HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ALL!!
Here’s this week’s interview:
The Basics
– SAMANTHA SOMMERSBY
– Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
– Publisher(s): Samhain Publishing, Ltd., Phaze Books, Red Rose Publishing
To Other Authors
– What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?
- 1. Writing can be very isolating. Network with other authors. They can be of great support.
- 2. The World Wide Web is not a private place. How you present to the public can leave a lasting impression. Strive to be gracious and professional at all times.
- 3. Write because you have to, because you love it, but never forget this is a business.
– What’s your favorite way to advertise?
- I have the most fun doing interviews and putting my newsletter together every month. I spend the vast majority of my advertising budget on Internet-based advertising. I do advertise in print and invest in paper materials like bookmarks, postcards, bookplates, etc. But I also invest in on-line banner ads, video trailers, and social networking.
– What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else’s that you learned from)?
- Like many authors, I was surprised to find out how hard authors have to work to promote themselves and their books. In addition to maintaining a website and newsletter, I have a presence on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger. It can be a challenge to maintain. You have to stay really organized and make sure that you’re dedicating time to answer emails and promote releases.
For the Readers
– What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?
- Kiss Me Deadly, a Silhouette Nocturne by Michele Hauf
- It’s a free 60th Anniversary Read released by Harlequin that I downloaded from the All Romance website prior to hopping on the plane to attend Authors After Dark last week.
– Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?
- I prefer reading eBooks. I read on my iPhone, which I carry with me all the time. When I fly I normally have an “emergency” print book cover that time period during which you have to turn off the electrical devices.
– Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.
- Tough question, there aren’t many books that I re-read over and over. I have a stack of Buffy Comics by my bed that I dip back into before bedtime when I’m between books (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan). I have a copy of Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that I’ve read countless times. I bought it for myself back in high school—a long time ago. I have a beautiful copy of Twas the Night Before Christmas that I bought the year my son was born. We read it together every Christmas eve before heading off to bed.
Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask
– What inspired you to be a writer?
- I’ve always loved reading and writing, but for a long time they were put aside in favor of academic and professional pursuits. At forty I found I was living and breathing work. And, although my work was rewarding, it was also very stressful. It was then that I rediscovered my love of writing. I began working on a fictional story purely for my own pleasure. Once I had about ten chapters written I managed to gather up enough courage to post them on the Internet for critique. The feedback was fast and favorable. I was hooked. I quickly fell into a routine of writing every day. For three years I’d go to bed every night around 9:30 pm, then get up at 2:30 am so that I could write for four hours before going to work my “real life” job. After two years of that grueling routine I got my first publishing contract. Two years after that, in 2007, I left that “real life” job to pursue writing full time.
– What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?
- I revise along the way, so by the time I write “the end” the book has already been through a number of rewrites. At that point I like to put the manuscript aside and give myself a break for a couple days. I’ll schedule a massage and binge on bubble baths, other books, and movies. I try to rejuvenate myself so that I can come back to the work with a fresh perspective. Then I spend a few days reading the manuscript over one last time from start to finish before turning it in to my editor.
– Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?
- I would say that my characters speak to me. I primarily write in the first person point of view. It’s a very intense and intimate experience. That character voice is in my head all of the time.
Promo Section
~ Most Recent Release ~ |
| Forbidden: The Revolution Forbidden, Book 3 
Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Experience the magic… Twenty-five years ago Dell Renfield’s father started a revolution, and Dell plans to finish it. Sorcerer, vampire, secret weapon, he’s spent a lifetime training for his fate. The one distraction he isn’t equipped for? Special Agent Alexandria Sanchez. A woman he desires above all others—and a woman he dare not get close to. Alex’s love life is already cursed. She doesn’t need the added complication of a sexy new partner. Especially one who’s touch is literally magic. Posing as his lover for the sake of their investigation is pure hell—and pure heaven. Now if she can just get him to quit casting spells long enough to prove she’s capable. And keep her hands to herself in the process. As they infiltrate a dangerous culture, temptation becomes too much to resist. And their torrid affair triggers an epic battle for power that could forever alter the future for them…and their kind. Warning: This book contains spectacular magical ass-kickings, copious amounts of blistering sex, one super-sexy, gun-toting heroine, and a very delicious, very powerful sorcerer…who sometimes sports fangs. |
~ NEW RELEASE ~ |
| Under Fire Red Rose Publishing 
Release: November 26, 2009 It’s 1917 and Lieutenant Jackson Crawford is in Arabia on an important mission. A seasoned soldier sent to ensure a victory that will secure British interests in the Suez Canal, Crawford was prepared for resistance from the prince; he was prepared for the crude weapons, the hellish sun, and the never-ending sand. What he wasn’t prepared for was Harvard bred archeologist turned spy Lillian Barton Drake. Weeks after Lilly’s arrival in the desert she found herself in the center of a bloody massacre. Rescued by the prince she travels as part of his entourage, doing her utmost to gain his trust while avoiding becoming a part of his harem. Then into the camp rides an exhausted Jackson. In a twist of fate Jack fights for Lilly’s honor risking life and limb to claim her as his own. Casting aside common sense the couple begin a passionate affair that sets the desert on fire and is guaranteed to melt your heart. Will their love be strong enough to survive the ravages of war, the duty they’ve sworn to their country, and the secrets of Jackson’s past? |
Learn More
– Website: http://samanthasommersby.com/
– MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/samanthasommersby
– Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/samanthasommersby
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/samsommersby
– Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immortalitybites/
– Blogspot: http://immortalitybites.blogspot.com/
– Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:56104
Thanks, Samantha!!!