Bree & Donna & Samhain: An Origins Story Starring Linda Winfree

It’s no secret that Donna & I <3 Linda Winfree. Thanks to her I can tell you the exact time I decided I wanted to write for Samhain Publishing.  You see, unlike some of our brethren, Donna and I haven’t been on the epublishing bandwagon for years and years.  We started doing our research in December of 2007, and that research started with book buying.

(As an aside, I’m a firm believer in market research as a method of deciding whether or not you want to submit a book to an epublisher.  There’s no quicker way to learn about a epublisher’s editing style and content preferences than cracking open a few of their books.)

In any case, it must have been the week of December 11th, 2007, that I started my serious consideration of Samhain because Linda’s Hold On to Me was on the front page, and I bought it.  In retrospect that was a really, really weird thing for me to do because I don’t (or didn’t) actually read romantic suspense and I certainly don’t write it.  Not only that, but I’m the kind of OCD who can’t even watch CSI out of order because, well, it’s out of order and what the heck is that about?  This book was clearly marked book three of a series, which should have made it all kinds of off-limits.

In spite of all of this, I bought it. And I opened it.  And 2 hours later I admitted to Donna that I’d gone quiet because I found a book that was really engrossing.  About ten minutes later she had the book too (and fifteen minutes after that she had a raging crush on Mark Cook) and I was on google tracking down this author so I could tell her I loved her book.

That was the beginning of the end.  Linda turned out to be not just an awesome writer but a great and friendly person who encouraged the crap out of us even when we were itty bitty babies without a contract or a clue.  (I would love to say that contracts and clues have amassed in equal proportion, but there are still days I feel plenty clueless!)

Linda also encouraged us when we said we were planning to send in a novella for Samhain’s Psychic Powers submission call.  Linda’s editor, the fantabulous Anne Scott, was the editor in charge of the anthology, and while we didn’t make the cut we did end up with a thoughtful letter about what hadn’t worked for her and an invitation to submit again.

And we did, because maaaan, she was so right about what hadn’t worked.  We trusted her before she was our editor, and that ain’t nothing to sneeze at.  So when we sent her Cry Sanctuary a few months later, our happy dance at being accepted was epic. And goofy. I hope none of you ever see my happy dance. I’d have to kill you.

So now you know the secret of how we came to fall in love with Samhain Publishing thanks to Linda Winfree’s (not-so-)secret evil.  Which is why at the end of this month we’re going to be giving away autographed print copies of the first six Hearts of the South books on our blog.

(Actually, it was going to be copies of the first five, but when Linda found out that I had no intention of sharing the copy of Hearts Awakened I’d purchased for her to sign, she graciously offered to throw in an extra one along with the other books she’d donated.  See what I mean? That woman’s solid gold! And no. You can’t have my copy. Don’t ask. Whiner.)

And actually, hell.  How about I buy someone a (digital) copy of one of her books now!  If you’ve never read Linda Winfree, here’s a chance to start.  Head over to her author page and tell me which of the books listed you’d most like to read.  Leave a comment by Friday and I’ll pick one (or maybe more, if you’re super convincing as to why you simply must have this book!) winner to get an ebook copy.

For those of you who, like me, tend to like things in an orderly fashion, the reading order is as follows:

1. Truth & Consequences
2. His Ordinary Life
3. Hold On to Me
4. Anything but Mine
5. Memories of Us
6. Hearts Awakened
7. Fall Into Me
8. Facing It
9. Uncovered

So… tell me what you want to read!