Cover Reveal News: Ella Drake’s METALMARK

Ella Drake revealed the cover for METALMARK, her forthcoming science fiction romance from Lyrical Press. It’s steamy and gear-y in all the right places:

 Here’s the set up:

Cover Reveal Exclusive: BALANCE OF TERROR by KS Augustin

KS Augustin offered me an exclusive first look at the cover for her latest romantic SF and I was all like, where do I sign??!!

BALANCE OF TERROR (Sandal Press) is a novel-length ebook. It’s the sequel to INENEMY HANDS and is the conclusion of Moon Thadin and Srin Flerovs's adventures. You’ll be able to get your virtual hands on a copy this summer, but for now, check out the story blurb and dynamite cover:

Save one man? Or save billions? It’s Moon’s choice.

Sci-Fi Romance Snippets

Snippet #1

RT Book Reviews has a jazzy article in the June 2012 issue called “Lady Killers.” It’s about “deadly heroines” and lists a number of “fictional tough girls” along with “the reasons we love them.”

Heck, yeah—I’m all over that like a fly on honey.

Naturally, I scanned the list for science fiction romance heroines because this subgenre has its share of “deadly heroines.” The first on the list, Eve Dallas from J.D. Robb’s In Death series is more of a suspense heroine than sci-fi, but then at the bottom of the description it says “Try: Capt. Ari Idylle from Marcella Burnard’s Enemy Within.”

Scoooooore!

That list got me thinking about other science fiction romance heroines who fall into the tough-girl category—particularly women who edge into anti-heroine territory. If this kind of heroine is up your alley, here are a few other choices you can check out:

Who's Your Space Pirate Daddy?

An author I was chatting with via email alerted me to a possible science fiction romance, namely, SPECTORS by Angelia Almos. And squee, the main character is a space pirate heroine!

I downloaded a Kindle sample and will check it out. Naturally, I'm excited about the existence of another space pirate heroine. They are one of my favorite character types but unfortunately very rare. However, what struck me the most about SPECTORS was a particular element in the blurb:

Space pirate Kristy Ryan is having a bad day.

First, her pilot and lover, Andrew Bennet, picks a fight with her.

Second, the Military Space Alliance comes across her ship when she’s running a not-so-legal job.

Third, she finds out her father, a notorious space pirate himself, disappeared while working for the MSA.

Fourth, and the final straw, the MSA is blackmailing her to continue the dangerous mission her father started.

What else could go wrong?

That element is “her father, a notorious space pirate himself.” Upon reading that line, I was like, stop the press! Where have I seen that dynamic before? Oh yeah, in the sci-fi romances featuring space pirate heroines, namely:

Pauline Baird Jones at Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews, Plus Giveaway

KICKING ASHE by Pauline Baird Jones is being featured at Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews. Head on over for a character interview, book excerpt, and a $25 gift certificate to AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Get Your Steampunk Groove On With PJ Schnyder and the “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences”

Author PJ Schnyder (HUNTING KAT) is involved in an exciting new project. She wrote a steampunk romance short story called “A Swan in Siam” and it’s part of a new anthology—TALES FROM THE ARCHIVE, Volume II—that releases today (April 24, 2012). This anthology has an interesting background so I invited Ms. Schnyder to come aboard and tell us all about it.

The Galaxy Express: What is the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences? How did you become involved in this anthology?

Cover Reveal Exclusive: Decadent Publishing’s New SFR “Elatia” Line

It’s a real treat to introduce Elatia, Decadent Publishing’s new erotic science fiction romance line. Not only that, but I have an exclusive cover reveal of all four launch titles!

This is exciting news for a few reasons. One, Elatia represents Decadent’s commitment to bringing readers more science fiction romance. Whether you go for the erotic content or not, you can’t beat the fact that they are willing to try out something new in the subgenre. They’re not just releasing more science fiction romances; they’re devoting a whole line to it.

Second, it means more story choices for readers. SFR is still niche, so every new title helps raise its visibility.

