Author Saturday Spotlight: Jamie Samms *Interview and Giveaway*

What makes an author stand out in a crowd of many is their unique talent to hook you in with their words and pull you close with their story. Jaime Samms has that ability.

One of my favorite things about this author is her versatility. Authors have styles. You sort of know what you're going to get in that department when you open their book. Jaime has not set style. It's like a rediscovery every time and I love that.

Her book The Foster Family was featured in a post I had back in March. It is one of the top 3 BEST menages I've ever read. You can read that post here > Top 3 Best Menages

Blurb:
Growing up in foster care has left Kerry Grey with little self-esteem or hope for his future. A college dropout, Kerry scrapes by on a part-time job at a garden nursery. His friendship with his boss and working with the plants are the only high points in Kerry’s life. He’s been dating the man who bullied him at school, but when his boyfriend abandons him at a party, Kerry wanders down the beach to drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch.

Malcolm Holmes and Charlie Stone have been together for fifteen years. Despite Charlie's willingness to accept Malcolm's unspoken domination in bed,something is missing from their relationship. Early one morning, they rescue a passed out Kerry from being washed away by the tide and Charlie immediately senses a kindred spirit in the lost younger man. When Kerry’s roommate kicks him out, Malcolm and Charlie invite him into their home. As Charlie and Kerry bond over Charlie’s garden, Malcolm sees Kerry may be just who they have been looking for to complete their lives. All they have to do is show Kerry, and each other, that Kerry's submissive tendencies will fit their dynamic.

But someone is sabotaging Kerry at every turn. As he struggles to discover the culprit, he fears for the safety of his new friends. If Malcolm and Charlie cannot help, their lifelong search for their perfect third may not end with the happily ever after they imagined.

To show how Jamie Samms versatile style I hold her Off Stage Series beside this one.

Book 1:

Damian Learner and his grunge band, Firefly, are on a meteoric rise to success. If they get the right break, fame awaits. Seeking more professional management, Damian independently strikes a bargain with the best agent in the business, Stanley Krane. Unable to afford the penalty for breaking old contracts, Damian agrees when Stan’s best friend, country and Western megastar Vance Ashcroft, offers to buy him out of his old contract.

Overwhelmed by a crippling loan, secretive guilt, Stanley’s expectations, and a volatile relationship with Lenny, Firefly’s lead guitarist, Damian disintegrates. Bad habits of too much sex, booze, and drugs create a rift in the band. Finally Vance, with his understanding of Dominant/submissive behavior, sees that submissives Damian and Lenny are falling into chaos, clinging to each other to try to avoid the inevitable crash.

When the pressure to perform becomes too much and the unthinkable happens, Damian and Lenny have to decide: accept that they need something they can’t get from each other, or burn out and take Firefly with them. Vance is ready to claim Lenny, but even Stan’s hesitant agreement to give Damian the direction he needs might not be enough for Damian—or the band—if he loses Lenny.

Book 2:

Lenny Stevens was the lead guitarist of the up-and-coming grunge band Firefly until he crossed the line with the band’s lead singer. Now he’s faced with the impossible task of rebuilding his life without the music that had kept him together. Struggling with his fear and rage, he creates the same damaging patterns in his relationship with his lover, Vance Ashcroft.

Vance knows that Lenny is the submissive meant for him. He is convinced he can save Lenny from his demons and puts faith in his ability. But when Len’s temper leads to him physically hurting Vance and destroying property, both men realize Len’s issues are too big for them to work through alone.

Seeking the help of the people who know Len best, Vance invites his former bandmates to the ranch for Len’s belated birthday party. Together, they try to create a safe haven for Len to come apart and, hopefully, rearrange himself into a man who can live with his past and create a future worth having.
 There are just so many books that Jamie has written and I have loved. I would sit here all day and go on and on about them if I could. You can go to her website and take a look around (I suggest you do if you want to enter the giveaway) Go here > Jamie Samms Books   There is also good old fashioned Goodreads to see her books and read the blurbs Jamie Samms on Goodreads

****INTERVIEW****

  The Foster Family is one of my Top 3 favorite ménage’s ever written. (I posted on my blog about this a few months back) I'm a bit of a ménage snob. It's my favorite thing to read yet more often than not it falls flat, lacks the right psychology and feel. How did you master it so well? How does it come together?

