Samhain Birthday Bash

You Are Cordially Invited

to the first Birthday of Samhain Publishing

The Authors and Staff of Samhain Publishing would like to thank you for your support during the last year. So, this November 1st Please come by the Samhain Cafe so we can thank you in person. Excerpts from your favorite authors, fun for all, and of course, prizes to be had. Every post you make will get your name in the drawing for two ten dollar gift vouchers from My Bookstore and More. And there are many more giveaways throughout the day from your favorite Samhain authors. One gift voucher will be awarded on Thursday morning so our friends around the world get a chance to win so no matter what time zone you are in, come on by and post.
Please Join
Maya Banks
Ally Blue
Diane Craver
Lauren Dane
Alexis Fleming
Rebecca Goings
Tilly Greene
Ingela F Hyatt
AnneMarie McKenna
TJ Michaels
Marie Nicole Ryan
Melissa Schroeder
Beth Williamson
and many more…..

Be sure to wear your favorite outfit, bring some friends and get ready for an excellent time. Cake and punch will be served along with the fun, so make sure to come with an appetite:) We look forward to seeing you at the Cafe.

Happy Halloween!

Just stopping by to wish everyone a safe, fun and happy Halloween! May your chocolate be plentiful and your raisins be few.

Autumn, Why Do I Love Thee?

I think I’ve figured out why I’ve been so looking forward to Fall this year. The reasons are pictured below. Now, in years past, I’ve never made these things (although others have made them for me) but this year, I’m thinking I might get my bake on for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

First, let’s start out with the yummy, delicious, scrumdiddlyupmtious Pumpkin Ice Cream.

I haven’t yet been able to find this spectacular specimen of spice (dammit) but I have been looking, oh yes! I’m dreaming of ice cream bowls, ice cream cones, & milkshakes OH MY!

The next in line of my culinary tour of Autumn is the ever popular Pumpkin Cream Cheese Log. Dear Gawd. This is sooo frickin’ good, you’ll literally LICK your plate, people. I have a friend who used to make this for me, but she doesn’t any more. I don’t know why she hates me so **stares at Val Howland** heheheh… >:D Therefore, I endeavor to make this myself. If you haven’t had a pumpkin cheese log, find a recipe and MAKE IT. You’ll be so glad you did. (And you’ll probably get noogie for it, too. **wink wink nudge nudge** know what I mean?? )

The final pumpkinny dish I have for you is Pumpkin Bread. MMMM Just baking it makes your entire house smell delicioso. Of course, I wouldn’t KNOW, since I’ve never made Pumpkin Bread. **blushes** But I’m hoping to rectify that in the near future. hehe

Of course that would mean that my kitchen would go from this:

TO THIS:

**BIG dramatic sigh**

~~Becka
(neither kitchen pictured above is *actually* Becka’s real kitchen. LOL)

I Wish I Had Something Pleasant to Blog

I wish I could blog about rainbows or butterflies or cotton candy, childhood, dandylions or bank errors in my favor. But life is cruel, and every now and again it smacks you upside the head and makes you realize you aren’t immortal after all.

My editor at Samhain Publishing, Teri Smith, passed away today. She was taken to the hospital Sunday evening after suffering a massive heart attack. She’d been sick and on bed rest due to other issues, and to have this happen was shocking to say the least. I was just talking to her myself on the phone just a few days ago, ironing out some edits for one of my books.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family, and the entire “family” at Samhain. Teri was a great lady with a lot of spunk. Even though I didn’t know her for long, she left a mark on my life. She earned my respect for being an uber geek, just like me, loving sci-fi and fantasy and being able to talk about DragonCon with a straight face. Or heck, even knowing what “DragonCon” even is.

Teri is the one who signed my Legends of Mynos series to Samhain, as well as Jareth’s story, HEARTS UNBOUND. She even co-wrote a book with one of her best friends, JeanMarie Ward, entitled WITH NINE YOU GET VANYR.

