fears cannot be so easily assuaged. Hence not being able to get back to sleep after a scream-filled nightmare from The Wast at a quarter to four this morning.

As I soothed him back to sleep in our bed, I realised that he had been through some fairly major changes for one so young (eight years old). He had changed houses, environments, and schools and, during his waking hours, had handled everything with aplomb. That’s what lulled me into the misconception that he was doing swimmingly. But, of course, with so many new changes, there needs to be a period of adjustment, and I had forgotten that.

So, if you have a family and there have been upheavals in your life recently (whether good or bad), just remember to take special care of your younger charges. They may appear strong, adaptable and robust, but it’s important for us to remember that they need a bit more reassurance than we probably think they do. A good night’s sleep may depend on it.

KS “Kaz” Augustin
Website with FREE novel serialisation: http://www.ksaugustin.com
Blog with opinionated entries: http://blog.ksaugustin.com
Podcast that’s way behind schedule due to the move: http://RadioFreeBliss.ksaugustin.com

What do you think about author readings? Do you like them? I have to say, I’m really not all that fussed. When I read a book, I have my own mental narrator, and the characters have voices that are distinctively their own, all tucked away right there in my imagination. Do I really want to hear the author speaking those words? Especially as authors as not notably professional voice actors? I know it’s expected of authors, especially well-known ones but, for me, the jury’s still out on that one.

I’m reminded of a story a friend related. He was talking about one of his high school classes and an English teacher who liked to use the word “consequently” a lot. Unfortunately, the man used to pronounce the “o” as a “u”. My friend was so distracted by this foible that he never took any notice of what his teacher said, and reams of knowledge—I’m sure—were thus lost.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from authors at all. While blogs like these provide an insight into the thinking of an author, it really can’t substitute for an author explaining in her own words why she writes, for example. And it’s difficult to discern from the written word how much passion for a particular subject that an author has, exclamation marks notwithstanding.

These thoughts were running through my head when I set up my podcast, Radio Free Bliss. I wanted something more spontaneous that reader-listeners could relate to, that would explain part of what an author thinks about, what’s important, and what’s not. It’s taken a bit of persuading to try and get authors to step up to the mic. You wouldn’t believe how shy some of them are, despite the kind of racy stuff they write. But here’s a young project that I’m nurturing. And I hope people will enjoy what I’m attempting to do.

If you’d like to listen to one of the podcasts, pop along to the Radio Free Bliss website and choose your poison. Have a look at who’s scheduled to be interviewed. Subscribe, if the idea appeals to you. In any case, happy listening and have a great weekend!

KS “Kaz” Augustin
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Website: http://www.ksaugustin.com
Blog: http://blog.ksaugustin.com
Podcast: http://RadioFreeBliss.ksaugustin.com

Hey, what are you doing here? Outside the United States perhaps? Or inside, but just relaxing and letting that turkey digest? Welcome! I wish I had a warm and homely Christmas anecdote to share with you but my memory is like a sieve and the years have just sped past in a blur. Sorry.

I’m here blogging today because, well, I usually end up doing some kind of work over Christmas, but—more importantly—my first sci-fi romance with Samhain is published today. It’s called Combat! and it’s a first-person erotic sci-fi romance. I think of it as Bruce Lee meets Humphrey Bogart. Your eyes crossed as you read that, didn’t they? C’mon, be honest.

I’ll admit an agenda here. As a child of the global South, I like to read of more heroines who have tawny/olive/brown/black skin. So I wrote one myself. And thank Anne Cain for coming up with such a lovely cover that captures the spirit of Ebony Strike so beautifully. Aldanen, the hero, looks like a god and is noble and gorgeous, but you’ll just have to rely on your own imagination for an image of him!

Just to hop on my soapbox for a moment here, I firmly believe the desire for romance and adventure transcends skin colour. I’d also like to believe they transcend species. They are intrinsic cravings within us all and I hope I’ve written characters that will resonate with you even if you share fewer physical traits with them than you would normally. Happy reading.

In closing, I’d also like to congratulate fellow authors Keith J Bowers, Kira Stone, Jamie Craig, Emma Wildes, and Ann Warner on their Christmas Day releases and hope that everyone finds some time to catch a bit of relaxation during this hectic season.

