Poken Winners From Pauline Baird Jones' Giveaway

Sir Randomizer has picked the following winners to receive a Poken from author Pauline Baird Jones (STEAMROLLED):

Mark

Mary Fitzpatrick


Congratulations to you both! Please send your snail mail address to sfrgalaxy "at" gmail.com (subject line: Poken) and I will forward the information to the author.

Thanks to all who entered and for such a great discussion about time travel!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

In The Beginning, There Was SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO

In the year 1974, a new anime series debuted in Japan that drew a line from the far reaches of outer space to the infinite depths of the human heart. Space Battleship Yamato brought Japan's best artists, writers, and filmmakers together under a new genre called "Space Adventure Roman," and they created a shock wave that can still be heard today. Spanning ten years, the saga incorporated three TV series (known to the English-speaking world as Star Blazers) and five magnificent, monumental movies that not only made box-office history, they also inspired the 'anime boom' that brought us some of the most exciting entertainment in the world! Yamato's mission was to save humankind and bring peace to the universe.

—from Star Blazers: The Official Web Site of the Star Blazers Animated Series

If one thing has influenced my journey aboard The Galaxy Express above all others, it’s SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (Japanese title: UCHUU SENKAN YAMATO / 宇宙戦艦ヤマト).

The brainchild of illustrator Leiji Matsumoto and producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO regaled viewers with the adventures of Yamato and her crew in a battle to save Earth from a brutal alien invasion.

Think: an epic space saga like STAR WARS, except that the Japanese creators beat George Lucas to the punch. Here’s the enthusiastic description of the basic premise from Star Blazers.com:

In the year 2199, Earth was threatened by a deadly interstellar empire, and humankind was driven underground with only one year to live. Then from space came a message of hope, and an ancient fighting spirit would be revived to answer it!

The epic SF adventure that created a generation of anime fans begins here, with the first Yamato TV series! Planet Earth is counting down its final days to extinction at the hands of the mysterious Gamilas Empire. Space Battleship Yamato, the first to break the speed of light, embarks on a journey to Iscandar with the mission to retrieve the Cosmo Cleaner D, a radiation removal system which will hopefully rescue the Earth. What awaits Yamato is humankind's first-ever journey of 296,000 light years.

If this is the first time you’re hearing about the series, the other main thing you need to know is that the show also featured a romance between tortured hero Kodai Susumu (Derek Wildstar in STAR BLAZERS) and heroine Mori Yuki (Nova). More on those two later.

While I’d love nothing more than to wax nostalgic about each and every episode and film, that would take years. Instead, the purpose of this post is to share the monumental impact that the show had on me. Because it changed my life in ways I’m still discovering.

How To Read Science Fiction Romance

Roger Corman

Contrary to what you might think, this post is not about ABC’s, grammar, or how to open a book. Rather, what I’m about to explore is that even though I believe science fiction romance is the Great Undiscovered Subgenre, many folks don’t share the same mindset. Oh, the pain, the pain! Despite an occasional tendency to sulk a wee bit over that issue, I understand exactly why.

But what if someone were to take an interest in SFR? What kind of expectations should he/she be armed with before taking the plunge? In order to answer—or attempt to answer—that question, I’d like to take a moment and study a chapter or two from the life of one of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers.

In addition to my usual science fiction romance fare, I’m in the middle of reading Beverly Gray’s ROGER CORMAN: An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking. If you’ve never heard of Roger Corman, he’s often known at large for churning out cheap (but profitable) bad films. There’s lots of great material to discover about Roger Corman in this book, but one quote in particular really stood out for me.

One of Roger Corman’s filmmaker “graduates” was reported to have never shown “his Corman pictures…as samples of his work.” The reason? “Not because they’re bad movies, but because maybe people don’t know how to watch those movies.” (pg. 181)

That quote prompted me to reflect on how I approach a Roger Corman film (BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS being a prime example since it’s my favorite film of his to date).  I have to approach them with a certain mind set. Here’s why:

Romance Development Vs. The External Plot: A Case Study

I recently finished a science fiction romance (recent release) that fell into “They Came To Talk” territory. However, that’s not what I came here to, ah, talk about. The story touched upon a related issue that I’d like to analyze for a bit since it ties into the challenge of balancing the romance plot and the external plot in an SFR.

