Samantha Sommersby Interview and Contest!
Posted on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 11:19 pmCategory: Author Days, Contests, Foundations, Interviews
Samantha will be blogging for charity today! Here is what Samantha had to say:
I’m going to donate $.25 for each comment posted to the San Diego Foundation After the Fires Fund 2007 and will commit to a minimum of $25.00 and a maximum of $100.00. So…comment and comment often. Want to jump on the bandwagon and sponsor comments as well for Monday? Just email me or announce your intentions in your comment post on Monday! Every bit makes a difference.
And for those of you that need an extra enticement to stop by and post…
A few years ago, during the Cedar Fire, I started to write a short story titled Touch the Fire. That story is now a part of Trilogy No. 101: Turning Up the Heat and I’ll be giving away a free copy of the eBook to someone.
Sam
How cool is that?
As an extra incentive, yet another winner will be chosen to get a print copy of No. 101: Turning Up the Heat!
So that’s 2 winners AND a chance to help out a good cause!
Now for Samantha’s interview…
I’d like to congratulate you on your latest release, Book 2 in your vamp series - Forbidden: The Awakening. Can you tell us a little about this book?
Forbidden: The Awakening, is the second novel in my Forbidden vampire series. The premise for the series came to be about a year and a half ago when I was taking a long flight back from London. In most vampire stories the vamp is the seducer. I wanted to turn the table, so to speak.
So this is a non-traditional vampire series. The hero, Byron Renfield, spent years climbing the social ladder, and is successful, handsome, independently wealthy and a vampire. But in order to ensure his redemption, Byron isolated himself on a small private island, away from all temptation. He’s basically trying to be a good little vamp and it was working until Violet Deeds became stranded on his island and turned his life upside down.
Violet is beautiful, sexy, outspoken, and a human, which makes her completely off limits and completely irresistible. Byron’s society’s canon may forbid relationships between vampires and humans, but will that stop them? No way! It’s a romance after all!
Forbidden: The Claim is the beginning of Byron and Violet’s story. Forbidden: The Awakening is the continuation of their story. It’s very steamy…with a kidnapping, an underground world of rebel vampires, an elaborate network of elite clansman led by an ageless prophet, and a rescue mission that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Am I tempting you? Good. To quote Byron, “Sometimes giving in to temptation can be a good thing.”
For those that are new to your books…How long have you been writing and what was your first published book?
I began writing in earnest in 2003 and was first published in 2005. The first book that was released, In the Still of the Night was actually the third book that I’d written. It’s an urban fantasy that’s primarily set in London. The hero, Wesley Atherton is a psychiatrist who ended up making a second appearance in Forbidden: The Awakening. I’m thinking of bringing him back for book four.
Do you plot out your stories first or do you let the characters lead you?
I’m afraid that my characters are completely in charge. I’m a planner by nature. In most aspects of my life I’m very organized. Checklists are my friend. But when it comes to writing my process is very organic. I meticulously profile my characters early on, that’s really the first thing that I do. But after I know who the hero and heroine are, I like to just let them go and see what happens.
Of all your published books, do you have a favorite? If so, which one and why?
That’s a tough question and one that I find the answer to changing over time. Normally my favorite is the one I’m working on at the moment, but you specified published, so… I’m going to pick Forbidden; The Awakening.
I love Byron Renfield. He was my hero in Forbidden: The Claim and I had the chance to write Byron again for Forbidden: The Awakening. Both stories are told from Byron’s point of view which makes for an intense writing experience. I was really able to get into his head. So, out of all of the character’s that I’ve written, I’d have t say that I feel closer to Byron. He’s heroic in the classic sense, yet very relatable. And…he’s really hot, did I mention that?
Of all your published books, do you have a least favorite? If so, which one and why?
*gasp* Are you asking me to say something negative about one of my darlings? Seriously, Blazing Sun Burning Hearts was hands down the hardest to write and I haven’t done another historical yet. I really have a lot of respect for authors who write historical novels. It’s a tremendous amount of work. Of course, others have said the same thing to me about world building, asking me how I’m able to come up with my own mythology, etc., for the Forbidden Series. Different strokes for different folks….