Three, Decadent chose to share the news with the science fiction romance community directly. They could have done any number of things to announce the news, but they personalized it. To me, that says they care about SFR readers.

Check out the press release:

Three Cheers For The Scrappy Romance Heroine

I’m still on a cyberpunk romance kick and recently finished Kim Knox’s SYNTHETIC DREAMS. A few interesting elements and themes emerged, which I’d like to share with you (in a non-spoiler way). To catch you up to speed, here’s the story blurb:

Vynessa Somerton was just a girl when she learned about true evil. An encounter with the tyrannical Corporation scarred her body and exiled her to the crime-ridden S-District. Now an adult, Vyn creates glamours, worn by those who visit a virtual playground to live synthetic dreams. She's tried to stay unnoticed by the Corporation, but her latest invention has brought their agents to her door.

Paul Cross works for the Corporation, but he's been plotting their downfall since they took his brother and replaced him with an imposter. Paul has a plan to get his brother back, but he's going to need Vyn and her invention to carry it out.

Vyn agrees to help Paul, but their alliance shatters the barriers she's put up to protect herself, tempting her to give in to desire. Just as Vyn starts to trust Paul and believe he wants her, scars and all, the Corporation prepares for its final move. Can Vyn trust Paul completely, or has he been using her all along?

One detail about Vyn that doesn’t emerge until you begin the story is the fact that she’s a scrappy heroine. What do I mean by that? She wears scruffy, secondhand clothes. She lives in a rundown apartment in a dangerous section of the city. Plus, she’s a loner.

Cover Action: Sheryl Nantus' HEROES LOST AND FOUND

Sheryl Nantus, author of the romantic superhuman/urban fantasy trilogy Blaze of Glory, has unveiled the cover for the final installment, HEROES LOST AND FOUND!

Cover design by Kanaxa

As I was enjoying this action-packed cover, the following thought occurred to me: "Say, this cover is pretty action-packed!" That's been the case with the previous covers in the trilogy as well. And then I thought, how refreshing is that?

Here's a case where a publisher--Samhain Publishing--is catering to the needs of its action-oriented female readers by featuring a cover that embraces such elements. The staff could easily have gone with a "safer" cover like man titty or a static head shot of the heroine. Lucky for us, they took the risk.

My Video Interview At USA Today's Happy Ever After Blog

I'm excited to share the news that USA Today's Happy Ever After blog, run by author Joyce Lamb (sweetest lady ever!), is now featuring a video interview with me. I had the pleasure of speaking about science fiction romance and steampunk romance with the lovely author Virna DePaul.

It was great fun to share my love of SFR with a whole new audience (as well as information about my latest release, THE WATCHMAKER'S LADY). I invite you to visit and share your favorite sci-fi romance books in the comment section.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Free Kindle Ebook: ADVENTURESSES by Angelia Sparrow

I have news of a free ebook today! Angelia Sparrow is giving away copies of her latest release, a collection of lesbian science fiction romances called ADVENTURESSES.

Between now (Monday) and Wednesday, April 18, 2012, you can get the Kindle edition for free at Amazon.

It’s The Science Fiction Romance Fan Blitz!

[I have an SFR Brigade announcement for you from author Diane Dooley - Heather]

Do you love science fiction romance? Want to get the inside scoop on new releases, giveaways, cover reveals and more? Yes? Then you need the Science Fiction Romance Brigade on Facebook. With over a hundred SFR authors regularly posting their news to the fanpage, it is THE place to be to find out what’s happening in our SFR galaxy.

If You Like Suzanne Brockmann’s BORN TO DARKNESS…

If you enjoyed BORN TO DARKNESS, Suzanne Brockmann’s new science fiction romance, then I invite you to check out a sampling of similar adventure tales from the amazing authors listed below.

Here’s how I compiled the list: Based on my reading of the first third of BORN TO DARKNESS (because that’s all it took!), I made a mental list of elements in that story that can be found in other science fiction romances. Next, I tagged each element and paired them with the appropriate books to provide you with the best match possible.

