Anya Revealed...sort of

So, the ladies at The Long and Short of It asked if any of the Samhain erotic writers would be interested in being interviewed for their Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Review site, and I said yes. The questions were really fun, and I had a blast answering them, but when I realised they wanted a picture to go with the interview, I was stumped.

I don’t like having pictures taken. My driver’s licence could belong to a hardened criminal, the photo is so bad. My hair is in that in-between stage where there is nothing to be done with it except find ways to con it into believing it can behave. I hate studio portraits even more than candid...

...Okay, I think you get the gist.

Maybe one day I’ll be forced to give in and get a really nice picture taken of myself for publicity purposes. In the meantime, please meet Anya Avatar (top left), who will be standing in for me in any situation where my image is requested or needed. She’s the version of me I like to portray to the world...a little sassy, fun and smiling. Please note the red dress and shoes (it’s my favourite colour despite (or because of?) the fact my mother didn’t much care for it) and the hair that looks sort of stylish instead of just out-of-control!

My son was candid enough to point out I seem to have, um, exaggerated a few attributes (I’ll leave you to guess which) but I stuck my nose in the air and told him that was what artistic license was all about.

Damn these young know-it-alls. I hope I live to see him have a bunch of kids who are just like him!

The Samhellion Newsletter

For anyone who likes a little free stuff, you should sign up for The Samhellion, the Samhain writer’s newsletter. Every month it contains articles, free short stories, recipes and an interview with one of our host of interesting writers. The Samhellions are a fun group, and the newsletter reflects the diversity that makes Samhain one of the leaders (in my humble opinion, THE leader) in e-publishing.

And this is a great time to sign up for the newsletter. Over the past holiday season subscribers were given access to free shorts from 30 (yes, I said 30!) Samhain writers. The Freebies were so popular, they’re doing it again. In honour of Valentine’s Day there will be another 16 free shorts on offer, one per day, starting January 31st! Since the December holiday shorts are still available also, you’ll have 46 short stories, from sweet to super sexy, to enjoy.

My short, “Cupid Be Mine” will be released on February 1st, 2009, and I hope readers enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it.

So, what are you waiting for? Go on…sign up! You can do that here

Rock On, E-Publishing

It’s an exciting time to be affiliated with a really good e-publishing firm. The world is changing, and publishing too is in the midst of a massive overhaul. Business as usual just isn’t cutting it anymore, and smart people are actively looking for new ways to publish and deliver books to the people who want them. I may be biased, but to me e-publishing, and companies like Samhain, are not just the wave of the future, they’re the wave of NOW.

I still have to put up with people saying things like, “Soon you’ll really be published,” although I’ve had the pleasure of two releases. It’s just ignorance, so I stifle my annoyance and tell them that I already am published, and leave it at that. Then I read an article like this one, in Time Magazine on-line, and realise irrespective of those views, I’m probably on the right track. Sure, it would be nice to be able to say I have a NY contract with Avon, or Berkley, or one of the traditional publishing houses. But there is a part of me that would rather not deal with issues like massive returns and bogus sales numbers.

Besides, there is news like Lorelei James topping the movers and shakers list at Kindle, which makes us romance writers know the readers are out there, and they’re following the trends. Instead of a book in every hand, how about an “E-reader in Every Hand” campaign?

And for all you readers interested in what the most popular books were at Samhain this past year, the best covers, etc. make sure you join us for the Sammie Awards! It’s gonna be a blast!