Sci-Fi Romance Film On The Horizon: UPSIDE DOWN

The other day, just for the heck of it, I typed “science fiction romance” into YouTube. Something interesting turned up at the top of the list: a trailer for a film called UPSIDE DOWN.

According to the film’s Wikipedia entry,

Upside Down is a 2012 French-Canadian romantic fantasy film written and directed by Juan Diego Solanas. Starring Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst, the film is about a man searching an alternate universe for a long-lost love from his youth. The film was released on 23 August 2012 in Russia.

Here’s the trailer:

Winners: SFR Holiday Blitz

The Galaxy Express winners are

Prize Pack #1 - Jen

Prize Pack #2 - Larissa

Prize Pack #3 – Lisa C

Congratulations! Winners, I’ve notified you by email and you’ll receive your prizes soon.

Many thanks to everyone who entered and to all the wonderful authors for their generosity.

See you again next year!

Rest In Peace, Gerry Anderson

As you may have heard, Gerry Anderson, the creator of THUNDERBIRDS and other groundbreaking Supermarionation shows, passed away at the age of 83 on December 26, 2012.

Gerry Anderson was a hero to me, and in my opinion one of the greatest in television history. At the age of 10, I stumbled across an episode of THUNDERBIRDS purely by chance in 1979 (I live in the U.S.), and I haven’t been the same ever since. I encountered the wonders of Supermarionation without any introduction or guidance regarding what I was watching. I can’t even begin to describe my reaction of awe to the surreal nature of the show and its stunning visuals. But I knew I was irrevocably hooked.

2012 SFR Holiday Blitz

Event icon by Kanaxa

[Edited 12/29/12 to add: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!]

Welcome to the fourth annual SFR Holiday Blitz!

A group of bloggers and authors joined forces this holiday season so readers can win a variety of science fiction romance ebooks—all for the price of free!

Here at The Galaxy Express, you can enter for a chance to win one of three prize packs:

Prize pack #1

GIRL UNDER GLASS - Monica Pierce

IRONHAVEN -  Misa Buckley

LETHAL BEAUTY - Sara Brookes

Prize pack #2

THE SYSTEM – Heather Lin

STELLARNET REBEL – J.L. Hilton

STELLARNET PRINCE – J.L. Hilton

Prize pack #3

TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY – Pippa Jay

Angelia Sparrow’s “The Cyberpunk bundle”

HARD REBOOT (m/f)

SWIMMING THROUGH THE NET (m/m)

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF REALITY (m/f/m)

THE BLACKSMITH’S LOVER – Heather Massey (In the interest of full disclosure, that’s me, the owner of this blog.)

How to enter

Leave a comment with the following information:

* Your preferred format—PDF, ePub, or .mobi (We’ll do our best to accommodate your first choice, but it’s possible the default format will be PDF.)

* Your email (e.g., janeloves_sfr “at” gmail.com)

Deadline to enter: 12 midnight PST on Friday, December 28, 2012

Visit the following blogs for more chances to win science fiction romance ebook titles:

Spacefreighters Lounge

Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance

SFR Brigade

Happy reading!

SFR News & Links Extra December 2012

The 4^rd annual SFR Holiday Blitz is coming soon! Starting December 23, you can visit The Galaxy Express, Spacefreighters Lounge, Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance, and SFR Brigade for a chance to win a variety of science fiction romance ebooks!

Four science fiction romances by Pauline Baird Jones are now out in audio:

THE KEY
GIRL GONE NOVA
TANGLED IN TIME

KICKING ASHE

Eva Caye has released FEALTY, book three of her To Be Sinclair series. Click here to learn about the series updates and buy links.

Lyrical Press is having a Doomsday Sale from December 21-31. 75% off the publisher's entire catalog! 

Doomsday, the Mayans say? 75% our entire catalog, we say!

Since we’re all still alive, gift yourself with a book now that you’ve shopped for everyone else

December 21 – December 31 2012 all books are 75% list price [and DRM-free!] when buying direct from Lyrical

Lyrical’s science fiction romance offerings include the following titles:

KEIR – Pippa Jay

MOONSTEED and DARK TEMPEST – Manda Benson

WINTER OF THE PASSION FLOWER – Annie Seaton

WHISTLING DIXIE – Serenity Woods

VALERIA – Kaitlin R. Branch

REFUGEES ON URLOON – Melisse Aires

METALMARK – Ella Drake

PISTONS AND PISTOLS – Regina Riley

NEBULA’S MUSIC – Aubrie Dionne

LONDON’S CALLING – Elysabeth Williams 

 

Click here for more details about the sale.

