The Samhellion Newsletter

This month we have tips on where to shop and how to pack for the coming conference season, notes on closet cleaning and Feng Shui, internet tips and some golden rules to get organized, and an article on why slowing down may be just what the harried writer needs. We also have a very inspirational article on one writer’s journey, a fabulous interview with author Toni Blake and a lovely short fiction piece.

So sit back, enjoy, do some spring cleaning and get ready for conference season! See you next time.

Gia Dawn, Newsletter Wrangler Extraordinaire

An Interview with Author Toni Blake

Lorelei James

Toni Blake's love of writing began when she won an essay contest in the fifth grade. By the time she graduated from high school, she had written her first novella along with countless short stories, and edited her high school newspaper for three years. However, it wasn't until years later that Toni seriously began to pursue her dreams of being a writer. In 1996 she was the recipient of the Kentucky Women Writers Fellowship as well as a nominee for the prestigious Pushcart Prize, although she soon turned away from literary fiction to write romance novels, and in 1998 she made her first sale. Since that time, Toni has written romance novels for Kensington, Harlequin, Warner Books, Penguin and, currently, Avon. Additionally, her erotica–writing alter ego, Lacey Alexander, writes for Penguin and Ellora’s Cave. Toni lives with her husband in a suburb of Cincinnati and when not writing, she enjoys traveling and working on crafts.

(More Toni Please!)

Eight Golden Rules of Organization

Bonnie Dee

There’s a common idea that artistic types feed off chaos and confusion, that those attributes are what allow their creative genius to flow. I think that’s bull. I consider myself artistic, yet I thrive on organization, routine and a clear, uncluttered workspace.

I wanted to share some tips on how I stay organized as a writer and as a person. I was going to invent a clever acronym that spelled a word like “success” or something, but unless MPSETDMW means anything, I didn’t succeed. So, here are my Eight Golden Rules of Organization. A few pertain mostly to writing, but could apply to any job requiring creativity.

One – Make a list

Include everything from the biggest task of the day to the smallest, like a reminder to clean the cat litter box. This way you’ll never have the nagging feeling that there are things you’ve forgotten to do. As you accomplish each task, cross it off. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment from seeing all those crossed-off items, whether they’re as mundane as “Water the plants” or as important as “Pick Suzy up after practice” or “Finish proposal package and send”.

(I can't find any paper!)

When You Have to Push the Closet Door Closed

Beth Williamson

It’s time to do some purging. I can be a pack rat, I’ll admit it (however, I won’t say I’m as bad as my husband or my kids). Things are so busy in my life that I tend to find a nice spot to stick something, usually in a closet or cabinet, and forget about it.

Until I have to push the closet door closed. *blush*

(Mmm, yeah, right there...)

Spring Cleaning

SJ Willing

Ah, ‘tis the season of lists!

Alas, not the grand spectacle of a Ren-faire Knightly Challenge, more like the Unfair Nightmare of a Frightly Challenge—namely the spring cleaning lists. I have a small problem, due to, I’m sure, being bounced on my head when I was a baby. (Or maybe it was suffering the hollow head test instigated by my older brother when I was five years old. This technique involves a whack on the skull just above the cerebellum using an empty glass milk bottle. If a hollow echo ensues then the victim has no brain. My brother concluded from the experiment I was brainless.) Whatever the reason for it, I now appear to be one of the memory-ly challenged.

(Mop Please?)

What's in Your Carry-On?

Packing Tips for Conference Season

Carolan Ivey

Conference season is upon us, kids! As I write this, RT is less than a month away (eeek!), and between April and October I’ve got several cons scheduled, ending with Moonlight & Magnolias in October. This year I’m driving to all my cons, but too often I have to fly. "(Can you say “BLEH?”" Sure, I knew you could!)

With each conference I seem to manage to pack a little less, and a little less, but I still have room for improvement. I am still astounded that my husband can travel overseas on business for a week—and do it with just his laptop case and a carry on size suitcase. And come home with six unbroken bottles of wine.

(Pack those bags!)

March/April Contest Winner

And the winner of a free Samhain Publishing ebook download is: lrbusybee

Writing Class - Molasses Thief Comes to a Sticky End

Have I got your attention yet? Good, because everyone knows sex sells a romance story or novel, but most people don’t realize humor can just as effectively bond readers to your work. If you want to learn about writing comedy moments that will have your readers howling, or simply smiling knowingly to themselves, come along to the Coffee Time Romance and More seminar, Psssst – The Secrets of Writing Humor. S.J. Willing, creator of the Agent Double D.3 Reports and the PIACT Undercover Agent series will share some of his hard-learned techniques for this particularly tricky area in fiction writing.

Seminar details:

Cost: This seminar is exorbitantly priced at 0 dollars. i.e. it is totally free! - though a free registration at Coffee Time Romance and More forum will be necessary if you want to ask questions. If you just want to read and do the exercises on your own all it will cost you is your time.

Speaker: S.J. Willing – Estimable creator of the Agent Double D.3 reports and a humor columnist for The Brass Spectacle.

Place: Coffee Time Romance and More forum here: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=544

Date: The whole month of April.

