Samantha Combs's Blog, page 20

The Battle Between Venus and Mars

This weekend, a business trip that began on Friday became an opportunistic time for me to visit with my brother and Mum in San Diego.  Since she and he always come to my house in Los Angeles, for holidays, my kid's birthdays and, in the case of my Mum, for face-time with me for a week at a time, it was neat for me to go to them.  Not to mention I got to do it solo, because of the integrated business trip at my awesome new job.  Yeah, when you have been married as long as I have, a No Kids, No Husband overnight trip is perilously close to nirvana.  But, I digress.

What I want to tell you about is a conversation I had with my brother.  He's a handsome, single musician, on the fast track to famous for his amazing musical ability (check out www.banjoslim.com!) and we got into a lively discussion on the subject of.........don't laugh........mascara.

Over a couple drinks, and beef kabobs I cooked myself at The Turf Club in Golden Hill, San Diego, Mum and I were lamenting the banes of our existence.  For Mum, she has been on a years-long search for the perfect pair of white linen pants.  I mean, since I have been old enough to remember, she had dragged me through various women's departments looking for the elusive clothing.

She asked me mine, and I knew it right away.......the perfect mascara.  Just plain old black mascara yet I have spent the balance of my adulthood (and some scary black-eyeliner phases in my teens) trying to find the best balance of wand, color, texture and, for lack of a better word, lastability.  As of this writing, I search still.

My bro was almost choking on his laughter.  Mum accused him of not understanding, and trotted out the always incendiary saying, that he was from Mars and we were from Venus and he'd never understand us.  Let me tell you, he took major offense.

And it is this that prompts me to write; I feel compelled to apologize to all men everywhere for not understanding your epic search for the perfect disposable razor.

I had no idea the anguish of purchased, once-used, and discarded drugstore items shared by the hairier sex was akin to that shared by those of us with the fine, tiny lashes just looking for a boost Mother Nature did not see fit to bestow.  My brother explained that the exhaustive search conducted to find his right balance of blade, stem, and, it has to be said, "shavability" matches mine.

Another drink (or two) later and we saw eye-to-eye.  I felt his pain and he felt mine.  He may be from Mars and I may hail from Venus, but for one brief flash in time, like the harmony achieved during a solar or lunar eclipse, our planets aligned.  We knew.  We had felt the sting (no pun intended, Bro) of failed merchandise and advertisements that had never fulfilled.

Yet, it appears we haven't learned.  Mum will come and visit soon and like lambs to the slaughter, we plan to go shopping.  Where?  Probably a drugstore and a mall.  Looking for those damn pants and that friggin' mascara.  And sometime this week, my brother will dart stealthily into a CVS and, with furtive glances to either side, grab a package of pink Lady Schicks.

Teeth and Talons sinks its teeth in a reviewer!

Perhaps you aren't used to me writing horror.  Perhaps it's that you aren't sure I can cut the mustard in the terror-arena.  Whatever the reason, if you are vacillating over if you should read Teeth and Talons, A Horror Anthology, I hope this newt review might help you make up your mind.  


I was reviewed by the meticulous Wanda Hart over at There For You blog and she posted her thoughts here: thereforyoumelissa.blogspot.com/.../teeth-and-talons-by-sama...  in a 6 out of 5-star review!


I was blown away by how much the reviewer loved the four stories in the anthology and the fact that she took the time to comment on them individually.  So, please check out this great review for my first horror book:



http://thereforyoumelissa.blogspot.co...
TEETH AND TALONS by Samantha Combs (Reviewed by Wanda Hart)
A Horror Anthology by Samantha Combs
Copyright © 2012 SAMANTHA COMBS

