Samantha MacLeod's Blog, page 35

Don’t Look Back: A Poem

“I can’t live

without her,”

Orpheus said.

 

“To me she is

everything.

All music, poetry.

All beauty,

all life.”

 

“Fine,”

said the King of the Dead.

“Take her and

don’t

look

back.”

 

“Take her

as she is,”

said the Queen of the Dead.

“Begin anew.”

 

And so they left the Underworld,

arm in arm,

hand in hand.

To the very

edge of dawn.

 

And Orpheus said,

“Why did you leave with that satyr

anyway?

Am I not

enough?

Are you that much

of a flirt?”

 

When he turned around,

She was gone.

 

I thought this was going to be a short story. Turned out it was a poem. 

Hope you enjoyed it!

PS. Myth of Orpheus can be found here.

But Is It Done?

I so wanted to finish my M/M fantasy story by September. (I mentioned that story here, along with my hundred other WIPs.)

Well, it’s September, and I just typed the last scene. Yay!

So does this mean it’s done?

Not so fast.

I’m sure there are plenty of authors out there who write something awesome on their first try. But that’s not me. My first draft is more like a junior high goth girl decided to write a short story in her skull-and-crossbones Trapper Keeper. (Yes, that junior high goth girl was me.)

My first drafts are full of inconsistencies, repetition, grammatical errors – you name it, I’ve got it.

In short, they’re a hot mess.

Awwwww, she read my first draft!

To get to the point where I feel even somewhat comfortable sharing my work, I’ve got to go through some major steps.

Revisions

Those inconsistencies I mentioned? That character whose name is [D??], or the dragon that comes out of nowhere in the last scene?

Yeah, this is when I need to clean those puppies up. Roughly, I look for these things:

Consistency

Do the same characters have the same name? For the whole story? Even the minor character with exactly two appearances, on page three and page forty-seven?

Yes, even this guy needs a name

What about seasons? If it’s winter, I shouldn’t have a window open. If the castle uses torches and candles, I can’t describe a room at night the same way I’d describe a room during the day.

Foreshadowing

If there’s a big reveal coming up at the end of the story, I need to make sure I’ve dropped enough hints so this doesn’t come completely out of the blue.

Also, if I’ve built something or someone up, now’s the time to make sure I didn’t just drop them like a hot rock.

Cut, Baby, Cut!

And finally, the most painful part.

Cutting scenes.

Yes, it hurts to kill those darling. But I try to take a really critical look at my piece and ask myself what scenes just aren’t working. What’s too slow? What doesn’t contribute to the plot, or raise the stakes, or help to develop the characters?

In short, who’s got to go?

After revising and cutting, I’m ready for…

Editing

When I edited my novel, The Trickster’s Lover, I printed the whole damn thing out and went through every single line.

So. Many. Edits.

In addition to typos, this was a great way to catch words and expressions I’d repeated, and lines or descriptions that didn’t fit my characters. It was painful, but it made for a much better novel.

So Now is it Done?

Still a hard call. I’ve read Anthony Doerr spent ten years on All the Light We Cannot See (and it’s a freaking masterpiece, so that clearly worked out for him).

Any work of art can probably be tweaked, adjusted, and perfected indefinitely. It’s not like building a table. There’s no single point where you can step back and say, “Hey! A table!”

Side note: I am totally building this table.

For me, I usually call it when any combination of these three things happen:

1.I’m so sick of it I can’t look at it anymore.

2. I decide everything I’ve ever written is terrible, and everything anyone has ever written is terrible, and literature can’t capture the truth of the human experience, and I need some wine.

3. There’s a deadline.

I’m planning to submit this current story (The Night Watch) here, so my deadline is September 30.

It’ll be done by then.

Author Interview on Eliza David’s Blog

I always enjoy reading the fabulous Eliza David’s blog, and now I’m a part of the magic!

To read about philosophy, my passion for writing, and why my inner critic is such a pain in the ass, check out the interview here!

John Cutter Entertains a Visitor: A Literary Short Story

My short story about a prospector in the Colorado Rockies in the late 1800s and his very unexpected guest was just published in Typehouse Literary Magazine!

My husband: Typehouse? I’ve heard of them!                      Me: Yes, because they accepted my story.

You can read Typehouse Magazine for free here, or buy a print copy from Amazon. You can also leave a review on Amazon.

Please, please, please leave a review!

This story is a bit of a departure from my other Samantha MacLeod pieces – it’s not erotica, and it’s not romance. (But there is sex – I can’t seem to write a story that doesn’t include sex…) It’s different, dark, and unpredictable – and I hope you enjoy it, Constant Reader!

Plus, if you’ve read The Trickster’s Lover, you may recognize the stranger…

And if you haven’t read The Trickster’s Lover – what are you waiting for?!? Check it out!

The Trickster’s Lover: A Loki Romance Novel

The Trickster’s Lover, my contemporary paranormal romance novel with the Norse god Loki, is officially available for Kindle and in paperback!

Cheers!

Here’s the book jacket blurb:

Surviving Graduate School ~ Falling in Love ~ Preventing Ragnarök

Graduate student Caroline Capello has always been more comfortable with books than people. She’s just moved to the University of Chicago to become the world’s foremost authority on Norse mythology, making her the only member of her family to leave San Diego, and the family business.

But she’s wondering if she’s just made the biggest mistake of her life.

When the enigmatic and irresistibly sexy Norse god Loki appears in her studio apartment, Caroline is forced to question everything she’s learned.

Do the gods exist? Are the legends about Ragnarök, the apocalyptic battle that destroys the gods and ends the Nine Realms, actually true?

Or is she losing her mind?

You can check out an exclusive excerpt here (which continues here…), and read the reviews here.

