Samhain Publishing

I'd like to welcome the hero and heroine, Alex Donovan & Maddie Saunders from my latest contemporary romance, WHAT A GIRL WANTS to the Samhain blog. I hope you enjoy my interview with them.

Selena: Thanks for jumping out of the book to join me today. Maddie, let's start with you. What was your journey like in What A Girl Wants? 

Maddie: The plane trip from to Hawaii was uneventful—

Alex: I have to interrupt here. Uneventful? Is that what you call it?

Maddie: Come on, Alex, even you have to admit it was classic. Besides, you laughed at the prank I pulled on you. Anyway, as for your initial question, Selena, I enjoyed the adventures you created for us, especially the humorous moments. Of course, what’s a romance without heartache, physical pain, angst and and ton of conflict?

Selena: Are you complaining about all that?

Maddie: Me? Never. I’m not a complainer, especially to my creator who has total control of my destiny. I may be a little impetuous—

Alex: A little?

Maddie: Okay, maybe more than a little. But as I told you off the pages, Alex, Selena gave me those traits. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Selena: Your turn, Alex. How would you describe was your journey in this book?

Alex: There’s no other book I’d rather have been created in, even with all the pain we both went through. Maddie’s right, the humor helped a lot, especially when it got real serious and sorrowful.

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I’m getting all geared up for my next release. I’m pretty excited about it, because I loved loved loved writing my FIRST RESPONDERS series. The first book, OFF THE CLOCK, came out in October and starts with Gabe Brenner, an off-duty paramedic, witnessing an accident. And not just any accident – the victim is Carly Douglas, a woman he has some past history with. Now book 2 – IN THE LINE OF DUTY – is all ready to go and will be released on August 28! Perfect timing for a summer time romance, I think! Kendra Givens – who we meet briefly in OFF THE CLOCK – is an RCMP constable and Jake Symonds is a big ol’ thorn in her side.

I set this series in the Annapolis Valley, one of my absolute favourite places to visit in the summer. It’s naturally beautiful with several small towns along its length. There are wineries and fruit and vegetable farms, and also the ocean. A lot of my favourite things all in one place! It was natural that Jake and Kendra enjoy summer activities like charity barbecues (complete with dunk tank!), golfing, and best of all, a picnic on a private stretch of beach. PRIVATE being the important word here…

The only thing as good as the Valley in summer is the Valley in autumn, so you’re not going to want to miss the third book, INTO THE FIRE, coming in November. Cool nights, warm days, gorgeous colours and a bountiful harvest. Not to mention one heck of a hot firefighter who wonders if it's worth giving the woman who broke his heart a second chance.

We’re just coming off a really fantastic long weekend here, with summer temps and lots of sunshine. It was definitely a taster (I hope) of what’s to come in the weeks ahead – and how much I LOVE the summer. I’m looking forward to flowers blooming, camping, and lots of time in the pool. What’s your favourite thing to do in the summer? Private picnics on the beach, perhaps?

I'm moving house today! Okay, really I'm writing this a few days before, surrounded by piles of cardboard boxes and dust bunnies, but it's scheduled to go up on moving day. What I'm really doing right now is shifting boxes and trying to decide where on earth everything is going to go, and then stressing about where the important things are that we need unpacked straight away. You know: toothbrushes, pjs, teaspoons, drinks cabinet…

The timing isn't brilliant as I have my second novel coming out on Tuesday: Handle with Care (see picture on left – even my moving boxes are joining in with the promo!) I'm still not sure if I'll have my broadband connected by then, but thank God for smartphones and cafés with wifi!

I've become a bit of a pro at moving house now, as I've moved fifteen times in the last sixteen years. Some of those moves were planned; some were forced on me. This particular move is strictly voluntary, but this tiny two-bedroom cottage is bursting at the seams with the three of us, and we can't wait to get in somewhere with a proper garden so my daughter can have a paddling pool this summer – assuming we get a summer here in England!

Despite the trauma of moving I'm glad I've lived in so many different homes as it's given me excellent fodder for writing. Here are my top five best and worst places I've lived:

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Jenna's daughter enjoying the snow day

I am not sure what happened to Mother Nature, but someone needs to adjust her meds. Either that or Father Time needs to get his butt out of the dog house and apologize because there is a time and a place for snow, and it is not Spring Break.

I used to really love Spring Break – the idea of a quick getaway to some place that teased of summer. Now that my Spring Break’s are about family vacations I am even more fond of those memories of blissful freedom. And warm weather. Today started with my kids on a two-hour snow delay and included some boot-ruining puddle stomping in the afternoon. Not a ray of sun in sight.