Isn’t that cover GORGEOUS?? At least she got to see her beautiful cover before she passed. When we were on the phone last week, she told me all about the wonderful world she built with JeanMarie. I intend on buying her book and reading it.

For the short time I knew her, Teri was a great friend and editor. She will be greatly missed. As much as her passing saddens me, I cannot help but rejoice for her, because now, she’s in a much better place, with no pain and no sorrow. We on Earth mourn her loss, but those in Heaven celebrate their gain.

~~Becka

Booksigning by Phyllis Campbell

If anyone out there is in Utah this Saturday, drop in and say “hi” to Phyllis. . .

Come join us, we look forward to seeing you!

Book signing for Utah RWA authors

Phyllis Campbell, Sherry Lewis,

Cathy Miller, Rae Anne Thayne, and Ravyn Wilde

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Author Panel from 1:30-2:00 pm

Book signing 2:00-4:00 pm

At Border’s Books and Music Café

132 E Winchester
Murray, Utah

It’s That Time Again.

What do:

Belle

Little Red Riding Hood

Batman

Tinkerbell

Have in common?

That’s right. This is the Goings kids line up for Halloween. Hannah is Belle, Miriam is Tinkerbell, Simone is Little Red, and Levi is Batman. I’ll take pictures of the big event and post them. It’ll be great.

Unfortunately, we moved into a neighborhood that doesn’t really celebrate Halloween. There *is* the random house here and there that has their porch light on, but I’m not going to walk all over creation just for a few candy bars!!! I wanna just walk around the block and be done. LOL (I’m old. hehe) Therefore, we’re going to be trick-or-treating in our friends’ neighborhood which just happens to be right across the main drag from our street. Kids galore. It’ll be great.

There are kids galore in our tract too, but they’re hispanic, and no offense to the hispanic community, but I guess they don’t celebrate Halloween. We only had ONE trick-or-treater last year, and I had stocked up on candy. So my kids got double dose of candy last year. It was a bummer, because my DH really enjoys creating his pumpkin masterpieces. But if no one is going to be around to enjoy them, we aren’t going to do them any more.

Here are some of DH’s creations from yesteryear….

Superman & Captain Jack Sparrow

Flounder & Ariel

These look fricken’ AWESOME from the street. But no pumpkins for the Goings’s this year. Awww…. Damn Halloween-Scrooges we live next to. LOL

~~Becka

Gossamer Wings is released!

Jumping with joy here!

My second historical novel, Gossamer Wings, set in Yorkshire, England 1870 has just been officially released by Vintage Romance Publishing! Woohoo!
I’m so excited. I loved writing this book, which is full of family drama, passion, tragedy, love and hope.

BlurbGrace Woodruff, the backbone of her troubled family, finds that its disintegration and the return of a lost love strains her emotional stability and sends her on a journey to discover a new path that, along the way, makes her re-evaluate exactly what it is she wants and how she can achieve it, but what will it cost her?

Review -5 cups
Gossamer Wings is a saga about a family full of betrayal, hate, lies, infidelity, disappointments and often love. Grace is a strong character that strives to keep things intact while facing many frustrations. Her deep felt emotions interweave within the pages. Ms. Whitfield paints a remarkable novel with well-developed secondary characters that bring out the good and the bad in the worse of families. She instills believability with all her characters. She pens a story that will touch the heart, often irritate and sometimes make the reader cheer. This is a most rare gripping read. Cherokee Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

Barnes & Noble
http://tinyurl.com/y95f6s

Avaliable to order at all good bookstores and libraries.
Online at all Amazon.com websites. (though still waiting for cover to show)
Amazon USA http://tinyurl.com/koljb
Amazon.uk http://tinyurl.com/yhbqtc

Thanks for letting me share my happiness on this special day!