And, of course, BUY MY BOOK!

Because this is EXACTLY how I feel right now!

 

The Trickster’s Lover

The Trickster’s Lover, my contemporary paranormal romance novel with the Norse god Loki, is officially available for Kindle and in paperback!

Cheers!

Here’s the book jacket blurb:

Surviving Graduate School ~ Falling in Love ~ Preventing Ragnarök

Graduate student Caroline Capello has always been more comfortable with books than people. She’s just moved to the University of Chicago to become the world’s foremost authority on Norse mythology, making her the only member of her family to leave San Diego, and the family business.

But she’s wondering if she’s just made the biggest mistake of her life.

When the enigmatic and irresistibly sexy Norse god Loki appears in her studio apartment, Caroline is forced to question everything she’s learned.

Do the gods exist? Are the legends about Ragnarök, the apocalyptic battle that destroys the gods and ends the Nine Realms, actually true?

Or is she losing her mind?

You can check out an exclusive excerpt here (which continues here…), and read the reviews here.

And, of course, BUY MY BOOK!

Because this is EXACTLY how I feel right now!

 

Norse Gods & Your Week: Friday

That is what TGIF stands for, right?
Ah, Friday!

In addition to ushering in the glorious, glorious weekend, Friday is the only week day named for a woman in Germanic and Romance languages.

Yup. Yet another area where equal gender representation is an issue.

In the Romance languages (at least in French, Italian, and Spanish) Friday is named for Venus.

Naked chick on a clamshell? That’s her!

In English.. well, Friday’s a bit harder to pin down.

The Easy Answer: Frigga

Friday is Frigga’s Day.

T.G.I.Frigga

The Norse goddess Frigga, or Frigg, is the wife of Odin (although she’s not the mother of Thor). According to the Eddas, Frigga has the power of prophecy but can’t tell anyone what she foresees.

Possibly the worst super power ever.

She’s also associated with all sorts of womanly things, like weaving, marriage, and love. And, hey, Friday!

The More Complicated Answer

It’s not entirely clear if Friday actually refers to Frigga, or to Freya. Wikipedia breaks this down nicely here, so I won’t repeat it.

Frigga is the wife of Odin, and one of the Ӕsir.

Freya is the wife of Óð, and one of the Vanir, the sometimes-friends, sometimes-rivals of the Ӕsir. Freya is also associated with all sorts of womanly things, like love, sex, beauty, and choosing who dies in battle.

To complicate things even further, some scholars believe Frigga and Freya were once the same deity. There’s a nice article about this idea here, but it’s worth noting this is still a matter of lively debate.

Well, in some circles, anyway.

Not these circles
Want more Norse gods?

Check out the Norse origins of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Naughty Loki Scene on Janine Ashbless’ Blog

If you’ve read The Trickster’s Lover excerpt on my blog, you’ve probably wondered what happens next. Well, now you can find out! (Here’s a hint: SEX)

The fabulous erotica fiction author Janine Ashbless posts a Blue Monday erotica excerpt every week, and this week Blue Monday features Loki!

So here you go, naughty Loki for your Monday reading pleasure, thanks to Janine Ashbless.

And of course, you can always order your very own copy of The Trickster’s Lover and have ALL THE NAUGHTY LOKI, ALL THE TIME.

Behind the Scenes: My Current Project(s)

Wow, it’s been a busy summer.

In addition to moving across the country, I’ve got a ton of writing projects in the works.

Actual footage of Samantha MacLeod

First, The Trickster’s Lover comes out on Kindle in under two weeks! You can already buy a paperback version, and soon you’ll be able to buy 100,000 words of sexy adventures with Loki for your e-reader.

Did you say sex & Loki?!?

And my literary short story, “John Cutter Entertains a Visitor,” comes out in Typehouse Magazine this September. The visitor isn’t named, but if you’ve read The Trickster’s Lover, you’ll recognize him.

In Unpublished News…

I’m working on a Loki/Caroline novelette sequel to The Trickster’s Lover. That’s pretty much finished, aside from some minor tweaking. And I need a cover. (Read: I need money to buy a cover.)

I’m not going to tell you the title of that story, because…

But it should come out this fall.

I’ve also got a rough Loki/Caroline Christmas special in the works (it involves Hel), and that may or may not come out – somewhat obviously – for Christmas!

You’re getting Loki smut under the tree, and you’ll like it!

Plus the fabulous Torrance Sené invited me to be part of an upcoming anthology of contemporary erotica. My story will probably involve the fey, and I think it’s going to be an expansion of my favorite flash fiction.

Yes, Tam Lin just wasn’t enough sexy Fey for me.

AND there’s the next novel…

My second novel is about Loki’s son Vali and Karen McDonald, a wildlife biologist at Montana State University.

I’d say this is about 75% written, which means I’m maybe halfway to publishing – revisions and editing are a bitch.

But I’m going to tell myself this will work!

And hopefully the Vali novel will be out in the spring of 2017.

Anyway.

None of that is what I’ve been working on these past two weeks, in motel rooms and with my laptop propped against cardboard boxes.

I’m working on my first M/M romance!

It’s a high fantasy about Prince Liam, who returns to his kingdom after five years at the Academy to find political intrigue, an ailing king, and his closest childhood friend Cerdec, who is now his personal guard…

And Cerdec looks like Chris Hemsworth

Like I said, it’s been a busy summer.

 

 

Winter is Coming

Well, we’re somewhat settled in Maine. And look what I found in the backyard yesterday morning.

Yup. The leaves are changing. In August.

And last night it was so cold I had to dig a sweater out of one of the boxes labeled “Misc. HEAVY.”

Apparently summer in Maine lasts for about three and a half weeks.