The story in question—an action-adventure space opera romance—had some of my favorite character types and a setting I enjoy. Despite the uncomplicated plot, I looked forward to visiting a new futuristic playground.

The very basics are this: Hero and heroine, who on the surface are from opposite sides of the cosmic tracks, are charged with the rescue of another character. It’s this other character that I’d like to focus on. More specifically, what sometimes doesn’t happen regarding this character.

When an author sets up an external plot wherein someone needs to be rescued or in other cases, a villain requires vanquishing, I become invested in the fate of the character and/or the villain being defeated. However, in some stories I've read the hero and heroine seem to develop amnesia mid-way through the story about the person who needs to be rescued. I get this feeling even though they are clearly on their way to save the day.

Sometimes it’s because once the characters are traveling (usually together in a claustrophobic space craft, sexual hijinks ensue, natch), they don’t discuss the mission—or this other character—much. Or even think about him/her. They tend to become seriously distracted by their burgeoning romance/mental lusting/sexual tension/hot sex with each other. Which in and of itself is fine—I’m not knocking that particular structure (as long as it isn’t boring, that is!). But when I’m worrying about the fate of this other character more than the hero and heroine seem to be, I start getting frustrated.

Leslie Dicken's THE PRICE OF DISCOVERY Re-release With New Cover

Samhain Publishing gave Leslie Dicken's near future science fiction romance THE PRICE OF DISCOVERY a shiny new cover and is re-releasing it on April 26, 2011. Think: STARMAN.

Here's the story blurb:

A sexy alien with secrets to hide, an irresistible reporter determined to expose the truth; when resistance succumbs to temptation, they are forced to pay the price of discovery.

On the hunt for a juicy story and a promotion, Erin Price is determined to prove she can move beyond her past mistakes. An eerie Victorian house in the middle of nowhere and a sexy stranger hiding secrets could be her ticket to success. Racing against time and a competing journalist, Erin breaks every rule to be near the stranger. When she discovers the truth, she’ll be forced to decide if her career is more important than her heart.

Drakor has nothing but contempt for Earth after his best friend disappeared on the planet during a previous assignment. When his family accepts a critical mission to find a cure for bone crippling disease at home, Drakor is forced to return to the planet he despises. As his birthday nears, Drakor is losing time to find his life mate. Will his encounters with a nosy reporter change his opinion of Earth and is his deep attraction to her proof that his true life-mate is human? When a series of failures force Drakor to take his family and run, will he leave behind the only person he can ever love?

Earth Day Giveaway: Red Sage Gift Certificate

In honor of Earth Day, I'm guest blogging at author Joely Sue Burkhart's place about actor Ted Danson's inadvertent contribution to my sci-fi erotic romance ONCE UPON A TIME IN SPACE. That, and my recent acquisition of one incredibly awesome--and very "green"--lawn mower. Seriously, you have to check out this beauty.

If you leave a comment at the post, you'll be entered for a chance to win one of two gift certificates to Red Sage Publishing.

Happy reading!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Pauline Baird Jones On Why Time Travel Is A Really Bad Idea

Author Pauline Baird Jones is here to celebrate the release of STEAMROLLED (L&L Dreamspell), her latest space opera/time travel/steampunk mashup with a Poken giveaway. Details about this unique item follow, but first, a public service announcement about time travel from the author.

Image via View From The Potting Shed

Chinese Government Bans Time Travel….

… in movies and television shows because, “…many stories are totally made-up …"

I could not, would not make this up. Since the issue demanded further investigation, I popped onto Google to find a time machine for sale (because someone might want one!) and found China had weighed in on the topic.

Sometimes the universe sends you a gift and it would be rude not to take it. I am glad I don’t reside in China, because I love me my time travel and always have.

Which brings me to … why do so many of us love time travel? What is the appeal of the time travel story? What makes it so intriguing that scientists keep trying to do it, despite huge fictional evidence that it is a really bad idea to send anyone through time?

