Samhain Publishing

When I was a kid the rules of vampires were so simple and clear cut. Vampires were undead, had to sleep in coffins, sucked blood, couldn’t be out in the daylight, and were the bad guys. The advent of paranormal romance appears to have changed all that. Not that I’m complaining mind you. I like my vampires to be the tortured romantic heroes lost in their immortality and searching for the one who will make their hearts go pitter patter. As a budding author, however, the vampire world has become a complex nightmare and gives me a headache!

Vampires aren’t really easy to research, I’ve discovered. It isn’t as if one can find reliable sources on the culture, as is possible for the cultural nuances of say … Frenchmen in the 1700’s. I’ve been researching by reading other author’s ideas on the world of vampires. Hey, it is a good excuse to spend the day reading, right?

In one author’s world, vampires still need blood to survive, but they aren’t called “vampire” until they’ve become evil and lost their souls. And even then, they weren’t ever dead—not even the bad guys. That’s just the way they were born. In another world, they’ve been made legal and given rights, but still can’t go out in the daylight and still need blood donors to keep them alive. They did die, however, so are still the undead. Garlic and mirrors don’t cause them problems, but crosses and holy water do. And then there is the world where the “vampires” were cursed by a Greek God and not only do they suck blood, they suck souls out so they can have one of their own. Oh, and some of the good guys who were created to keep the world safe, suck blood too but most don’t need to, they just like it, while others need to but they aren’t called vampires.

Confused yet?

In my world, vampires don’t live off blood, they live off emotions. The psychic vampires, or psi-vamps as they are called, were created to keep soul sucking chaotic demons from infiltrating the human population and remaking the world in their image. Psi-vamps eat food to sustain their bodies, but it is human emotion that gives them life. They can cope with the sunlight, yet by preference they are creatures of the dark, and night is when they hunt. In centuries past, they lived side-by-side with humans until the great witch hunts in Europe—a demon plot to rid them of interference, and it almost worked. Centuries later they have learned to blend into and thrive in the modern world. How? Why, they dance for their supper, literally. My psi-vamps are male strippers. After all, what is headier and more filling than lust?

What flavor of vampire do you prefer? I’d love to hear from you!

TK

A whole new world opened before me when I read my first explicit erotic romance. A world were the “s” word was no longer locked in a closet and hidden, as if sex was a horrible act that would leave you tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail if the neighbors found out you did “it”.

I’ve always been a voracious reader. I’ll read anything from the back of the toilet paper packages to huge volumes of philosophy. I read to learn—okay, so I didn’t learn anything from the toilet paper packages, but the cereal boxes … I read to escape into adventure and excitement. I read to expand the possibilities of my life. My philosophy is there isn’t anything not worth reading. Doesn’t mean I agree or am enlightened, just means I shelve the material for future consideration.

My first adventure into erotic romance opened doors to thoughts I had always shoved down and kept hidden. I had that “ah-ha!” moment. If so many people wrote about all those luscious feelings, then more people than just me must feel them! I must be normal! And, to top it all off, the authors were women! Wow! It was a true revelation.

Okay, so sometimes I’m a bit slow. Blame it on generational dogma.

After inhaling around 100 erotic romances in a month, I began think about the written word and the effect authors have on the world. There was a time when HG Wells wrote about landing on the moon and he was laughed at because it wasn’t possible. Jules Verne sent us deep beneath the ocean, but we all knew it was just fantasy.

Then came the historic moment when we watched as Neil Armstrong took the first steps for mankind on the moon. A time came when we actually explored the dark, cold depths of the ocean, even if Captain Nemo is still a mystery.

Shakespeare said, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy.” But I often wonder if our philosophy is broadened by our dreams of yearning for things beyond our experience.

From reading erotic romance, I developed a thesis for my life: If I can imagine it, then beyond all probability, perhaps I can achieve it. And if that is true, then could happily ever after be attainable for me?

I put my thesis into action and changed my life. I went from an unfulfilling relationship barren of any type of intimacy to one filled with intense intimacy in every aspect—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Why? Because I picked up a red hot erotic romance and it opened my eyes to possibilities I’d never imagined.

How about you? Am I the only one whose life has changed dramatically since we opened the doors and let the light shine on the “s” word?

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The Playground

Things always begin this way between me and my twin, Nicole Austin. Not that we are really “twins”, mind you; however, we tend to be so similar in many way, we decided we must be twins who were separated at birth. Doesn’t matter that I’m several years older… VBG

Where was I? Oh yes, things. In this case, the “thing” is blogging. One night Nic emails me and says I need to set a date to blog over at Samhain. I tell her I don’t have anything to blog about. She tells me she’ll help me think of something. And she did. Of course, each topic she came up with, I said “but I don’t know anything about that, how am I suppose to blog on it?” Have I mentioned all of the topics were about writing?

Now I’m down to the wire and I need to get this blog created and loaded and do whatever it is that needs to be done, which I have no idea about. It occurs to me that this is exactly how our co-authored book came to be published here at Samhain. Nicole said, “You should write a book.” I said, “I can’t write.”

She and I went back and forth and back and forth for weeks. Yes, you can. No, I can’t. Can. Can’t. Then one night we were having a grand time creating scenes for the playgrounders (our Yahoo group) when she threw down a gauntlet. In public no less. She says, “I dare you to write a book with me.” The playgrounders, of course, picked up the chorus and egged us on until I finally relented. Of course, I thought to myself (smugly I might add), they will all see I cannot write a book and nothing will come of it. It took about six months, but Mimosa Night was contracted by Samhain. I’ve always thought Universe has a sense of humor…

I’ve been many things in my life, and since I’ll be a collectible in a couple of months, I can say that with utmost honesty. I have a BA in astrological counseling, an MA in theology. My first job after high school was in a psychiatric facility where I learned to love people with all their myriad personalities.

I’ve been an artisan-crafter and a website designer. I can ride a horse, hike a mountain trail, and I’ve even built a house. I’ve been married and divorced, and raised a beautiful and talented child—the part of my life I am most proud of, by the by. I was raised in Southern California among the rattlesnakes and lived 14 years in Alaska with the grizzly bears and moose, and now reside in a city larger than I ever imagined.

It took me 35 years to come up with an answer to the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up: I want to be what I am when I’m being it. Am I a writer? My friend, Charli Teglia says if you’ve had a book published, then you are a writer. So, today I am a writer. Who knows what I’ll be tomorrow?

Do children still do that little rhyme when jumping rope about what will they be when they grow up? Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief? Hmmm, do children still jump rope? lol I wanted to be Hercules. To my dismay I learned that wasn’t possible and I’m still disappointed. How about you? What did you dream of when you were growing up? Are you still working on getting there? Did you get there and change your mind, or perhaps discover the dream was better than the reality? I’m looking forward to all of you readers coming out!

I’m going to be out of town when you are reading this blog. When I come back I plan to read each reply and because I feel so badly about being gone during my very first blog experience, I’m holding a contest. For each person who tells me a bit about themselves here, I’ll enter their name in a drawing for a $10 Samhain gift certificate. The drawing will be held on March 29, 2007, so reply, reply, reply!

TK Winters