Samantha MacLeod's Blog, page 27
March 23, 2017
The Story Behind the Story: Persephone Remembers the Pomegranates
Since Monday was the first day of spring, it seems like an auspicious time to do a “story behind the story” for my erotic short, Persephone Remembers the Pomegranates.
[image error]
Way back when I was in third grade (or so), my class got to visit the library once a week so we could listen to a nice volunteer read us a book of Greek mythology.
I was hooked.
I fell in love with mythology at that moment, and I haven’t looked back since. That’s where I first heard the myth of Persephone’s abduction. And, even at eight years old, that story was just unsatisfying.
In its stripped down version, the typical story goes like this: Hades erupts from the Underworld in his terrifying chariot, grabs the innocent Persephone, and takes her back under the earth with him (rape wasn’t included in the “safe for children” version, but it’s implied). Poor little Persephone then wanders around the Underworld, depressed and alone, eating six/five/four pomegranate seeds in a moment of weakness.
Meanwhile, Persephone’s mother Demeter unleashes hell on the moral world, until finally the gods relent and return Persephone to her mother. Persephone then gets to live in the mortal world but, because she ate those seeds, she must return to the underworld and live with Hades for six/five/four months of the year.
Most versions end with: “And that’s how those primitive cultures explained the changing seasons,” rendering this myth just another pretty, outdated story.
[image error]The Rape of Persephone by Hans von Aachen
What a bummer, right?
Because there’s so much more to this story!
The myth of Persephone and Hades isn’t just an allegory for the seasons. To me, it’s a myth about womanhood, and about the conflicting desires women experience as they leave their families and establish their own lives as sexual beings. It’s also an allegory for motherhood, both a cautionary tale about the dangers of holding on to your children and a richly evocative picture of what it’s like to let those children go.
What’s more, I don’t think most re-tellings do justice to the characters of Hades and Persephone.
Persephone is the goddess of spring. Spring is usually portrayed in Hallmark-style illustrations of fluffy bunnies and fuzzy chicks, as if the season were harmless. But that has not been my experience of spring.
I grew up in Colorado, and I was lucky enough to have outdoorsy parents who dragged their kids into the mountains (and vacationed in a log cabin with no running water or electricity, as described here). Spring is a dangerous, unsettled time in the high mountains; the melting snow is prone to deadly avalanches, and a late snowstorm can destroy a garden. Spring floods, spring freezes. Spring destroys before it creates.
Spring is also a dangerous psychological time. The lengthening days and the return of sunlight can trigger suicidal thoughts in those who have managed to hunker down and make it through the winter. May and June have the highest suicide rates. T.S. Eliot wasn’t kidding when he said, “April is the cruelest month.”
The goddess who embodies spring, I think, would not go quietly into that dark night. She would not mope around the Underworld, and then meekly submit to her prescribed fate.
Besides, Persephone is not exactly meek in the mythology. She’s a key figure in the myth of Orpheus, for example, sitting beside her husband and debating the fate of the singer. Some versions even have her persuading Hades to let Orpheus return to the world of the living with his wife.
[image error]Pinax with Persephone and Hades, 500-450 BC
I wanted to capture a Persephone who reflected spring, someone who was an equal match for the God of the Underworld.
And speaking of Hades…
[image error]
Hades usually gets the bad-boy treatment, and not just because of Disney. He is the ruler of the underworld, after all; he’s associated with the unbreachable gulf between the living and the dead, and the capricious nature of our own mortality.
So he tends to freak people out.
But the myths don’t paint Hades as an evil character, or even as the embodiment of death (FYI, that’s Thanatos). He’s not exactly warm and fuzzy, but he’s just, fair, and he mostly sticks to himself. Hades is, as several versions of the myth point out, not a bad match for Persephone.
I like the idea of Hades as a fair ruler, someone who does his best to hold the universe together. And, since people are so afraid of him, perhaps his best has been forgotten..?
[image error]Hades and Cerberus
I won’t pretend my 5,000 word short story captured these complexities, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t point you in the direction of Rachel Alexander’s novel Receiver of Many, which is an outstanding Hades and Persephone love story.
Still, I had a blast re-visiting the world of Greek mythology and spending time with the characters who have captivated human imaginations for millennia. And I hope you’ll enjoy it too! 
March 21, 2017
Rejection Update!
As I wrote here, my New Year’s Resolution was simple.
Get Rejected!
I pledged to submit more stories, more often, and try to get smacked in the face a whole hell of a lot more in 2017.
[image error]
So how’s that working out for me?
Well, I’ve gotten six rejections thus far. YAY!
[image error]
And, of course, I’ve been filling in the swirls on my rejection art.
