The 3rd Annual SFR Galaxy Awards

Calling all sci-fi romance readers! It's time for the SFR Galaxy Awards!

Now in its third year, this award celebrates science fiction romance in a broad, inclusive way. To refresh your memory, here's the basic philosophy behind this event:

What is the “SFR Galaxy Awards”?

The SFR Galaxy Awards is an annual, multi-award event for science fiction romance books. Launched in 2012 by bloggers Laurie A. Green of Spacefreighters Lounge and Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express, the goal of this event is to honor a variety of standout stories.

How is this award event different?
 
The theme of the SFR Galaxy Awards is inclusiveness. Instead of giving an award to a single book, this event will recognize the worth of multiple books and/or the standout elements they contain. The basic philosophy behind this approach is to help connect readers with books.

For more information, visit the "About" page.

Starting at 10 a.m. EST and spaced one hour apart, the award posts will go live throughout the day. Here's the order in which they'll appear:

Sci-Fi Romance Giveaway: Sharon Lynn Fisher’s ECHO 8

Thanks to the generosity of Tor and Sharon Lynn Fisher, Galaxy Express passengers in the U.S. and Canada can enter for a chance to win one of three print copies of the author’s latest sci-fi romance release, ECHO 8! 

Check out the cover and blurb below:

Special Release Price for RESTORATION, KS Augustin's New Sc-Fi Romance

An unexpected four day weekend for my daughter ate into my blogging time, but you know what? It's a great excuse to share the cover and blurb for RESTORATION, a new sci-fi romance release from KS Augustin!

In politics, is there a place for love?

Van Motaff, renowned philosopher and Rahfonist, is looking ahead to Retirement, but the planetary government has other plans. Something unprecedented has happened—a young, male Rahfoni has been raised by aliens for the past thirty years—and Van has been chosen to restore him to Rahfon society.

Even though the eyes of two worlds are on her, Van thinks the job will be straightforward enough. But when her charge, Eton Abless, is injured, an irate governor interferes, demanding that the young man be neutralised as a potential political threat. Van resists and finds herself falling into a forbidden romance with her student…a romance that may mean the end of her reputation and career, and his permanent exile. As her options narrow, Van is forced to face the conclusion that the only way to save Eton may be to lose him completely.

***

[I blogged about this book last year and as you can see, it gained a new title. :)]

RESTORATION will have a special release price of $3.00 if you purchase it at Sandal Press (the RRP $5.99 starts April 2015 at all major retailers).

Happy reading!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

New Android Romance Alert: SHORT CIRCUIT TIME by Diane Saxon

I'm a big fan of android romances and since they're few and far between I'm here to share the news of Diane Saxon's SHORT CIRCUIT TIME, which released earlier this month. There's also a bit of time travel involved. Here's the cover and blurb:

Guest Blogging At the 2015 Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event

Renae Jones' space western HELLCAT'S BOUNTY is the subject of my guest post at K.T. Grant's 2015 Lesbian Appreciation Event! In my post I present a list of non-spoiler tags so you can learn more about the story.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Exclusive Triple Cover Reveal: Laurie A. Green's INHERIT THE STARS

While blogging about sci-fi romance at Spacefreighters Lounge (since 2007!) and running the SFR Brigade (500 members strong!), Laurie A. Green has also been busy writing sci-fi romances of her own. In the process, she became a multiple RWA Golden Heart Award finalist for her books. While I was happy for her achievements, I'm even happier her work is now entering the sci-fi romance arena of published books!

Her debut SFR is FAREWELL ANDROMEDA. Now she's aboard The Galaxy Express with an exclusive triple cover reveal of her next three releases!

INHERIT THE STARS is the first novel in her The Inherited Stars series and will be released in three parts. The individual titles are FLIGHT, THE NETWORK, and SACRIFICE.

The first installment, FLIGHT, is scheduled to release in late February 2015, and a winter/spring 2015 release is the plan for the next two parts.

Here's the (unofficial) blurb for INHERIT THE STARS:

Print Release News For R.K. Mann's THE TRADER: MAN WITH NO FACE

R.K. Mann's THE TRADER: MAN WITH NO FACE is now out in paperback (the digital edition released in March 2014, but I didn't learn about it until recently). Thought I'd alert my passengers in case any of you prefer your SFR in print! Looks like it features a hero with a major disability (more diversity in SFR, yay!). Here's the cover and blurb:

A Patusian trader on an intergalactic mission awakens to discover that his space ship is gone. His eyes and ears are missing and only gaping holes remain of his nose and mouth. In place of his normal senses he has inexplicably gained the power of telepathy, which he must harness as his only defense against the ferocious and highly evolved aliens, the drogan Kin, who hunt him for food.

Maranth, a beautiful young doctor, was briefed about the depravities of sex, violence, and intoxication before she left her cultured home planet, Veddi, to practice medicine at an off-world mine. But when Afthari raiders attack the mine and enslave her, she finds herself in a world frighteningly different from the perfect, structured society in which she was raised.