Finally, I’ve heard that the MAMMOTH BOOK OF FUTURISTIC ROMANCE is shipping as early as December 29 from Amazon!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

SF Signal's MIND MELD Explores "Strong Women in SF/F"

SF Signal's latest MIND MELD gathered a group of authors--including Linnea Sinclair--to discuss Strong Women in SF/F. It's fascinating reading.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Does Sci-Fi Romance Need More Series To Succeed?

In Vey Goes “Beyond” To Connect Authors and Readers (via Spacefreighters Lounge), Donna S. Frelick shared an interesting anecdote from a recent talk she attended:

Finally, one of Barbara’s points had me thinking for quite some time, wondering whether it may be something we’re missing in SFR.  She surveyed her blog readers once and found that one of the statements they agreed most with was:  I want to read a series in which the characters feel like members of my family.

Donna went on to compare and contrast the types of characters in SFR/romantic suspense with those found in contemporary and historical romances. In the former, she observes the leads tend to be loners without a significant support system even after falling in love. In the latter, the h/h are, by the story’s end, happily settled in the embrace of an extended family and/or community.

In the comments, Donna stated,

…perhaps we haven't given enough thought to COMMUNITY building sometimes. Think about some of our best SF worlds--they were communities, too. Maybe we need to do better with that.

Now compare that with a passage from a previous post here on TGE:

Elise Logan stated in the comments that “Christine Feehan, Gene Roddenberry, Laurell K. Hamilton all have something in common. They built a world and populated it with their stories. They created a mythology and an entire universe that is a whole and complete creation.”

Given the preponderance of book series in the romance genre, I’ve been thinking about revisiting this topic. Once I read Donna’s post I figured now was the time to do it!

Four Authors Share Their Favorite Science Fiction Romance Stories

[When I heard about four new erotic sci-fi romance releases from a group of Ellora’s Cave authors, I thought, why not double the fun? I invited them to come aboard and tell us about some of their favorite science fiction romance stories. Following their post, you can check out the covers and blurbs for their latest releases. Happy reading!]

We’re excited to join you here, at The Galaxy Express, today. We (Christine d’Abo, Ria Candro, A. M. Griffin and Cynthia Sax) are Science Fiction Erotic Romance writers published with Ellora’s Cave. You know we love this genre.

We love writing it and we love reading it. Since many of us are looking for gift ideas, we thought we’d share some of our favorite science fiction romances. 

Christine d’Abo

I think two of my favorite erotic sci-fi reads of all time was Robin Rotham’s Alien Overnight and Enemy Overnight. First, it has the aliens finding their mates in humans (or mostly human) trope, which I adore! Even better, Robin’s heroes are alphas with a capital A! Commander Kellen is still one of my favourite heroes to read.

Not only are the character awesome, so is Robin’s writing. She is smooth and incredibly descriptive with her storytelling. She paints a scorching picture of a sex-starved alien race desperate to find their mates, and sucks you in with the adventure elements of her plot. I highly recommend all her books.

PJ Schnyder’s Most Excellent Holiday News: “A Gift For Boggle”

Author PJ Schnyder is always up to something interesting. One of her current endeavors is Mangos & White Rice. In a nutshell, it’s “Asian Girl, White Guy, Crazy Podcasting!”

In Episode 5—“1^st Time is Special!” the author announced a super cool project that catapulted me to cloud nine.

Here are a few hints: HUNTING KAT, Boggle, and this post about my challenge to PJ Schnyder.

Okay, go ahead and listen to the podcast.

Did you hear the news? OMG isn’t it just totally righteous?! Boggle got his own science fiction romance! 

Can We Have More Dialogue In Sci-Fi Romance, Pretty Please?

I get urges for various elements in my science fiction romance reading now and then. Today, it’s dialogue.

Actually, it’s been that way for a while. I blogged a bit about my love of good dialogue before, and ever since then I’ve been hankering for science fiction romances that feature lots of dialogue between the hero and heroine.

It’s possible that I’ve not yet read the stories that are more dialogue heavy. And by dialogue heavy I don’t mean wall-to-wall dialogue throughout the story (although I’d probably enjoy that given the right premise).

Rather, I’d like to encounter some lengthy, meaty conversations between couples. Pages and pages of it. Conversations that are independent of mental lusting or introspection about the burgeoning romance. What I’d love to read is a story where some of the romance develops through extensive verbal exchanges.

You know, something fun. Like this:

New Publishing Opportunity For Sci-Fi Romance: Harlequin Digital First

I just received a hot news tip about Harlequin Digital First, a new "Digital First Series from Harlequin."

Check out the subgenres they will consider:

We are acquiring editorial for new digital series, including:

• Harlequin Shivers (new!)
• Mystery
• Fantasy and Fantasy Romance
• Science Fiction and Science Fiction Romance
• Contemporary Romance
• Erotic Romance
• Teen Romance
• Your Brilliant Idea*

How cool that one of the categories is "Science Fiction Romance," both in terms of it being included but especially the tags.

I'm not really surprised to hear this news. It was inevitable that more and more of the major print publishers would launch digital-first ventures.

I don't know if the existence of Harlequin Digital First will impact Carina Press in any way (Carina is the digital-first arm of Harlequin).

You can read the complete submission guidelines for Harlequin Digital First here. As always, be sure to do your research when submitting to publishers.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Trailer For Science Fiction Film OBLIVION Hints At Romance

Universal Studios has released the official trailer for OBLIVION, a post-apocalyptic science fiction film coming to U.S. theaters in April 2013.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (TRON: LEGACY), it stars Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, and Morgan Freeman. Here’s the blurb as stated on the film’s official site:

Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete.

Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Now for the trailer:

Blogging at Heroes & Heartbreakers

I'm at Heroes and Heartbreakers blogging about extraordinary heroines, a topic I love, but this time I'm zeroing in on Extraordinary Heroines--and the Heroes Who Love Them--In Sci-Fi Romance.  As in straight up human heroes. If you're looking for stories featuring this type of pairing there's a nice fat list waiting for you!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Interview With DRAGONFLY Author Erica Hayes

Can I just say, I love my blog job? Today I’m delighted to introduce you to Erica Hayes, author of DRAGONFLY. I invited her aboard to tell us about the book as well as her interest in science fiction romance. To catch you up to speed, here’s the story blurb:

Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who’s planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza; a orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment’s personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she’s in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell—Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire’s most dangerous agent—can’t dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie’s expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly’s confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core … if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it.

 ***

Now let’s blast off into the depths of space for my interview with Erica Hayes!

Reflections on THE TWILIGHT ZONE Episode “The Lonely”

Thanks to the convenience of Amazon Prime, I was able to watch an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE that appealed to my science fiction romance sensibility. “The Lonely” is a story about a convict imprisoned on a distant planet who receives a gift in the form of an android who looks and acts like a real woman (wow, did they have great special effects back in 1959, or what?!).

I don’t remember seeing this episode but I’ve probably heard about it now and again over the years. The most recent and clear recollection I have is a comment in response to author and blogger Heidi Ruby Miller’s post about clockpunk at Inveterate Media Junkies. In fact, the commenter noted a similarity to one of my books:

The Watchmakers Lady sounds like it has some parallels with the Twilight Zone episode “The Lonely” as it deals with a desperate man falling in love with a robot who is his only source of companionship.

Therefore, I had that episode in mind when I needed a quick TV break recently. I must say, “The Lonely” provided some pretty awesome entertainment.

Marlene Harris Picks Best of 2012 Ebook Romances at Library Journal

Marlene Harris of Reading Reality picked her Librarian's Best Books of 2012: Ebook Romances for Library Journal. And great news: several steampunk romances made the list!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

P.S. Yes, you have to click on the link to find out which ones!