Is it any wonder I’m working on a story set on sandy beaches?

The rain and I need to see other people. More specifically, I need to see more of a totally hot guy called the sun!

Anyone have any fun Spring Break plans? I fear mine will be rained out and I might need to borrow yours!

I wiped out my last blog entry and I'm starting from scratch. That's because my asshole friend just read it and said, “I hate it. Every word of it.”

Specifically, Malbert hated it because he thought I wasn't being myself. And he was right; I wasn't. But now I've got the last laugh because I'm going to spend the rest of this piece talking about the importance of asshole friends.

Why are assholes important? Simply put, you can't trust nice people; you never know where you stand with them. For example: if a nice guy laughs at a joke, is he laughing because it's funny or is he laughing to be nice? If I show a nice guy my manuscript, he'll tell me he likes it because that's just what nice people do. Malbert, on the other hand, will give me his honest opinion. Honesty isn't a trait you find in nice people, and it's probably the most underrated virtue of all time.

All of my characters fall somewhere on the asshole spectrum, and that's what keeps me interested in what they have to say. As a working mother of two, I have to squeeze my writing endeavors into the wee hours of the morning. I can't imagine staying glued to my screen just to hear someone answer "No" to "Do I look fat in this dress?"

Speaking of which, I'm off to put the kids to bed with my asshole husband (who refuses to read my novel because I won't let him do it in the bathroom).

–Elena

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you! Are you wearing green? Do you have a Shamrock somewhere near you? Have you kissed the Blarney Stone and can you sweet talk the love of your life into anything? Yeah, me neither with that last one. Not that I don’t try but you know how that goes.

But today has got me to thinking about superstitions. I am wearing green (had green added to one of my tattoos just so I would never forget, actually). Did you know that St. Patrick’s color was blue for a long time? It slowly changed as people associated the shamrock with his teachings on the Holy Trinity. The superstition of green being lucky actually changed the facts…how cool is that?

There are loads of superstitions out there. For instance, in my family there’s the superstition about throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck. Dig up any of the history of salt and its worth throughout the ages and you’ll probably have your answer as to where that came from. As a commodity, salt was worth more than gold at one point. Not to mention, it’s used in making holy water, so warding off the Devil (the King of bad luck) with it was a natural transition.

Don’t put new shoes on the table was one my mother was militant about. She swore it would bring about an argument or a death in the family. As a kid I remembered wondering if it were the type of shoes that brought on the death or whether the argument that occurred when I plopped them on the table counted. Mom never really explained why but if you think about it…shoes used to be made with little nails in the soles. Nails could scratch the table and therefore you could actually do damage to the furniture with new shoes that hadn’t been worn down a bit.

But the superstitions that inspired my latest WIP? I have no idea where that came from. There’s this poem I grew up with, everyone chanted it “One crow, sorrow. Two crows, joy. Three crows, letter. Four crows, boy. Five crows, silver. Six crows, gold. Seven is a secret that’s never been told.” My mother and I were constantly seeing single crows growing up. If you blew them a kiss, my mother said, they’d take the sorrow with them (If you see me puckered up while driving by myself you now know why). I started to wonder what a character would do if a single crow really DID bring sadness to her life, really was a messenger of some mystical sort. I’m having a lot of fun with this WIP.

Am I the only one who uses superstitions for a spring board? Anyone else out there have any interesting ones to share? For now, you’ll have to excuse me. I have some green beer to drink and a four leaf clover to weave into my braid.

Taryn Blackthorne is an accidental adventurer. You can visit her on the web at www.tarynblackthorne.com and Taryn’s Blog

Do you Pinterest? I’ve been a member for a couple of months now, and let me tell you—it’s addictive. It’s also a great tool for writers. It’s a virtual cork board where you can pin photos and videos, recipes and tutorials. It’s amazing what you’ll find once you start digging around the site.

Here, let me show you a slice of my page.

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I’m not good at blogging. I can never think of anything to write about. I tend to think my everyday life is boring, but since I also write under a pen name (for a reason), I try not to write about too much personal stuff. Hence, my blog is often neglected. Many years ago, I used to do Thursday Thirteen and I loved doing it because I could talk about me in a sort of impersonal way. I understand it’s back and is going strong again. Maybe it’s time to get back to it. So, because today is Thursday, in honor of Thursday Thirteen, I give you:
 
