Seeing the Bright Side of Romance & Fantasy

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Falling Snow

While I don’t write a ton of winter stories, it’s without question one of my favorite times of year. Not a lot of things I like better than sitting in front of a fire with a cup of hot cider while it snows outside. Then there’s the morning after a snowfall, with that quiet serenity of an unbroken blanket of snow, when even the normal noises of the world are muffled and distant.

So it’s probably not the biggest shock that my winter project this year is (yes, yet another) retelling of Snow White. Coming in January!

Prince Carwyn is going to be crowned in less than a week when he overhears a conversation he wasn’t meant to—one that precipitates his swift flight from the castle, pursued by Gareth, the loyal huntsman who wants nothing more than to keep him safe.

Want the visual? Here’s the pinterest board, for a little taste:

Puss in Boots

I promised more information on my upcoming projects, so here’s one that’s in the works for an anthology in 2021: An Urban Fantasy retelling of Puss in Boots.

The plot:
Luke Miller’s parents just died, and his greedy brothers turned him out of the only home he’s ever known, with little more than his clothes and his cat, Wentworth. In his quest to find stability and somewhere to belong, Luke stumbles across an apparently abandoned mansion, a mystery surrounding the neighbor who left Wentworth in his care, and a whole lab worth of shattered glass, all of which conspire to change his life not only for good, but for the better.

Want more info? Here’s the pinterest board I put together as inspiration for Luke’s journey:

happy fox

A Fantastic Prelude

Hey all! It’s been a while, so I thought I’d update you on what’s happening. In August, I have a new world, and a whole new cast of characters to introduce you to, so I’m starting here: A sassy fox, a grumpy ghost, and one overwhelmed mage trying to evade a conspiracy that wants him dead.

Coming soon to a kindle near you, The Fantastic Fluke.

https://www.pinterest.com/samburnswrites/arcanist/

tl; dr: Take Care of Yourself

I’m one of those annoying authors who doesn’t believe in the concept of writer’s block.

Yes, sometimes I struggle to write.

Often, that’s the black dog hounding my tail. If it’s depression, it takes time to run its course. I sit around and read a lot of books—or if it’s really bad, I don’t read a lot of books.

Sometimes I struggle because there’s something wrong with the book I’m trying to write. If it’s that, I need to figure out what the problem is. Usually, it’s me trying to push square pegs into round holes. Sometimes the plot I envision just isn’t what my characters would do, and I need to accept that and replan to suit them.

So when I sat down to write the last book in the Rowan Harbor Cycle, Wren and Oak, and the words refused to come, I presumed it was one of those two issues. But instead of taking to my kindle and reading books, I spent a lot of days sitting there staring at a blank document, wondering why the words wouldn’t come.

It wasn’t my plot, I was sure. I’d spent eight books setting this up. I knew what needed to happen, and just how Fletcher would react to it.

And yet, my daily word counts had gone from thousands one month, to only occasionally positive numbers the next. It’s convention planning, I told myself. Then the convention itself. Then vacation planning. Then vacation.

Suddenly two months had gone by, and I didn’t have a book.

This is probably when I’d have usually started to despair about how I was never going to write again, and other such melodrama. Instead, I realized, I hadn’t eaten in two days. I’d lost fourteen pounds in the last week, in fact.

As it turns out, I started a different medication right before I started working on Wren and Oak, and because I was so busy, and traveling all the time, I didn’t realize that I was, in fact, poisoning myself. It turns out my body was not a fan of the medication in question, and was slowly shutting down.

I went off it, and two weeks later had a finished manuscript.

What was the purpose of this ridiculous plot twist?

I mean, other than that it’s a true story and proves that fictional plot twists have nothing on real life, there’s this: sometimes we all neglect ourselves in the daily rush to get everything done. I know if we don’t get things done, everything falls apart. Rents need paid, after all, and electric and grocery bills. But if you ignore your body’s warnings that something is wrong, you won’t be able to get everything done from a hospital bed.

Also, if we met or started speaking between September and mid-November, I apologize for anything and everything I said or did.

The Prince of Death Lives


My co-written book with the awesome W.M. Fawkes, Prince of Death, is out in the wild as of today!

You can get your copy on Amazon, for purchase or KU borrow.

