Samantha MacLeod's Blog, page 32

Punching Perfectionism in the Face

I’m not always a fan of The Classics, but I do love The Plague by French philosopher Albert Camus (yes, despite its regrettable lack of erotica). This novel is an amazing story about humanity coming together during a crisis, and the characters are heart-breakingly believable.

One of those characters, Joseph Grand, is writing a novel, and his friends constantly ask him how the novel is going. Well, as the story progresses, the reader learns Grand is still working on the first part of his novel. Actually, the opening.

Actually, he’s spent years of his life writing the first line of his novel.

That’s literally all he’s written. At the end of The Plague, Grand tells the narrator he’s pretty happy with his first line, but it’s maybe not quite perfect.

I love Joseph Grand. Because that’s totally me.

As I said in my earlier advice post, I spent over a decade of my life not writing anything. Because my ideas weren’t perfect.

And, like Joseph Grand, I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the most perfect sentence ever written.

You can probably guess how well that turned out for me.

Of course, writing’s not the only part of my life where I feel pressure to be perfect. And if there’s one time of year that kicks my nascent perfectionism into overdrive, it’s THE HOLIDAYS!

Actual footage of Samantha MacLeod

Yes, I am officially Not A Holiday Person. I freaking hate the whole month of December, from the first to the twenty-fourth.

When I sit down to think about it, why does the season of wrapping paper, tinsel, reindeer, and high pitched irritating songs make me want to sucker punch someone?

I think it’s because, deep down, secretly, I actually love Christmas. The promise of brotherhood. The celebration of life and light in the dark of winter. The cookies.

But of course, loving it means I want it to be…

PERFECT!

And when the cookies burn, or we can’t afford to get the six-year-old the mechanical flying bird she wants, or I just don’t have time to individually hand-craft 200 little peppermint pinwheels to send to all our beloved friends and family…

Well, I get bummed the hell out.

And here’s the thing about perfectionism. Wanting everything to be perfect doesn’t actually inspire me to work harder. Or to work at all. Instead, wanting everything to be perfect makes me curl up in a little ball and cry about how everything sucks, writing and Christmas cookies included.

So what do I do?

In my experience, there’s only one cure for perfectionism, and that’s rolling up your sleeves and getting the fuck to work.

Be like Bernie.

Yeah, I might think my ideas suck. And hey, my ideas might actually suck.

But they’ll never have a chance if I don’t let go of the illusion of perfection, and just give it the very best I’ve got.

It’s not going to be perfect. Ever. I cringe now when I pick up Trickster’s Lover, because there are a whole hell of a lot of scenes I’d still be tweaking if I hadn’t just let it go…

So stand tall, my writer (and/or Christmas-hating) friends. Own up to your perfectionist tendencies. Look them in the eye.

And then punch them in the face.

And get back to work.

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“I do so love to talk about my most humiliating moments.”

The wonderful Dawn of Dawn’s Reading Nook just posted an interview with Loki, of both Norse god and Trickster’s Lover fame.

He does look pretty good on this cover…

If you’d like to know why Loki was drawn to Caroline, or the wildest place he ever seduced her, or the answer to the boxers, briefs, or Commando question… check it out here!

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Coming in 2017: The Night Watch

I’m thrilled to announce my novella The Night Watch will be published in 2017 with Less Than Three Press.

I am SO EXCITED!

THIS EXCITED!

I’ve dreamed of having a publishing contract since, well, since the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. And last week, I SIGNED THE CONTACT!

Yes, it was every bit as satisfying as you imagine. Right there in the middle of Staple’s, no less.

How satisfying? This satisfying.

The Night Watch is a bit of a departure for me. It’s not based on mythology – Norse or otherwise. Instead, it’s an M/M romance set in a fantasy world.

In other words….

It IS a sexy, sweet story, and I think you’re going to love it.

