Reading and writing seem to go hand in hand. I devoured books as a teen. I lived at the
library and idolized the people that brought to life the stories I got lost in.
I fell in love with vampires and read the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith over
and over and over. And over. I think my mother worried that I might try
and bite her.
Then life happened. I
immersed myself in my school projects and getting ahead, and I was motivated to
do everything I was supposed to do in life.
I did great. I graduated with
honors from high school and college. I
got a job. I was…miserable. I was doing everything I was supposed to and
nothing I wanted.
So I decided to lose myself again and picked up a book. I remembered the worlds I loved, and found a
fabulous author named Mary Hughes who showed me that vampires could be not only
intriguing and angsty, but sexy and funny!
I had never read anything like this before. Then I found Sophie Oak, and Shelly
Laurenston, and Dana Marie Bell, and Victoria Dahl, and Lauren Dane, and Eliza
Gayle, and well I could go on, but those women stand out in my mind. They wrote about strong women who had a sense
of humor that I could see myself in. The
humorous erotic romance genre…well it was home.
I found where I belonged.
I was stalking websites and blogs and dying to read
more. In that search I kept returning
again and again to a certain publisher.
I loved the books they published, I loved the authors they signed, and I
loved their warnings at the bottom of all their blurbs. Samhain Publishing became the golden ring I longed to reach for. When I found the guts and shared some of my own writing I was thrilled with the positive feedback. Samhain Publishing was the first place I wanted to send it to. I had never sent in anything for submission
before, and I knew that I would be rejected a few dozen times before I ever saw
a yes. All the other authors told me
so. There was a ton of “don’t give up”
and “it can take years” all over the place.
I was ready for that rejection.
I wasn’t ready for the yes.
I read those emails over and over. They couldn’t be right. But no matter how many times I read them, the words stayed the same. And now I have started this crazy
road to publication with the publisher I have been looking at with stars in my
eyes for the past two years. Some of my
idols write here. I still pinch myself
when I wake up in the morning, and until release day, I will probably be
waiting for the big bad to go wrong, but as of right now, I am finally saying
it.
I am a Samhain Author.
Did you feel the chills?
I sure did. :D
Make sure to check out their store
here . Read the blurbs and find
a new author. And make sure to look for
Roxy Mews on the virtual shelves late this year.
