Time for another guest blogger and today it’s Jaime Samms…
When did you begin writing?
The answer to when did I begin making up stories isn’t the same as the answer to when did I begin writing. I’ve been daydreaming and making up stories in my head since… well. Since forever. I don’t remember when that began. I started writing them down sometime in high school when I’d read my way through all the fantasy books the library near my house had to offer and I didn’t have a job yet, so I couldn’t afford to buy books. I had to get my fix somehow, so I just wrote my own stories while I waited for the books I’d requested from the library to show up. For those of you doing the maths, that *mumblemumble* years ago. Those stories are locked in a drawer, because I can’t bear to throw them away, but no one can ever see how terrible they are, either.
As for writing for publication, or for sharing with people, that I didn’t do until sometime after my first kid was born in the early 2000s, and my very first published story came out in an anthology in the mid- 2000s. Since then, there have been over 30 publication, from short stories to novels.
What’s been your biggest challenge?
Over all the years I’ve been writing and publishing, my biggest challenge has come over the most recent 12 months. The publishing world, at least the one I’ve been immersed in the past five or so years, has turned on it’s head and when that happened, my ability to invest emotionally in writing a story has been woefully scarce. Just to keep on keeping on has been a struggle that only recently has gotten easier, and I feel like that ease has come through sheer determination not to quit. But it hasn’t been easy. Hopefully, 2020 will be the beginning of a much-needed upswing.
Why did you choose your genre?
I actually think my genre chose me. Remember those fantasy books I devoured growing up? They were heavy on quests and magic and adventure, but light on connection between characters. There was the tortured hero with the sad past and his bestie who always had his back, but I kept hoping for more, something deeper and more meaningful between the characters. As I was delving into those friendships in my own new writing and trying to find the wellspring from whence they flowed, so to speak, it seemed like a natural progression that the characters moved beyond friendship.
When I started publishing and publishers wanted contemporary romance over fantasy or paranormal romance, I turned to the relationships to guide my stories. Now, I feel I’m rounding another corner back to my roots in fantasy and paranormal, but the romance is still there.
What writing tips would you like to share?
Keep on keeping on. If you want to be a writer, you have to write, and you have to finish. It will get hard sometimes. Those times, remember that every word you put on the page counts, whether it makes it into the final manuscript or not. It matters because you came to the table and did the work, and that is always the first, most important step
What are you currently working on?
I have two projects on the go, actually.
The first is a paranormal romance involving a pickpocket and the owner of a B&B. The pickpocket, Lucky, has landed on the doorstep of The Oaks B&B where he encounters Kreed, the B&B’s owner. Kreed has been running his business on his own for over a year and is quickly wearing thin. He needs a helping hand, and his B&B has chosen Lucky to fill that role. Since the house has rejected and scared off every hire Kreed has ever made, he’s relieved that Lucky takes the building’s quirks in stride and sticks around just when Kreed needs him. As for Lucky, he’s happy to have a roof over his head for now, even if that roof is a bit… overbearing. But just as the men settled into an understanding, of course, Lucky’s past comes barreling down the road behind him, and he has to face it and hope Kreed still wants him when all is said and done.
The other project is the seventh and last book in my Rainbow Alley series. Let me tell you, wrapping up a seven-book series is no easy feat. It’s early days for this one, so far, so all I know is that the culmination of the series of troubles the residents of Rainbow Alley have faced over the past few years is going to play out. Everyone will have to step up to keep the community safe once and for all. Rolly will have to face his family, Rikki will have to make a stand and not break, and Mark will have to decide if he still wants a life with Rolly. Their friends and family will all play a part. So far, that’s all I know….
What would you like to promote today?
I think it’s appropriate, since my last release was a Christmas story, to say its time to talk about something else, so maybe anyone who hasn’t read the first six Rainbow Alley books, now’s your chance. You have time before the last one comes out!
Here’s the link at Pride Publishing for the series: https://www.pride-publishing.com/index.php?route=product/series/info&series_id=205
