I’m sure everyone will have heard the sad news about Samhain Publishing closing their doors on 28th February, but just in case the upside to this has escaped your attention, books on their site are on sale.
I, for one, am currently working my way through their back catalogue as they’ve published so many good books and I’m not sure which of them will be available in the future. It’s sad to see another independent publisher go, and I hope all Samhain authors find new homes.
Rafflecopter has spoken and the winner of the Blowing Off Steam blog tour draw is Nikki (whom I have now emailed, just to clarify in case more than one Nikki entered). Thanks so much to everyone who entered and to all those who were part of a fun tour!
I know a lot of people are very patiently waiting for Karl’s book in the Strength of the Pack series, which is to be the final book of the series. Blowing Off Steam was written when I needed a little break from the Elk Ridge universe after writing Christian. I loved writing him, but he was exhausting – confrontational, argumentative and just plain awkward. And then I got ill, which has put all writing on hold for the past several months. I’m slowly recovering and hope to be well enough to start writing again before much longer. I’ll keep this blog updated with my progress.
Not really. I just couldn’t pass up the perfect opportunity to quote Captain America. But today is the final day in the Blowing Off Steam blog tour – though the lovely BDF Book Blogs are hosting me for a Facebook chat on Monday, and it would be fantastic to see you there.
Today’s tour stops:
Foxylutely Books (with a 5 star review)
Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw if you haven’t already done so!
And because this is probably the last time I can justifiably post a picture of a steam locomotive on this blog, I leave you with this beauty:
I’m being kept very busy today – there are no fewer than six blog visits on the schedule! As always, thank you to the bloggers for hosting me and to everyone who’s been part of the tour so far. It’s been lovely talking to you. Do drop in on one or more of the blogs and enter the rafflecopter draw while you’re there.
Today’s stops:
The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T Kat
Bike Book Reviews (with what may be the world’s first house-spider system of rating!)
Molly Lolly – includes bonus Blowing Off Steam scene exclusive to Molly Lolly
Vampires, Werewolves and Faires, Oh My!
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
I’m running a little late today due to a doctor’s appointment, but here are today’s tour stops:
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
As always, it’ll be lovely to see you if you’d like to stop by – and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw for an Amazon gift card.
Blowing Off Steam is released today, and in celebration I’m visiting four blogs (listed below), where I share my favourite authors, recipes and more. Do drop by if you have a moment, and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw for a $20 (or equivalent local currency) gift card while you’re there.
Thank you again to all the bloggers hosting me on this tour – you’re so generous with your time and energy. And to Will of Pride Promotions, who is a treasure. And also to Amy Sherwood, my editor at Samhain, who is not only a terrific editor with an eagle eye but has the patience of a saint.
Today’s stops:
MM Good Book Reviews (with a 5 heart review!)
Book Reviews and More by Kathy
BFD Book Blog (and a 5 star review!)
And while not part of the tour, Gay Guy Reading has given Blowing Off Steam a wonderful review with the stamp of “Highly Recommended” and an equally wonderful banner to go with it. I did get a little over-excited when I saw the picture of the train. It seems I’ve gone from knowing nothing about steam locomotives when I started writing this book to being heavily invested in them. I see a holiday travelling the West Highland Line on a steam train in my near future!
The Blowing Off Steam blog tour starts today! It lasts for a week, with a $20 Amazon gift card on offer, as well as posts about trains, spiders, and my favourite couples from literature (somehow Pongo and Missis made their way onto that list).
It will be lovely to see people at any of the stops, where I’ll be popping in and out all day if you have any questions for me. I’ll post the links on a daily basis as they go live (and you get a Rafflecopter entry for every blog you leave a comment on). A Rafflecopter giveaway
Today’s stops:
Bayou Book Junkie (where the book has received a 5 star review!)
My very grateful thanks to all of the bloggers who are hosting me and to Will at Pride Promotions for his exemplary organisational skills.
RT Magazine has given Blowing Off Steam a great 4.5 star review:
“…Watching these two fall in love is the best thing that’s happened to UK railroads since Thomas the Tank Engine.”
The review has cleared up something that’s been puzzling me, which is precisely where my desire to write about trains originated from. Several people have asked and until now I’ve had no idea. But I forgot about Thomas.
Ah, Thomas the Tank Engine. I remember pestering my dad at an airshow until he gave in and bought a ticket for us all to ride the motorised Thomas that was zipping up and down the runways. Of course it broke down at the furthest point from anywhere and we had to walk about a mile in the blazing midday sun. I was not overly popular with the rest of my family.
Later, when I was a rock and roll chick (hey, it was the eighties. Everyone listened to Bon Jovi and Metallica and had big hair) I still loved Thomas – the leather jacket I wore to countless gigs at the Marquee club sported a James the Red Engine pin. It’s even possible that I had a brief foray into writing fanfiction for Thomas. Don’t tell me no one else sees the unresolved sexual tension between Thomas and that cheeky little chappie Percy.
Blowing Off Steam is released next week, and Samhain is currently offering it at a 30% discount.
The Blowing Off Steam blog tour is getting closer (it starts 25th May, with the book released 26th May), and I can’t wait any longer to share the wonderful artwork that Will at Pride Promotions has produced for the tour. I’m really excited about the tour, and very grateful to Will for his hard work and to all the bloggers who are so generously hosting me.
While I’m sharing things, Blowing Off Steam has been named one of the best books of the month at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, where it’s received a phenomenal review which includes a bonus video of steam trains. Sam would be in heaven watching it! I’m thrilled the reviewer enjoyed the book so much, as well as Syneca’s lovely cover.
I think that sending books out into the world is a little how it must be packing one’s child off to school. You’ve done everything you can to make sure it’s properly dressed, well-mannered, and has its lunch, but nothing can stop the worry that people won’t like it. I mean, nobody is liked by everyone, and the same holds true for books, but when you’ve grown fond of characters, you hope other people will enjoy being around them too. On my first day at ‘big school’, I firmly informed my mother that if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be going back. She agreed, presumably so she didn’t have to drag a tantrumming daughter through the school gates. I’m thankful I did enjoy it, because I’m not sure what she’d have done otherwise. And I think I have it tough trying to corral fictional characters!
It’s been a little quiet round here of late, by
which I mean the tumbleweeds bowling through an apparently deserted blog have been a little hard to miss!
My absence has been due to health issues. I’m very glad to report they’re now on the way to being resolved, with an underactive thyroid at the root of it all.
But it is taking time, and some days I feel like one of the professional invalids in Georgette Heyer’s novels, reclining gracefully on the chaise longue while half-dressed muscular attendants fan with me palm fronds and feed me… Wait, I think I may be getting my genres confused.
The good news is that I am recovering, and hope to be well enough to start writing again before too much longer. In the meantime, the wonderful Will at Pride Promotions has been lining up a blog tour for the release of Blowing Off Steam at the end of May. More details to follow on that closer to the time!
I’ve also taken the plunge and signed up for Twitter at long last. If anybody would like to follow me there, I’m @JoyLynnFielding.
