Samanthya Wyatt, author

My life is filled with love and laughter thanks to the amazing people I get to hang out with. As well as being awesome moms, they’re creative, talented, generous, and fun! I thought you might like to meet them so I’ve asked them to come and give us a behind-the-scenes look at what they’re passionate about. I have to warn you though – creativity is contagious!

Samanthya Wyatt, a fellow author at Soul Mate Publishing, is my guest today. Soul Mate authors and editors are an amazing, welcoming group – they generously share tips and tricks of the trade. Thank you Samanthya, for all your excellent advice!
SW: Thank you for inviting me. I’m so excited to be here.

Tell us about your writing journey.
SW: Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved curling up with a book. When I was young I wrote poems and short stories. I signed everything UNKNOWN AUTHOR. When I graduated, my life changed. I married a military man, traveled across the US and abroad, then settled in the Shenandoah Valley and had a family. Once I found romance novels, I fell in love with the characters and needed to know their happy ending. When I couldn’t afford to buy them, I wrote my own.
I joined the Romance Writers of America and several of the chapters. I’ve taken every workshop I could to improve my writing and entered many contests. Savvy Authors offered a pitch contest with several editors, agents and publishers. Coming up with a pitch—25 words or less—is extremely difficult when you’re in a group with thousands of other authors. But I got the attention of 3 editors and two different publishing companies. My dream paid off. I signed my first contract with Soul Mate Publishing and am very proud to now have three novels published with them.

Congratulations – 3 novels published! Wow! Why historical romance? Have you ever written in any other genre?
SW: I love historical romance—I’ve been truly inspired by Kathleen Woodiwiss!! There are so many of my favorite authors, Shirlee Busbee, Janelle Taylor, Johanna Lindsey, Catherine Coulter, Jude Deveraux, to name a few. Dashing Lords and pirates seemed so romantic, so my first book was written in the historical genre.

The Right One is the first in the ‘One and Only Series’. As I worked on The Right One, I decided Kat’s brother had a story.

The sequel, The True One, is about him. Why was he gone for two years? What happened to him? It’s a love story all his own. The True One is my latest book and I’m very excited that it will be released on December 17th, 2014!

I also write contemporary romance. One day I was playing around to get my mind off edits of my first historical, and I wrote a scene with two women bantering back and forth. I had so much fun and the words seemed to flow. So I ended up writing my first contemporary, Something More. Modern day women have more freedom, and my wit seems to come out more with contemporary. I’ve started several stories including a hunky fireman series. Station Eight. Can’t wait to get those published.

I look forward to reading those! Tell us about your writing process. Do you plot/make outlines for your work-in-progress, or do you wait to see how the story unfolds?
SW: I find that I get a lot more accomplished if I just sit at the computer and write. But if I want my story to go somewhere, there has to be thought put into the goals and motivations of the characters and the conflict that drives the story. I learned this from many workshops. I learned how to do character sketches, GMC charts, plots—everything I needed to bring a story together. As I write, I make notations on names, color of hair, anything I may need for reference later in my story. It pays off.

It would – especially in a series. What’s your favourite part of writing?
SW: Coming up with the characters and their traits. Everyone wants a strong – tall dark and handsome – hero. The trick is not making them all look the same. I do character sheets on my hero and heroines. Then I have to refer back to those sheets throughout the manuscript so I don’t goof.
I enjoy penning a story with strong characters, a bit of humor, and active scenes with the character’s true emotions. I’ve learned that the reader wants to be involved with the characters. Wants to be the character. My intention is to draw the reader in where he/she can experience the character’s emotion or situation.
I invite you to lay the worries of the world off your shoulders and get lost in the pages of a romance, where you embark on a journey with the hero and heroine, become involved in a dream, plunge into a world of fantasy, live an adventure your heart can share.

What advice would you give an aspiring romance writer?
SW: No# 1. Join RWA – Romance Writers of America. You can join chapter groups, critique groups, you’ll find friends and receive a lot of help. Take every workshop offered—GMC, point of view, character interviews, etc. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did. Enter contests and keep your mind open to the feedback. Take criticism as constructive. Don’t expect success overnight. Keep trying. Don’t give up.

Great advice! What song would be your theme song?
SW: “Wild Wild Love” by Pitbull. I love to dance and I really like Pitbull. Just the name of the song is what every heroine wants from her hero. Let’s face it. Isn’t that why we read romance novels? We all yearn for that fantasy romance and that hunk to deliver just what we want. Touch us the way we want. Give us that forever lasting love we dream of. In my writing, I try to deliver the magic of the joining. And if I get a little carried away, well …

Whew – Mom, close your eyes when you read that last answer! What would you pick as a superpower?
SW: I thought about reading people’s minds. But wouldn’t that just drive you crazy? Being able to move objects would be awesome. While driving down the road, you could pick up the car in front of you and move it out of your way. LOL But then, if I were strong, or limber, or could move every part of my body like an acrobat, imagine the twists and turns you could position yourself in. LOL

What’s your favourite dessert?
SW: I absolutely LOVE ice cream. Plain Vanilla. I could eat a dish of ice cream every night. Mmmm Butterscotch topping. Maybe a little whip cream. I love apple pie, but it has to be warm to melt the ice cream on top.

Samanthya, thank you for visiting today! You can visit Samanthya at her website www.samanthyawyatt.com or visit her on Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, and SMP Authors. She loves to hear from readers! And hopefully one day, Samanthya and I will be able to read what you’ve written! Linda

Here’s a little about Something More

On his way to an important meeting, a light flirtation turns into more than Matthew expects. The alluring beauty does not need his money, and makes it clear she does not need him.
Carrie trusts no man. Until a pair of mischievous eyes melts her defenses, and has her second guessing her convictions.
Infatuation and excitement spark a journey of passion and forbidden emotion where two people must overcome their earlier convictions to find an everlasting love.
A determined man, a headstrong woman, and a battle of wills.

And here are the buy links if you’d like to check out Samanthya’s books:

http:amzn.to/1mhTqw4

Buy link

http:amzn.to/1lEk2Qy