|
|
|
Letter From The Editor
Welcome Samhellion
Readers!
Whether we celebrate
a religious holiday, simply look forward to a good
bumpy sleigh ride, or turn our thoughts to the
coming year, no doubt we all have one thing in
common—we wish for a bit more “me” time. Checking
lists twice and cooking up a storm? Just wish the
season were over? (Be careful of that one—look what
happened to Ebenezer.)
Here’s your chance
to kick back and cozy up with some wonderful
fiction, great how-to advice, and of course,
fabulous recipes from your favorite authors. We
are your favorite authors, right? A nice hot
cider (check out Lauren Dane’s recipe) might go with
a romantic winter tale from Denise Agnew. |
 |
You may need to spike that
cider to get in the mood for TJ Michael’s sexy boot primer!
I have to restrain from commenting on her orange balls
recipe (TJ shouldn’t give me an opening like that). Perhaps
you’re in an international frame of mind? Try Gabriella
Hewitt’s Puerto Rican Holiday Punch.
I like my helpful writing
articles with a good cup of Hazelnut coffee. Lauren Dane
keeps us motivated to write through the holiday chaos,
Bianca D’Arc offers tips on staying healthy (hint—get up
from that computer), Mary Eason talks trailers, Anne Rainey
brings us writing words of wisdom from great writers, and B.
Ella Donna imparts a bit of lunar wisdom.
This can be an emotional
time of year—whether you’ve lost a loved one or are sharing
your first New Year’s Eve together. JL Langley and Beth
Williamson write about their own traditions, old and new.
There’s something for everyone
this edition—whether you’re a humbug or a regular Santa. We
wish you peace, joy, and a most happy New Year!
Ciar Cullen, December Editor
Join Samhain Publishing and The
Samhellions for a Holiday Party!
December 19, 2007 @
The Romance Studio Chat Room beginning at 8pm EST. There
will be tons of prizes to be won! So bust out your jammies
and put on some Christmas music and be there or be talked
about! :)
|
 |
My Holiday
Traditions
J.L. Langley
Most everyone has a
Christmas tradition or two, things they do every
Christmas without fail. Traditions range from the
ordinary, like sending Christmas Cards and going
caroling, to the obscure. Some people attend
midnight mass at church; others burn a yule log. |
In my family, the traditions
are relatively new. The first one I remember being part of
was started by my parents and grandparents…because of me.
Having been their only grandchild in Texas, it was very
important for my grandparents to be with me on Christmas.
To do that, my grandparents and my parents decided to
celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, at my parent’s house.
When everyone arrived we’d eat dinner. After that we'd go
look at Christmas lights while Santa came to our house.
Then it was back home to open presents. To this day we
still follow this pattern. The tradition has grown to
include my sister, my uncles and their spouses, my cousins
and their significant others, as well as my husband and
children, but it is essentially the same. My uncle’s wife
tried to mess with the tradition when she came into the
family, wanting to celebrate at her house, but was quickly
shut down. You don’t mess with other people’s traditions.
(Santa,
where's my presents?) |
|
YULE: Season of Lights
Gia Dawn & Carolan Ivey
Season of Rebirth
Yule is celebrated on the Winter Solstice
which marks Midwinter, the longest night of
the year. This year, the dawn of that
shortest day and darkest night is at 6:22
a.m., Dec. 22.
This festival was traditionally a
celebration of the birth of light, the
confirmation that even on this darkest day
of the year, the sun will soon return,
bringing with it enough warmth to melt the
ice and snow. The promise of spring in the
bleak winter’s cold. |
 |
On this night, goddesses from all around the world
give birth to their children.
These various celebrations are the origins of our
modern Christmas.
(Bring
on the pagans!)
|
 |
Paying It
Forward
Beth Williamson
During the holidays in December, a lot of
our time is spent shopping, wrapping,
attending parties, grousing about cleaning
the house (then cleaning it) and generally
we focus on our lives and how busy they are.