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working of the third book in my Forbidden series titled Forbidden: The Revolution. This book is set twenty-five years after Forbidden: The Awakening and introduces Byron and Violet’s son, Dell Renfield. Sorcerer. Sexy vampire. Special Agent. Secret weapon. In Forbidden: The Revolution, Dell is sent on a mission to Las Vegas where he encounters an old enemy of Byron’s and finds the two women that had been abducted along with Dell’s mother during Forbidden: The Awakening. The first woman is Rita, Byron’s former consort. The second is Alex Sanchez, who was an infant at the time of the kidnapping. Alex becomes Dell’s love interest. You’ll still see Byron and Violet, Luna will be back. But I’m also introducing some new characters, Byron’s daughter Lily, his assistant Chase, and a young werewolf names Jake who will be featured in book four.
When you’re not writing, what genre do you enjoy reading and who are some of your favorite authors?
Like many authors, I enjoy reading the same kind of stuff hat I love to write. Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, Marjorie M. Liu, Jeanne Stein, Carrie Vaughn, Kim Harrison, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan to name a few. I recently read Vivien Dean’s A Sentry’s Touch, which I really enjoyed. I did a review for the back cover of the print release and am sending her emails begging for a sequel. I just downloaded Kimberly Raye’s Dead Sexy. It looks like a ton of fun. Then I’m going to read J.J. Massa’s Metamorphose, it’s the ARe eBookclub pick for December and I’m planning to take it with me to read on the plane to Dallas mid-month.
Describe a day in the life of Samantha Sommersby.
In addition to writing as Samantha Sommersby, I co-own and run two companies, Linden Bay Romance, a small independent publishing house, and All Romance eBooks, an on-line bookstore that specializes in romance. I wish that I could report that I get to write every day, but that’s not the case. All Romance eBooks, which opened just over a year ago is growing faster than either my partner or I expected and it’s taking up a lot of my time. Despite that, I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier. Juggling various responsibilities means that I have to remain flexible and be willing to turn my attention to the thing that needs it most. How about I describe my ideal day?
I wake up every morning around six, pour myself a cup of coffee and head right into my home office to begin answering emails and checking reports. My husband rousts my son from bed most mornings then we tag-team getting him organized and ready for school. Usually by eight I’ve screened and responded to the emails that came in overnight, I’ve checked all of sales reports, and I’ve checked, responded to, and updated my blogs. I take my son to school, do my morning walk, complete a few household chores, shower, then settle in to work on long-term company projects in the morning so that I can spend two to three hours writing after lunch and before picking my son up at three. After that it’s homework, more writing, preparing and eating dinner, checking company emails, and settling in to watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert before bedtime. I’m completely in love with Stephen Colbert.
Favorites…
Favorite Season?
Fall, I grew up in New Hampshire. Fall is a spectacular time of year there and even though I now live in California, I love the fall.
Morning person or night owl?
Morning person.
Favorite movie?
Casablanca, Out of Africa, The English Patient
Favorite song?
At Last sung by Etta James
Favorite color?
I’m not sure that I have a favorite color. For years I would have said blue without hesitation. In my first house I painted every room a different shade of blue. I think I overdosed on blue. Now I like to surround myself with a variety of colors. Although in terms of cloths I’m VERY boring - black, white, jeans…sometimes red.
Fun Questions…
If you had a shrinking device, what’s the one thing in your house you’d miniaturize first?
LOL! The stack of 18,000 All Romance eBooks promotional CD’s that’s sitting in our work-out room! I’ll be shipping some out to the NYC Small Press Book Fair later this week and then we have three other conventions we’ll be using them for over the next few months. Meanwhile, they sure are taking up a lot of space AND they are way to heavy for me to move on my own.
If you were a superhero, what would your super power be?
The ability to heal. I watched my first episode of Heroes a few weeks ago and there’s this character that has the ability to heal herself. How cool is that? I only caught the tail end, but I don’t think she can heal others. I’d want that too, I’m greedy. Now I have to watch all the heroes episodes that I missed. It looks like they have them at the Blockbusters…if I can only find the time.
If you could build your own robot, what would it do?
Vacuum the house, it’s my least favorite chore.
Instead of leaves or money, what do you wish would grow on trees?
Understanding.
If you had to smell like one thing for the rest of your life, what scent would you pick?