[image error]
When I first started the Rejection Art Project (yes, I feel that’s worthy of capitalization), I was writing and submitting literary stories under my super secret real name.
To be honest, my literary stories have tapered off somewhat since making my rejection resolution – I’m just more drawn to erotica, and to bigger, longer, harder…uh…projects.
[image error]
But I still harbor the occasional delusion of literary grandeur, and I’ve still got a virtual stack of unpublished short stories in the trunk, so I’ll keep chipping away at that rejection art.
Bring it on, literary magazines.
[image error]
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
March 17, 2017
The Trickster’s Lover is EVERYWHERE!
No one warned Caroline it would be life or death.
[image error]
The Trickster’s Lover, my erotic paranormal romance, is now available just about everywhere!
[image error]
Yes, it’s still on Amazon.
But it’s also on iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and several other places I didn’t even know existed.
And to celebrate, I’m having a sale!
The Trickster’s Lover is going to be only .99, everywhere, through this weekend!
[image error]
So pick up a copy while it’s on sale, and enjoy!
March 15, 2017
Hey, Baldr!
I’ve got 50 philosophy essays to grade, an entire novel to revise so I can start the editing process, and the kids were home yesterday with a snow day.
Naturally my brain decided to give me another idea for a story RIGHT NOW!
[image error]Actual footage of Samantha MacLeod
I was sitting down, staring at my mountain of work, when my brain whispered… “Hey, BALDR!”
Who’s Baldr, you ask?
He’s a Norse god, of course! The son of Odin and Frigg, Baldr the Beautiful plays a minor but important role in the Eddas.
[image error]Lookin’ good, Baldr!
After Baldr dreams of his own death, his mother travels the Nine Realms, forcing everyone and everything to vow not to harm her beautiful son.
Everything agrees…except mistletoe.
Enter Loki, our favorite Norse god.
[image error]Lookin’ good, Loki!
For rather unclear motives (which are explained fully in my erotic Loki romance novel, of course), Loki fashions a mistletoe dart and gives it to Baldr’s blind brother, Hodr. The dart pierces Baldr’s heart, and he dies.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The myth continues here, and ends with the punishment of Loki. That’s not what got my attention.
Because Baldr didn’t fall in battle, he ends up in Niflhel, the realm of the inglorious dead.
And who rules Niflhel?
Loki’s daughter, Hel, who is variously described as “half dark and half light” or, more poetically, as half living and half dead.
[image error]Lookin’ uh, oh, hi Hel!
Well. I do wonder how the two of them hit it off…
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
March 13, 2017
Book Review: Cautionary Tales by Emmanuelle de Maupassant
When I was 12 or so, a copy of The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm found its way into my dad and step-mom’s house.
[image error]
This was not the Disney version.
In these fairy tales, the little mermaid was spurned by the prince and turned to seafoam. Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and sisters were given red-hot iron shoes, and forced to dance until they died. And, in at least one story, children were slaughtered and baked into a pie.
Needless to say, I loved the book.
And I’ve never found anything quite like those stories, with their dream-like settings, brutal, capricious justice, and graphic violence.
Until I picked up de Maupassant’s Cautionary Tales.
[image error]
Narrated by the restless spirits of the dead, these are dark, serious fairy tales. Each story is a warning – against greed, deceit, and even caution – yet they all feel fresh and surprising.
I loved Cautionary Tales even more than the Brothers Grimm collection, because the good Brothers, whether through careful editing or just 19th century German sensibilities, totally ignored human sexuality. De Maupassant, however, embraces sexuality in all its forms, from human to demonic, from the dangerous seduction to the poignant pain of lost love.
Over the course of these short, stand-alone tales, de Maupassant weaves a beautiful world, drawing on Slavic traditions and incorporating her deep knowledge of the culture. These stories transport you to the kitchens, bathhouses, and terrifyingly deep, dark forests of folklore…and the real world seems that much more nuanced and interesting when you return.
Now if you’re excuse me, I’m off the search the forests for a certain flower. Or at least a well-endowed demon…
[image error]
You can find Cautionary Tales right here.
Enjoy!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
March 8, 2017
New Cover Reveal!
Have I got a surprise for you!
The fabulous Teresa Conner gave The Trickster’s Lover a total makeover.
Check out this gorgeous new cover!
[image error]
My dear friend and fellow erotic romance author Mira Stanley suggested my previous cover didn’t exactly match the heat level of the book.
Well, I think it’s safe to say the new cover is about 100 times sexier!
And it looks just as good in person…
[image error]
*drool!*
Ms. Conner also made me some beautiful promotional graphics.