Against all odds, the trader finds his way into the Afthari raider colony and uses his telepathy to communicate with Maranth, the only kind soul he finds there. Together, they embark on a daring journey to return home. In the process, these two very different people regain what they’ve lost, and much more.

Set in a tumultuous future, The Trader: Man With No Face raises difficult questions about the nature of love, social perfection and identity.

***
Joyfully yours,
Heather

FAREWELL ANDROMEDA Ebook & Gift Card Giveaway From Laurie A. Green

Debut author Laurie A. Green (you may know her as the longtime SFR blogger behind Spacefreighters Lounge and SFR Brigade) is aboard The Galaxy Express with a giveaway to help celebrate the release of her sci-fi romance novelette FAREWELL ANDROMEDA! 

In addition to a Kindle digital copy of her book, the winner will also receive an Amazon e-gift card worth $10.00 (and these days ten bucks can equal quite a few sci-fi romances, hint, hint!).

Here's the cover and blurb of her sparkly new book:

Fresh off a painful jilting, the last thing deep space pilot Tiharra Bell needs is another romantic entanglement. Certainly not with the galaxy’s most famous astronomer-who also happens to be single, inconveniently handsome, and a resident of the remote Andromeda Station. But Tiharra soon discovers two terrible truths about Dr. Dante “Donner” Dane 1) he’s not the man he appears to be and 2) he doesn’t have long to live. Before her fourteen day layover is complete, she’ll put her life and career on the line to protect his heartbreaking secret.

***

To enter for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Laurie A. Green's FAREWELL ANDROMEDA (gifted through Amazon) and an Amazon e-gift card, leave a comment for this post. If you could visit any galaxy, which one would you choose?

(For more information, see Amazon.com Gift Card Terms and Conditions.)

The deadline to enter is Friday, January 23, 2015 at 12 midnight EST. Check back here to see if you've won!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Blogging At Heroes & Heartbreakers About Lab-Enhanced Characters

I'm at Heroes and Heartbreakers blogging about An Intimate Sense of Wonder: Genetically Engineered Characters in Science Fiction Romance From Leigh, Dohner, and More! Here's a snippet:

The beauty of having scientifically enhanced characters in sci-fi romance is they bake a “sense of wonder” right into the romantic relationship. It's a clever way to streamline a story's science fictional elements as well as integrate them with the romance.

I touch upon a whole bunch of titles, so there should be something for everyone!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Angela Quarles' STEAM ME UP, RAWLEY "Release Day Blitz" News

Angela Quarles' steampunk romance STEAM ME UP, RAWLEY is now out and the author is celebrating with a "Release Day Blitz" and giveaway. In her announcement post, she blogged a bit about the path to publication for this book. This part will sound familiar to fans and authors of niche genres like science fiction romance:

…there was no sense putting Steam in the long queue for the inevitable rejection. This isn’t meant to be negative or sour grapes. On the contrary, I found it rather freeing, as it gave me options, which I love, and I think if one is to be successful, one has to look at one’s work in an objective, business-like matter. That’s what’s so great about indie publishing, as we’re able to fill a need for books of our flavors, but which aren’t in high enough demand to make it a viable business proposition for NY to take a chance on–NY can’t make a living catering to niches, whereas indies can.

I applaud authors who cater to the niche. For many of us, that's our bread and butter reading!

Here's the blurb:

Interview With Kelley Harvey, Author of BREATHE

During a chance encounter during one of my daughter's school field trips, I met a person with whom I had a scintillating conversation about books. This person later tipped me off about debut author Kelley Harvey and her New Adult science fiction romance BREATHE. How cool is that? Signing up to be a chaperone can pay off in unexpected ways!

On the heels of my (non-spoiler) tag post for BREATHE, I invited the author aboard for an interview so we could learn more about her Devastation series. This series features an alien-hybrid hero, a heroine with a secret, and their burgeoning romance amid both tragic and unusual circumstances. 

Here's the blurb:

The summer after graduation, Lexa falls for Gabe, but can she trust her new love with the secret of a lifetime?

Secrets rule Lexa's life. After her move to Texas for college, she develops feelings for her life-long friend. But Gabe’s gone emotionally bi-polar, ice cold one minute, volcanic the next, and Lexa’s not even sure he is her friend any more. As she struggles to regain control over her shaken world, Lexa wakes one morning with wings. Panic sets in and she keeps her discovery to herself. Everyone has secrets, but revealing hers could land her on a lab table, and that’s not where she wants to spend freshman year.

When Gabe learns he’s an alien-hybrid, it changes everything. Now, he's rethinking his entire existence. After he lays a mind-melting kiss on her, Lexa wants to ditch their platonic status, but Gabe’s certain a move like that will ruin their relationship. However, resisting her is almost impossible. Can he figure out how to keep his secret and his best friend?

They think it can't get worse.

They're wrong. 

***

And now for my interview with Kelley Harvey!