Here’s the blurb-in-progress:

When Prince Liam returns to his kingdom of Cyon after five years at the Academy, there’s only one person he missed: Cerdec, his closest childhood friend. But Cerdec is now a knight sworn to protect the kingdom, and Liam fears he is the only one who remembers their small, stolen moments of tenderness.

Newly-sworn knight Cerdec Evenstone has had no shortage of lovers since Prince Liam left Cyon, but he’s never felt as close to them as he once felt to the prince. Now that Liam has returned, Cerdec is prepared to serve as his personal guard, even if the position torments him with longing he’s terrified to voice.

And if it means he must welcome and protect the bride Liam’s father selected for the Prince…

Stay tuned for ALL THE UPDATES, my friends.

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“Nothing is ever truly peaceful when it comes to Loki.”

Jennifer from Hines and Bigham’s Literary Tryst had some lovely things to say about Honeymoon!

Jennifer wrote:

“Honeymoon is like an extra shot of Loki and Caroline. If you loved them in The Trickster’s Lover then this is a must read.”

And she adds… “Beware when your man asks… ‘Do you want to try something different?'”

No kidding, Jennifer!

You can read the full review here.

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Pumpkin Pie to Amaze Your Friends & Terrify Your Enemies

There’s a few things I can do. I can start a fire, pitch a tent, and cast a fly rod. I grade essays with the best of them (sadly, not always with gifs).

And I can write one hell of a magical Norse god gender swap sex scene, which you can read here.

But when it’s Thanksgiving – the best of all holidays, hands down – there’s really only one skill that matters.

The pie, baby.

Time to bake!

The pie is pumpkin, and from an actual pumpkin, thank you very much, none of that canned junk for cheaters. I’ve tweaked this recipe since I was 18 (which gives you some insight into the kind of ass-kickingly cool teenager I was) and by this point it truly is the pie to amaze your friends and terrify your enemies.

And now, my internet friends, I give it to you.

Use your powers wisely.

Step One: The Pumpkin

Don’t do canned pumpkin, my friends. Not this time.

This is THANKSGIVING!

Buy yourself a pie pumpkin (not a regular pumpkin – those taste terrible) and roast it at 350 for an hour or so, until you can stick a fork in it with no resistance.

It’ll look like this

Then scoop out the pumpkin and mash it up, or use a blender. You should have about 1.5 cups of pumpkin. Yummy!

Step Two: The Crust

Hell yeah you’re gonna make your own crust!

(Note: this recipe makes two crusts. You can use the second crust for cute little decorations, if you’re into that kind of thing…)

Combine 2.5 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1 Tbl. sugar in a food processor. (It helps a LOT if you have a food processor.)

Add two sticks of butter (16 Tbl.) cut into small cubes, and process until the butter is in pea-sized clumps.

Mix 3 Tbl. sour cream and 1/3 cup ice water, and add to the flour/butter mixture in the food processor. Add more water if it seems too dry – but go easy on the water, or your crust won’t be flaky.

And your crust NEEDS to be flaky, man. It’s Thanksgiving!

Yes, Loki will judge you if your pie crust isn’t flaky.
Step Three: The Pie

First, turn the oven to 300.

Then combine:

Your 1.5 cups of pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, .5 tsp. salt, 1.5 tsp. cinnamon, .5 tsp. ginger, .5 tsp cloves, .5 tsp. nutmeg, .5 tsp. allspice, 1 Tbl. maple syrup, 1.5 cups heavy cream, .5 cup milk, 2 eggs.

And whip it. Whip it good.

Actually, don’t whip it – I couldn’t resist my Devo moment. Just stir it till it’s smooth.

Here comes the crazy part. Put your pie crust in the oven empty. My crust always falls down the side of the pie plate when it cooks, so don’t freak out if that happens to you.

After you put your crust in the oven, put your pie filling in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for half an hour.

After both crust and filling have cooked for half an hour separately, it’s time to reunite those puppies and put it all together, in the oven, at 300, for another 30 minutes (or until the pie filling doesn’t move when you jiggle the pan).

