Much of the writing at loveyoudivine is cross genre. We do red hot erotica, but it frequently turns up in the context of murder mysteries, historicals, paranormals, science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror and soap opera!

Many of our regular authors dabble toes, if not more interesting body parts, into the strange, swirling waters of speculative fiction. Talking amongst ourselves, we felt it would be an interesting thing to explore. And this is what happened.

First I interviewed Max Griffin    - http://blogs.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin then he interviewed M. King - 

http://maxgriffin.blogspot.com/

At this point in the process it gets a wee bit complicated! M King interviewed Alex Morgan 

http://lavengra.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/alex-morgan/ and Nix Winter - 

http://lavengra.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/nix-winter/

Nix then wet on to interview Jon Michaelsen - 

http://www.jewlsthelucky.com/2010/02/interview-with-jon-michaelsen.html?zx=6fc015dc7cef3dc1

and he interviewed Adrianne Brennan – http://www.jonmichaelsen.net/?p=467

Now we get a bit of a hop, and we pick up with Melissa el-Hajjar who interviewed Dawne Dominique - http://blogspot.loveyoudivineinfo.com/?p=288 (which you may have spotted already as we put that one on this blog!)

Dawne interviews Jaime Samms – http://dawnedominique.blogspot.com  and then Jaime interviewed Crymsyn Hart -  http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/138383.html

This is not an exhaustive list of speculative ficiton writers at loveyoudivine, and it may in fact grow if more interviews are sparked. Do wander about a bit and have a read!

INTERVIEW WITH loveyoudivine’s MULTI TALENTED

s JAMIE SAMMS s

Hi, Jaime. Thank you for joining us today. What actually inspired you to become an author?

Really? I was poor. Not that writing nets me a very big paycheck, but at fifteen, before Internet—yes, I said before Internet, and those so inclined can do the math—I ran out of books to read. I had no money to buy more, or to pay my library fines, so my only option was to write my own. Turns out, I was pretty half decent at it. Of course, these early efforts were pretty bad as far as the craft goes, but the love of creating something from nothing but words got its claws into me and never really let go. Now I do it for kicks and giggles, and the occasional hard dollar.

 Can you describe how you felt when you received your first publishing contract, and what did you do?

It was pretty cool. I have to admit, and here’s where fellow authors might glare at me, but the first thing I ever subbed was accepted. I sent a short story to a now defunct Yaoi publisher called Iris Print, for their first anthology, “Connections”. I didn’t get a huge pay out for that story, but it was a pretty big rush, knowing I wasn’t the only one who wanted to read it. And before anyone gets too upset, the next thing I subbed to them was rejected, so it just goes to show, this industry is never a sure thing. I will say that rejection was also my first, and the story in question, after another sub and a re-write, is now safely and contractually in the hands of Drollerie Press, release date forthcoming.

 How would you describe yourself as a person?

 Wow. Talk about your blanket questions. Um…I guess busy and a little bit on the artsy/flaky side, which probably explains the pink hair and addiction to caffeine. I can be practical when it’s required, but it really is not my default setting. I like creating—stories, crafts and such. I’m pretty handy, so I guess in a word, I’m creative, and everything else kind of flows from there. My family has learned to live with the chaos and the cats, for the most part.

What genres do you write in and why?

I suppose most of my stories hinge around gay romances. Some of them are firmly told in the contemporary world we all know, and some are pretty fantastical, but the main thread is always what’s going on in the hearts and minds of a pair of lovers, or three. As for why, I honestly couldn’t tell you. I just know whenever I got around to writing about the heroine, she turned out to be a sister or a best friend, and the guys had eyes only for each other. It’s a mystery. Probably best explored by someone versed in ferreting out past lives.

What is your biggest fear?

And once again, no pulling punches. I suppose right now, finding myself alone with two kids would be a biggy. I don’t think I’m qualified to be that responsible. Luckily, I have a great husband, who happens to be a fully fantastic father.

 If you could have one wish, what would it be? And you’re not allowed to wish for unlimited wishes.