Hmm. I love spicy scents, cloves, cinnamon, etc., but after a while I wouldn’t smell myself and imagine that could get obnoxious for the people around me. Citrus is nice, maybe a Meyer lemon? Not the too lemony scent that you find in cleaning products though, more like the mild scent of a real lemon. Or, maybe something neutral but fresh and clean smelling like rain. or that smell that you get right before the rain…
Samantha, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and doing this interview with me!
To learn more about Samantha Sommersby and her books, check out her website and MySpace page.
Jennifer Y. said,
November 18, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
Great interview! I recently read one of Samantha’s wonderful books and LOVED it!!!
Ann M. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:52 am
What a worthy cause to donate to after the terrible fires.
Interesting interview.
Jane said,
November 19, 2007 @ 3:32 am
Definitely a noble cause.
Jeanne C. Stein said,
November 19, 2007 @ 6:53 am
I love your books, too, Sam– and I’d like to donate $25.00 to your cause. I might live in Denver now, but San Diego will always be home. Hope to see you next month. I’ll bring the donation then, or mail it to you if you provide an address.
Love, Jeanne
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 19, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Thanks to everyone that has commented so far, we’re well on our way to a good morning! A special thanks to Jeanne for chipping in with a donation. Wow! That’s awseome. There’s a link at the top of this page that you can use, Jeanne, to send it in. We’ll definitely hook up when your in town, I plan on being at the Mysterious Galaxy for your signing. Anyone that ’s in the San Diego area should stop in, it’ll be Friday - December 7th. MG is the most awesome bookstore EVER. Make sure that you check buy Jeanne’s book and then as you’re checking out (because of course you’ll want to buy it) casually ask when Samantha Sommersby will be coming back .
Kate Fruend said,
November 19, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Hello! Just stopped by because this is so amazing of you to do. Wanting to read more of your books, but don’t have time (lit major, junior year…no spare reading time. Tear) Looking forward to Christmas Break when I’ll have the chance!!!
Laura J. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
What an awesome cause and a great way to donate to it. I have talked to several people (readers and authors) that were close to the fires. Fortunately they are all safe. Watching the fires on the news was extremely scary I can’t even imagine what it was like to live there.
Samantha your books sound really great and I’ll be adding them to my ever growing wishlist. I like the idea of the vampire not being the seducer. Should be interesting!
Sarah said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
Hi, Samantha. Thank You for donating to the wildfire fund. I had a lot of friends affected by the fires. It’s a worthy cause!
Sarah said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
Oh, yeah! I love your books!
Jennifer Y. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
This is a great cause and idea! I think it is great of you to do!
Can I ask a question? I was just wondering how many books you have written? How many are in print?
Oh, and I didn’t realize you co-owned Linden Bay…they have some great books…they are how I discovered ebooks…got my first one from there! Now that I think about it I think it was your book, Shelter from the Storm…but I didn’t read it until recently.
Jessie Verino said,
November 19, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
Great interview & great way to help!
Lennera Darser said,
November 19, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Wow, I wish I could be that successful in the publishing world one day. How did you get involved in publishing? I’d like to break in too but don’t know how. Thanks for donating money to such a good cause!
lisa young said,
November 19, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
:hi just wanted to stop by and say hi, and to tell that what your doing is awesome. I enjoy the books. lisa
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 19, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
ANSWERING JENNIFER’S QUESTION:
I’ve written seven books and have one additional story that was published in an anthology that is no longer available. The seven are all available electronically and in trade paperback: In the Still of the Night, Blazing Sun Burning Hearts, As You Wish, Trilogy No. 101: Turning Up the Heat, Shelter from the Storm, Forbidden: The Claim, and Forbidden: The Awakening.
And, thanks for the compliment about Linden Bay, we’re very proud of the books we’ve published and are blessed with a terrific group of authors.
Phyllis Lamen said,
November 19, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
Your book does sound great I love the cver. :faint
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 19, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
ANSWERING LENNERA’S QUESTION
I think you’re asking how did I get involved in publishing as opposed to how I became published as an author. If I’m missing the boat here, just let me know…
I was approached by a friend and colleage who had plans to open a publishing house with a partner. They’d found that as their busniess plans evolved, they needed assistance with some of the technical and operational aspects. Although I hadn’t worked in publishing previously, I had lots of business experience. Today Linden Bay Romance is co-owned by myself and my business partner, Barbara Perfetti. Barb is the Managing Editor and oversees all submissions and the editorial department. She also takes the lead on legal, contractual, and financial matters. As the COO I oversee customer service, marketing, sales and distribution, and the art department (which includes both graphic design and layout). It’s a nice division of labor and allows us to both utilize the skills to which we’re best suited.