I absolutely love these – they really capture Caroline’s personality. Plus I feel like an actual author now that I have graphic teasers.
March 6, 2017
Sneak Peek at The Wolf’s Lover
I blogged a bit about my second novel in January.
Currently, I’m slogging through the revision process (and getting that much closer to editing – wheeee!).
Right now, revisions are going fairly well. I’m still in the “major renovations” stage of revising – chopping characters, rewriting entire sections, that sort of thing. If a novel were a house, I’d be knocking down walls and saying, “Hey, wouldn’t a window look good there?” Fine-tuning – painting the walls, hanging curtains, deciding if a character “sighed” or “exhaled” – is still a ways off.
But hey, I’m getting really excited about this one, so I’ll share another excerpt with you, my lovely reader…
The Wolf’s Lover Excerpt
My dreams were unsettled and disturbing. I woke tangled in the sheets, my heart pounding, certain I’d been running from something low and dark and close behind my back.
I stared at the ceiling and took a few deep breaths as my heart knocked frantically against my rib cage. My alarm clock said it was barely past three in the morning. I sighed. Sleep just may not happen tonight.
And then I heard someone in my kitchen.
It was impossible, but I heard the soft tsh of a cabinet drawer closing. Then the low hiss of the kitchen faucet.
I froze as my body flooded with adrenaline, my muscles tensed, and my fingers knotted into fists. Susan? Who else has a key?
I looked around my darkened bedroom. I didn’t own a gun, and all my knives were in the kitchen. Something heavy, something solid… I finally settled on a lumpy, oversized coffee mug I’d gotten from a local artist at the farmer’s market.
I came to my feet as silently as possible and wrapped my fingers around the coffee mug, my heart racing. The back of my mouth tasted metallic and bitter. I took a deep breath and crept toward the kitchen.
There was someone standing at my kitchen counter. Someone tall. A man. My fingers tightened around the coffee mug as I prepared to bring it down on his skull. I held my breath. This didn’t make any sense; he wasn’t going through my stuff. He wasn’t stealing anything. He was just standing there, at my stove, watching the red glow of the burner under my tea kettle. I frowned.
The dark figure turned to me. “Karen,” he said. “Lovely to see you again.”
I heard the click of the light switch, and my kitchen flooded with white. I blinked. He smiled. Tall, red hair. Wearing a dark suit.
Loki.
The last time I saw him, he’d been pulling himself out of the blood-stained snow in Yellowstone.
“What the fuck are you doing in my kitchen?” I yelled.
He looked from my stove to my counter. There were three mugs in a neat row on the speckled countertop. “I’m making tea. Or would you prefer the scotch?” He gestured to the bottle on my kitchen table.
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “What the fuck are you doing here? Now?”
“Making tea,” he said again. He gave me a disarmingly handsome smile, and I had to fight the urge to smash the coffee cup into his face.
My tea kettle whistled and Loki moved to the stovetop, pouring hot water into the three mugs. My kitchen filled with steam and the scent of lavender and camomile. Loki picked up my white coffee mug with MAINE written on the side and offered it to me. I shook my head. Then I stared back at the kitchen counter, and my heart jumped.
“Why are there three?”
*
Check out the first excerpt here, and stay tuned for more news!
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
March 1, 2017
New House
Some of this story is true…
*
It’s a great house, really.
A split level Cape Cod, three bedrooms and two bathrooms, new roof and furnace, in a beautiful part of town. My commute will be just twenty minutes, and my husband can even take the train. Plus the school district got five stars on the Internet, and everyone’s assured us the local spirits are both powerful and benign.
We toured the house in July, with our Realtor, who pointed out the study could really work as a fourth bedroom. The wallpaper’s a bit outdated, but structurally, everything looks sound. And, even though the house had been empty for a couple of months, the hearthfire was still burning and the shrines of the lares and vestas were well-kept, with fresh offerings.
So we consulted the astrological charts and made an offer. It was a little lower than their asking price, and we wanted them to cover our closing costs too. We didn’t expect the sellers to accept right off the bat, but they did, although they said we’d have to cover our own closing costs.
Of course we did a home inspection, which turned out pretty well, all things considered. The inspector found some problems with the wiring in the downstairs bathroom, although nothing posed an immediate hazard. The vesta of the kitchen seemed upset, and he sensed some hostility from the local forest spirits. Plus the dishwasher leaked.
So our Realtor negotiated with the sellers, and they replaced the dishwasher for us, and got an electrician to rewire the faulty outlet in the downstairs bathroom. We decided to mollify the kitchen vesta ourselves, since we’ll have to live with her, although the sellers did offer a sacrifice to the forest spirits. The home inspector thought something small would suffice, but the sellers went ahead and sacrificed a goat; our Realtor said they must be pretty motivated.