 Geez. Take all the fun out of it, why don’t you? I guess, first off, I’d like the world to be a safe place for my kids. Failing that, I ‘d see what could be done about having more hours in the day to get everything done, or at least, another couple a days just to read a good book.

You’re about to be stranded on a desert island, but you have just enough time to grab two books from the ship’s library. What two would you chose?

The practical side of me says grab the survival guide and the first aid book. The rest of me says something by Tanya Huff, because she always entertains, and the newest of Allie Blue’s Bay City Paranormal Series (and if it’s on an e-reader with a couple hundred other m/m romances, so much the better).

Immortal Fire is about to be released in print. Can you tell us a little bit about your two contributions to this wonderful anthology, Black Roses and Windblown. What inspired you to write them?

Hmmm…Black Roses. Actually, I was bored one day, and dwelling on some critiques of another story that demanded more and better descriptions. It’s always been a weak point in my writing. I don’t generally do description. If you’ve ever read Mercedes Lackey and her lavish and indepth descriptions of everything from palace ballrooms to someone’s lunch plate, well, I would be almost the anti-Lackey. So, I decided to just describe a garden as an exercise in stretching my abilities. I had no idea there was a soul-devouring immortal living in it at the time. Imagine my surprise…

As for WindBlown, I really was standing by the highway waiting for the bus on a cold, windy Saturday morning, watching the snow swirl and drift behind the cars. Once again, the immortal drifting with the wind came somewhat as a surprise. Most of my stories are like that though, starting from something very simple and growing in a very organic fashion.

 The cover art for Black Roses and Windblown is amazing. Who was the artist?

Nix Winter. She created all the covers in the Immortal Fire series, as well as the cover for the print Anthology. Not only is she a fantastic cover artist, but the photography on Black Roses is her own photography; the paintings on Timeless and the print cover are also her artistry, and all of the rendering on M. King’s cover was her work as well. And she can write a fiercely lyrical story, besides. The woman has talent.

What’s in the future, Jaime Samms? Is there a special project you’re working on? 

Well…I do have a release coming from lyd on Dec 11^th titled Muse’s Vacation. The cover is another of Nix’s photography creations. It’s a nice, heartwarming holiday story, which might also make you a bit hot under the collar. There will be a longer story, much darker and less sexy in the near future, but I hope still entertaining, and I have a few releases coming out with other publishers.

Thank you so much, Jaime. I’ve learned some wonderful things about you. We could be soulmates! We’ll definitely be looking forward to more wonderful tales from you. Now, who will you be interviewing next for lyd’s Authors Chain Reaction?

I’ll be interviewing Jen Hart, and you can find the interview at my blog:

http://jaimesamms.blogspot.com

JAMIE SAMMS

To learn more about Jaime, you can visit her at:

 www.loveyoudivine.com

 www.jaime-samms.net

Jaime came to lyd as part of the Immortal Fire project. She contributed two very lovely stories – Windblown, and Black Roses to the collection. Since then she’s also released the erotic, seasonal story Muse’s Vacation.

Bryn: Jaime, you write m/m, pretty much exclusively. What made you decide to focus on this?

Jaime: When I first started writing, I naively set out to write a novel. (never did finish it). It had various familial relationships in it, a Prince, his cousin and best friend, and his sister, and their various love interests. In the beginning, the Prince’s love interest was a spy, who at first was mysterious enough to avoid being very gender specific. As the story progressed, it was revealed to me that he was a guy, and really, that relationship, rocky though it was, always rang the most true to me of the others on the story.

that was pre-Internet…

When I found Live journal, and the plethora of m/m slash and fan fiction, I found my home and my calling. It didn’t take long, less than a year, for me to branch away from fan fiction to writing about my own characters and their stories. They all, or mostly, seemed to be male. I suspect I have a strong affinity for the male mindset in some ways. I do find men easier to write than women, and I enjoy exploring relationships that explore power dynamics when those dynamics start out from equal, man to man, or, occasionally, woman to woman, and change because of influences other than gender.

