Prestigious Review for my Horror Collection

I was very honored to have a request to the well-known, prestigious and global website HorrorNews.net for a review of my horror collection, Teeth and Talons, receive a response right away.  I was even more thrilled when I received the review.  I had sort of held my breath, after all, I am an author of YA and MG paranormal and supernatural fantasy, an easy transition to horror, I thought, but still, my first real horror writing effort.  It turned out to be life-and direction-affirming.  By that I mean it made me feel as though I was going in the right direction.....that I could "do horror".

I'm please to post the review in its entirety here, even as I compile my next horror offering.  Thanks for reading and commenting, if so moved.  And I am honored, John Clements, for your words and your desire to read more.  You inspired me!

Book Review: Teeth And Talons Anthology – Author Samantha Combs

Posted on 04/12/2012 by John Clements  3 comments

TEETH AND TALONS ANTHOLOGY
Author Samantha Combs

There have been less than a handful of stories that, upon finishing reading them, I look up from the page and think to myself “The author had better continue this!” The Ink Man is such a story.

The Ink Man is the first of four short stories in Samantha Combs’ new book entitled “Teeth And Talons Anthology” and it is by far the best of the four (and, thankfully, the longest). The other stories include the all too short tale of The Robbery Countdown, the obligatory vampire tale Rock And Roll All Night, and the paranormal effort of The Chair.

All of the stories are intriguing, to say the least, and most have the horror staple of a twist ending which was fun and added a good dimension to each tale. This anthology is Samantha’s first published foray into horror, but her Young Adult background works well for her making these stories very easy reads. At only 37 pages in length (for the PDF) you can easily finish an individual story in one sitting, if not the entire book.

In The Ink Man, a down on his luck tattoo artist gets a second chance with a new inking set and some new clientele. Ignoring the also obligatory old man’s warning about not buying the inking set, he will soon find out exactly what fate has in store for him.

The Robbery Countdown is barely two pages in length and so leaves a lot to the imagination as far as storyline. However what you are told is enough to make your mind wander and fill in all of the missing gaps well enough to form a complete story. All I know is that I hope I never accidentally wander into that cursed liquor store.

Rock And Roll All Night was a surprising entry. I admit that I did not have the correct ending figured out ahead of time like I thought I would. In this vampire tale, a local bar called The Hive (that should have tipped me off) is in search of a rock band. The vampire band Fang Byte takes the gig for the evening. Drinking and dancing ensues until the fateful closing time hour when you discover the evening is not going to end quite as you thought it was.

In The Chair, George, having recently gotten into an argument with his roommate Tim, is walking down the street to vent his anger when he discovers a chair on the curb apparently thrown out by its former owner. “I can solve all your problems.” he heard in his head. George proceeds to take the chair home. His life will never be the same.

Most horror fiction fans should be fairly pleased by the time they finish the book. The stories are short and simple. There’s no overly descriptive and unsettling death sequences, no odd word use, no particular storyline that’s been re-made over and over. I enjoyed my few hours of reading and am looking forward to Ink Man Cometh or whatever story I hope Samantha follows The Ink Man with.

Announcing a Freebie!

Hey all, I'm announcing a bit of a giveaway! You have really embraced the new book in the Spellbound series, Everspell, and it seems you loved getting the other new one, Teeth and Talons, A Horror Anthology, for FREE.  So, in an effort to keep the great momentum going.......I have a great offer for you: Anyone who buys both Spellbound and Everspell and sends me their proof....I will gift them with a copy of Ghostly! Get it while its hot , or until I remember to change the deal! Remember: Buy two, get one free! For the unbelievably reasonable price of $5.98 you'll get all three!


You may know Spellbound and even Everspell, but Ghostly, which is my second book, is a pretty good read too.  Shorter than most novels, I have been told that this YA paranormal about a ghost hottie, a young teen girl and her super-close friends, reads quickly and is a fun, kicky book.  Check out some of the review, if you are still on the fence, on the Ghostly by Samantha Combs fan page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ghostly-by-Samantha-Combs/144239729004823


You'll see more than 10 reviews if you need convincing.  I hope you don't.  


Please enjoy ANY book of mine you read. And thanks for being a fan!

