Interview With AT STAR'S END Author Anna Hackett, Plus Giveaway

Author Anna Hackett has a new sci-fi romance release out called AT STAR'S END (Carina Press) and she's aboard The Galaxy Express to celebrate with an interview and giveaway! We have an action-packed post ahead, so strap on your harness and let's fire up the engines!

 

First, enjoy the cover and blurb for AT STAR'S END:

Dr. Eos Rai has spent a lifetime dedicated to her mother’s dream of finding the long lost Mona Lisa. When Eos uncovers tantalizing evidence of Star’s End—the last known location of the masterpiece—she’s shocked when her employer, the Galactic Institute of Historic Preservation, turn its back on her. Left with no choice, Eos must trust the most notorious treasure hunter in the galaxy; a man she finds infuriating, annoying and far too tempting.

Dathan Phoenix can sniff out relics at a stellar mile. With his brothers by his side, he takes the adventures that suit him and refuses to become a lazy, bitter failure like his father. When the gorgeous Eos Rai comes looking to hire him, he knows she’s trouble, but he’s lured into a hunt that turns into a wild and dangerous adventure. As Eos and Dathan are pushed to their limits, they discover treasure isn’t the only thing they’re drawn to…but how will their desire survive when Dathan demands the Mona Lisa as his payment?

***

Now for my interview with Anna Hackett!

Guest Post: Some Essential Things To Know When Writing Multicultural/Interracial PNR/SFR by P.J. Dean

[Please join me in welcoming author P.J. Dean (THE FELIG CHRONICLES) aboard The Galaxy Express! I've been on the hunt for more interracial/multicultural SFR and so was delighted to learn about her books (this was one of those times where leaving a comment on a blog paid off). Given her experience, I asked if she could provide a guest post on the topic. As you'll see, she responded with many informative and entertaining insights. Take it away, Ms. Dean!]

Let me introduce myself. I write interracial/multicultural PNR, and occasional interracial historical, under the pen name P. J. DEAN. My current PNR/SFR entry is THE FELIG CHRONICLES series of which there are three books so far. I purposely chose a post-apocalyptic time with a multicultural cast because that’s the type of world in which I reside. No, not the apocalyptic stuff. The multicultural stuff. I know and interact with lots of different kinds of people. And those are the kinds of people who would be harmed by an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario.

After reading the work of a few of the biggies in PNR, I knew that I could pen a story, heck, a series just as sharp, witty, funny and disturbing as any of them. And I could bring something different to the table. The difference being my heroine does not do corsets and black leather tights as outerwear nor does she do studded anything. Cross-bows are not her thing. She totes a .357 magnum and that’s for the annoying humans. She is not twenty-one and does not sport scads of flaxen tresses. 

Cover & Blurb For Miyoki Yokohouri's BELOVED OF THE SUN

Thanks to the longer shelf life of ebooks, I can highlight the occasional sci-fi romance that I discover post-publication! Here's the cover and blurb for Miyoki Yokohouri's novella BELOVED OF THE SUN (2012):

In The Mood For Romantic SF? Try D.L. Jackson's THE BOOK OF EVA

THE BOOK OF EVA (Clone #1) by D.L. Jackson is a dystopian, post-apocalyptic novella for romantic SF readers. I'm going to tag it for you in a very general way (because saying almost anything specific about it would lead to spoilers), but first, here's the cover and description:

When a world leader’s daughter meets a clone, a doomed love affair begins. 

In the year 2087, a great war erupts on the planet and a struggle to survive begins. One hundred-fifty years later, the continent of America is divided into two factions, Aeropia and The United Regions. There is a shortage of food and an abundance of illness, leaving most to live on the scraps of the wealthy who wallow in excess.

This is the world Olivia Braun inherits. Sick from birth, she wakes up from surgery with a new heart, only to discover she is the youngest president of Aeropia, an empire that has created and used clones to maintain their position of supremacy since the war. However, Olivia’s rise to power is no accident. Before her transplant, she conspired with a clone to free those enslaved, but the outcome is not what she expected.

Now, enemies hide among the population, and even friends can no longer be trusted. Olivia must make a choice that will decide the fate of an empire. Before her tale of corruption, forbidden love and war ends, the mighty will be brought to their knees.

By a clone.

***

Read the first chapter excerpt here.

D.L. Jacskson blogged about THE BOOK OF EVA at Backward Momentum in December 2013. This excerpt provides an overview of her authorial intent:

This story spoke to me, and demanded to be told, but in a way that is completely different from anything I've written. I have to say it was the biggest challenge I had to date with my writing and forced me to stretch my mind and knowledge. In many instances I found I had to put a square peg in a round hole. I'm sure my editors can attest to how crazy the format made them--at times, it drove me nuts. It is my hopes that my readers not only see what is obvious, but read between the lines and find what is hidden or implied. I am a cerebral author and wanted a cerebral story. If anything, I hope this story makes you think and ponder things you might otherwise not.