The list is in a random order. I embedded buy links in each title, but of course you may want to shop around.

And away we go!

Multiple romances + action-adventure SF = Linnea Sinclair’s GAMES OF COMMAND and Susan Grant’s MOONSTRUCK

Navy SEAL type team + X-MEN + psychic sex = Corrina Lawson’s PHOENIX RISING

Superhuman SF + criminal organizations + near-future thriller + suspense = Catherine Asaro’s SUNRISE ALLEY (also free at the Baen Free Library)

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Lists Female SF & SFR Authors

I don't know how I missed this post (and maybe I didn't, but I can't remember), but in 2010, Jessica Strider of Sci-Fi Fan Letter posted a list of romantic SF:

Love Among the Stars, a Romantic Sci-Fi Reading List.

Recently, she added a Female Science Fiction Author Reading List, which includes a few more authors of science fiction romance.

Enjoy and please consider tweeting or blogging about her lists!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

RT Booklovers Convention: Sci-Fi Romance Coverage

Squee! The RT Book Reviews blog has coverage of Linnea Sinclair's Intergalactic Bar & Grille party, which she throws at the annual RT Booklover's Convention (happening now in Chicago): RT Booklover's Convention 2012: A Day of Sci-Fi Romance.

For me, the most thought-provoking part of the article was this:

At the end of the workshop, the audience asked the panelists some great questions including one attendee who wanted to know what the panelists thought the hardest part of writing sci fi romance is. Many of the authors including Aguirre and Pape agreed that deciding which genre to focus on, sci fi or romance, is difficult. In order to sell books, they pointed out that many sci fi romances are either futuristic romances with more of an emphasis on the relationship, or science fiction stories with a slight romance edge, but with more description of science and technology.

What the above passage says to me is that authors are experimenting with a wide range of SF-romance blends and frankly, that benefits readers. The choices exist if you know where to look.

Could Science Fiction Romance Become A Fearless Leader?

Via Alien Love Song post by P.I. Barrington

In the April 13 issue of Entertainment Weekly (#1202), there’s a feature on Adele, pop culture’s current breakout singer. I don’t follow Adele’s music, but I am aware of how popular she is. That, and how her rise to fame seemingly came out of left field. In other words, she was one of the most unlikely candidates to become a pop star. One passage in the article really jumped out at me:

If you’re looking for “the next Adele” in the sense of “the next pop phenomenon,” however, then the female-singer-songwriter genre may not be the right place to search at all. Says Rob Cavallo, who signed a scrappy little punk band called Green Day and is now chairman of Warner Bros. Records: “In this business, you’re trying to uncover that proverbial needle in the haystack. It’s not about following—if you follow, you’re dead. ‘The next Adele’ will look and sound and feel different.”

That passage resonated with me because I felt that it could easily be applied to science fiction romance. In a world of flashy performers like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber, one could argue that Adele is the musical equivalent of science fiction romance. Her style of music could easily have remained niche, but somehow it broke out into the mainstream. I’m sure part of that had to do with marketing (and the EW article did refer to a “…string of high-profile, pre-album-release appearances on shows ranging from Today to Letterman…”, but it still doesn’t change the fact that in the beginning, XL Recordings took a risk on an artist whose sound was very different from the prevailing acts.

Could science fiction romance be a subgenre that "feels" different?

SFR News & Links Extra

I’m blogging at Heroes and Heartbreakers about Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand series with a spotlight on two of their erotic science fiction romance offerings, Jessica E. Subject’s CELESTIAL SEDUCTION and Diane Dooley’s MAKO’S BOUNTY.