I Guest-Blogged Today

Today I was proud to be the guest blogger at Seriously Reviewed.  I talk about the difficulty of getting started and what I do to conquer it.  I'm re-posting the blog here.  Let me know what YOU do when you get "stuck".  Open the link here:  http://seriouslyreviewedarchive.blogspot.com/2012/02/samantha-combs.html?showComment=1328331064675#c8366555517035218445  or read below:

I want to write about an unpopular subject in the writing world…..starting.  After you have the first book under your belt, you sit back, try to relax and wait for the next amazing idea to hit you.  But before that happens, I won’t lie….it’s murder.

I still treat every manuscript the same way I did with the first.  I don’t open the Word document and stare at a blank page.  No way.  That would make me insane.  And I don’t start in the beginning, either.  I realize that might make you insane.  But I couldn’t, and still can’t, force what won’t come.

You see, I’ve been a writer my whole life.  Oh, yes, I’ve written notes, and checks and To-Do lists.  I’ve written addresses and reminders and hate mail to the cable company.  I’d even written short little tales for my kids.  What I had never done was write a novel.  I knew I had one in me, and back then I could only think as far as that one.  Then one day my four year old daughter announced she wanted to marry Edward the Vampire.  Really?  A cold-as-ice interloper with abandonment issues?  Hell, no, that was not going to happen.  I decided I needed to give her a role model who was a real man, someone I would be proud if she brought him home.  Someone with heart and valor and courage.  I jotted a few words down, then a couple sentences, and soon, several paragraphs.

As I was enjoying shaping my characters and world-building, I suddenly realized…..OMG, I was writing a novel!  The very idea scared me so much that I closed the computer and didn’t open it again for two weeks.  The laptop sat on the couch, blinking it’s lights at me in an accusatory manner.  I would glance at it, longing to be drawn to it, but never quite feeling the pull.

I turned to the one person in my life who would know what to do.  My mum.  Not a fellow writer, an editor, or even my husband, patient as he tried to be with my dark looks across the living room at an innocent piece of technology.  “You’re not writing tonight?” he would ask.  “No.” I would snap, closing the door on further conversation.  I was confounded, stymied, misunderstood.  What was the problem?  What could help?

My mum knew.  I asked her over the phone if “it” had left me.  The elusive urge to create, the need to divine, the absolute requirement to spill my imaginary worlds onto my laptop keyboard.  I could hear her laugh over the phone.  “You always do this,” she said.  “You get overwhelmed by the task.  Just do the next thing on the list.”

She was right, of course.  I always over think things.  It’s the curse of the perfectionist, the detailed, the

life-long list-maker.  And I’m a Scorpio, just to complicate matters.  But my mummy’s words rang a bell of understanding, of acceptance, even of empowerment.  Damn right!  I was the writer and I would not let a little story take me down.  I hung up the phone and marched into the living room.  I flipped up the laptop and told it, “Okay, then.  Bring it!”  It took me only six weeks after that to finish my book.

Next time you are facing the same situation, don’t go as long as I did.  When Mum gave me the key to continue writing, I did.  I wrote one chapter at a time.  I set tiny, easy goals for myself.  Write one chapter.  Write 500 words.  Write 500 words that aren’t edited all to hell the next day.  And one more goal….never force myself.  And I always think of the next scene, the next chapter, the next book, in the exact same way.  Just the next thing on the list.

BIO:  Samantha Combs writes YA and MG and currently has four books  available.  Her first, Spellbound, a YA paranormal fantasy, has won the Global Ebook Award for Speculative Fiction-Fantasy.  The follow-up, Book Two, called Everspell, released in January.  There will be a third.  She has another YA paranormal called Ghostly and a self-published horror anthology entitled Teeth and Talons.  Two more books are scheduled for release in 2012, The Detention Demon, a Middle Grade horror, and Waterdancer, a YA fantasy.  She is a proud author for Astraea Press and Musa Publishing.

Samantha loves to connect with new and aspiring writers and authors.  Please visit her blog at www.samanthacombswrites.blogspot.com or her facebook page www.facebook.com/AuthorSamanthaCombs.

Teeth and Talons sinks its teeth in a reviewer!

Perhaps you aren't used to me writing horror.  Perhaps it's that you aren't sure I can cut the mustard in the terror-arena.  Whatever the reason, if you are vacillating over if you should read Teeth and Talons, A Horror Anthology, I hope this newt review might help you make up your mind.  


I was reviewed by the meticulous Wanda Hart over at There For You blog and she posted her thoughts here: thereforyoumelissa.blogspot.com/.../teeth-and-talons-by-sama...  in a 6 out of 5-star review!