I mean look at what goes wrong when fictional people time travel:

The Time Machine = Morlocks. Nuff said there.

Barney Miller episode with time traveler = straightjacket and trip to meet a shrink.

Time Rider = becomes his own great-grandfather.

New Star Trek = whole history rewritten. Okay, maybe that wasn’t so bad, because now there is ton of new stories and movies incoming. And wow, Spock. 

Back to the Future = okay, this one ended well for Marty and his family, but Biff has to be a bit bitter.

The Final Countdown = I’m still bitter they didn’t engage. It’s a movie! Why can’t we change history in a movie? (Which might bring us to why China doesn’t like time travel stories?)

I actually do agree with the Chinese government on one point. Some of it might be true. (How can we claim any geek creds if we don’t believe???) So how come we don’t know? If time travel has been invented in the future, they’d come back to now, wouldn’t they? Might They be among us as I type this?

SFR Stuff I've Been Meaning To Blog About

And away we go:

The RT BookReviews blog posted coverage of Linnea Sinclair's Intergalactic Bar & Grille at the 2011 RT Booklovers Convention. Highlights include a variety of author news including:

* teasers from Marcella Burnard regarding her next release, ENEMY GAMES
* details about a free erotic SFR re-release from Cricket Starr
*  Nathalie Gray's latest sale, a cyberpunk romance to Samhain Publishing.

There's lots more, too, so please do check it out.

Speaking of Nathalie Gray, she recently blogged about being the recipient of two Readers' Choice Awards for her covers (visit her cover artist page www.kanaxa.com to see more of her work). Congratulations!

Speaking of II: Author Kylie Griffin interviewed author Marcella Burnard.

Samhain Publishing has put out a special call for its Superhero Romance Anthology. Submission guidelines here. Definitely an opportunity for authors of science fiction romance! (Thanks to Lilly Cain for the alert).

In other publisher news, the editors of Carina Press posted updates about what they're seeking in submissions. SFR (especially steampunk) made the list. From the comments, there seems to be quite a bit of interest in this subgenre. Boo-yah!

Red Sage Publishing will also consider sci-fi romance of various heat levels. Check out this surprising paragraph from its submission guidelines:

As Red Sage’s first authors created erotic romance, this is where our heart is, so we want romance stories, which are erotic. Therefore a majority of what we publish will be romance and erotica. We also feel readers want variety. Sometimes you like erotic and sometimes you just want a great mystery or science fiction story or even something else. Surprise us and come up with something completely different!

What Will It Take To Make Science Fiction Romance "Truly Excellent"?

I had recently read Zoe Archer’s COLLISION COURSE, so when I noticed a review of this action-adventure/military science fiction romance novella at Dear Author, I read the review and left a comment in appreciation of reviewer Shuzluva’s continued interest in science fiction romance.

While perusing the comments, I noticed the following comment by Charlotte, presumably in response to Shuzluva when she stated: “I’m on the hunt for the holy grail of SSFR and I’m a tough crowd to please.”:

I also often find myself dispairing over the lack of truly excellent space opera romance, but I, too, shall venture forth undaunted.

Please allow me to indulge in an instant replay of my reaction to her comment: “Wahhhhh!”

After that decidedly primal response, several feelings and thoughts came to me regarding Charlotte’s comment. First was the disappointment that science fiction romance was associated with a lack rather than an abundance of “truly excellent” stories. I realize this is the opinion of one person, but there’s also the possibility that others share the same perception. The only difference is that they didn’t leave a comment.

Second, indignation. I’ve seen how hard many SFR authors work and how seriously they take the subgenre these days. Plus, one reader’s gold is another one’s trash. Books that I thought were excellent representations of SFR were considered meh or flawed by other readers. And vice versa. All of our opinions are valid. So the “truly excellent” perception might vary from reader to reader, and across various time periods.

Third, resignation, because Charlotte had a valid point.

“Sexuality and the Geek Week" at GeekMom

This past week, GeekMom has been featuring all kinds of snazzy and informative articles as part of their Sexuality and the Geek Week event.