Then it was just down to negotiations with the bank.
We thought everything was fine until the week before closing, when our banker called to say the underwriters had seen bad omens that morning and wanted another consultation about the damn forest spirits. It was frustrating, you know, because I thought the whole thing had been solved by the goat sacrifice.
But our Realtor really worked his tail off finding us a medium at the last minute, and she agreed to write up an inspection report after consulting the bones at midnight in the front yard. She charged us an additional fee for the candles, but I guess that’s fair.
The medium’s report recommended an additional sacrifice, a white rabbit, which was no problem. Really, the only hard part was making sure we caught all the blood in the crystal vial to send to the bank, and then of course we had to pay overnight shipping rates.
The next day I was pretty much on pins and needles, burning incense constantly, whispering prayers to all the gods who might be able to help. I almost didn’t want to answer my cell when it went off in the middle of the grocery store. It was the banker; she said the underwriters had pleasant dreams after receiving the rabbit’s blood, so we were officially cleared to close.
Thank gods!
My husband and I went downtown the next day with two legal forms of identification and the biggest check we’d ever written in our lives, the down payment plus the closing costs. It hurts a bit, you know, when they cut open your palm with the iron blade to have you sign the loan documents in blood. But it healed fast, and besides, we were so ready to move in.
We’ve already got a sacrifice brewing for the kitchen vesta, and I’m picking out new paint colors for the living room.
It’s going to be great. It’s such a nice house.
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
February 27, 2017
If You Can’t Afford My Books…
I recently read an article about ebook piracy (specifically, this article) which said authors shouldn’t get upset about ebook piracy because, hey, it’s an audience!
[image error]Jack Sparrow will read your books. He just won’t pay for them.
That article, plus a pricey car repair last week, has me thinking about money.
Now, I know some romance and erotica authors make bank. I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I am not one of them (yet, anyway). I fully intend to write about the financial side of my indy publishing experiences someday…
[image error]
Instead, I’d like to talk directly to you, Potential Reader Who Can’t Afford My Books.
1. No Judgement
So you say you can’t afford my $2.99 or .99 books?
That’s cool.
No, really. My husband is a high school teacher and I make less than 10K a year as an adjunct philosophy professor. We’ve got two kids. I know what it’s like to have a tight budget.
Also, I’ve spent a lot of years in adult education. I’ve worked with people who live in poverty. If you’re one of them, my hat’s off to you. Your life is far, far harder than mine.
So use that $2.99 to put food on the table, or pay the rent, or get the electricity turned back on. And then…
[image error]CALL ME!
Because I’ll be honest here.
There’s something I want more than your $2.99 (or the $1.47 I make off your $2.99).
2. I WANT YOUR REVIEWS!
Apparently Amazon reviews are the gold standard for selling books.
[image error]Look at those sweet, sweet reviews!
You can’t afford my book, and I want your review. (Even if it’s a bad review – honest!)
So hey, let’s make a deal!
Before you resort to the least-sexy part of piracy – actual stealing – drop me a line and let’s talk about getting you a copy of my book in exchange for a review.
Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, teasers, and free stories!
February 24, 2017
Excerpt from In Bonds of the Earth
If you’ve read my review of Cover Him with Darkness, Summer Seduction, or Falling Deep, you’ll know I think Janine Ashbless is the Dostoevsky of paranormal erotica.
And now she’s back with another amazing novel!
[image error]
In Bonds of the Earth comes out March 1st. Trust me, it’s awesome.
Here’s the book description:
“I will free them all.”
When Milja Petak released the fallen angel Azazel from five thousand years of imprisonment, she did it out of love and pity. She found herself in a passionate sexual relationship beyond her imagining and control – the beloved plaything of a dark and furious demon who takes what he wants, when he wants, and submits to no restraint. But what she hasn’t bargained on is being drawn into his plan to free all his incarcerated brothers and wage a war against the Powers of Heaven.
As Azazel drags Milja across the globe in search of his fellow rebel angels, Milja fights to hold her own in a situation where every decision has dire consequences. Pursued by the loyal Archangels, she is forced to make alliances with those she cannot trust: the mysterious Roshana Veisi, who has designs of her own upon Azazel; and Egan Kansky, special forces agent of the Vatican – the man who once saved then betrayed her, who loves her, and who will do anything he can to imprison Azazel for all eternity.
Torn every way by love, by conflicting loyalties and by her own passions, Milja finds that she too is changing – and that she must do things she could not previously have dreamt of in order to save those who matter to her.
In Bonds of the Earth is the second in the Book of the Watchers trilogy and the sequel to Cover Him With Darkness.
