Bittersweet

So, I have completed it.  I have accomplished a small portion of what I've set out to do.  My first book in the series "The Hidden Lives of Succubi" has been completed (and after a week-long hiatus, I'll be right back at it, writing book two).  I've titled it simply Temptation.  It took me, ohhhh I dunno, well over six months from start to finish, but hell who's counting?  My next step is to get it out there for the world to fall in love with (: (hopefully) and anticipate the next book in the series.  I'll be self-publishing it as an ebook through the AMAZING site, Smashwords.com.  In case you're unaware of it's awesomeness:

Welcome to Smashwords! Smashwords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform for ebook authors, publishers, agents and readers. We offer multi-format, DRM-free ebooks, ready for immediate sampling and purchase, and readable on any e-reading device.

For readers, Smashwords provides an opportunity to discover new voices in all categories and genres of the written word. Once you register, the site offers useful tools for search, discovery and personal library-building.  Each week we add new features based on feedback from members.

At Smashwords, our authors and publishers have complete control over the sampling, pricing and marketing of their written works.

Smashwords is ideal for publishing novels, short fiction, poetry, personal memoirs, monographs, non-fiction, research reports, essays, or other written forms that haven’t even been invented yet.

It's free to publish and distribute with Smashwords.

You'll be able to view and purchase my current and future self-published works by accessing my personal site Samantha's Smashwords!!!  

I'll also be posting links to my work(s) on my Facebook, Twitter, and of course you can access my page anytime by clicking the button link on the right hand side of my blog (the pic of the books in the sidebar over there), so please continue to come back and see what updates I have and what other work I'll be posting (hopefully) weekly just like I have been in the past :)  I also have the ability to make and distribute coupons for my work, so for the first week of it's release, please enjoy THIS:

Just enter the code prior to checkout to receive a FREE download :) And hey... SPREAD THE WORD!

---------> Direct link for Temptation HERE <----------

I've been working with amazing people on this project as well.  

** A dear friend from college, Kayla Henry (visit her blog HERE or her Facebook page HERE) is doing me a solid to get me some readers, and is conducting a giveaway for a bunch of vendors and has graciously decided to enter me in the mix with a coupon for ONE FREE DOWNLOAD for my ebook to one of her winners!!  If you're interested in this, please head over to her page for more information!!  This is for a limited time only, so don't miss out!!

** Another fantastic lady, Jessica Bazenet (visit her blog HERE or her Facebook page HERE) is also spreading the word to her many readers and fans about my venture.  She's been amazing enough to post up 2 blips about me (first one is HERE if you're interested) on her blog and provide her readers with the same FREE coupon as well in her more recent post about me!

** Then of course there's the amazing Matt East.  He is the creator and designer of the cover of my book:

You can check out his other artistic work on his Facebook page HERE or his tumblr HERE and his own writing on his blog HERE.  He's been FANTASTIC doing this for me out of the kindness of his heart and promotion of his name alone... oh and his work is phenomenal!  More than I could've ever hoped for.

** Last, but not least, is Ryan Booker.  He's a photographer (visit his Facebook page HERE) who provided me with two very incredible photos (at an extremely decent price) to portray the main female character in the book, which I included in my self-made book trailer:

If you want ANY information on more about what these people are capable of, 

please don't hesitate to ask!!

MORE THANKS THAN I CAN GIVE to these four, incredibly talented people!!

Many many many thanks to all the people who've helped me along the way in finally starting the ball rolling on my biggest dream ever.  (Sure you may think this is too soon because who's to say this will be successful - but the simple fact that I've gotten this far is good enough for me!!)
                    Firstly, thanks goes to God.  There would be no me without You, quite literally.  Thank You for blessing me the ability to do what I love to do and the means to see it through.  I hope You continue to shower me with the overwhelming amount of support and love I've received thus far in my life.  "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" - Psalm 37:5
                    Secondly, to my husband, James.  Without your support (both financially and emotionally) I wouldn't have been able (or continue to be able) to spend 24/7 pouring my heart and soul into this project, and it certainly would've taken me A LOT longer to finish this.  I appreciate you being my sounding board and helping me make my characters more believable, taking time to give me feedback whenever I needed it.  I know that your taste in literature is far from what I create, and you always go above and beyond, making sure to help me anytime you can in anyway you can.  Thank you, my love, for pushing me to always be a better version of myself and for never missing a chance to boast about me.  You are my rock.
                    Next, to Uncle Ray.  You have been the best and most vocal supporter and most avid reader in our family, and you've honestly inspired and supported me more than I could've hoped for.  Even from 2500 miles away, your voice resonated and filled me with hope, encouragement, and praise.  Thank you for being such an amazing person, dad, uncle, and teacher, among many other things.  Oh, and thanks for being the first person to officially read and proofread my final product.
                    And to the rest of my family members.  Thank you for never telling me I was crazy for what I decided to do with my life.  You are always encouraging and supportive.  I love you all.  Mom and Dad - you two always told me I could do anything, and even though it scared the crap out of you when I came home with a degree in English, you kept a brave face through it.  Sure, I'm not rollin' in dough, but you raised a daughter who's happiness stems from the joy she receives in creating, not the monetary rewards she gets for her hard work.  Joey - you are the most amazing brother a girl could ask for.  You never doubt me and you always know that whatever I do, I'll succeed.  Thanks for also being a major player in the final editing of my work - you helped keep me focused and I needed that.  I'm honored that you want to follow in my footsteps and graduate with an English degree.  Just remember, cut your own path and do what feels right for you.  I'll always be proud of you no matter what and even more proud when you show me up!
                    Next, to my readers.  Even if you've only read one thing I've had to say, thank you.  Even if you don't purchase my work, thank you taking time to hear me out.  I hope I have left and continue to leave a lasting impression on each and every one of you, enough at least to give you pause, even if only for a moment.  I'd love you to keep returning to read more of what I have to say, as my sole intention as a writer is to share and be remembered.
                     Last, and certainly not least, I couldn't have gotten through a minute of writing without select artists from my iTunes playlist: Mogwai, The Cinematic Orchestra, Debussy, Ludovico Einaudi, Angus & Julia Stone, City & Color, Mazzy Star, Florence & The Machine, & GYPE (just to name a few)!

"My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way."

- Ernest Hemingway

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."

- Joseph Pulitzer

“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” 

- Albert Camus

My task...is, by the power of the written word to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That - and no more - and it is everything.

- Joseph Conrad

Thanks for reading (:  Come back soon!