There are a few sci-fi romance related posts in the mix. For example, whose follicle-challenged scalp do you find sexier—that of Captain Jean Luc Picard from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION or Assistant Director Skinner from THE X-FILES? Cast your vote in Choice #5: To Baldly Go…

And speaking of THE X-FILES, Sophie Brown explores the dynamics of Mulder and Scully’s (non) physical relationship in No Sex, Please, We’re Mulder & Scully:

My Take On THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

Back in May 2010, I blogged about the fact that THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, a film adapted from a 1954 story by Philip K. Dick (“Adjustment Team”) was being billed as a “science fiction romance.” I was so excited, in fact, that I made a commitment to “pony up the cash to see it in the theater,” (a big deal for me since these days I usually reserve my cash for blockbuster films like AVATAR or director Christopher Nolan’s Batman films). But since this film was specifically categorized as SFR, I happily took the plunge.

Here’s the story blurb from the official site:

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York.

On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)—a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart.

David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself—the men of The Adjustment Bureau—who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path…or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.

Since my original post, I avoided reading about the film and didn’t even revisit the trailer in order to approach it with as few expectations as possible. I did feel some trepidation regarding how the romance would be handled since it’s difficult to discern elements like chemistry from a trailer. And learning that the heroine Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) was a dancer made me wonder if she’d be little more than ornamentation. A past experience with a ballerina heroine in SFR had left me rather cold.

Admittedly, it was a thrill to go into a movie knowing the filmmakers or the marketing team or both wanted me to expect a science fiction romance. I’m sure there was a bounce in my step as I entered the theater. Unfortunately, in some ways, a sci-fi romance wasn’t exactly what they delivered.

A Rare Sighting: The Hero’s Point-of-View in Sci-Fi Romance

In February 2010, I blogged about point-of-view in science fiction romance. In that post I quoted author Robert Appleton (THE MYSTERIOUS LADY LAW) regarding his take on POV in SFR:

Most publishers won’t even consider a sf romance, or any type of romance, unless it’s told from a woman’s POV. It just won’t sell…

 His comment prompted me to ask:

But what about science fiction romance entirely from the hero’s POV? Why wouldn’t publishers consider this type of story? Are readers truly that averse?

With the pending release of Diane Dooley’s BLUE GALAXY (Carina Press, May 2011), it’s time to revisit the issue again. I recently finished an eARC of this space opera novella and check this out: The story is told entirely—virtual cover to virtual cover—from the hero’s point of view. (Read the story blurb here.)

OMG what kind of sacrilegious scandal is afoot here?!! I jest, of course, but this story’s existence refutes concerns that a story told from a hero’s POV is the kiss of death. Obviously, Carina Press wanted it enough to publish it.

Thus, we have the answer to one of my questions: publishers will consider an SFR story told entirely from the hero’s point-of-view (to clarify, this discussion is focused on het romances as opposed to m/m ones where an author can’t exactly avoid telling the story from at least one of the hero’s POV :P).

Are Sci-Fi Romance Heroines Too Sexually Submissive On Covers?

When SF Signal featured Lisa Paitz Spindler (THE SPIRAL PATH) in one of its New Author Spotlights, Athena Andreadis, an author and molecular biologist who founded Starship Reckless, shared her observation about the book’s cover:

The trailer looked interesting but the pose of the two protagonists on the cover is bad. I wish they would stop diminishing powerful women by giving them submissive sexual stances.

I had three reactions to Ms. Andreadis’ comment. The first is that yes, sometimes there’s a disconnect between powerful, progressive heroines in science fiction romance stories and the submissive ones on covers featuring a couple. Given a choice, I’d rather see a hero and heroine presented as equals, regardless of whatever scene is being played out. Even if all kick-butt heroines are fans of the missionary position, showing that element on a cover over and over again isn’t going to sell me on them.

Catch my eye with their unique characteristics; sell me on the romance between two equals.

The second reaction I had is that in romance stories there’s a focus on the validity of the heroine’s sexual needs. One reason a romance hero is considered heroic is because he’s all about giving the heroine pleasure and putting her needs first. The illustration on THE SPIRAL PATH isn’t about submissive behavior when considered in the context of the story. Having read this novella, I can tell you that hero Mitch Yoshida doesn’t subjugate Lara Soto or diminish her power at all. The image is probably meant to convey that he loves her and is selflessly giving her all the pleasure he can. If that was the intent, it’s certainly backed up by the story.