Prerequisites: It is preferential to have passed “Where’s My Witticism? 101”, “Simply Snarky 201” and “I Lost My Brain in the Co-Ed Dorm 301” but none of these are essential. Well, maybe the third one is…

Other: Bring beer and peanuts.

Before the Movie, There Was the Book

Ann Warner

Jean-Dominique Bauby, a former editor-in-chief of ELLE, learned the limits of his control over the events of his life in a dramatic way, when at age forty-three he had a brainstem stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. As he describes it: "Paralyzed from head to toe, the patient, his mind intact, is imprisoned inside his own body, unable to speak or move. In my case blinking my left eyelid is my only means of communication."
Sounds like the ultimate nightmare, doesn't it?

(No More Wire Hangers!)

Tips for Online Shopping

Beverly Rae

I hate to shop. Most women love to shop and will visit their favorite mall at least once every other week. But not me. When I need an article of clothing, I shop online. In fact, many people seem to be doing more and more of their shopping online. Online retail sales in this country will soon reach the one hundred billion mark. That number is predicted to double in 2008.

Shoppers who visit their local shopping mall or drop into their favorite boutique are shoppers who like to touch what they’re buying. They’re the people who want it right now, don’t want to pay for shipping or simply like getting out among the rest of the weekend shopping crowds. There are still plenty of people who prefer to shop this way. If you doubt this, check out the parking lot of your favorite mall or supercenter this Saturday.

(Bring on the SHOES!)

Not Feeling Creative? In Praise of Slowing Down

Denise Agnew

Where did I get the idea for this article? From being a total lazy ass and sitting on the couch and watching Emma. I love the version with Gwyneth Paltrow. I watched Emma, a woman with means to have plenty of leisure, enjoy herself painting, sewing, planning parties. I thought...ah, that looks relaxing.

Take A Load Off

Do you ever feel like your world is spinning so fast you live like a rodent on a wheel? Do you ever think you have to eat faster, read faster, drive faster, talk faster? Ever feel like if you don’t show a stressed and harried face to the world you won’t be seen as accomplished or “with it”? Are you a trend follower to the point where you’re changing on a dime?

(I need a nap)

Writers: Be Cautious of What You Share

Diane Craver

I’ve had a website for the past few years to promote my books. I limit what personal information I give on my site, because I want to avoid contact from nuts. I’ve been told that romance authors get prison letters and phone calls. Not just erotic romance authors, but other romance authors have had this unpleasant experience. Several authors have had some continued creepy emails from fans—and not just men. I believe that how you present yourself on your site can stop trouble from happening.

(Scary people out there...)

Feng Shui Tips

Gia Dawn

Feng Shui literally means “wind and water”, and is the ancient Chinese practice of arrangement and design to add happiness, success and abundance to your life. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Take action for prosperity

1. Make certain your toilet seats are always down so money doesn’t get flushed away.

2. Fix any leaks in your tub, toilet shower or sinks to keep your finances from leaking down the drains.

3. If you have cats, keep their litter boxes clean! For dog lovers, keep your yard clear of doo.

(Shui Me BABY!)

FICTION: Unbreakable, Part I

Mary Eason

She would have been hard to miss even if she hadn't been the only woman in the bar. Dressed in a sexy black dress, she robbed him of all coherent thought the moment she walked into the room. She looked good. Damn good. Too good for his year — okay year-and-a-half — abstinent body coming to full alert

Angered with himself for letting his libido get the better of him and win out over his normal calculated way of assessing a suspect, Jack tried to return to what he’d been doing before the amazing distraction entered the room.

As an agent — correction almost a former agent — with the CIA’s clandestine services, basic training had taught him never to see a suspect in human terms. That meant sympathizing. And you couldn’t afford to sympathize and live. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t a suspect. But there was definitely something out of place and suspicious about her.

She didn’t belong in this casual hotel bar. Certainly not alone. She could be waiting for the rain to end or waiting for someone but, somehow he doubted it. Something was vaguely familiar about her as well.

She stopped for a moment to survey the room. She wasn’t so much looking for anyone in particular as she was sizing up the room. This gesture captured his full attention immediately. He knew it by heart. Hell, he’d perfected it. It was something he always did whenever he walked into an unfamiliar situation. A habit he couldn’t break even though he was almost out of the game. A casualty of the modern war on terror and too many years in the trade.

She didn’t look the part of spy...but then maybe that’s what worked for her.

Her glance swept the room, reaching the dark corner where he sat. For a brief moment, her dark eyes held his and an unfamiliar tension jolted his body like an electrical shockwave. God, of all the places in the world to feel this way again, a bar in the Federal distract of D.C. wasn’t what he’d imagined. Nor was the woman responsible for the feeling. She was definitely not his type. He dated tall, leggy blondes who were big on living for the moment. Barely five feet tall discounting the three-inch stilettos she wore, her dark brown hair and sultry eyes all but screamed commitment.

So why did it smart that she didn’t appear to have the same reaction as he did?

She wasn’t his type. And he wasn’t going down that road for any woman.

Jack dragged his gaze away from her retreating figure with difficulty. He went back to neatly stacking little pink packages of sweetener and thinking about the future.

(Wait, don't leave me hangin'!)