New releases
THE ANTAREN AFFAIR – Erica Anderson
Colonel Rákōsy Avar is an officer in the Imperial Forces sent to the planet Antares to negotiate an alliance. He’s learned the hard way to trust no one and has only one passion: duty. But when an Antaren kebara is sent to serve him in any way that he desires, she proves too great a temptation for the battle-scarred warrior. Although he suspects a trap, he still wants her on her back. In his bed.
Meraya is a woman trained to provide sexual pleasure. A woman whose duty is to serve. She has never known freedom. Or desire. But discovers both in the arms of the barbarian colonel. But Meraya is a pawn in a deadly game of interstellar politics that could cost her everything…including her heart.
When Avar discovers he wants more than what’s between Meraya’s lovely thighs, he must play for the highest stakes ever, gambling with the life of a woman he can’t resist. A woman whose betrayal would destroy him.
Read an excerpt here.
SILVER SERENADE – Nancy J. Cohen
A beautiful assassin and a desperate fugitive join forces to catch a terrorist and prevent an intergalactic war.
Ace pilot Jace Vernon is forced to flee his home world after being framed for murder. He seeks justice, but S.I.N. agent Silver Malloy gets in his way. The platinum-haired beauty counters his every move in the quest to clear his name. As he makes it his mission to break her, he doesn't count on the personal consequences of success.
Silver refuses to abort her deadly mission even if it means killing the one man Jace needs alive to prove his innocence. Her resolve wavers when Jace's charms melt the barriers around her heart. Can she help him win his case, even if it means betraying her own people?
Read chapter one here.
BONDS OF JUSTICE – Nalini Singh
Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…
Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…
Read an excerpt here.
Author interviews
Star-Crossed Romance interviews Katherine Allred (CLOSE CONTACT).
Back in April, Phoebe Jordan chatted with author Isabo Kelly (SIREN SINGING) as part of the 2010 RT BOOKlovers Convention. Click here to listen to the podcast. During the interview, the author reveals that two more sequels to THE PROMISE OF KIERNA‘RHOAN are in the works.
Notable reviews
At Calico Reaction, Shana White reviewed Kristin Landon’s THE DARK REACHES, the third book in this romantic SF trilogy:But I like the risks Landon takes. Her books toe the line between SFR and straight SF to moments of hard SF, and that's such an interesting mixture. Sometimes said mixture is a little TOO strong in certain ingredients, which makes my reading of the book a little off-kilter and I never know where anything is GOING, but I really appreciate seeing just what Landon is packing into her worlds.
In the third installment of her Summer of SFR series, Verona St. James reviewed Lilly Cain’s erotic science fiction romance ALIEN REVEALED:I did really like the hero, David. He comes across as a very good man, honorable and honest, torn between doing his duty and following his heart. I also just always enjoy a man in a uniform with my SF. :) The heroine was likable enough, although I really wanted her to be more competent at her job.
Wicked Readings by Tawania reviewed Ellen Fisher’s FARTHEST SPACE: THE WRATH OF JAN:This was a short fun book to read, I literally stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. There were a lot of funny references to Galaxy Quest, Stargate, and several other sci_fi movies. I really had a fun time reading it.
Tawania’s report just about sums up my feelings about WRATH OF JAN as well, minus the “wee hours part”. Can’t afford that luxury anymore with a four year old in the house. :P
And speaking of Ellen Fisher…
The Ellen Fisher Report
Ellen Fisher, who, as you may recall, has been re-releasing her books on the Kindle, reported that sales for her science fiction romance NEVER LOVE A STRANGER are sweet ‘n’ steady:Last night Never Love a Stranger suddenly took off in sales. Overnight it's jumped 200 points in the rankings (all the way back down to #336) and has had about 25 sales. I Googled but didn't find any blog post that might have promoted it (though it's been mentioned on a couple of Amazon threads, which could possibly account for it). Maybe it's just good luck. But Stranger was already far and away my best seller of the month, and now it's even more so.
Now, please don’t start hitting her up for money just yet, but I would like to thank all the SFR readers who have supported her efforts.
Industry
Here's another reason to consider publishing your science fiction romance in a digital medium: Dear Author recently reported that Barnes & Noble are casting an eye toward the potentially lucrative profits in "digital book selling":BN plans to expend more money on the digital side of things as well as trying to push educational toys, games and electronic products (Leapfrog perhaps?) and textbooks. William Lynch, CEO, stated “in just a brief 12 months since we launched the Barnes and Noble ebookstore, our share of the digital market already exceeds our share of the retail book market.”...Of note to us romance readers, (paid link) Riggio said that they have “only a two percent share” of the market for printed romance, but they “project that we already have over 18 percent” of the romance ebook market.”
Want to know more? At The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, Vivi Andrews addresses Everything You Always Wanted To Know About E-Pubs (But Were Afraid To Ask).
Food for thought
Over at Spacefreighters Lounge, Donna S. Frelick explains why We Love Our Bad Science:So I don’t blame my fellow citizens for being wary of something they find largely incomprehensible, at least in the details. Because here’s the interesting subtext: they love "bad" science. Warp drive, killer bees, UFO’s, supersoldiers, bioengineered nano-viruses, time travel (in any form), experiments gone wrong (in any form), virtual reality—you name it, they’ll buy it, usually on the screen (small or large), but also in book form. And the further removed from “real” science, it seems, the larger the audience. Because they’re not interested in a treatise on physics, complete with diagrams and formulas. They’re interested in a good story.
Steampunk
In Purists Are A Drag, Ciar Cullen (STEAMSIDE CHRONICLES) challenges the assumption that steampunk romance “would dilute the real steampunk genre into blandness.”
Pauline B. Jones (TANGLED IN TIME) attended ApolloCon this past weekend. She sent me a link to Shoreline of Wonder where Alexis Glynn Latner provided the lowdown on ApolloCon’s steampunk panel:Magic is a definite possibility. Even magics, plural. Romance ditto. Or erotica, putting the steam in Steampunk. Mystery is a natural element to combine with Steampunk. And one strong strand of Steampunk is science fiction – Victorian science fiction, whether in this world/universe or another. Steampunk has sticky, irregular edges – perfect for blending with other genres.
Hear, hear!
Hard to find science fiction romance
From Galaxy Express passenger Weichung, I learned about a science fiction romance by Singapore author Han May called STAR SAPPHIRE (1985). According to the Wikipedia entry on the Literature of Singapore,Han May is the pseudonym of Joan Hon who is better known for her non-fiction books. Her science-fiction romance Star Sapphire (1985) won a High Commendation Award from the Book Development Council of Singapore in 1986, the same year when she was also awarded a Commendation prize for her better-known book Relatively Speaking on her family and childhood memories.
Weichung sent me a link to eBay Singapore where the book was available for purchase, but I neglected to act on the information in a timely manner. Still, if I ever come across an English version, I would definitely check it out.
Now I turn the mike over to you. Got any science fiction romance news or links to share?
Joyfully yours,
Heather