Let it cool a bit before you dig it and (of course) serve with whipped cream!

Boilermakers optional

Happy Thanksgiving, virtual friends!

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“Just the right amount of action and sexual tension.”

The Paranormal Romance Guild gave The Trickster’s Lover five stars!

Five beautiful stars!

Reviewer Debby Foulkes wrote:

“I wanted Caroline to succeed and was on her side all the way through. The sexual scenes were tasteful and well written and I enjoyed reading about Ragnarok and Norse legends. The Trickster Lover is well written with characters that you can’t not fall in love with.”

Why thank you, Debby!

*blush*

You can read the entire review here.

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That One Scene

I’ve been writing erotica for over a year now, and I’ve written a LOT of naughty sex scenes.

There’s only been one time – and it happened while I wrote Honeymoon – when I thought, “Huh. I wonder if this scene goes too far?”

So what did I do with that one scene?

I asked the amazing Janine Ashbless if she’d like to put it on her blog, of course!

You can read it here. And let me know if it goes too far, will you?

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Book Review: Cover Him With Darkness by Janine Ashbless

I. Love. This. Book.

Loved it so much I bought the paperback, yo.

In my review of Ashbless’s excellent novel Summer Seduction, I wrote about her amazing sex scenes, her flawed, fascinating, believable characters, and her gleeful disregard of romance novel troupes.

Well, Cover Him With Darkness has all that times one million.

This novel tells the story of Milja, the daughter of a village priest in Serbia. There’s a cave beneath their small, mountainside church, and in that cave there’s a naked, chained prisoner who looks like a man but most certainly is not…

Think you know where this is going?

Trust me, you don’t.

No, you don’t.

Cover Him With Darkness is one hell of a wild, sexy ride. This book has more twists than a corkscrew, and none of them felt artificial.

Ashbless takes us from the high mountains of central Europe to Boston to Burning Man, and she’s such an excellent writer that I truly mean “takes us.” I could feel the sand of the Nevada desert beneath bare feet and the chop of the waves on the Mediterranean. To say nothing of the intense, erotic, and imaginative sex…

And somewhere along the way, between the dozens of plot twists and the Kindle-melting erotica, this novel raises some enormous questions: What does it mean to love someone? What loyalty do we owe family, tradition, and the pull of our own hearts? How shall we balance compassion with justice?

Damn, if Dostoevsky wrote smolderingly hot erotica about fallen angels, he’d be Janine Ashbless.

This sexy story twisted my preconceptions so much that, by the time the most infamous Fallen Angel made his presence known, I wasn’t even certain which side I was rooting for.

But one thing is damn sure.

I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

The sequel comes out in March of 2017!!!

Check out Cover Him With Darkness here, and then cancel your plans for the rest of the day.

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“I only wish this had been a full length novel instead of a novella.”

The wonderful Danielle of Caldwell Books just gave Honeymoon five stars, and a #MustRead. YAY!!!!

According to the review:

“Though only a novella, Honeymoon delivers adventure, excitement, and a whole whack of steamy sex. And, of course, the narrative encompasses mythology in a way that’s accessible but also more in depth than you’d get from reading a basic Norse myth book. In other words, this shit is my crack.”

Also…

“This is meant as a standalone and it can definitely be read that way, but I highly recommend reading Trickster’s Lover first—if only for the fact that if you haven’t read Trickster’s Lover, you’re missing out my friend. Really, really missing out.”

You can read the entire review here.

And thank you, Danielle!

I only wish this had been a full length novel instead of a novella.

The wonderful Danielle of Caldwell Books just gave Honeymoon five stars, and a #MustRead. YAY!!!!

According to the review:

“Though only a novella, Honeymoon delivers adventure, excitement, and a whole whack of steamy sex. And, of course, the narrative encompasses mythology in a way that’s accessible but also more in depth than you’d get from reading a basic Norse myth book. In other words, this shit is my crack.”

You can read the entire review here.

And thank you, Danielle!