Nico Rosso (THE LIMIT OF DESIRE) has sold a Western steampunk romance to Avon Impulse titled IRON HEART [Edited 4/9/12 to add: File under my error: The title of Mr. Rosso's steampunk romance is as yet untitled. IRON HEART is the title for his forthcoming superhero romance (Entangled Publishing). But if he wanted to put "iron" in the title of his steampunk romance, you won't find me complaining!](Not to be confused with Leslie Dickens’ THE IRON HEART, Meljean Brook’s THE IRON DUKE, Sylvia Day’s IRON HARD, and my own forthcoming IRON GUNS, BLAZING HEARTS. OMG! That’s what I mean about “iron” being the new buzz word for steampunk romance!). Anyway, Mr. Rosso’s book is part of the Ether Chronicles, a shared universe created by him and his writing partner wife, author Zoe Archer.

Read more about this project in an interview with the authors at the RT Book Reviews blog. There’s a giveaway, too, for the first book in the series, Zoe Archer’s SKIES OF FIRE!

In other steampunk romance news, PJ Schnyder sold “A Swan In Siam,” a short story that will appear in the anthology TALES FROM THE ARCHIVES, Volume II: The Official Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (Imagine That! Studios, Kuro Studios, & Harper Voyager).

At SFR Brigade, Melisse Aires blogged about the release of her latest science fiction romance, REFUGEES ON URLOON. Be sure to visit her blog for the details of her blog tour and contest!

Interview With WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM Author Veronica Scott

Veronica Scott’s WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM is a sci-fi romance spin on the 1912 Titanic disaster. The author is self-publishing this title to coincide with the 100^th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. 

Here's the blurb:

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.

But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?

While the story is about a tragic accident involving a luxury spaceliner, Veronica Scott’s story delivers a Happily Ever After. I think it’s cool that fans of Titanic-themed stories can have both the bittersweet ending (e.g., James Cameron’s TITANIC) and also ones with happy endings.

And check out this great deal: WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM is only 99 cents at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

Steampunk Romance Giveaways & Free Kindle Ebook

Science fiction romance is easy on the wallet, and here's why:

[Edited 4/5/12 to add: This freebie promotion has ended] As of this posting, the Kindle edition of Theresa Meyers’ supernatural Western steampunk romance THE HUNTER is free at Amazon! That's a free novel-length ebook! If you like the show SUPERNATURAL and would like it better if it had steampunk elements, then THE HUNTER might be for you.

Squee! Bandai Unveils Sparkly New Footage of SPACE CRUISER YAMATO 2199

I must beg your indulgence for this post because today it’s all about SPACE CRUISER YAMATO 2199!

SPACE CRUISER YAMATO 2199 is basically a reboot of SPACE CRUISER YAMATO, the classic 1974 animated science fiction series from Japan (a.k.a. STAR BLAZERS in the U.S.). I blogged about my obsession with Yamato last year if you need a refresher on my relationship with this swoon-worthy show. The reboot will begin airing in Japan on April 7, 2012.

Via Giant Freakin Robot I discovered that the distributor, Bandai, has released 10 minutes of footage from the first episode:

SFR News & Links For April 2012

I think I died and went to heaven this month. Check out the action!

REFUGEES ON URLOON (planetary romance) – Melisse Aires

Two weary refugees, two moons and a life-changing fertility festival. Watch out for a whole lot of sensuality.

Under normal circumstances, Svana, non-military maintenance crew, and Captain Liam Ringel, a highly respected military instructor, would never have crossed paths. A sudden anomaly, however, thrusts them into deep space where they are rescued by the inhabitants of an exotic and isolated waterworld, Urloon. 

With no rescue forthcoming, the refugees can choose between adapting to the sea or farming the land. Svana is saddened when her budding friendship with Liam changes due to their different choices. However, when they are invited to an alien fertility festival, the Moonfest, they are given the opportunity to create a memory that will impact and intertwine both their futures. 

WARNING: Alien fertility festival, aurora lights, dancing alien beasts, body paints and hot pheromones. M/F Sensual.

Read the excerpt.

SKIES OF FIRE: THE ETHER CHRONICLES (Book 1)(steampunk) - Zoe Archer