Samantha MacLeod's Blog, page 24

Tease Me!

Wow, do I ever love the Death and Beauty teasers Teresa Conner made for me.

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But what to do with them, other than show them off to you fine people?

Well, the geniuses as Steamy Book Bargains have organized a fantastic giveaway so authors (like me) can share their gorgeous teasers, and readers (like you) can get lucky!

Check it out here to enter the drawing for a free Kindle, win a $25 Amazon gift card, or find your new favorite author.

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And of course, you can pre-order your very own copy of Death and Beauty now, on Amazon or just about everywhere else.

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Book Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I adore Neil Gaiman.

Although I didn’t discover his Sandman series until I was in my late twenties, I consider his work a huge influence on my own. For better or for worse, I don’t think I would have written an erotic romance about a Norse god if I hadn’t read Gaiman’s work.

Still, when Norse Mythology first came out, I hesitated.

[image error]Despite the best freaking cover ever

I heard mixed reviews; some people thought Gaiman didn’t add much to the myths, and they wrote that this book was nothing more than a straightforward retelling. I was also hesitant to read a new take on a pantheon that’s such an intimate part of my own work. But last week I finally got over myself and picked up this gorgeous book.

I’m so glad I did.

Yes, Norse Mythology is a fairly straightforward re-telling of the myths.

As it turns out, that’s not a criticism.

Gaiman’s deceptively simple prose and imagery capture exactly what drew me to the world of the Norse gods in the first place: the absolute amoral strangeness of the stories.

We live in a morality-saturated world. Our modern stories all contain messages about how we ought to live in society. The Avengers need to set aside their differences and embrace their friendship in order to defeat the monsters and save the earth. The hero sacrifices herself, and her moment of weakness only spurs her to greater glory.

But the Norse myths, as Gaiman writes in his introduction, seem more like stories written by people who fear but perhaps don’t especially like their gods. The gods cheat and seduce to get what they want. They’re capricious, cruel, and morally ambiguous.

Is Thor really a hero?

Is Loki really a villain?

Gaiman leaves those questions unanswered, and Norse Mythology is much stronger for it.

What’s more, Norse Mythology leaves room for our own stories. What fascinates me about the Norse pantheon, and what’s driven me to write so many Norse-inspired pieces, are all the stories left unsaid.

Loki cut off Thor’s wife’s hair, we are told. But why? And how did he get into her bedroom in the first place?

It’s those unspoken motivations that pull me back to the Norse myths, over and over. And Gaiman leaves the characters as he found them: largely silent.

Make these stories your own, Gaiman urges in his introduction. Tell your friends what happened when Thor’s hammer was stolen…

Thank you, Mr. Gaiman.

I shall.

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Cover Reveal: Death and Beauty

I’ve got an official cover reveal next week, but I just can’t wait!!! So you, my friend, get to see my cover a week early.

We Do Not Sew

My kid is in first grade. Last month, she came home with a research project: Pick an ocean animal, find some facts about it, and then do a visual project.

Most kids picked things like sea turtles or bottlenose dolphins.

Not my kid.

My daughter chose the goblin shark, the most terrifying creature in the entire freaking ocean.

[image error]Cute, huh?

And the visual project?

I suggested a diorama. My husband – the chemistry teacher – suggested a baking soda and vinegar volcano. (I think he was joking.)

Nope. She wanted to make a stuffed goblin shark.

This was a bit of a challenge for me because, like House Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, I Do Not Sew. I don’t have a sewing machine, and I can barely tell one end of a needle from another.

But not knowing how to do something has never stopped me before, so I gave it my best shot! The kid traced a goblin shark on some felt, and I stitched it together.

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I think it turned out okay.

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Cute, even..?

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Flashback Friday: Grad School Life

The Trickster’s Lover, my erotic paranormal romance with the Norse god Loki, is set at the University of Chicago.

[image error]Quite possibly the only sexy thing to ever happen at the U. of C.

And yes, I did actually go to grad school at the University of Chicago. I have a “Where Fun Comes to Die” hoodie sweatshirt to prove it (and an M.A., which is slightly less useful than the sweatshirt).

I also actually did study Norse mythology at the U. of C., and I lived in a crappy graduate student apartment much like Caroline’s.

In fact, here I am, chillin’ on the free couch I rescued from the dumpster.