Thirteen Schools I Have Attended
 
1.  Starr King Elementary, San Francisco, CA [Grades K-3]
2.  Daniel Webster Elementary, San Francisco, CA [Grade 3]
3.  Nellingen American Elementary, Nellingen, Germany* [Grade 3]
4.  Boeblingen American Elementary, Stuttgart, Germany** [Grades 4-5]
5.  Schwaebisch Hall American Elementary, Schwaebisch Hall, Germany* [Grades 5-6]
6.  Chipman Jr Hi, Alameda, CA (now a Middle School) [Grade 7]
7.  Col. Johnston Middle School, Ft. Huachuca, AZ*** [Grade 8]
8.  Sierra Vista Jr Hi, Sierra Vista, AZ (now a Middle School) [Grade 9]
9.  Buena High School, Sierra Vista, AZ [Grades 10-12]
10. University of Maryland, Munich Campus, Munich, Germany* [AA Degree]
11. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ  [BA Degree]
12. University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City, UT  [JD Degree]
13. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA  [1 class]
 
*closed
**now a combined elementary and middle school
***now an elementary school
 
Can you tell I was a military brat?
 
Denise
Website: http://www.denisepatrickauthor.com/
Blog: http://denisesden.blogspot.com/
 

I began watching ONCE UPON A TIME with my oldest daughters from the very first episode. I was a bit skeptical, but willing to give it a try. Bottom line? I love it.

But I’ve found my favorite characters aren’t necessarily the traditional storybook heroes and heroines. When it comes to this show, I’m more intrigued by the villains. The heroes… ‘Prince Charming’, for example… aren’t impressing me at this juncture. For one thing, they’re rather predictable.

As a writer, I can tell you it isn’t always easy to make a believable, almost ‘likable’ villain. I prefer to write and be entertained by those characters who have a reason for their naughtiness. The “he’s just evil” types are old hat. And boring. Honestly, any of us could be the villain — it mostly depends on our reaction to circumstance. It depends on what we choose to do with the cards we’re dealt.

Rumplestiltskin is the one villain I would love to rehabilitate. I never would have dreamed in a million years that this child-stealing, creepy, troll-like character could pull such emotions from me. How can one be repelled… creeped out… and yet somehow attracted to someone at the same time? It’s the stuff therapists dream of.

Um, no, this isn’t normal for me. I’m naturally very conservative. The type of woman who notices the bad-boys from afar, but would never dare to get a closer look.

In my opinion, a lot of the Rumplestiltkin/Mr. Gold appeal is wrapped up in two things:

First, his backstory. He was once a normal, humble, and meek man. Not a hero — even branded a coward. But he was a good man, nonetheless. He has a past that makes women like me say: “Awwww! Poor guy.” And want to give him a hug.

The second reason he appeals? I will have to say it’s the acting of Robert Carlyle. He is an amazing actor, giving us glimpses from one moment to the next of the conflicting personalities living within his character. He makes this villain someone you’d like to see win … if only he’d stop being so nasty.

He isn’t handsome, really. He definitely isn’t a pretty-boy. But there’s just something… even when wearing the hideous gray, rubbery make-up… something draws you closer. Just as it drew Belle when she gave him that kiss.

I loved the Beauty and the Beast twist in the episode, Skin Deep. I thought it was well handled, even with the not-so-subtle homage to Disney’s popular version. I really could believe that she would fall in love with the thoroughly unlovable spinner of gold.

The storyline, along with the acting, gave somewhat new dimension to my favorite fairytale and my favorite ‘villain turned hero’, “the Beast”. And yes, folks, after his transformation, ‘the Beast’ was not always depicted as a hot stud. Anyone see the version starring George C. Scott? Enough said.

Will OUAT take the same track with Mr. Gold? Will he be redeemed and receive his own happy ending? There’s that possibility. But as another favorite movie character of mine says: “The bad-guy never gets the girl.”

Either way, I’ll be carefully… cautiously… cheering him on. Hero’s are made, after all, not born.

Who’s your favorite villain?

~~Meg Allison

Indulge your senses…

http://www.megallisonauthor.com

As a kid, I loved our visits to Chinatown in San Francisco and had hoped to stop by our beloved dim-sum restaurant on our latest trip. Instead we found something new – new to me at least – at Vital Tea Leaf. Walking by the shop we saw it had a “tea tasting” sign up and we thought why no.

Actually, I hadn’t planned on partaking in the tea tasting, but ended up doing just that and more.

It started with the peaceful ambiance and skill of the woman who was our hostess. The elegant way she poured, the details she offered in regards to each tea we tasted and how they related to something we discussed also helped. I was hooked when we were shown how to brew and how much to drink. We left with two different types and I bought online the easy to use brewer when we got home.

Yes, me, the non-tea drinker – I joyfully love and worship at the hot chocolate altar – is now an occasional happy healthy tea sipper.

Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
www.tillygreene.com

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Tilly Greene at Samhain Publishing

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook