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Meet Jaime Samms
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Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "And here was my back door yesterday morning. On the *inside* of the house.So wrong...."
I've now decided it's positively sweltering here!"
there and just about everywhere else on the planet. I'm not really a winter kind of gal.
Nancy wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "And here was my back door yesterday morning. On the *inside* of the house.So wrong...."
I've now decided it's positively sweltering here!"
If it was in the 60's h..."
Sounds like a distant dream! lol!
Well, I think some sort of excerpt or something is in order, so...what to post? Rugby first, I think, then maybe something from the Foster Family, because it'll be out soon.That was an eye-opener. And I don’t mean the tight little powder-blue jersey that showed off his pecs, or the skimpy shorts. Sure, it all looked oddly sexy with socks to his knees, but the fact was, I’d forgotten about the actual rugby playing. And until I saw him standing next to a teammate, I realized I’d also stopped noticing David’s stature.
He was small. Short. He was an easy head shorter than every member of his team, and it didn’t ease my mind to note he was also as burly as many of them. Fact was, that extra foot or more they had on him in height meant they outweighed him too. Nobody wore helmets or gear of any other kind other than mouth guards.
“I don’t want to watch this,” I mumbled as I took a seat in the stands beside Penny.
“Shush, now, Ian, and sit yer arse down.”
“He’s going to get creamed.”
“Of course he is. He’s playing rugby.” She yanked me onto the cold metal bench beside her. “Sure, and what did you expect? It’s a contact sport.”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out, finding the edges of the place where the pain still lurked in my side. It was mostly healed, but I’d slept funny the night before and was feeling it today. The damp weather wasn’t helping.
“I play contact sports with him too, and no one ends up with bruises or broken bones.”
“You sure yer doin’ it right?” she asked with a wink.
“Shut it.”
“You brought it up.”
I turned my attention to the field, ignoring her. The players had formed a rough line across the field and out of nowhere, the ball was in motion. Bodies rushed forward and it was like the Lord of the Rings Battle of Pelennor Fields. Without the slow motion, horses, or epic music. Just the clash and the grunts and crowd inexplicably cheering as men’s bodies went flying.
“Oh my God.” I sank lower, tucking my chin under my scarf so the bloke standing in front blocked my view. “I can’t watch this.”
“Ian, don’t be a pansy.”
“I’m not.” I was feeling queasy, though. He could get seriously hurt out there.
Beside me, Penny whooped and pounded a fist on my shoulder. “Go, David! Go—oh!” Both her hands flew to cover her mouth. Her eyes bugged.
Shooting to my feet, I nearly pushed the man in front of me over to see what had happened.
David was climbing off the turf with the help of another player in a red jersey. The man pounded him on the back and he grinned. Grinned.
“This is going to kill me, Penny.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
I doubted it very much. This was crazy. The players were once more lining up, and the rush inward began again. I managed to keep an eye on David this time, and to my surprise, he avoided the hands that reached for him. The ball sailed in his direction and he jumped, caught it, and landed, then took off down the field in a zigzagging pattern that dodged the hands grabbing for him and bodies flying at him until he was nearly at the far end.
The distance muted the crunch when he was hit.
As of the 20 Dec, 2013, I am a full time writer with a very much less-than-evil day job with Dreamspinner in their audio ..."It's so good to hear this! Dreamspinner is my favorite publisher by far.
Jobs can suck the soul right out of you. I had the quit the last one after a year and a half, just because the stress got to be too much and I was waking up in the middle of the night with neck and shoulder pain. It sounds like your jobs are perfect!
Dreamspinner is my favorite publisher too.
Also, I want to give a few books away, so, since the weather is so much on my mind this weekend, let's share some best winter memories. I'll pick two names from the responses and they will receive one Dreaspinner book of mine they haven't read yet. The list is here: http://jaime-samms.com/books/dreamspi...
And if you've read them all, there are more coming early in 2014 and I'll make sure you get on the list for a copy when they are available.
Please start your response with "The best Winter Memory Ever" so I can find the entries easily.
Besides the giveaways, which I'll pick randomly,I'll pick my favorite response, and if the poster is amenable, will use it as a prompt for a new story. Only if the poster wants to let me, of course.
Andrea wrote: "As of the 20 Dec, 2013, I am a full time writer with a very much less-than-evil day job with Dreamspinner in their audio ..."It's so good to hear this! Dreamspinner is my favorite publisher by far."
Yeah. Just, yeah. I've been grinning like a fool all through the holidays because it's finally feeling real. Dreamspinner really is aptly named, as far as I'm concerned.
Jaime wrote: "Well, I think some sort of excerpt or something is in order, so...what to post? Rugby first, I think, then maybe something from the Foster Family, because it'll be out soon.That was an eye-opener..."
That's not fair! I want to know more about the crunch..guess I'll have to buy the book. :) Seriously, that was a perfect excerpt.
Nancy wrote: "Jobs can suck the soul right out of you. I had the quit the last one after a year and a half, just because the stress got to be too much and I was waking up in the middle of the night with neck an..."I'm so sorry to hear that, Nancy. I hope you have/do find that job that is perfect for you. I know I was dreading every morning I had to get up and go to that job. It was just soul-deadening, working with numbers and data entry all day when I am so much more a writer and artist by nature. Now, i can honestly say I look forward to starting my days. Still getting used to the idea that after a day of writing and actual work-work, can relax because there's nothing else I have to do.
Used to be, getting home form work and still having to write was so draining. Just because I had so little energy or enthusiasm left for anything, really.
Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Well, I think some sort of excerpt or something is in order, so...what to post? Rugby first, I think, then maybe something from the Foster Family, because it'll be out soon.That was..."
:D I have to say watching a few rugby matches for research and inspiration was oh-so-difficult....NOT! The things I do for this job. Hard to take, I tell ya! lol!
The best winter memory ever for me was seeing my husband mowing the lawn while I was watering flowers in mid-January. That was shortly after moving back to Florida from Michigan. The lawn didn't really need mowing and I think he just wanted to post a pic for his friends back up north but it was a lot of fun for me. I'm from Florida but he had never lived here until he retired. I used to worry so much when he was out plowing and shoveling the drive every year.
Andrea wrote: "The best winter memory ever for me was seeing my husband mowing the lawn while I was watering flowers in mid-January. That was shortly after moving back to Florida from Michigan. The lawn didn't r..."
That's adorable :) Reminds me of seeing roses growing along my SIL's front walk in November a few years ago. She's south and east of me, but lives on the St's Lawrence River, so the climate is much milder there. On the other hand, just before Christmas this year, they had an ice storm and lost power, so I guess it's just the luck of the draw, or the fickle whiles of Jack Frost.
One of your books that I haven't read yet is Not As Easy As It Looks because I'm not very fond of menages. I don't remember you having written one before but I may be wrong. Is the entire book a menage or do 2 eventually become 3?
The Best Winter Memory EverMy parents tired of the crime and congestion in NYC, so they moved us to scenic New Hampshire in 1976. Though we had a couple of years to get accustomed to more snow and frigid temperatures, we were completely unprepared for The Blizzard of 1978. We were lucky not to lose our power for any significant length of time, but the wind was so bad that snowdrifts covered the doors to our house, preventing us from leaving for nearly a week. Schools and businesses were closed. It was probably the highest-quality family time we ever had. But I was still glad when it was over.
Jaime wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Jobs can suck the soul right out of you. I had the quit the last one after a year and a half, just because the stress got to be too much and I was waking up in the middle of the nigh..."I just started a new job the week before Christmas. It's part time and my commute is long, but it's a nice group of people and the pace is much slower.
Andrea wrote: "One of your books that I haven't read yet is Not As Easy As It Looks because I'm not very fond of menages. I don't remember you having written one before but I may be wrong. Is the entire book a me..."In that book, all three men have grown up together in rural Ontario. Two of them, Griff and Don, have been best friends since the age of twelve, and the other, Howard, is a year older, and while they are friendly, he isn't as close to them until he starts dating Don when Don is sixteen and Howard is seventeen. Eventually, they become three, but not easily, and not without a lot of work. I hope I tackle the reality of jelousy, awkwardness, fear of rejection that comes with this sort of relationship realistically, though.
I have written this type of relationship before, in one of my Totally Bound titles, Sing for Your Supper.
And I tackle it again, with the added complication of D/s dynamics, in The Foster Family, which isn't out quite yet.
Do you have a favorite cover from among your books?
Nancy wrote: "Do you have a favorite cover from among your books?"That is an easy question. Hands down:
I wrote the book based on the story I saw in that image when it popped up on my FB wall. I showed it to the art department, just so they would have a feel for the mood and tone of the book, and they surprised and thrilled me when they tracked down the artist and got permission to use the photo as the book's cover.
I won't deny that I also love the drawing Paul Richmond did for the Angel Elegy book, too. He's pretty spectacular.
Nancy wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Jobs can suck the soul right out of you. I had the quit the last one after a year and a half, just because the stress got to be too much and I was waking up in the midd..."Congratulations! :) I'll keep my fingers crossed that it turns out to be a good fit for you.
Nancy wrote: "The Best Winter Memory EverMy parents tired of the crime and congestion in NYC, so they moved us to scenic New Hampshire in 1976. Though we had a couple of years to get accustomed to more snow a..."
wow! Yeah, you win the "Most snow" prize. Reminds me of the story my dad likes to tell about the time a couple of teenagers came knocking on his door in the middle of a snowstorm. They couldn't get their car up the hill into town, so they crashed overnight. Next morning, when he took them out on the snowmobile to find the car, he drove right over it. Only found it because there was a Christmas bow tied to the radio antenna. the car was buried completely under the drifts.
Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "One of your books that I haven't read yet is Not As Easy As It Looks because I'm not very fond of menages. I don't remember you having written one before but I may be wrong. Is the e..."One of your books that I haven't read yet is Not As Easy As It Looks because I'm not very fond of menages. I don't remember you having written one before but I may be wrong. Is the entire book a menage or do 2 eventually become 3?
Ah - when you compare it to Sing For Your Supper, I'm sold. Loved that book. I like that the focus is more on getting to successful. With some menages, I get so focused on trying to see the acrobatics in my mind that I lose track of the story.
Andrea wrote: "With some menages, I get so focused on trying to see the acrobatics in my mind that I lose track of the story. "Well, then hopefully, you won't be disappointed with the sparsity of the sex scenes. They are there, but it isn't the focus for sure. I think it rarely is in most of my books.
Well, then hopefully, you won't be disappointed with the sparsity of..."One of the things I like most about your writing is that your sex scenes are all the more powerful for being less - not sure how to explain what I'm saying other than that sometimes less is more. I should have remembered that and not hesitated when I saw menage in the description.
Andrea wrote: "One of the things I like most about your writing is that your sex scenes are all the more powerful for being less - not sure how to explain what I'm saying other than that sometimes less is more. I should have remembered that and not hesitated when I saw menage in the description. "Thank you :) I appreciate that more than you know. And hey, there's no harm in liking what you like, and not liking what you don't. I'll tell you what. You've read my stuff. You know how I torture my guys. There are a few Amy Lane titles I might never read because I can write what I cannot read. And to hear some readers talk about how she wrenches hearts, I might never get into her stuff that's much heavier than Talker. I have loved what I have read of hers, and I think she's wonderful and brilliant, but frankly, that brilliance scares me with what havoc she could wreak in my heart with her words. I want to be able to write like her some day. :) But I might not read everything she's written.
Can we have an excerpt from the Foster Family? I'm really looking forward to that book.
Who are some of your favorite authors, Jaime? Do you read in genres other than romance?
If you ever want to get completely, totally, torn up, read Chase in Shadow. I kept having to put it down because it was one of the most painful things I've ever read in my life but it was beautiful. That said, I'm glad you don't write like she does. Although I love what she writes and read all of it, we need what you write just the way you write it. Balance is all.
Andrea wrote: "Can we have an excerpt from the Foster Family? I'm really looking forward to that book."Yes. Following :) (sort of in edits, still, so please forgive me if I missed something) and also, this s one in which the protagonist, Kerry, doesn't know the other guys before hand
Fucking hell, it was freaking cold. Matthew had been in my room again. He must have, the bastard. He liked coming in and opening all the fucking windows to “air the place out.” He’d even open the one right over my bed when he figured I was hungover or aching from a nighttime visit from Andrew. It must have rained all night this time, because I was soaked. “Worst. Fucking. Roommate. Ever. Goddamn hotshot grad student can fucking well buy me a new fucking mattress now.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone swear that much.”
“You think we should wake him?”
“What the fuck!” I jolted upright. Grit scraped against my palms. Light speared my eyeballs, and I shuffled back toward the cold wall. Only there was nothing there, and I tumbled onto my back again. Chill seeped up around my shoulders to swallow me.
“Careful, now.” A hand reached for me, inserting itself into my narrow view of the too-bright world. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I fucking well am not! Who?” I finally pried my eyelids open and glared around. “Where the fuck am I?”
Two blurry men in shorts and sneakers and a lot of bare skin stood over me. They both had the right outline against the clear, torturous blue of the sky to be buff. Shirts trailed from the waistbands of their shorts. They both reached down big, tanned hands to within my nearsighted circle to steady me.
“These yours?” one of them asked, holding up a dark, squiggling blur.
“Gimme my fucking glasses.”
White split across both fuzzy faces.
“You have a special pair just for fucking?” One man tilted his head slightly. “That’s kind of kinky, isn’t it?”
“Charlie.” The other of the men glanced in the speaker’s direction. His voice was slightly admonishing, but not without humor. I just wasn’t sure if the amusement was being directed at me or not.
“Give me my fuc—” I let out a huff. “Can I please have my glasses?” I held up a hand, fully expecting it to get slapped aside and laughter to follow.
I knew how these things went. As soon as they realized I could see fuck all without the lenses, they’d keep them just out of reach to see how desperate I’d get to have them back. It was a common tactic, and a lot of experience with being on the wrong end of it reminded me that just sitting there being polite was the quickest way to get them too bored to continue the torment. Eventually they’d toss the glasses off somewhere and leave me alone.
Instead, a warm, strong hand gripped mine, and an even stronger tug encouraged me to scramble to my feet before I got my arm yanked out of my socket. As it was, my foot slipped again and I landed, face-first against a broad, sweaty, slightly hairy chest. I was not handed my glasses. They were gently set in place on my face, and once I had blinked the world back into focus, I found myself confronted by two very good-looking men, probably close to ten years older than me, arms crossed, faces almost stern as they studied me in turn.
“Missed the bus to the hotel, did you?” the one not named Charles asked.
I blinked at him again.
“The party last night, kid,” he said, indicating with a wave the golf course clubhouse down the beach. “You miss your ride home? Because I gotta tell you, sleeping on the beach, not such a stellar plan. Your suit’s toast, for one thing.” He gently straightened one of my lapels and pulled the drooping flower I’d stolen from a bouquet free of the pocket. He tossed it with a flick into the waves.
I looked down at myself and the three inches of water lapping around my feet.
“Tide’s coming in,” he went on. “I mean seriously. We’ve caught couples still necking on the boardwalk this early in the morning, but waiting to get washed out to sea? It was just a dance. Even if your girl left you on the dance floor, it can’t be that bad.”
“What the hell would you know about it?” I muttered.
They glanced at each other, then back at me as I patted my pockets for my keys and phone.
“You okay, kid?”
“I’m fine,” I muttered, going a little frantic when I found nothing but empty pockets. “Sorry I slept on your precious beach. Later.” I turned to go back the way I’d come the night before, hoping I’d find my missing life somewhere in the sand, but the way was impassable. The tide had devoured the beach right up to the stony cliff face that jutted out toward the sea about fifty feet off. It had claimed another inch of my pants as I stood there. My back was caked in saltwater and sand from lying on the ground, and my feet felt like ice inside my shoes.
“You’ll have to come up through the garden,” not-Charles said. “You can’t get back to the club along the beach now, and in another fifteen minutes, this section will be about six feet under water.” He turned to slosh through the ankle-deep water to a set of steps leading up through a carved-out section of the cliff. “Coming? Because you can stand there all day, but”—he tilted his head—“I don’t like your chances. You’ll be under the waterline.” He pointed to the evidence on the cliff face.
“I’m not short,” I protested.
They both smirked, but facts were facts. Six feet of water was about eight inches more water than I could comfortably stand flat-footed in and still be able to breathe, and since swimming in a suit was beyond stupid, I followed them up the steps.
Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Can we have an excerpt from the Foster Family? I'm really looking forward to that book."Yes. Following :) (sort of in edits, still, so please forgive me if I missed something) and ..."
Another one for my list - thank you!
Nancy wrote: "Who are some of your favorite authors, Jaime? Do you read in genres other than romance?"Well, as might be evidenced form a previous post, I thinkAmy Lane Amy Lane is a brilliant author and a brilliant person.
Clare Londonhas been a friend a long time, and every time I open one of her books, I'm surprised all over again at how unique and out of the box her stories are. More people need to read her stuff.
Ariel Tachna was my first DSP Author and the perfect cross-over for me, because of her Partnership in Blood books, perfectly epic, perfectly sexy. Love.
Mary Calmes, Jet Mykles and Andrew Grey are among my go-to re-reads.
Outside the genre, well, sort of, but not really: Tanya Huff and Lynn Flewelling wirte paranormal and fantasy m/m but have mainstreamaudiences, and I enjoy their books, and my ultimate hero, who made me look beyond the book I read to what I might want to read that hadn't been written yet, J.R.R. Tolkien. After reading The Hobbit in sixth grade, I knew there were stories I'd have to write myself if I wanted to read them, and I did. And here we are. :)
I've heard of all of them, but only read Huff, Flewelling and Tolkien. Honestly, Tolkien bores me to tears. But I appreciate what he's done for the fantasy genre and how he continues to inspire modern writers.
Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Can we have an excerpt from the Foster Family? I'm really looking forward to that book."Yes. Following :) (sort of in edits, still, so please forgive me if I missed s..."
I hope you like it. Nothing more nerve wracking than knowing someone is reading something I wrote that falls outside their comfort range. Like I said, everyone is entitled to not like what they don't like, still. You can't help but hope you can change their mind :)
It was wonderful chatting with you, Jaime. I'm going out for Mexican now. Have a wonderful weekend!
Jaime wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Who are some of your favorite authors, Jaime? Do you read in genres other than romance?"All of your M/M writers except Jet Mykles are on my auto buy list. I'll have to try some of her work.
Nancy wrote: "I've heard of all of them, but only read Huff, Flewelling and Tolkien. Honestly, Tolkien bores me to tears. But I appreciate what he's done for the fantasy genre and how he continues to inspire m..."I think for me, because my sixth grade teacher took the book and we read it as a class, it had a lasting impression on me. It was the first time that spark of creativity in me was nurtured and encouraged. Like it was worth something to pursue what I was dreaming. So for me, it was a pretty magical experience. It might have been the same if it was a different book, different author. It was the whole package, I think.
As for the other authors, I hope you pick some of them up and try them out. They all have different things to offer.