I was blown away by how much the reviewer loved the four stories in the anthology and the fact that she took the time to comment on them individually.  So, please check out this great review for my first horror book:

http://thereforyoumelissa.blogspot.com/2012/01/teeth-and-talons-by-samantha-combs.html

TEETH AND TALONS by Samantha Combs (Reviewed by Wanda Hart)

A Horror Anthology by Samantha Combs

Copyright © 2012 SAMANTHA COMBS

Cover art designed by Paragraphic Designs

Well I love a challenge and this is my first ever anthology. This is 

thus a true challenge. So I spend an entire minute figuring out 

how does one review an anthology. At the end of that minute 

after considering hunting down other such reviews on the internet 

I decided I'll take it a story at time. Then I will do a synopsis 

of the entire anthology. Here goes. Hope you like it.

The Ink Man

The Ink man was an intricate story which surprised me in its richness and 

character building. 

It was refreshing to read a short story that was so rich in character

development and in setting both mood and location in order to ground

the reader. 

The story itself was also unique and spoke to perception of ones self

and others.  It's in the miscalculation between being able to discern

between friend and foe that the true horror of the story is hidden.  

I loved the layered aspect and stand in awe of the author that could

accomplish so much in so little pages without ever letting the reader

feel as if they are not part of a real story unfolding. 

I take my hat off to the author for accomplishing so much with this

story. Apart from being a technically brilliant story it was a really

enjoyable read to boot. 

 The Robbery Countdown

This short story was a fun read, not much time or space to work in

any character development but the reader will be left with the sense

of no bad deed ever goes unpunished..  I really liked the dialogue

between the shop owners in this story and was giggling to myself

as I read it. 

 Rock and Roll All Night

Aah, my favorite story in this anthology.  All is not what it would

seem and as with

The Robbery Countdown being evil does not guarantee that you are

 the hunted and not the prey.  I really liked this story and especially

liked the casual way in which the twists were introduced into the plot.

The Chair

Really liked this story as well and loved the end.  In this, the lesson

might very well be that you should not push people too far, it might

so happen that they come upon something that will push back for them……..

I love Samantha Combs' writing style.  It is clear, concise and

technically correct.  If any grammar or spelling mistakes were to

be found in this anthology then I missed it while being enthralled

by the stories. 

But no amount of technically proficiency would make me enjoy

this book as much as I did without a very generous share of talent.  

This girl can write!

I have seldom come across an author with her talent for economizing

language without compromising on the story line.  The horror aspect

dawns on the reader with time.  As the stories keep playing off in my

 head I realize that I should be wary as to what I accept as being the truth……..

I can't think of a single market that would not enjoy this anthology

even if horror is not your preferred reading material.

I give this anthology a 6 out of 5 rating.  I will definitely recommend

it to all and gift it to a friend with anticipation as to hear their opinion

and takes on this story.

A Friday the Thirteenth Treat

So, today is Friday the 13th.  As a showing of thanks for fans recently making my first book, SPELLBOUND, #72 in Christian Science-Fiction/Fantasy (yeah, I don't get it either) in the Kindle store, I have a special treat to share.  I have self-published a new book, trying out the KDP Select program over at Amazon.  May I present TEETH AND TALONS, A Horror Anthology by Samantha Combs, available for $.99:

And here is the teaser:

What do a tattoo artist, a rock band, a trio of thieves and a hen-pecked son have in common?  They are all about to enter the realm of the undefined, the supernatural, the horrific.  Four new stories from Samantha Combs, award-winning author of Young Adult and Middle Grade fantasy, explores the unexplained and the unbelievable in the adult world.  Join her on the journey into madness.  And don’t look under the bed.

I am hoping that being known as a paranormal and fantasy writer will help me segue into being known as a horror writer as well.  Several friends and people I follow (namely, J.A.Konrath) have recently weighed in on the whole KDP Select program and they can't find anything wrong with it.  Neither could I, but what do I know?  So, this self-published anthology, coming available sometime today for Amazon kindle, is my personal experiment to test the program out.

Three of the four stories have been seen elsewhere, but the first story, The Ink Man, has never seen the light of day.  Or computer screen.  And I am rather proud of it.

I will check in periodically and let you know how its going.  I'll report my sales figures and the number of books that sell.  And it would be neat if you all read it and review it as well.  Hope you enjoy your Friday the 13th surprise treat.  And like the blurb says, don't look under the bed.