Estella said,
November 19, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
You are a new author to me. I definitely want to read your vampire series!
Jennifer Y. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Thanks Samantha for answering my question!
Melanie said,
November 19, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
Hi Samantha!:hi I thought I’d come by and say hi! What a great idea this is! :hug
Angi C. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
Samantha,
Thanks so much for helping out with this cause.
My in-laws were affected by the fires so the help is very personal to me.
I love ARE, am a member of the book club and have read both the books you mentioned.
Both of which I enjoyed thoroughly. I’ve also read F:TC and I gotta say I love how she
seduced him instead of the other way around.
Now I have a question. How do you become a professional proof reader? I’d love to find out how.
I love to read, am anal retentive about spelling, grammar and typo’s I see in published books, and
I know the rules of grammar (I can thank my 10th grade english teacher for all the above LOL).
Thanks for a great interview, great books to read, and for donating to such a great cause.
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 19, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
Thanks to everyone that posted today. I really appreciate you coming out to support this cause. I’ll be checking back in the morning to see if there are any additional questions of comments. Right now, I’m off to help my son with his homework. Science test tomorrow….
Lennera Darser said,
November 19, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
Thanks for the answer to my question, you answered it just right
Sorry, my daughter was staging a riot as I typed and I wanted to stop it as soon as possible.
As another question, when did you write your first story? I know a lot of authors wrote as long as they could remember. Thanks a ton and have a great night!
Jennifer Y. said,
November 19, 2007 @ 10:06 pm
Good luck to the son with the science test!
ReadingIsSoMuchFun said,
November 20, 2007 @ 1:00 am
Great interview. This is a great idea I like it very nice. Good luck :pray with everything.
Happy Thanksgiving To You All.
:hug
LindaH
Leah said,
November 20, 2007 @ 1:00 am
Wonderful interview. We share similar taste in favorite authors.
Mandy said,
November 20, 2007 @ 7:35 am
Aaw, rats! I hate that I missed the fun yesterday. What a wonderful thing ya’ll are doing! I just wanted to drop by and show my support for Samantha. I’ve read and reviewed both of her Forbidden books and they are so awesome and original- I highly recommend them to everyone!
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 20, 2007 @ 8:08 am
ANSWERTING LENNERA’S QUESTION
I wrote my first “book” when I was about nine. We had a summer lake house on a small lake in NH. I was an only child, and it rained non-stop one week when we were there. Bored out of my mind I picked up a pen and started writing in a notebook. It was time-travel about two kids that got sucked through a portal and fund themselves in colonial times. I wish that I still had it, I’m sure it was awful. LOL!
My son started writing a book this past summer. He’s got about 40 pages and seems to have set it aside in favor of the more pressing school work. It looks like he’s caught the writing bug. I wonder where THAT came from?
Stefanie D said,
November 20, 2007 @ 9:19 am
Great interview! Your book sounds very good and I love the cover!
Oh, please don’t enter me in the drawing for the e-book.
Maria V said,
November 20, 2007 @ 11:48 am
Great interview. Please enter me in your drawing.
Susan said,
November 20, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
Loved the interview! You are a new author to me. :hi Your books sound too wonderful for me not to check them out!
Jennifer Y. said,
November 20, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
WOW! Age 9? And a time travel? How cool! And how cool about your son writing? What is he writing?
Laura J. said,
November 20, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
That is fantastic–40 pages–WOW!!! I hope he comes back to it when school works settles down. I wish my son would write more. He is however an aspiring illustrator (sp?–long day).
Shelley said,
November 22, 2007 @ 1:38 am
Samantha Sommersby said,
November 24, 2007 @ 9:54 am
ANSWERING JENNIFER Y’S QUESTION
My son is writing a fantasy of sorts. I wish that I could pass along more detail but he’s being very secritive about it. He was telling me just last night that he hopes to pick it up again over the Christmas holiday. So far I’ve resisted snooping.
Thanks to everyone for reading along last week and helping to support such a worthwile cause!
Sam