Wenches of Words Wednesday: Samantha Combs

Today I am excited to have a remarkable, multi published author and Wench Samantha Combs on my blog to chat about books, genres, and what keeps her surging forward. Take it away, Samantha...

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a Southern California author, with 8 published books, 4 paranormals and 4 horrors. I’m a wife, a mom, a Risk Manager, a sister and a daughter. I’m a life-juggler. My blog is a hodge-podge of it all and a great place to get “aspiring writer” tips. I also have a muse; a cocky, arrogant, diva-like entity named Musina. Her greatest delight is making me stay up writing till 3am without giving me a clue where the story is headed. She’s an evil bitch, but I kind of love her.

Tell us about your book.
More than any other book or story I have written, Waterdancer is the most autobiographical. While there are parts of “me” in all my works, this book takes the biggest pieces from my teenhood. And I am more like Bailey that I would care to admit. New to the area, the school, and in a new marriage of her mother’s, Bailey is just trying to find her place in the world. It doesn’t help that as she approaches her 16th birthday, a super secret family trait begins to show itself. The story is about how she deals with that, and rebuilds relationships in her life she felt long past resurrection.

Here's the blurb for your reading pleasure.:)

For Bailey Wasserman, being Bailey has recently become an incredible challenge. It's not enough that she must come to terms with her mother's new husband, their new life, and a new surfer boyfriend. When she meets her real father for the first time, she discovers a secret family trait that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…maybe forever.

Bailey and her mom have always met life’s challenges as a team of two, more like best friends than mother and daughter. But her mom’s recent marriage has changed all of that, and having her little brother Landry is the only good Bailey can find in that union. The move to wealthy Del Mar from their humble beginnings has turned Bailey sour, until a chance meeting with surf hottie Jack West. Then Bailey's father, with his annoying Zen-surfer lingo and a talking turtle he claims is no less than her spirit guardian, reenters her life and threatens the only relationship Bailey thinks is working in her world. She soon finds out that’s not all his arrival will do. His presence and their shared family trait could ultimately force Bailey to make a decision that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…forever.

To read an excerpt from WATERDANCER, please click HERE.

If you could only have one vice what would it be?
Gluttony. I would like to be able to eat anything I want and not have any repercussions.

Who is your favorite character from one of your books and why?
I am partial to a cocky, confident chick in my 2nd book. Sixx is the main character’s best friend, but she has a reckless passion for life and not caring what anyone else thinks of her. Her confidence is intoxicating. She reminds me of a friend from my teens.

What are you working on now?
My 9th book, The Deadlies, is with a publisher, hopefully to be accepted. My 10th book, Wingspan, is a departure from what I normally write. Dystopic in a way, of course paranormal, with lots of action, I am writing my first car chase, my first government conspiracy and *gasp* my first sex scene. It is a challenge. It was a NaNoWriMo project but I abandoned it when my father-in-law fell ill. Back at it, I am more than 2/3 through and shocked daily by the plot twists and turns my Musina is taking me on.

What’s your favorite quote?
An old Persian proverb: Now that the barn has burned down, I can see the moon. It’s a take on the “silver lining” thing and has sailed me through more of my own Bermuda Triangles than I can name.

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. I am a marinater. This means I roll things around in my head until they gel. Like jello. Liquid at first, but given time and patience, super tasty jello. And diamonds, hiding inside the rock. Get it?

What are the titles of your books and links so we can read excerpts?
Thank you for asking.:) Here they are:

SPELLBOUND
EVERSPELL
GHOSTLY
THE DETENTION DEMON
TEETH AND TALONS
WAY PAST MIDNIGHT
WATERDANCER
HELLOWEEN

Samantha Combs is a Southern California author with eight published books that include a Global Ebook Award-winner. Her genres include YA paranormal, middle grade horror, and adult horror, and YA fantasy.

She loves writing and is in awe of the technological advances of our lives. Ereaders and similar gadgets are bringing the written word to a generation that might never have discovered books otherwise and every time she sees a kid pick one up to read something it fills her with joy to be a small part of that process. If a child can connect with literature because he or she did so electronically, a connection still was made. She is excited to see what our world has in store for literature and thrilled to be along for that ride.

When Samantha isn't writing, she works full time and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Her guilty pleasures include reality television, the Food Network channel and shoes. She truly believes she can accomplish anything if she has the right pair of shoes.

Connect with Samantha Combs on her Fan Page, blog and Twitter. You're always welcome to email Samantha.

Developing a Positive Mental Attitude: Part Three

I must admit, there’s a lot to keeping up a positive mental attitude (PMA) these days. So much of a writer’s time and attention seems to be pulled in every direction, and I’ve found that negative thoughts can creep in on you when you least expect it. But if you keep up the good fight and learn to tame your mind by subjecting it to positive thoughts, then I believe the sky’s the limit.