Cover art designed by Paragraphic Designs

Well I love a challenge and this is my firstever anthology. This is thus a true challenge. So I spend an entire minutefiguring out how does one review an anthology. At the end of that minute afterconsidering hunting down other such reviews on the internet I decided I'll takeit a story at time. Then I will do a synopsis of the entire anthology. Heregoes. Hope you like it.
The Ink Man
The Ink man was an intricate story whichsurprised me in its richness and character building. It was refreshing to read a short story thatwas so rich in characterdevelopment and in setting both mood andlocation in order to ground the reader. 
The story itself was also unique and spoke toperception of ones self and others.  It's in the miscalculationbetween being able to discern between friend and foe that the true horror ofthe story is hidden.  I loved the layered aspect and stand in awe ofthe author that could accomplish so much in so little pages withoutever letting the reader feel as if they are not part of a real storyunfolding. 
I take my hat off to the author foraccomplishing so much with this story. Apart from being a technically brilliantstory it was a really enjoyable read to boot. 
 The Robbery Countdown
This short story was a fun read, not much timeor space to work in any character development but the reader willbe left with the sense of no bad deed ever goes unpunished..  Ireally liked the dialogue between the shop owners in this story and wasgiggling to myself as I read it. 
 Rock and Roll All Night
Aah, my favorite story in this anthology. All is not what it would seem and as with
The Robbery Countdown being evil does notguarantee that you are thehunted and not the prey.  I really liked this story and especially liked the casual way in which the twists wereintroduced into the plot.
The Chair
Really liked this story as well and loved theend.  In this, the lesson might very well be that you should not pushpeople too far, it might so happen that they come upon something thatwill push back for them……..


I love Samantha Combs' writing style.  Itis clear, concise and technically correct.  If any grammar orspelling mistakes were to be found in this anthology then I missed itwhile being enthralledby the stories. 
But no amount of technically proficiency wouldmake me enjoy this book as much as I did without a verygenerous share of talent.  This girl can write!
I have seldom come across an author with hertalent for economizing language without compromising on the storyline.  The horror aspect dawns on the reader with time.  As thestories keep playing off in my head Irealize that I should be wary as to what I accept as being the truth……..

I can't think of a single market that would notenjoy this anthology even if horror is not your preferred readingmaterial.
I give this anthology a 6 out of 5 rating. I will definitely recommend it to all and gift it to a friend withanticipation as to hear their opinion and takes on this story.

A Friday the Thirteenth Treat

So, today is Friday the 13th.  As a showing of thanks for fans recently making my first book, SPELLBOUND, #72 in Christian Science-Fiction/Fantasy (yeah, I don't get it either) in the Kindle store, I have a special treat to share.  I have self-published a new book, trying out the KDP Select program over at Amazon.  May I present TEETH AND TALONS, A Horror Anthology by Samantha Combs, available for $.99:



And here is the teaser:
What do a tattoo artist, a rock band, a trio of thieves anda hen-pecked son have in common?  Theyare all about to enter the realm of the undefined, the supernatural, thehorrific.  Four new stories from SamanthaCombs, award-winning author of Young Adult and Middle Grade fantasy, exploresthe unexplained and the unbelievable in the adult world.  Join her on the journey into madness.  And don't look under the bed.


I am hoping that being known as a paranormal and fantasy writer will help me segue into being known as a horror writer as well.  Several friends and people I follow (namely, J.A.Konrath) have recently weighed in on the whole KDP Select program and they can't find anything wrong with it.  Neither could I, but what do I know?  So, this self-published anthology, coming available sometime today for Amazon kindle, is my personal experiment to test the program out.

Three of the four stories have been seen elsewhere, but the first story, The Ink Man, has never seen the light of day.  Or computer screen.  And I am rather proud of it.

I will check in periodically and let you know how its going.  I'll report my sales figures and the number of books that sell.  And it would be neat if you all read it and review it as well.  Hope you enjoy your Friday the 13th surprise treat.  And like the blurb says, don't look under the bed.

Doing the Next Thing on the List

During the turbulent time 2011 was for me, there were moments when I thought "I can't do this."  Related both to my employment situation, the major surgery I had in May, my family's financial condition, and after I was laid off, the desolation of my period of unemployment.

Luckily, I happen to be the daughter of the most brilliant woman in the world.  She always told me "Take a deep breath and just do the next thing on the list."  Compartmentalizing things and creating a mental checklist always saw me through.

I was just thinking that this philosophy can be applied to my writing as well.  When I first had this thought, I was ready to dismiss it right away.  I reasoned, a pantser (which I am) can't possibly do that since I have no idea what IS on the list in the first place.  But then, I put it to the test last night.

During the time I had the night job, Mondays and Tuesdays were my days off and therefore those evenings were the only times I had to write.  Most nights it was effortless.  But recent stresses and difficulties at the night job had made the "flow", well, go.  I was stalled.  And I was again last night......stalled.  Then I heard a familiar voice in my head.  Instead of the directed and demanding voice of my Muse, I heard the comforting voice of my Mum.  "Do the next thing on the list," she said.

How? I whined.  I've written myself into a corner.  I can't go left or right and I'm facing a wall, Mum.

Then go up.

I sat there blinking for a while, kind of stupidly.  Then I did look up.  I looked up to the wooden ceiling of the den I write in, day after day, and gasped.  The scene I wanted, the scene the book needed, was playing itself out on my beams.  Yep, there was my antagonist, in an AMAZING setting, being, well, antagonistic.  I wrote steadily for an hour and at the end came up with 900 plus words for a super scene that slips effortlessly into the storyline and introduces a new conflict.  Thanks Mum!

So, I challenge you to a new trick when you are stumped or stalled in your writing.  Try and think about what would your character think about doing next.  If he/she had an imaginary checklist: Find love, check, lose love, check, defeat demon, check, then imagine him/her methodically checkboxing finished tasks.  I've always drilled my professional mantra into you, Write, Publish, and Be Informed.  Now, please adopt my personal one.  Do The Next Thing On The List.

Oh....and don't forget to look up.

My Dress Code for 2012

I haven't been silent about the suck-ass year 2011 was for me and my family.  My employer went bankrupt, laid me off and closed and still owes me back wages.  I was unemployed for six months and we barely made it through, before I found another job.  I believed this job was the answer, and instead, it only compounded the problem and skewed my whole family dynamic.  I ended up working unconventional hours and undesirable days, an agreement I still don't remember making at hire.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the job....at first.

It soon became clear to me it was harmful to my children for me to be away at critical hours of the day, namely nights and weekends.  My Mum HATED the job and even though I loved the people working under and with me, I grew to as well.  She fervently begged me to leave it and I began to consider doing that, mentally.  I just wasn't there yet.  I wanted 2011 to be over.

Even though last year was my break-in year, those two books I published through Astraea Press were a small island in a huge ocean of crap.  That being said, you know now why I am hanging my star on 2012.  And its starting out great so far.

I begin a new job on Monday.  A job, I just know, I will excel at and is smack in the middle of my wheelhouse.  I have no less than three new publications releasing this year.  Digital at first, but if I make the sales threshold, I'll see them in print.  Everspell (YA, Astraea Press) in January, The Detention Demon (Middle Grade, Musa Publishing) in Feb and Waterdancer (YA, Musa Publishing) in September.  I also have three (maybe four!) manuscripts-in-waiting that I am writing and am super-excited about where the storyline is headed.

I bought my daughter new dresses and my son a new baseball glove yesterday.  I shouldn't have, but didn't care.  With all the times I had to say "No" last year, it thrilled me to say "yes".  And I wouldn't trade the looks on my babies faces for anything.

So, please forgive me my personal pep talk.  I am happy.  Happier than I have been in a very long time.  Many people have said it, but now I can really believe it.......2012 is my year.  Welcome to my own kind of debutante ball.  My own coming-out, absence only the prom-style dress.  Tapping away on my trusty Toshiba, I'm more comfortable in pink fuzzy slippers, thank you.

New Cover for The Detention Demon

Hi fans!

Wanted to drop a quick note here to introduce the new cover for my fourth publication, the forthcoming Middle Grade horror story, The Detention Demon.  And also to shout from the rooftops, again, about my amazing publisher, Musa Publishing.