Unfortunately, many SFR covers are more concerned with “sex sells” than with any other aspect of a story. On the other hand, heat level is a valid element to portray in a cover when the story has love scenes, especially spicy/erotic ones. A question arises, then, as to whether heat level can be conveyed more often without diminishing powerful heroines.

Marcella Burnard’s ENEMY WITHIN Wins Romantic Times Readers Choice Award & Other News

Marcella Burnard won a Romantic Times Readers Choice Award for her debut sci-fi romance ENEMY WITHIN (via SFR Brigade). Congratulations!

In sci-fi romance cover news, Pauline Baird Jones recently revealed the cover for STEAMROLLED (April 2011), the fourth book in her space opera-steampunk mashup series:

Clearly, L&L Dreamspell made a real effort with this cover. The couple conveys romance as well as setting. The colors are in line with other current steampunk romance releases, which is a plus as far as branding the subgenre as a whole. Plus, the “transmogrification” time machine from the story makes an appearance in the background. Sweet.

Behold...The New Look!

Welcome to the well-tanned and toned Galaxy Express.

Everything has been redesigned and recoded from the stratosphere up. This has been underway for quite some time and gone through many iterations to reach this point. I wanted the best (and would accept nothing less) for you.

It’s a much leaner site, meaning you should find it loads faster on both your PC and mobile devices. But since the grand ol’ ship Galaxy Express is nothing without you, commenting will also be easier.

After much deliberation, I chose Disqus for the revamped commenting system. You’ll now be able to sign in through various accounts (Twitter, Google, Facebook, etc.); replay directly to other comments (no more cuttin’ and pastin’); display your avatar; list your favorite platypus tricks; and so on.

Oh, and still no ads. In space, no one can hear you scream…about designer shoes at half off if you call before midnight tonight! ;)

So now that the ship has a new warp drive, take it out for a spin and let me know what you think.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

P.S. And speaking of comments, don’t worry—all of the wonderful replies you’ve left are fully stored away and imported. It may just take awhile for them to fully populate on the new site. They may be late to the party, but they’ll arrive.

New ones, however, will appear right away. Leave one now and see!  

On Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s ‘Dushau’ by Diane Dooley

I love my Kindle. Because it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to buy books and because of that very nice ‘sample chapter’ option, I find that my reading has become much more adventurous. I’m particularly enjoying the fact that I can try out some older books that I’m unlikely to stumble across in a bookstore. One such recent read was Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s ‘Dushau,’ the first in the Dushau trilogy, which also includes ‘Farfetch’ and ‘Outreach.’ There will be a few spoilers coming, so click away if you are allergic to them.




Published in 1985 ‘Dushau’ tells the story of Krinata, a human research scientist, who works with a species of beings called the Dushau. When Krinata’s Dushau colleagues are scapegoated and imprisoned as a political ploy by the Allegiancy’s Emperor, Krinata breaks ranks, busts them out and flees with them. Many adventures ensue as Jindigar, a Dushau prince, and Krinata dash about the universe rescuing Dushau and their allies from certain death and trying to find safe haven for the survivors.

It was a fun and engaging read. Being that it won the Romantic Times award for Science Fiction in 1985, I was curious to see how Lichtenberg handled this particular romance. The Dushau, though somewhat humanoid in their appearance (they walk upright, they have arms, legs, etc) are also much larger than humans, are blue, and covered in soft fur. Romances with aliens who are so similar to humans that the differences are imperceptible are all very well. Lichtenberg doesn’t go so easy on herself. The Dushau are almost immortal, as well as having telepathic powers, and have an ancient culture than no human has come close to understanding. I loved the detail that they are evolutionarily descended from carrion-eaters. Humans, as predators, simply cannot grasp their mindset. Fascinating stuff!