 If you’ve missed Part Two of Developing a Positive Mental Attitude, please click HERE to read over the post. Now, as promised, here are the final PMA building blocks to help you create a solid foundation for a better life…

27. Return every benefit you receive with one of equal or greater value.

28. Avoid the fear of old age by remembering that nothing is ever taken from you without being replaced by something of equal or greater value. Youth, for instance, is replaced by wisdom.

29. Trust that adequate solutions can be found for all your problems, but accept the fact that the solutions may not always be the ones you want.

30. Rely on the examples of others to remind you that any disadvantage can be overcome. Think Thomas Edison or Helen Keller.

31. Embrace any opportunity to learn how others see you, and use it to take inventory of yourself and look for things which need improvement. Do not fear criticism; encourage it.

32. Create a mastermind alliance with others to work actively together toward a common goal and purpose. Discuss your progress and insights and gain the benefit of a much wider range of experience.

33. Grasp the differences between wishing, hoping, desiring, and having a burning desire to achieve your goal. Only a burning desire gives you a driving motivation, and it can be fueled only by a positive mental attitude.

34. Abstain from negative conversations, especially gossip, or tearing apart other people’s reputations.

35. Discipline your mind to shape your destiny toward whatever purpose in life you have chosen.

36. Be yourself at all times.

37. Say nothing that does not reflect your positive mental attitude!

38. Believe in the existence of Infinite Intelligence, which makes it possible for you to draw on all the power you need to take possession of your own mind and direct it toward whatever you choose.

39. Believe in your ability to become free and self-determining, and put that belief to work by acting upon it. Do it now!

If you read over these building blocks at least once a week for six months, you will so thoroughly indoctrinate yourself with these habits and mind conditioners that your mental attitude will become and remain positive at all times. Good luck and best wishes for creating your new improved life!

Wenches of Words Wednesday: Eleni Konstantine

Today, I’m excited to feature fellow Wench of Words, Eleni Konstantine, who just loves scaring the bejeebers out of readers. This Wench loves to channel her talents into writing fantasy and paranormal fiction. Take it away, Eleni…

 Reading Feeds the Soul by Eleni Konstantine

For the last year, I had been part of conference committee and I also began studying. So much of my spare time was tied up with those activities that I noticed that my reading had gone downhill. My current reads are at 25 for 2012 whereas in 2011 I had read 74 books. That’s quite a difference. Please check out my reading list at Eleni’s Library.

The other thing I noticed was I felt down that I couldn’t get more reading done. Gone were the days when I used to read all night. With chronic fatigue syndrome, if I’m tired, I can’t read past a few pages.

That is very sad. Don’t you think?

I’m of the belief that reading feeds the soul, especially the writer’s soul. Nothing is like escaping into a book, reading about events and characters as if it were happening right in front of you. And when that isn’t happening - it’s like losing a piece of yourself.

I was finding that my own writing and creativity suffered because of this. I couldn’t really get settled into my work. Editing was fine (thank goodness because I had releases to work on), but writing something new felt stifled. No new idea grabbed hold or felt right.

However for the first time in months, I wrote something new the other day. It’s different, and still forming, but I like the basic idea.

Why the change?

Conference is over for 2012, I dropped a couple of subjects at school and I’ve started reading more again. In the last month, I have read six stories. Not all of them were novel length, but it’s still more reading than I’ve done for ages. I feel so much better for it.

My muse is rubbing her hands together and saying, “Yes, we can work on this and this, and that. Oh, and this one as well.”

It’s a good feeling to have choices for writing after a year where it really didn’t seem to.

How about you - does reading feed your soul?

~Eleni

Zeta will protect the one she loves, even if it means living in Hell. 

Mastering a unique power was much safer for Zeta Kosmos with a mentor to help her along. Now that he’s disappeared, Zeta must continue alone with her calling—closing Gateways to Hell.

 Daniel Richards is in the family business—Warding supernatural evil from causing havoc on humans. As such, he’s only interested in the safety of one-night stands. Until Zeta. This bad boy now wants a long, lasting relationship.

But Zeta can’t let go of her past, nor can she ignore the secret demonic threats against Daniel’s life. She’d rather fight demonic spawn and be dragged into Hell than allow anything happen to him. Can Daniel convince her to stay? Will she have to pay the ultimate price?

To read an excerpt from Gateway to Hell, please click HERE.

Eleni Konstantine is Fantasy and Paranormal fiction writer, with a number of shorts published. Her stories range from flash fiction to novels. She blames her mother for her writing bug because as a child she was given many books, including illustrated fairytales. That and a love of Greek mythology, and Eleni was destined to become a writer.

Eleni lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her family and feisty American Staffy.

Learn more about Eleni Konstantine on her website and blog.