She also noted that the story is told in a “non-linear format” and “is told primarily in first person and third person narrative.”

Ms. Jackson was kind enough to send me a copy, although based on her post I was expecting a non-romantic SF story. That’s how I approached it, and even when certain elements began to turn hopeful I still refused to change my expectations. However, by the end I discovered it was—in my opinion—romantic SF. Hence this post. :)

March 2014 News & Links Extra

At Coffee Time Romance, I offer you a Steampunk Romance Potpourri! 

At Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance, Charlee posted an interesting article called How do you define success For SciFi Romance?

The big question for me is, do I care? Should any of us care? With digital first publishers growing and traditional publishers rushing to develop digital first lines, do we need to see SFR in print? With indies being so successful, do we even need traditionally publishers to consider SFR a long-term viable genre? Have attitudes changed enough that we no longer define success in terms of traditional measures?

Craft Vs. Feels In Sci-Fi Romance

In When I Stop Reading—And Why, Spacefreighters Lounge blogger Donna S. Frelick states that for her, 

…the Number One killer of SFR stories, like their SF counterparts, is backstory, oodles of it, in info dumps of epic proportions in the beginning of the book.  This passes for “worldbuilding”.  Stop.  Let me discover the world your characters inhabit, little by little, not all at once.  Show me, don’t tell me. 

After reading Donna's post, I discovered S.E. Smith's HUNTER'S CLAIM, a sci-fi romance (via Veronica Scott's column Sci-Fi Encounters at the USA Today romance blog). I sampled the first chapter. So far, my impression is that the story doesn't totally abide by Donna's advice of show, not tell, when it comes to worldbuilding (of course, your mileage may vary).

Yet the book hit #1 in the science fiction romance category at Amazon (#4 at the time of this post) and has 182 reviews (at the time of this post). Publication date: January 8, 2014.

Romance, Between a Rock & a Hard Place--Guest Post By Rhi Etzweiler

Riptide Publishing is showcasing some of their titles past and present through a number of blog tours, including Rhi Etzweiler's FRAGILE BOND. I was glad of the chance to learn about a new-to-me author and book and so decided to join the party.

The blurb for FRAGILE BOND intrigued me because it's reminiscent of ENEMY MINE, a film I enjoyed a great deal. It's been a looooong time since I've seen it, though, so my plan is to do a double feature of sorts: re-watch ENEMY MINE and read FRAGILE BOND.

Rhi Etzweiler is aboard with a guest post so we can learn more about the themes featured in FRAGILE BOND. But first, here's the blurb:

Sniper Sergeant Marc Staille and his trusty rifle, Mat, are on bodyguard duty at a mining operation on a backwater planet. The resource-rich valley is crawling with tawnies, the native dirt-colored predators. Huge things that hunt in packs and kill as well with tooth and claw as Marc ever has with Mat. 

The rules change when a tawny uses an unexpected weapon: pheromones. 

Commander Hamm Orsonna, leader of the fefa clan, is determined to chase off the invading aliens. The one he sets out to capture for intel is scrawny and hairless, not very intimidating—until it takes out his entire squad. Seasoned warriors, felled from halfway down the valley by its metal death stick. 

Their sacrifice may be worth it, though. The alien male smells like he’s interested in making things right. He smells of other things too, but nobody else seems to notice. Before long, Hamm finds himself fighting off his own kind to defend the alien, who might be his people’s only hope for peace, and Hamm’s only chance for happiness.

***

Romance, Between a Rock & a Hard Place

SFR News & Links For March 2014

Happy March! Please enjoy this month's roundup of sci-fi romance new releases along with a handful of fun and informative links.

New releases

HARRY'S SACRIFICE (erotic; Resonance Mates #5) – Bianca D'Arc

Embracing the unexpected can lead to all sorts of adventures. 

Resonance Mates, Book 5

The prophesied time has arrived and Harry—born of an alien mother and a human father—must journey to the top of the world to unlock a mysterious ship found trapped in an icy crevasse. A ship only someone of Harry’s bloodline can open.

Roshin, a young Alvian scribe, is sent to record events as they unfold. Beneath her remote, icy beauty, Harry feels an unwanted hum of attraction. He has always dreamed of a warm, giving relationship with a human. Not a cold, emotionless Alvian.

Then there’s Cormac, an Alvian officer sent to head the expedition. When all three are trapped inside the vessel, Harry is confronted with an unexpected dilemma—cling to his dream of a human bond, or answer the call of fate and form a lifelong alliance with not just one, but two aliens.

Warning: Harry’s all grown up and ready for action—with not one but two Alvians. Theirs could be a permanent ménage relationship that will resonate in your heart long after the last page is turned.