We’re both pretty excited about sharing Lysandros and Theo with everyone…

…and just as excited about sharing what’s next in this universe: Prisoner of Shadows

As fans of Greek and Roman myth, Fawkes and I have always loved Prometheus, and thought he got a lousy deal after putting himself on the line to help humanity. So we’re going to give him a happier ending.

The Prince & the Professor

If you met me at GRL, you probably also met W. M. Fawkes, whom I introduced as artist, writer, and all around great friend. For some time now, Waverly and I have been working on something new. We’ve created a new universe together that’s a mix of mythology, fantasy, and of course, love: Lords of the Underworld. It’s a series of standalone urban fantasy romances.

It starts with Prince of Death on March 7th, 2019, beneath the streets of Washington, DC, with a lonely prince and a sad professor, neither of whom has any idea how much they need each other…

Gifted power over life and death, Lysandros has spent millennia in the underworld, listless and alone. The youngest child of Hades and Persephone, he’s been sheltered from the threats in the world above.

Theo Ward hasn’t been so lucky. After watching his mother wither away, he’d do almost anything to have her back. When a messenger appears at the Banneker College of Magic and offers the young professor a chance to save her, Theo can’t pass it up, even if it means going straight into the underworld and dragging her home. But Theo gets more than he bargained for when he crosses paths with the prince of Hades.

Set against the king of Olympus, they must shed their past burdens and learn to trust in each other, so they can face down a storm that threatens to wipe the nation’s capital off the map.

Prince of Death on goodreads

Cover by the talented and lovely Natasha Snow

Pre-order of Stag and the Ash is available now

This always feels like it happens sooner than I expect, but here it is. The pre-order of Stag and the Ash is up on Amazon.

Meanwhile, I’ve been planning Adder and Willow, the next installment in The Rowan Harbor Cycle, as well as a certain secret project that shall remain nameless until way closer to completion. (hint: there may be witches and a coffee shop involved.)

Hope everyone’s having a fabulous weekend!

Stag and the Ash cover!

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, and I’m procrastinating, so I thought I’d come show you what I’m working on.

The lovely and talented Madeline Farlow is doing the covers for The Rowan Harbor Cycle, and here’s her piece for Stag and the Ash, which is slated to be released on Thursday, June 28th:

Mr. Burns tells me that this one is his second favorite after the cover for Blackbird in the Reeds, which I think will always be my favorite, too. What do you think?

Anyway, here’s the (working) burb:

Jesse Hunter is finally trying to be an adult, but still feels like an act. His place on the town council is a sham. He’s rarely called on to do anything. His boyfriend is grieving the loss of his mother, and while everyone seems to think he’s doing a great job caring for Sean, Jesse feels like he’s more of a distraction than a real help.

March is shaping up to be a bad month. First, random chance leads him to the realization that the town’s recent trouble is his fault. Then new werewolves come into town, and it turns out they’re also Jesse’s responsibility. He feels like he may be at his breaking point, and he doesn’t want to drag his friends and loved ones down with him. But how will he handle it alone?

Next Up: Saint and the Sinner

Yeah, you read that excerpt right. Next book in the Wilde Love series is going to be Owen and Mickey’s story, Saint and the Sinner. It’s with my editor right now, and scheduled for release on November 27th.

Also coming before the end of the year will be A Very Wilde Christmas. Lots of Christmas fluff about your favorite Wilde Love characters.

While I have more books planned for Wilde Love, it’s unlikely that book five is going to follow as quickly as the first few have come. There are various  reasons for this, but the one I’ve decided to share is this: what’s coming next.

I read and love all kinds of romance, but I have a particularly soft spot in my heart for paranormal romance. Since before I decided to start with Wilde Love, I’ve had this idea for a series. It’s a little long, counting in at a planned nine books, so I decided to start with something a shorter, or at least more open-ended.

I’ll be posting a little about it here and there for the next few months. I’m shooting for a January release on book one, so it’s coming up fast!

Sins of the Father is live!

Book two in the Wilde Love series, Sins of the Father, is now available for sale!

Sins of the Father on Amazon.

There’s a giveaway going on right now as well. It’s strictly for members of the mailing list, so if you want a chance to win a signed copy of Straight from the Heart, sign up for the list and follow the link in your email to get your chance to win!

Next up, Jake’s story, Strike up the Band, will be available in September!

 

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