Bryn: I find m/m relationships a lot more comfortable for power aggressive exchange. I know ‘Muse’s Vacation’ explores dominance and submission. Is that a theme we’re likely to see more of then?

Jaime: I would venture to say, yes, there will be more of that. While my men don’t tend to be very aggressive, in general, they do take on decidedly dominant or submissive roles lately. I tend to write blind, a pantser, some people call it. This lets stories and characters evolve very organically, and right now, the evolution of my writing seems to be leaning toward D/s relationships. I follow these trends in my writing, rather than lead them, taking things where the spirit moves me to go. that all sounds very esoteric and all, but really, it just means the characters write themselves and I listen. Right now, this dynamic intrigues me, and I’m willing to keep exploring it.

Bryn: Have you ever been really surprised by the direction a story has gone in?

Jaime: Usually, the surprise comes when I’m stuck, I get worked up and frustrated, and the surprise is how simple the solution turns out to be. I will say, though, that in the first novel I wrote, which I recently went back to re haul there was a great surprise in that one of the characters, who I blithely killed off near the end, turned out to be the love interest of the main character. I only figured this out after I decided he had to die, though. Now I’m troubled as to what to do. I could substitute in a red shirt for the death, and leave happy alone. Or I could reflect that in real life, sometimes, perfect couples are torn apart too soon. They are guards, and there is a war. Stands to reason…

In another story, the mc had sex with the wrong man. Out of spite. Not spite for his boyfriend, but spite for the man he fucked. Not pretty, but then broken characters rarely are. Fixing him is proving to be a challenge.

Come to think on it, a nice surprise would be fantastic… lol!

Bryn: I like dark and realistic, and the uncertainty as to what sort of an ending is likely. Do you have a clear sense of what your characters look like before you start?

Jaime: You’ll like the project I’m working on next for LYD, then. Dark, gritty, set in an alternate universe from our own, a very broken character, and uncertain love are all features of this next story. If the sun shines at the end, it will be through a crack in the overcast, I think. But it will shine. I require it to shine down on them, however uncertain it is to last.

Goodness. No. In some cases, I never get a really clear picture of what they look like. In one story on my website, Long Road Home (http://www.jaime-samms.net/), the characters don’t even have names. I don’t know what their names are, don’t really know what they look like. I just know they are meant to be together, however long it took them to get there.

Bryn: Ooh, this I very much like the sound of! Anywhere else online people can follow you?

Jaime: My Live Journal: http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/ has promo for fellow authors, book reviews, and sometimes, a personal rant or two. I also blog: http://jaimesamms.blogspot.com/?zx=767433e8e8796b26 though intermittently…

I’m a reviewer for Dark Diva Reviews, where we review romance nad erotica, and I tend to focus on gay romance, and at Kuriousity, where I review Yoai light novels.

http://ddrreviews.blogspot.com/

http://www.kuri-ousity.com/about/

I do love to spout my opinion about the books I read, which I read a lot of. I can’t get enough of the written word.

Bryn: Me too! I’m a total blog junky. Thanks for chatting Jaime.

Hi. I’m a relatively new Loveyoudevine author. I write, at the moment, for the Hisandhiskisses line, and I have to say what a joy it’s been to work with the other authors, the editors and staff here at Loveyoudevine.

A little about me? I am, at heart, a writer and a stay at home mom of two. I home school a couple of delightful young kids who, let me tell you, are no picnic to keep up with! it’s a tough job, but a rewarding one.

I also write about men loving men. And fighting and working and having adventures together, but I would say, at the heart of my stories, there is always a romance, and always, hope for Happily Ever After.

I also review for Dark Diva Reviews in spare time. Because I have so darn much of it!

Mostly, what I want out of life are happy kids and to share my stories with people, and maybe, bring a bit of love and entertainment into the lives of my readers.

Jaime

Find out more about me

at my website: www.jaime-samms.net

my Live Journal: http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/

and my Blog: http://jaimesamms.blogspot.com/?zx=61489a52e7d53160