SFR Shindig: Tati’s SFR Recommendations by Tatiana Caldwell

I've always been a geek. Sci-fi books, movies, shows and games have enthralled me as far back as I can remember. Why? Worlds and time periods filled with wonder, imaginative technology, characters and story-lines far more diverse than any other genre. I’ve also always been a romantic, favoring tales of love conquering all over any other plotline, so SFR – the mashup of the two – simply does it for me.

It isn’t always easy, however, to find good SFR entertainment. Books have been somewhat easier to come by, because of websites like this one that seek them out help make their existence known. But I still find it somewhat challenging to discover good movies, TV shows and video games that could truly be defined as SFR. Sometimes it’s because of the way they are marketed (or the lack of marketing), but mostly I think it’s due to there just not being enough of it. 

So I’d like to share a brief list non-literature SFR entertainment that I’ve really enjoyed.

SFR TV Shows

SFR Shindig: Love and the Kick-Ass Heroine By Deborah A. Bailey

The original Star Trek was my first exposure to science fiction, and ultimately I moved on to reading and writing fan fiction. One of the best things about it was writing stories where I got to pair up various characters.

So once I started writing stories of my own, I didn’t see any issues with having a heroine who was strong, capable and unafraid to fall in love. It was logical, as Mr. Spock would say. Why would a heroine in a science fictional world be any different than her counterparts in other genres?

But at times there’s outright hostility to the idea of a strong female character having a love interest. As though if she did fall in love, she’d start sighing and draping herself across fainting couches.

Kick-ass heroine? No problem. Kick-ass heroine in a romantic relationship? No good.

SFR Shindig: Hobbies and How They Relate To Diversity In SFR by KS Augustin

I have to admit, I’m never happier than when I’m doing something. Husband J calls me a workaholic. One of my current interests is soapmaking, and if you go to the Sandal Press blog, you might occasionally come across one of my soaping (mis)adventures!

See this below? This is one of a batch of soaps that I recently made for my MIL (mother-in-law).

It’s an exotically-scented soap, a smooth cream rippled with sandalwood, and the pattern of the mould lent itself very well to being touched up with different coloured mica powders. I’m still a beginner at this mica-painting soap thing but I know that my MIL will love it. In fact, we’ve had a hard time persuading her to use the previous batch we sent (for her birthday) as she says they’re too pretty to use.

SFR Shindig: Why I Sci-Fi… By Lyn Brittan

I am always asked why I write Sci-Fi. Always. People outside the genre worry about the future. Some fret about a cold, disinterested world where people are numbers and homes are heartless, metal shells.

I call shenanigans. I actually call bullshit, but shenanigans sounds more professional so, yeah. Shenanigans!

The future rocks. Legit. I promise. Because every thought is within the realm of possibility. Every hope has as much chance as any other else of coming true. I want a world free of the divisions that chain us today and I know that it can happen. When I write a book in the Outer Settlement Agency Series, it’s a wish sent out into the universe that one day we’ll get it.

SFR Shindig: My List for Strong Female Characters in Science Fiction by Elizabeth Lang

I’m a sci-fi and fantasy nut from way back. I used to devour books, often reading late into the night, or the next morning. As a young girl, I’d never really noticed the gender statistics of the books I read. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how badly represented women are in genre fiction. I’m not referring to the presence of females in the stories, but how they are used.

I was introduced to a new term recently and wonder why I’ve never heard of it before, which is the idea of agency. Generally, it refers to characters having independent, personal action and motivations.

SFR Shindig: Alisha Rai's Top 3 Post-Apocalyptic Romances

There is nothing I adore more than a good post-apocalyptic romance. I would literally cut a reanimated corpse for a good post-apoc romance. 

Luckily, zombies, you can keep your heads for now, because there's a number of authors already writing what I love. May I present, in no particular order, my current favorite post-apoc romances:

SFR Shindig: LGBTQ Romance in Science Fiction by Alex Powell

Hello all! My name is Alex Powell, and I'm a Science Fiction Romance author. Today, I want to talk to you about LGBTQ romance in Science Fiction.

I love writing Science Fiction, because it's a genre that gives a writer complete freedom to create a whole new world, and to give that world whatever rules they want. I have to admit, I get easily bored with contemporary fiction, and what makes me happy is exploring a world that an author put a lot of work and love into creating.

SFR Shindig: PJ Schnyder's Top 3 Reasons for Loving Sci-Fi Romance

My first full length novel was a science fiction romance...that will never see the light of day. I had a lot of writing craft to learn. But, it was the prequel to my Triton Experiment series and I love coming back to it with every new story in the series. Here's why:

1) Hope

Romance, by definition, has a Happily Ever After (or at least a Happy For Now).

I have the opportunity to build incredible futuristic worlds rich in detail and diversity, explore big questions, and end each of my books on a positive note.

Not all books end this way, but science fiction romance always does. It's a promise between myself and my readers.

2) It's About the Characters

You're Invited To the SFR Shindig!

Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods, so therefore what better excuse to throw a little sci-fi romance party? No matter the weather or place, anytime is a good time to have fun with this genre!

For SFR Shindig, I invited a group of authors who write SFR and romantic SF to come aboard and asked them to surprise me with a post about an SFR-related topic of their choosing. Some of the authors you may know, and others you might be meeting for the first time. This genre is full of smart women writing entertaining adventures. I hope you have fun reading the posts and learning about their books!