KS ‘Kaz’ Augustin
Spicing up the galaxy…one planet at a time!
Visit me at http://www.ksaugustin.com for news, reviews and a dash of opinion

Wow, it’s finally here. Release Day. I feel I’ve been part of the Samhain family for so long and it was a bit of a shock to realise that my very first release was only slated for today! And, you know, I have to laugh, because The Dragon of Ankoll Keep is a fantasy romance and I’m usually a sci-fi junkie! I know, the obvious question is, then why did you write it?

Can I tell you something? I was putting together a continent I imaginatively called The Land. And I had an idea for a bunch of tree-dwelling inhabitants to go on a quest of some sort throughout The Land, in search of the secret of mozzarella cheese. (Don’t ask.) I did the maps, wrote up the lexicon, the geneologies for the tree-dwellers and everything. Anyway, as they travel, the tree-dwellers come across a couple of starcrossed lovers. It’s only a brief encounter and they move on. And, I believe, I moved on. But my subconscious obviously didn’t.

I don’t know why I wrote The Dragon of Ankoll Keep. I wasn’t deliberately setting out to write a fantasy. But out it came, the first adventure of Gamsin and Ankoll, with the serious, cynical Gamsin, a thief who’s been kicked around a bit by life, and Ankoll, the arrogant sorcerer who learns, almost too late, that there’s more to life than sheer magical power. And there’s a twist in there, although I won’t tell you what it is. I hope you like their story.

Link to The Dragon of Ankoll Keep
ISBN: 1-59998-609-4
Length: Novella
Cover art: Christine Clavel

PS It wouldn’t be fair if I left out the astounding cover art of Christine Clavel. Christine’s art for Dragon is one of September’s entrants in The New Covey Awards. Voting has begun and will continue till the weekend. If you have some spare moments, please pop along to www.thenewcoveyawards.blogspot.com and vote for your favourite.

KS “Kaz” Augustin
Spicing up the galaxy…one planet at a time!
http://www.ksaugustin.com
(I’m on the lookout for newsletter subscribers. First issue October first! Visit my website for details)

A lot has been written about why writers write. Isaac Asimov, for example, encapsulated much of how writers think in this little snippet from his book Asimov Laughs Again:

I was once being interviewed by Barbara Walters in three segments, all at once, though they were to be run on three separate days. In between two of the segments, she asked me how many books I had written, and I told her. She said, “Don’t you ever want to do anything but write?”
“No,” I said.
“Don’t you want to go hunting? Fishing? Dancing? Hiking?”
And I said, “No! No! No! and No!”
She said, “But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?”
I said, “Type faster.”

We know, as W. Somerset Maugham said, that “there are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” Alas, decades later, we still twist this way and that, and the rules continue to elude us. And I could not let this little essay slip by without also including a quote from a writer, and person, I admire immensely…Mark Twain. He said: “If I had more time, I would write a shorter story.” Wisdom and witticism. The man was a marvel.

I can also ::koff::sympathise::koff:: with Anonymous’ corollary of an editor’s part in any author’s life: “The relationship of editor to author is knife to throat.” (But don’t tell any of the Samhain editors I passed that along, okay?)

And, with all the kerfuffle going on regarding various writer organisations recently, I’m sure we’ll all nod sagely when reading detective novel writer John D. MacDonald’s remark that “if you would be thrilled by watching the galloping advance of a major glacier, you’d be ecstatic watching changes in publishing.” Although, to be honest, I don’t quite agree with him. Romance publishing has seen changes in the past five years alone that, in my opinion, can’t be equalled by any other genre. The quote’s still funny, though.

But that’s just one side of a very symbiotic coin. Because all of the above are from the writer’s side of the camp, we find quotes—witty, ironic, sarcastic—galore. But what I’m wondering is this: why do you read?

After all, our words would mean nothing without you. We know why hundreds of writers write. But what is it about you or your situation that makes you want to read? Do you read mostly for educational purposes? To escape from your present situation? Has something you’ve read helped you deal with a difficult situation in your life? If you had the chance—and I’m giving you one right here—what drives you to read? Or, what quotable quotes would you come up with to describe the very valuable act of reading itself? A blank Comments pane awaits you…

Kaz Augustin
Spicing up the galaxy … one planet at a time!
http;//www.ksaugustin.com