[image error]Not pictured: Loki

And yes, that’s a map of Montana on the wall. Before moving to Chicago, I lived in a tipi in Montana.

So I’m not making all of this stuff up.

Just most of it.

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Death & Beauty Teaser

The ancient, half-dead apple trees behind our 180 year old farmhouse are blooming!

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And that reminds me of a scene in my forthcoming erotic fantasy romance Death & Beauty…

Death & Beauty Teaser

It was late afternoon on the third day, the final day, and I was feeling damn near desperate. I’d asked to go for another walk in the orchard. This was where Hel seemed the least comfortable; for some reason, this orchard threw her slightly off her game. It was my last, desperate chance. Perhaps I could stumble on something out here.

“Are these all apples?” I asked. I’d given up trying to offer her some knowledge. Instead I was asking a thousand questions in this hopes she’d slip up.

Hel shook her head.  I wished I could ask her why the orchard made her uncomfortable, but after the icy end to yesterday’s little picnic I was trying very hard to keep from prying.

“So…pears? Cherries?”

The trees around us were flowering, filling the air with their delicious perfume. Soft, white petals drifted in the space between us, falling like snow.

She shook her head again, although I wasn’t sure if she was telling me I was wrong or if she was just trying to brush off the stray petals caught in her hair. She was wearing it loose today, and it tumbled down over her shoulders, softening the severe lines of her aggressively unflattering dress.

“Would you even tell me if I guessed?” I asked, with a smile.

The tendons in her neck flexed as Hel turned away from me. I had no way of knowing, of course, but now I was starting to suspect she did that when I actually succeeded in making her smile. I picked a blossom from a tree and brought it to my nose. It had a light, sweet fragrance. I examined it. Five soft, white petals unfurled casually from a pollen-laden yellow core.

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“Apricots?” I glanced at her.

She looked away so fast her hair whipped across her shoulders. At the same time her dress snagged on a log hidden in the thick grass, and she stumbled.

I moved without thinking, catching her arm in mine. It was only after I closed my hand around the twin bones of her skeletal forearm that I realized it didn’t feel right.

Her arm was warm and soft. Like skin.

She met my eyes and a deep red flush burned across her neck and cheek. Then she yanked her arm out of my grasp and stumbled backward, her face again a cold, impassive mask.

Maybe she wasn’t totally immune to my charms after all.

“Pardon me,” I said, holding my hands up in front of me. “I just didn’t want you to break your nose.”

Her lips twitched with the barest hint of a smile, and an absolutely insane idea bubbled through my consciousness.

“Oh, there is something I can teach you,” I whispered.

“Excuse me?”

I stepped closer to her, so close our bodies were almost touching. Her back stiffened, although she held her ground. I met her eyes, trying not to be distracted by the way her breath was suddenly coming faster.

“You’d have to trust me,” I said.

She laughed. It sounded forced. “Trust you? You really think you could do anything to hurt me?”

“I’d never hurt you,” I said.

I raised my hand and ran my fingers softly along the curve of her cheek. Her entire body shivered in response, but she didn’t back away.

“And we should be somewhere private. Where we won’t be interrupted.”

“I know all about sex,” she hissed. But her voice trembled.

“I’m sure you do,” I said. I dropped my fingers, tracing the curve of her jaw. “You’ve read all the books.”

She inhaled sharply as I ran my thumb down her neck. Her pulse raced under my touch.

“Stop,” she whispered.

*

Want more? You can preorder Death & Beauty now for just .99 on Amazon and tons of other places!

And stay tuned – this scene will continue on Janine Ashbless’s awesome blog next month.

Guest Post: Emmanuelle de Maupassant

Emmanuelle de Maupassant is one seriously talented writer.

In addition to her creative, dark, and sexy retelling of Eastern European fairy tales, Cautionary Tales (which I reviewed here), she’s got a modern romantic comedy (Baby Love), a very sexy Viking story (Viking Thunder), and a Victorian erotic novel (The Gentlemen’s Club).

Now, to top it all off, she’s written a fabulous 1920s romance romp, Highland Pursuits.

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How does she manage to hop between genres, moods, and time periods with such grace and confidence?

I have no idea.

But I love it!

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Highland Pursuits, the generous Ms. de Maupassant is offering a free, signed paperback. You can enter the giveaway here.