An Interview With S. Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore, Authors of THE SLIPSTREAM CON

Though THE SLIPSTREAM CON (April 2011) is the second book in S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore’s Ylendrian Empire series that begins with THE BALANCE OF SILENCE, the novella can be read as a standalone. Think: space opera caper ménage (m/f/m).

But if your eyes just glazed over at my mention of ménage, check this out:

Per my usual spoiler-avoidance mode, I steered clear of the book’s page at Samhain until after I finished it, which meant that I discovered on my own that while THE SLIPSTREAM CON features a ménage romance, it’s a bona fide “sweet” romance (and tagged as such at the publisher’s site). Color me shocked since from what I’ve seen and heard, such a phenomenon is rare-with-a-capital-R-rare in the world of romance and erotic romance e-publishers. A rather refreshing twist for which I applaud the authors and their editor.

Visit Samhain Publishing to read an excerpt. Beyond that, here are a few non-spoiler details about some of the story’s key elements:

The three main characters are bounty hunters Tel and Vanya, who are married, and their target Kellen Frey, galactic con artist extraordinaire. Needless to say, with this type of heist story, there’s lots of crossing and double crossing that keep the reader guessing as to where this three-way relationship is headed—or not.

The story is character driven in that Tel, Vanya, and Frey take time to process their mutual attraction both internally and through dialogue. You’ll also encounter a character with a secret past and skeletons in the closet. On the skiffy side, there’s a superhuman character with a neat nanotech angle, although this aspect isn’t the main focus of the story. Maybe for a future book? Hint, hint.

At any rate, I invited the authors aboard for an interview so we could learn more about their work and they kindly accepted. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore:

Science Fiction Romance News & Links for April 2011

I must say, science fiction romance is smokin' this month!

New releases

COLLISION COURSE - Zoe Archer



Mara Skiren is a scavenger, a black-market dealer. Blackmailed into helping Commander Kell Frayne infiltrate a treacherous corner of the galaxy, Mara learns that her biggest danger is from her sexy, by-the-book partner. She’s a loner with more than a few battle scars on her heart, but something about Commander Frayne stirs up her long-buried need for an intimate connection.

An ace pilot for the elite Black Wraith Squadron, Kell’s mission is to rescue a lost pilot and ship. Unable to deny his attraction to the beautiful, rebellious woman , he decides bedding her would cool his ardor. But one taste is not nearly enough, and he finds himself sharing more of his real self with Mara than he has with anyone.

With deadly criminals on their heels and an increasingly dangerous assignment to complete, he’s starting to wonder…. If they survived, could he let her go? And will Mara want to stay?

Read the excerpt.

THE TWISTED TALE OF STORMY GALE - Christine Bell



On a mission to recover the time travel mechanism stolen from her brother Bacon, time pirate Stormy Gale finds herself in a battle of wits with The Loony Duke of Leister and a battle of hearts with a man from her past.

As a young girl in 19th century London, Stormy spent her time on the streets. Discarded by her family, she and the other Fenchurch Street urchins struggled every day just to get enough to eat. Then, Professor Gilly Green blew into town and swept Stormy and her brother away on a journey through time, to the 20th century where he raised them as his own. Sixteen years later, she is grown and has embraced a life of adventure. She's a modern day Robin Hood hell-bent on righting the wrongs in the world and...she's an absolute mess. When she embarks on yet another escapade through time, things don't go according to plan. She finds herself in 1836 New England running an ill-conceived con on a madman in order to get back what is rightfully hers. Her adventure lands her in hot water as she winds up shackled to a bed in The Loony Duke of Leister's torture chambers. Little does she know that the Loony Duke is someone from her past, who is going to turn her life upside down.

Read the excerpt.

Coming soon: The Galaxy Express 2.0

There’s a new look for the Galaxy Express on the horizon. I’ve teamed up with my engineer and together we’ve rebuilt the site from the ground up for a code-tastic relaunch.

So what can you, my intrepid readers, expect? Aside from a spiffy new look, you’ll find the revamp:

* Easier to read, easier to navigate
* Offers you more viewing options for mobile devices
* Has faster loading times, thanks to a complete under-the-hood overhaul

In short, it’s the future and it’ll be here soon. Join me, won’t you?

Joyfully yours,

Heather