*
Just in case my review didn’t convince you to pre-order this book immediately, Ashbless was kind enough to share an excerpt…
In Bonds of the Earth Excerpt
I was giving my long-dreaded presentation on the anniversary footbridge to Misters Ellis, Singh, Constanzo and Mackenzie…when Azazel walked in.
Oh hell.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” I said loudly, lurching around from behind my desk, grabbing Azazel’s arm and spinning him back to face the door. “Not here, come on, please,” I implored through clenched teeth.
If there was one thing I’d learned by then, it was to not ignore warning dreams. If I’d paid them more attention from the start, things between me and Egan might have gone very differently back in Montenegro…
No, better not to think of Egan, not when Azazel was around. One guy at a time was quite enough to wrap my head around. Especially this guy.
He humored me though, this time, letting me pull him out of the meeting room and through the open plan office without resistance. We attracted a lot of stares, but there was nothing I could do about that except hold my head high.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Out. Anywhere.”
“You’re so impetuous.”
I didn’t need to glance up at his wicked smirk. I could feel it burning its way into my breast.
Bryce, the beardy guy in my new team who’d shown me the ropes of the job and seemed just a tiny bit too eager to talk every morning, stood up from his cubicle to intercept us. “Milja, is everything okay?”
“It’s just fine,” I rasped, towing Azazel faster.
“She’s insatiable,” my demon lover confided with a helpless shrug to my colleague as we swept past.
Bryce stared, mouth open.
“Goddamnit,” I muttered, and Azazel chuckled.
Sometimes it was hard to remember that he’d risked everything to save me.
We reached the doors at the end of the room and I pushed through, past the lobby with the elevators and into the concrete stairwell of the emergency stairs beyond. The only people who came here were smokers on their way to the roof, and it looked empty for now. My panicky momentum fizzled away and I swung to face him.
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” he countered, taking my face in his hands.
“Azazel—” But he cut off my protests with his hungry kiss; a kiss that lanced through me all the way to my core. I gave up resisting, and speaking, and almost breathing, as his lust rolled over me in a hot wet wave. I slid my hands around his neck and tangled my fingers in his messy hair, pulling myself into his embrace. His body was hard as rock, his hands heavy on my waist and hips. The yearning for his touch that smoldered in my flesh day and night woke to a roaring heat.
I’d missed him. His skin, his smile, the peppery scent and salt taste of him. The sweetness of his lips and the harsh rasp of his stubbled chin. I’d missed him so much—like an addict missing her hit.
*
Author bio:
Janine Ashbless is a writer of fantasy erotica and steamy romantic adventure. She likes to write about magic and myth and mystery, dangerous power dynamics, borderline terror, and the not-quite-human.
Janine has been seeing her books in print ever since 2000. She’s also had numerous short stories published by Black Lace, Nexus, Cleis Press, Ravenous Romance, Harlequin Spice, Storm Moon, Xcite, Mischief Books, and Ellora’s Cave among others. She is co-editor of the nerd erotica anthology ‘Geek Love’.
Born in Wales, Janine now lives in the North of England with her husband and two rescued greyhounds. She has worked as a cleaner, library assistant, computer programmer, local government tree officer, and – for five years of muddy feet and shouting – as a full-time costumed Viking. Janine loves goatee beards, ancient ruins, minotaurs, trees, mummies, having her cake and eating it, and holidaying in countries with really bad public sewerage.
Her work has been described as:
“Hardcore and literate” (Madeline Moore) and “Vivid and tempestuous and dangerous, and bursting with sacrifice, death and love.” (Portia Da Costa
Links:
Janine Ashbless website: http://www.janineashbless.com/
Janine Ashbless blog: http://janineashbless.blogspot.co.uk/
Janine Ashbless on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janineashbless
Sinful Press website: https://www.sinfulpress.co.uk
Ebook:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonds-Earth-Book-Watchers-ebook/dp/B01N6W7EL4
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Bonds-Earth-Book-Watchers-ebook/dp/B01N6W7EL4
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/in-bonds-of-the-earth/id1201654085?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/in-bonds-of-the-earth
Print:
Sinful Press: https://sinfulpress.co.uk/product/in-bonds-of-the-earth-by-janine-ashbless/
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/in-bonds-of-the-earth/janine-ashbless/9781910908082
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-bonds-of-the-earth-janine-ashbless/1125264279?ean=9781910908082
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonds-Earth-Book-Watchers/dp/1910908088
In Bonds of the Earth will be available from all major online bookstores in both digital and print. Please contact Lisa Jenkins at admin@sinfulpress.co.uk for any further information.