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What readers are saying

“I can’t tell you how much I love this book. It was a true delight to read. The author has captured 1920s Britain wonderfully, and her detail is exquisite.” – Rachel De Vine

“As a comedy of manners, this is exceptionally well done.” – Fionna Guillaume 

“Highland Pursuits is a wry, clever, incredibly sexy romp… a completely engrossing, utterly enjoyable read. I can’t recommend it highly enough…fabulously fun.” – Malin James

“The scene was set beautifully… I felt like I went back in time to high society Scotland.” – Christine of Sweet and Spicy Reads

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Did I Mention it’s FREE?

You can pick up your own copy of Highland Pursuits, right now, for FREE on Amazon!

And you can connect with Ms. de Maupassant on social media as well…

Social Media Links

Explore Emmanuelle’s website here

Find her on Twitter here

Join her reader group on Facebook, for exclusive giveaways and advance reader copies, as well as a bit of gossip!  here

Or sign up for Emmanuelle’s newsletter here 

Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!

Why Erotica?

Or, as my Very Proper Sister put it during our recent visit, “Why don’t you write something your kids can read?”

Well, I stammered, if I was writing for my six-year-old, all my stories would involve a dog named Bob who runs fast. And, if my kids want to read my writing, they can wait until they’re 18 just like everyone else.

Of course my sister’s real question – the question I’ve seen over and over, wrapped up in different outfits  – is, “Why the hell do you want to write about filthy, disgusting sex?!?”

Good question.

The first answer, the easy answer, is It Just Happened.

I started writing in 2014, after 13 years of not writing a damn thing (I talk about that decision here). I wrote a few sci-fi short stories, some flash fiction, and some speculative fiction.

Then I got this idea…What if the Norse god Loki showed up at my grad school alma mater, the University of Chicago?

In the middle of the night?

In someone’s bedroom?

Well, what would you do if a Norse god showed up in your bedroom? (You’d do this. Don’t lie to me.)

So that’s the easy answer: Smut showed up, and I ran with it.

But that’s not the whole truth. After all, I could have just slammed the door on that smut.

[image error]Leave me alone, you smut!

So here’s the more complicated answer.

First, I’m a philosopher.

I spent six years studying philosophy and religion. I’m fascinated by human decisions, I’m drawn to transcendent experiences, and I want to explore the things that push us to go beyond our greedy self-interest, to defy our own rationality.

In short, I like the things that make people crazy. 

And sex makes people crazy. It pushes our boundaries, it blurs the lines we so carefully build. It defies rationality and reveals something far more interesting beneath the surface.

As a writer, who wouldn’t want to explore that forbidden territory?

Well, as it turns out…

No One Talks About Sex, and I’m tired of it.

Turn on the TV and watch for, oh, twenty minutes.

How many people died in those twenty minutes? At least a few, right? And, depending on the channel or time of day, I’m betting some of those deaths were gruesome.

[image error]Shot in the head? GROSS!

And how many people had sex?

That’s what I thought. You probably saw scantily clad women, flirting, and innuendos, but I’m willing to bet my entire profits (ha!) you didn’t see any actual f*ing.

With a few fabulous exceptions – like Gaiman’s touching and beautiful sex scene in American Gods – lots of books are the same way.

Graphic descriptions of dismemberment, zombies eating people, or exactly what brains look like when you bash a skull?

No problem!

Graphic descriptions of an orgasm?

Hell, no!

Seriously, society? Seriously?!?

We’re cool with all the blood, guts, brains, and death, but we can’t handle something most of us do on a fairly frequent basis? Something that motivates us to do crazy, horrible, and beautiful things?

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Yeah, fuck that.

I’m gonna go write some smut.

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Read Death & Beauty for Free!

Friends, my erotic fantasy romance based on the Norse myth of Baldr and Hel, Death & Beauty, is now available for pre-order!

[image error]Cheers!

You can order it for just .99, and have it on your Kindle first thing in the morning on June 20th!

Or… you can read it now for free!

As I mentioned earlier, I will do anything for reviews. So I will happily send you a copy of Death & Beauty, free of charge, on May 20th.

All I ask in exchange is an honest review, posted during release week (that’s June 20th).

Sounds like a good deal?

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Check out my ARC (Advance Review Copy) Request Form if you’re interested!

(or, you know, just email me…)

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Take That, Winter!

That’s right.

I put flowers on the wood stove.

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Winter, it’s over.

We are DONE!

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