‘Tis the Season to Celebrate SFR! By Diane Dooley

I remember when Carina Press put out the call for holiday-themed science fiction novellas for an anthology. I was determined to come up with a great idea, write it up, sub it, and have it accepted into the anthology. Except I couldn’t come up with a good idea. I had the hardest time combining the holiday theme with the science fiction genre. So I gave up *grin*

I was really interested to read the stories that made it into the anthology and curious as to how the authors pulled off what I had realized was a rather tricky combination. The results are well worth reading and they’re all science fiction romances. Score! Like all the Carina Press anthologies you can buy the novellas individually or as an anthology.

I would recommend this anthology to the SFR-curious. These three different stories provide a great introduction to the genre. The romances are believable, while the science fiction does not overwhelm. Devoted SFR readers will also enjoy it - all three stories are a deft 50/50 blend of romance and science fiction. A must have for any SFR lover’s virtual shelf.

Call For 2013 Science Fiction Romance Releases

Authors, will you have a science fiction romance release in 2013? If so, I want to know about it!

It’s time for me to start generating a list for my 2013 SFR New Release Roundup, which I'll feature on January 1. I’ll be doing my own research, of course, but I also love hearing directly from authors.

You can let me know the title by leaving a comment for this post or contact me with the information at sfrgalaxy “at” gmail.com.

I’ll be updating the list throughout the year, so if your news isn’t ready for public consumption, you can contact me when the time is right.

Here are the titles I know about so far:

MAMMOTH BOOK OF FUTURISTIC ROMANCE – edited by Trisha Telep

MADE FOR HER – Jessica E. Subject

IMPLOSION - Berinn Rae

EXPLOSION – Berinn Rae

A KISS FOR A CURE – Sidney Bristol

IRON GUNS, BLAZING HEARTS – Heather Massey (in the interest of full disclosure, that’s me, the owner of this blog)

SALVAGE (The Iron Seas series; steampunk) – Meljean Brook

Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to hearing about your new stories!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Interview With Jenna Bennett, Author of FORTUNE’S HERO

Author Jenna Bennett's first foray into science fiction romance is FORTUNE'S HERO, book one of her "Soldiers of Fortune" series. Entangled Publishing is releasing this title in both digital (available now) and print formats (coming December 11).

I invited the author aboard so she could tell us about more about the series. But first, here's the blurb for FORTUNE'S HERO:

Quinn Conlan had it all: a fast ship, a great crew, a gorgeous girlfriend, money, and adventure around every bend. That was before he agreed to ferry a shipload of weapons to the besieged planet Marica. Now he’s stuck in the prison colony on Marica-3, enduring weekly sessions with the camp’s “medical team,” and praying for a quick death before he breaks under the torture and spills everything he knows about the Marican resistance. 

When opportunity strikes, Quinn takes Elsa, a Rhenian med tech, hostage and heads into the inhospitable interior of the small moon where he formulates a plan for getting his crew out of prison, his ship out of impound, and everyone out of orbit. But when Elsa professes her love, can Quinn take the beautiful doctor at her word, or will trusting her—and his heart—condemn him and his crew to an eternity on Marica-3?

And now for my interview with Jenna Bennett!

The Galaxy Express: You’re best known for your “Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation” mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime) under the pen name Jennie Bentley and for the “Cutthroat Business” mysteries writing as Jenna Bennett. What sparked the idea for FORTUNE’S HERO, a science fiction romance?

SFR News & Links For December 2012

Whoa! 2012 has been a strong year for science fiction romance. Here's the final round of new releases for this year. Enjoy! 

New releases

BONDED (erotic planetary romance) - Ria Candro

Book 2 in the Mating Ritual series 

When Inara crash lands on a deserted planet, the last thing she expects is to run into two stunning men from the planet Spygia—who claim she is their mate. While she’d love nothing more than to indulge in a steamy encounter—or two or three—with these gorgeous hunks, she’s on the run from the barbaric Malucons who decimated her home planet of Chivea. And she’s on a mission to find her cousin, the only other Chivean survivor. Nothing, not even the promise of paradise to be found in the Spygians’ arms, is going to stop her. 

When Inara refuses to be bonded to them, Neichon and Valeron strive to uncover what secrets she’s hiding before they unveil a few of their own. How will their reluctant mate react when she learns she’s destined for, not two, but four Spygian men? 

[Publisher’s note] Just so you know—this story contains explicit M/F/M and M/F/M/M/M scenes. Enjoy!

Read an excerpt.