My book is due in less than a month and I am fully edited, have a freaky-neat cover, and am fully ready for the February 10, 2012 release date.  Color me impressed.

I hope you are too.  Check out the new cover!


Here's the blurb:

Wayne is a Junior Highschool boy who just got detention for fighting in school to protect hislongtime best friend, Gumby.  But recently, there have been stories aboutdetention.   Kids have mysteriously disappeared, creating creepyrumors about detention class. Now, Wayne finds himself trapped in there withschool bully Bubba Dugan.  Keeping his distance from Bubba won't beWayne's only problem.  In fact, those rumors about the detention teacherdon't seem like stories at all. With his best friendGumby, a crew of delinquents and a surprising late addition, a prettycheerleader harboring a secret crush, Wayne and his group of misfits will haveto band together to outwit the detention teacher.  He's protected his bestfriend from harm his whole life…..but, can he protect him and everyone elseagainst something that might not even be human?  

I am stoked for both the release AND the new cover and I'm sure this will appeal to a young boy, who is my first target audience.  Of course, I dream the book will appeal to all.  Please be sure and let me know what YOU think.

New Year's Resolves and Thanks

As 2011 draws to a close (and I have to be honest, for many reasons, I am not unhappy to see the back-ass of it!), I feel compelled to talk about the things that DID work in 2011.  Without a doubt, most of the great things that happened all had to do with some kind of social networking.

Now, I am not saying that my life without Facebook and Twitter and Linked In would have been empty and devoid of anything.  Indeed not.  I am a wife, mother of two amazing children and I feel incredibly certain that 2011 was my break-in year.  But, I would be remiss if I didn't give some credit to the aforementioned sites.  Let me elaborate.

I wrote and published two books in 2011.  I joined Facebook in June after my publishing company's marketing director advised it was an effective tool for getting the word out about my books.  I had much trepidation and was unsure of what I was doing.  I needn't have been.  Facebook embraced me like a long lost daughter.  I now have well over 650 people I am happy to call friends and even fans.  In 2011, I wrote three more manuscripts and am thrilled they will be the foundation for the successful 2012 I am predicting.  In the words of another author, I am going to work hard to make 2012 my BREAK-OUT year.

I then tackled Twitter.  Slow going at first, I have found that not only is it a great place to showcase my sharp and dry wit, but also a killer place to network for my books.  I have followers, which boggles my mind, and I follow the people and companies that are directly related to my writing.  And it is beginning to pay off in small ways.  I'm not afraid of it anymore and I can now count myself among the legions of people who understand the word "hashtag".

I had been blogging all along, but now I became more focused on the benefits of that as well.  And again, social networking rewarded me handsomely.  I saw my blog followers grow from 11 to over 90, and the "lurkers", those who don't officially follow but check you out every day, have grown the hits on my blog to well over 5000.  I consider that wildly successful.

And lastly, due to my hastily at first and then later more detailed profile on LinkedIn, I have landed what just may be the job of my dreams.  I wasn't looking, but was contacted by a recruiter who read some key things on my profile that matched the job he was trying to fill.  In short order, I sent in a resume, received an interview, conquered that, and landed the position.  It will increase my family's financial position considerably and give me a daily feeling of productivity while being rewarded for my expertise.  Simply put, I am over the moon.

So, I owe all social networking a big thanks and a huge hug.  I love my friends on facebook, I enjoy my contacts on Twitter and I am grateful for the ability to profile myself professionally on LinkedIn.  And I'm not done.  I have recently learned about Tumblr and intend to attack that as well.

So, for all of you who have questioned the value of internet networking, STOP IT!  Get on here, and get on here now!  I'll save you a place next to me!

Happy New Year!

The Detention Demon is going to press!

If you follow my blog, or you know me from my facebook or twitter profile, you have no doubt heard about the mess over at Aspen Mountain Press.  This is the publishing company that imploded after the very professional and together senior staff walked, en masse, due to fraud and financial inconsistencies they uncovered.