Hmmm. Master it? I don’t know that I have, really. All I did while writing was put myself in each character’s shoes for that space of time I was writing their scene to imagine how they might feel under those sets of circumstances. I admit, it was a lot easier to do with Kerry than with Charlie or Malcolm. The older guys are a lot more dominant than I tend to be, so getting into their heads was harder. As for coming together, basically, as the characters reveal themselves and their stories to me, the whole thing more or less organically creates a whole (With a little—or a lot—of help from a plot shoehorn) *grin*

 If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be and why?

I don’t think I can truthfully answer this without sounding like a terrible mom and domestic partner. I love my job, I love writing, and I love creating, so if I could fill my days doing those three things, I’d be a happy, happy girl. When I really think about it, it’s probably a good thing I have a husband and kids who look out for the more mundane things in life like food and housework…it seems I eliminated those from my schedule years ago.

 Your Off Stage series blew my mind. In the first book it was a multiple POV tale. Those are not easy to do without confusing the reader. In book 2 you have just the 2 POV's. There are 4 MC's, all with issues. How do you outline a series like this? 

You’re going to notice a trend, here. I don’t. The stories evolve and intertwine organically, growing out of one another like vines. I might meet a character in one story who later turns around and tells me his story for the next installment (Which, incidentally, the next book stars Jacob and his forever guy, in case anyone wanted to know)

 You have written many characters that your readers fall hard for. But for you, is there a character that will always be "The One" for you. The one you will always call the best you ever wrote?

That changes every time I write a new book. But if you look over them all, I think you see a trend in my main characters, lost souls who need connection and who need to find their own strength. I definitely write a “type”.

 I'm always amazed with the detail you put into your books, whether it be horses, flowers whatever... 
How much research do you do?

I have a horse contact (S.J. Frost: http://www.sjfrost.com/) She’s my resource for that. For other things, I search out people who know more than I do. You might notice I write quite a few artists and other creative types. I understand that mindset, and I know about art enough to go on instinct, so that’s a plus. Ironically, when I first started out, a lot of my beta readers always called for more detail, more sense of place in my stories, so I guess I’ve worked on that skillset quite a bit over the years.

 How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

Oh boy. That can be answered on so many levels. I have a Fine Arts degree with a major in fibre arts, so I sort of live and breathe creative. As an author? I think I’ve honed my voice and learned to draw on the images in my head more to convey the scene on the page in words. I tend to float through life on a creative loud, and despite the degree, so much of what I create is all self-taught and figured out on the fly, including, or most especially, I guess, my writing. I definitely have come a long way in terms of craft there.

 Is there a specific topic you would never write about?

I would never say never. Only at this point in time, I am disinclined to write het romance, or much in the way of horror.

 Can you tell us about your upcoming project (s)?

Right now, I’m working on a piece about an actor who has lost his way after the unexpected death of his best friend. Ten years after the accident that killed his friend, he is floundering on the edges of self-destruction with his manager and life-long friend Margaret trying to find that one project that will keep him from tumbling off into oblivion. While training for the horse back stunts for his latest film, he meets a man who lets him feel things he’s been denying for a long time. It’s been so many years since had hope he almost doesn’t recognize it at all.

I already mentioned the next Rainbow Alley book, as well. It follows Jacob after his aborted attempt to win the affections of Cliff Thatcher. Jacob meets a younger man, Aaron, in the skate park one day, and the two form a rickety alliance that collides with a part of Aaron’s life he doesn’t ever acknowledge, and together, they find themselves facing down a new threat to the security of life in the Alley.

 What would be your dream writing location?

My husband once promised me a small writing shack in the back yard. I’m still hoping that project sees the light of day. It would be a comfortable commute, and yet have some privacy from the constant in-and-out of kids and cats. I hope! If it had the traits of any of these spaces on my Pinterest board, I’d be happy: Jamie Samms on Pinterest

 How can your readers follow you through social media?

There is that Pinterest location I mentioned above. If you check my other boards, there are all kinds of visuals for books I’ve written and ones I plan to write. And there are all these links, as well:

Website

Facebook

Livejournal

Deviantart

TWITTER

AMAZON (where you can also BUY all her awesome books)

(I spend most of my efforts on Facebook, if you really want to find me J )

 
Now this giveaway is special Jaime Samms is doing a READER'S CHOICE GIVEAWAY! By going to her website and goodreads (Links above) check out her books. When the giveaway ends in 5 days I will contact you and ask you what book you want and the format. Jaime will then email it to you. I ask that you respond within 48 hours of my congratulatory email. Thank you.

***GIVEAWAY TIME***


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