That's what I have done a lot, especially
with two kids, a job, another job, a husband
and a house. Who has the time to think about
somebody else? |
My 11 YO
son has taught me that you do indeed need to think
about somebody else. He's a very generous, sweet boy
who tends to be a bit in his own world. However,
he's considerate and giving, two beautiful traits
that more than make up for his extraordinary ability
to get distracted. :)
Don't get me wrong, the child has made a Christmas
list and added to it, but he tends to forget what he
even asked for when it comes time to actually
opening gifts. He's just excited to get something! I
told him my company was again stuffing stockings for
the Salvation Army this year and I wanted to do
another one for a 9-12 boy (the category that's
almost always not chosen). When I explained that the
children we give stockings to are homeless, he grew
very serious.
(We
want MORE!)
|
Visions of the Goddess: The Moon and Her
Many Faces
B. Ella Donna
There is never enough time in the day. It's
a common complaint muttered over and over,
especially at this time of year with the
holidays fast approaching. But how would it
be if all that changed, simply by looking up
at the night sky? What if you could alter
your reality by simply acknowledging the
many cases of the Goddess painted on the
night's canvas? |
 |
My journey into living in harmony with 'la luna'
began with the phases of the moon many years ago. As
most journeys, it was a road filled with twists and
detours. It started with a quest for knowledge and
ended with the graile.
(La
Bella Luna!)
Hot On
The Trail Of Book Trailers
Mary Eason
Unless you’ve been
living under a rock, the chances are you’ve seen one
book trailer at the very least. If you are an
author, you may have tried your hand at creating
one, or if your talents don’t gravitate in that
direction, then you may have paid someone to turn
your book into a video trailer.
What the heck is a video book
trailer and why should I care?
According to a recent article on the subject by
bestselling author Allison Brennan, book trailers
are the hottest
new thing in
promotional tools for writers. Book
trailers are a short visual commercial that gives
the viewer an idea what a particular book is about,
including the tone of the book as well as its genre
and main characters.
It doesn’t matter who you are:
Most authors will tell you, finding a surefire promotional tool that
works 100% of the time is like finding the goose that laid the
golden egg. It simply doesn’t happen, folks. In fact, for the most
part, promotion can be a game of trial an error.
As an author
myself, I created my own book trailer for
Thirty Lessons – my April Samhain Publishing release, and I’ve
also paid a professional to create a video for my first romantic
suspense release entitled,
Don’t Close Your Eyes. I’ll let you be the judge on which is the
best.
Authors such as Barbara Freethy, Brenda Novak, Sylvia Day have
turned their bestsellers into videos. Marketing expert and author
M.J. Rose has been using book videos to promote her books since 2001
because, “The impact of imagery is greater than the impact of
words.”
(Bring
on the Trailers!)
|
From The Heart
Anne Rainey
Ever wonder what other authors would
say if you asked them for advice on
publishing? I thought about writing all this
stuff I’d learned, but then I thought, how
boring is that? So instead, I’d like to
share with you a few tips straight from the
heart of romance. These are the
professionals. Ladies who’ve been there,
done that, and have their own collection of
rejection letters to prove it!
These best-selling authors come to you
from Berkeley, Red Sage, Kensington,
Ellora’s Cave, Bantam Dell, Warner Books,
Harlequin and Avon Red. They’ve got
something to say, so get out your pens and
notepads! |
 |
Lori Foster
says:
“Avoid critique groups and contests. They can not
buy your book, but they can dilute your voice -
which is the only unique thing any writer has.
Listen to all advice given and see how it applies to
your work, but never feel pressured to make a change
just to please the masses. Be honest with yourself
and admit your words are NOT golden, and can almost
always use change. Yeah, it's a conflict - but no
one ever said writing was easy. So much is
instinctive, and if you don't have the instincts get
out while you can! LOL” –
www.lorifoster.com
(More Wisdom
Please)
|
 |
Writing During The Holidays
Lauren Dane
For a great
many writers, no other time of year
challenges their schedule more than the
winter holiday season. Kids are home from
school, your spare time is filled with
familial obligations and events and the time
you have for writing shrinks to nothing.
Still, deadlines beckon and the work needs
to be done so what’s a writer to do? |
I’m a big believer
in BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard) because
it won’t get done unless you do it. So essentially
then, the issue becomes how and when you do it.
I survive the
holidays and meet my writing deadlines with a few
simple tips:
(Enlighten
Me!) |
|
PAGE TWO!
Copyright 2007, thesamhellion.com |