Those amazing women, we refer to as The Fab Four, formed the ground-breaking and industry-defining Musa Publishing House.  I was thrilled to submit an edgy YA paranormal to them that they have accepted and scheduled for a Sept 2012 release, my newest entitled Waterdancer.

Now I get to make an even more exciting announcement.

Today, I signed a second contract with Musa for my much-delayed Middle Grade horror treatment, The Detention Demon.  Because I delivered a fully-edited copy (edited by a staff member that they took with them to Musa), they are scheduling a February 10, 2012 release.  All it needs are line edits and a new cover.

I am thrilled all over again.  I am over the moon to be called a Musa Author, and now I get to do it twice.  I have many other edgy fantasy and horror manuscripts and they will see those as well.

But my book's freedom isn't the best part of this story, (although it seriously rocks!).  The best part is that as of midnight December 17th, every single other author with intellectual property rights still trapped at AMP became free as well.

All I can say is heed this warning:  there are some incredibly well-written, suspenseful, mysterious, supernatural, and yes, super-sexy, books about to be released on the world.  Merry Christmas to you!

Please look for these talented and creative authors coming to a bookstore or a kindle near you:  Barbara Custer, Dominique Eastwick, Andie Dunn, Mark Covington, Aline de Chevigny, Sloane Taylor, Juventino Australe, Wendy Soliman, Celina Summers, Collette Thomas, Melissa Aires, Esther Mitchell, Charles Wellston, Nya Rayne, Maura Anderson, Marguerite Butler, Dallyce Bright, Clare London, Ingrid Darzins, Celia Kyle, Regan Taylor, and I'm sure many others I don't even know about.

For these authors, the story is not ended.  They, collectively, are owed thousands in unpaid royalties by Aspen Mountain Press generally, and Sandra Hicks specifically.  You perhaps cannot pay everything they are owed, but you can do this:  Buy their books. Follow their blogs and twitters.  Friend them on facebook.  Make them known, as they deserve to be.  And look for many of them at Musa Publishing.  If I see you there, I'll wave.

Thank You Notes

There are many reasons to be joyful and happy this holiday season.  Unfortunately, there are just as many reasons to be annoyed and irritated.  If you will allow me my own blog space to rant a bit, I have a few things to say.  And in a blatant rip-off from the amazing Jimmy Fallon, I will air my ill wills in the form of Thank You Notes.  So, stand by for a fairly complete list of my gripes and post if you have one I haven't mentioned.  I'm sure you will!

Thank you..........stores that no longer give you a gift box.  You make finding a receptacle for a ginormous gift almost impossible.

Thank you.......guy in front of me in the parking aisle so dead-set on getting the parking space CLOSEST to the Target that you back up the parking line clear out to the street.

Thank you.......owner of a Hummer who thoughtlessly parked next to me in the COMPACT-marked spot and does it so closely that I had to get in my own car through the back hatchback.

Thank you.....employer for not understanding that Christmas Eve and Day are the be-all and end-all for children my kid's age and making me work anyway, EVEN THOUGH I requested the time off.

Thank you.....poultry sellers for manufacturing turkeys that just barely fit in my oven and DON'T fit in my freezer.

Thank you......commercials on the Cartoon Network that whips my child into a manic frenzy with just the mention of a toy with an Asian name that I cannot pronounce.

Also, Thank you.......television show schedulers who put a Christmas cartoon on JUST AFTER my children's evening bedtime.  That's always a fun bedtime thanks to you.

Thank you.....string of Christmas tree lights that lurked in the garage for a year and waited until decorating night to reveal that ONE BULB is out and affecting the entire string.  Also a fun time with husband.

Thank you........Christmas recipes that all call for All-Spice when it is the first spice the store runs out of.

And Thank you.....grocery stores who stack the "holiday-baking center" so close to the front door, that I walk into it two steps over the threshold.

Thank you.......Christmas tree-topping star that refuses to stay on the top of the tree, forcing Daddy to ram it on with a very un-Christmas-like maneuver.

Thank you.....online shopping site that takes me twenty minutes to fill out the address and charge information and THEN tells me the item is out of stock.