Andrea wrote: "All of your M/M writers except Jet Mykles are on my auto buy list. I'll have to try some of her work."It's her rocker books that I read over and over. I love them all.
Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "All of your M/M writers except Jet Mykles are on my auto buy list. I'll have to try some of her work."It's her rocker books that I read over and over. I love them all."
On my list - thx. I read 2 or 3 books a day so it's nice to have a new name.
Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "All of your M/M writers except Jet Mykles are on my auto buy list. I'll have to try some of her work."It's her rocker books that I read over and over. I love them all..."
WOW! That's a lot of reading!
That's why I have no creativity - I'm too busy reading what other people create and loving every minute of it.
Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Andrea wrote: "All of your M/M writers except Jet Mykles are on my auto buy list. I'll have to try some of her work."It's her rocker books that I read over and over. I love them all..."
And actually, I have to ask, with reading so much, what is it that makes a book stand out for you? You must read a lot of duds to get to the gems in between.
For the past few years, I've been reading solely M/M and it may sound snotty but what makes one stand out to me first and foremost is the quality of the writing. You are one of those authors who stand out to me, both for the quality and the story. A big green flag for is if I can remember a story in detail 2 months later. If I can, that writer is an autobuy. And you're right - I run into a lot of duds. One turnoff for me is too much sex. I like it as much as the next person but when there's too much it seems like someone throws a little story in there to bridge the sex scenes.
Well, since the next book apparently isn't writing itself while I chat, I guess I have to go do that. It's been a small chat, but I've had a great time getting to know you both. Thanks so very much for taking the time to visit with me. it's been a great afternoon :)Sad news fro me that I didn't get more bites on the giveaway, but good news for you both, Andrea and Nancy, since you both get a book of your choice :) Please PM me and let me know which you would like, as well as which email addy you use at Dreamspinner. I'll forward it to the team there and they will put the books on your shelves. (Please, send that info in private PM. Send a friend request if we aren't already friends and I'll accept it)
Also, I'm thinking a long-distance love affair would be an excellent venue for both your favorite winter memory stories in one book, if you'd agree. Let me know.
Thanks again for today. I've really enjoyed myself.
Jaime wrote: "Well, since the next book apparently isn't writing itself while I chat, I guess I have to go do that. It's been a small chat, but I've had a great time getting to know you both. Thanks so very much..."I've really enjoyed this. Even though there weren't a lot of people attending, I sure had a good time! I'm send you a message about my choice and I agree about the winter story. My husband and I definitely had a long distance romance. Thanks so much for taking your time today.
Andrea wrote: "For the past few years, I've been reading solely M/M and it may sound snotty but what makes one stand out to me first and foremost is the quality of the writing. You are one of those authors who st..."I don't think expecting a quality product is snotty at all. I expect it in the books I read, as well, as in anything i put my hard-earned money to.
:) I'm pleased I meet that expectation. There are a lot of popular writers out there, and they all have something to offer to someone.
For myself, I hope I can write a good story that will keep people entertained, and that I don't embarrass myself to badly in the attempt :) But ultimately, like I said about my first foray into story writing at the tender age of about 11, I did it because there were stories I wanted to read that no one else had written yet. That's still, at the end of the day, why I do it.
Andrea wrote: "Jaime wrote: "Well, since the next book apparently isn't writing itself while I chat, I guess I have to go do that. It's been a small chat, but I've had a great time getting to know you both. Thank..."Its something I've never written, along with the whole winter thing, so I think it will be a fun experience.
Dreamspinner Press
Books mentioned in this topic
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Still Life (other topics)
Stained Glass (other topics)
Better (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Amy Lane (other topics)Clare London (other topics)
Ariel Tachna (other topics)
Mary Calmes (other topics)
Jet Mykles (other topics)
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So wrong...."
I've now decided it's positively sweltering here!"
If it was in the 60's here, I'd be outside in shorts. :)