Everything Needs A Boost

I was telling my husband about Delilah S. Dawson's post about authors and self-promotion (for another perspective, read S.J. Pajonas' response) and we wound up having a long conversation about marketing. During the conversation, he reminded me that the horror film PARANORMAL ACTIVITY basically sat on a shelf and went without distribution for two years. For a film that became such a monster hit, that is a long time in the film world.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY has been a runaway success and spawned multiple sequels, but it didn't get instant theatrical distribution upon completion. It almost goes without saying that getting distribution can be very difficult to attain for independent films that lack big stars (and by “big,” I mean A-list). It's mainly because Steven Spielberg saw and pushed PARANORMAL ACTIVITY that it received a green light for its high-profile, multi-screen theatrical release. Here's the path the film took according to its Wikipedia entry: 

The film was screened at 2007's Screamfest Horror Film Festival, where it impressed an assistant at the Creative Artists Agency, Kirill Baru, so much that CAA signed on to represent Peli. Attempting to find a distributor for the film and/or directing work for Peli, the agency sent out DVDs of the movie to as many people in the industry as they could, and it was eventually seen by Miramax Films Senior Executive Jason Blum, who thought it had potential. He worked with Peli to re-edit the film and submitted it to the Sundance Film Festival, but it was rejected. The DVD also impressed DreamWorks executives Adam Goodman, Stacey Snider, and finally Steven Spielberg, who cut a deal with Blum and Peli.

And this article via The Guardian explains that:

SFR News & Links Extra - April 2015

I wrote a post for the RT Book Reviews blog: With Great Spurts Comes Great Goo: Jody Wallace's THE ADVENTURES OF MARI SHU. I recently finished the third installment, FAR GALAXIES, and wound up with a lot of feels about the social commentary Ms. Wallace is packing into the stories. Plus, this series is getting raunchier and weirder than ever and so I just had to share my o_O reaction!

My steampunk romance column this month is about steamysteampunk romances. I touch upon books that aren't quite erotic, but wherein the couple's couplings are a huge focus of the stories.

At Spacefreighters Lounge, Sharon Lynn Fisher (ECHO 8) wants to know: Do you believe in psi?

Smart Girls Love Sci-Fi & Paranormal Romance recently interviewed BREEDER author Cara Bristol about her fantasy romance THE GODDESSES CURSE. You can also read their interview with DEEP DECEPTION author Cathy Pegau. How's that for a two-fer?!

AURORA, a film being described as a sci-fi romance, will be released in the U.S. in July 2015. IMDb describes it thusly:

In 2020 super-computer Kronos concludes that human beings are the biggest threat to the planet. 60 years later, Andrew finds himself lost in a world run by machines when he meets Calia, a girl on the way to a place called Aurora.

Here's the trailer:

Given the description of Calia as a "girl," it's difficult to say if this is YA SF or if the lead couple is 18+. I think the trailer could be better, but I'm willing to check out this film via Blu-ray or streaming. What about you?

Joyfully yours,

Heather

A Place To Start: Casual Diversity

At Spacefreighters Lounge, three authors of sci-fi romance discussed diversity in their books:

"Diversity" in science fiction romance characters – Greta van der Rol

Diversity in SFR II: Seeing The Future Without Blinders – Donna S. Frelick

Stumbling Into Diversity – Pippa's Journal – Pippa Jay

There's a brief discussion about writing diverse characters in response to Great van der Rol's post. In addition to boosting the signal for these posts, I decided to write this spin-off one. Specifically, I'd like to raise the topic of casual diversity. If you're an author who wants to add diversity to her stories, but isn't sure where to start or fears backlash for attempting to write someone of another race, begin with casual diversity.

What might that look like in a sci-fi romance?

Inkitt Hosts "Echo of Antother World": Free Writing Contest in Honor of Terry Pratchett

Here's a bit o' writing news: Inkitt.com is honoring fantasy author Terry Pratchett with a free April writing contest called "Echo of Another World":

"Echo of another world." In honor of the stupendous Terry Pratchett and his classic Discworld novels, we’re asking writers to take us to different worlds with their stories. Pratchett inspired billions of genre writers to expand their minds and their imaginations, and with this contest we’ll be carrying on this tradition.

Fiction in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, up to 15,000 words. Novel excerpts are encourage; fanfiction is not eligible to win. Entry is free! Authors will collect community votes, and the first, second, and third winners will be chosen by the Inkitt staff from the top 10% of entries. 

They don't say to *not* submit sci-fi romance, so I thought any writers out there might be interested! The deadline is 11:59 PST on May 5, 2015.

Joyfully yours,
Heather

Boo-hoo! ABC's MY LOVE FROM ANOTHER STAR Remake Postponed

I did my periodic search for news about ABC's remake of the K-drama MY LOVE FROM ANOTHER STAR and discovered it's been postponed.

Via DramaFever:

The broadcasting schedule for the American remake of My Love From Another Star has now been postponed until after 2016. When ABC announced their lineup for 2015 -2016, the remake of My Love from Another Star was not included on the list.

I anticipated this happening, but the news is still disappointing. If anything changes, I'll be sure to let you know.

Joyfully yours,

Heather