Regards, Anne.~
http://www.annewhitfield.com
Kitty McKenzie paperback http://tinyurl.com/rced5
Gossamer Wings paperback http://tinyurl.com/koljb

New Poll and Contest

I’ve returned from a three-week vacation – visiting Neolithic Goddess temples in Malta and Gozo. Quite an experience to walk the same land as tribes that came over from Sicily during the end of the Ice Age. Temples started to appear around 4000 B.C. – and many scholars believe they were dedicated to the Great Mother Goddess.

Many times I’m asked how I get my story ideas. I went to Malta hoping that I’d come away with a terrific story, instead, there was so much history and fascinating stuff – my head’s still spinning! Do I write about the Goddess during the Neolithic times, or put the goddess in another time period. I can focus on the 1500’s when the Knights of St. John landed on Malta and made the island their home. There were the medieval nobility who settled on the island from Sicily. Oh, and Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans! Brainstorming through-out the trip – my sister and I came up with several ideas. We also spent time eyeing the cute men we called “H’s” – for Hero and Hunk! There were of few of them, too I was too chicken to take out my camera and get shots of them. It would have been just for research, of course.

So I’m asking for your help! I’ve decided to put up a new poll on my Yahoo Group and ask what time period you’d like to read about. I’m also having a drawing for those who answer my poll. I’m giving away a signed copy of Warring Hearts: Cradle the Light - the first book of my WWII trilogy.

Join my non-chat Yahoo Group and and answer my poll and you’re automatically entered. http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/vickigaia
You can visit my website for details: http://www.vickigaia.com/

My Latest Obsession

For those of you who are Stargate geeks, you’ll recognize who this is. This is the man who plays Lt. Col. John Sheppard on Stargate Atlantis. He’s also the man I’ve chosen to play Rogan Wolfe in my little book trailer for B*E*A*S*T* OF BURDEN. His name is Joe Flanigan, and dear Gawd, he’s HOT!!!

Now, this man is handsome, yes. You look at him and think, hmm. Not bad. I’ve been watching Atlantis for awhile now and over time, I’ve gotten to the point where I think Mr. Flanigan is a knuckle-biter. Maybe he’s grown on me, I don’t know. But to me, “wow” isn’t a strong enough word to convey how hot I think this man is.

I’ve always thought he was good looking. But now, whenever I see him on TV, it’s like HOLD THE PHONE! MY MAN IS ON!!! lol

Gah.

I’ve literally been drooling over this blog post for like 20 minutes now. Heheh

Le sigh. No wonder I REALLY like Rogan’s book…

~~Becka

Find some treasure in print!

Beth Williamson stepping in the WAT blog today. Howdy folks!

Yep, it’s finally here! Yay! Book 4 of the Malloy family series, The Treasure, is released in paperback today, October 17! You can get your copy at bookstores online like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and MBAM, or it will be in Borders and Waldenbooks stores soon.

*steps up to the microphone and taps it*

Ahem, I’d like to thank everyone that helped me get here with my fourth single title in print. That list includes my husband, my kids, my parents, my sister, the rest of my family, my amazing editor Sasha, my publisher Crissy at Samhain, my friends (Donnie, Christy, Net, Nancy), my best pal and CP Sasha White, and most especially you readers.

This is the fourth book in the Malloy family series and very special to me (yes, they’re all special). Lily is a great deal like me, particularly in her clumsiness. This book is a salute to all the clumsy women in the world and to the men who love them.

To celebrate, let me first throw some confetti around and belt out a rebel yell – YEEEEEHAAAAAAAW!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the second part of my celebration. I want to give the readers back something for all the joy they’ve brought me by reading my books. One lucky reader is going to win a prize pack from me – or you could call it a treasure chest.

How do you play? Send me an e-mail to cowgirlbeth@gmail.com and tell me what your greatest treasure is in your life – person, place, thing, whatever. Somebody is getting a prize pack loaded with goodies from my prize vault, including a paperback copy of Vixen Virgins!

So come on y’all, find some treasure and help me celebrate!