And finally....Thank you overnight delivery company who jack the holiday delivery rates so high it would almost be cheaper for me to fly to the destination and hand-deliver the item.

I appreciate you allowing me to get some things off my chest.  As I mentioned before, I'm sure you have some equally important Thank You notes to send yourself.  Get to writing, people......I'm dying to know what I missed!

Finding Reviews I Didn't Know About....Like Christmas!

So my night job keeps me very busy either working (or sleeping!) and I feel like I miss so much on Facebook and my other social-networking sites.  I started searching around today and found I was right!  So here are some recent reviews I just found.  Once again, blessed be the Blogger! Spellbound by Samantha Combs

Title- SpellboundAuthor- Samantha CombsReleased- 13th June 2011Publisher- Astraea PressGenre- YA, Paranormal/Fantasy



Review- What a fast paced, energetic, fun read. Combs captured my attention from the first paragraph. Her intense attention to detail is extraordinary. What I loved most about the book was how Combs did the chapters from different characters perspectives, I got to see all points of view of the story which I really enjoyed. Combs had a lot happening in such a short period of time but she managed to keep the story flowing without making it seem rushed. The relationships that formed in Spellbound were in themselves fast paced. I think Combs was spot on with how intense and full on teenage relationships can be, especially in the relationships between Logan and Serena and Dave and Tamera. The paranormal side of Spellbound was really fascinating. Witches, Shapeshifting Demons and Trolls made for one exciting battle between good and evil.There isn't really much more to say about Spellbound without giving too much away. So I will leave you with a strong recommendation to giveSpellbound a read. It will be well worth it.To purchase your copy of Spellbound head to  AMAZON And check out Samantha's blog too
http://www.samanthacombswrites.blogspot..comiveSpellbound a read. It will be well worth it.To purchase your copy of Spellbound head to And check out Samantha's blog too 
Spellbound 
by Samantha Combs (Goodreads Author), Elaina Lee (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 

Lissette's review
Oct 12, 11
[image error]Read from September 29 to October 10, 2011
Magic, witches, warlocks, and demons galore - this book has it all. Samantha Combs has done a beautiful job in spinning many elements of the paranormal with a good dose of fantasy. Not to mention the hot and heavy romance growing between Serena Starr and Logan Daniels with every turn of the page.

Logan has always led a comfortable life, while taking care of his mother and sister ever since his father's demise so long ago. He's surrounded himself with the best of friends and is practically the star of the school's baseball team. While things have not always been in his favor, he's done his best to make the most of what he's had. Yet he's never imagined that meeting the girl of his dreams would turn his life so upside-down.

Serena is every bit as beautiful - blonde, green eyes, and quite special, she's everything that Logan could ever want in a woman. Yet he has no idea of the secrets that she hides inside. You see, Serena is a witch. So are her sisters. Little does Logan know, the sisters are there for a reason - one that seems so unfathomable to him.

When dark forces invade the city, Logan comes to realize that Serena is far from being just an ordinary girl. She's a witch, one who's captured his heart completely. One whom he'll do his damnedest to protect, no matter the cost.

Unable to accept that there are others hunting his beloved, Logan knows that he'll need to accept her for who, and what she is, in order to help her, and her family, with what's to come. As they band together in hopes of taking down the evil that stretches across the town, Logan starts to learn just how special he and Serena really are.

Accepting everything that has come to pass is hard, at first, but he follows his instincts and gives in to what he's known all along. Come what may, they're there for one another in every way possible.

Strength comes in the oddest of ways, yet it's the bonds that have been formed that will allow them to overcome the obstacles that have been thrown their way. For love and friendship will make their ordeals bearable as they battle against those intent on taking away what they love the most
Thanks for reading everyone.  Don't you think the new paperback version of Spellbound would make a nifty Christmas present?  Me too!  Follow this buy link and thanks for supporting this indie author:http://www.amazon.com/Spellbound-Samantha-Combs/dp/1463787936/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1309285775&sr=1-1