Brigade member Kylie Griffin wins the Golden Heart!

Let's have a huge round of virtual applause for Brigade member Kylie Griffin, who WON THE 2010 GOLDEN HEART PARANORMAL CATEGORY with one of her fantasy manuscripts, Bloodborn: Book One in the Light Blade Series! Yay, Kylie!!!!!

Long and Short Romance Reviews Gives Girl Gone Nova 4.5!

Girl Gone Nova released in April and I've been thrilled by the reception its received, and I love the fact that reviews trickle in and give me a lovely boost when I'm working on a new book and fear it sucks and I should give up writing forever. (And it seemed like the busy review sites were having trouble finding reviewers who read SFR, so yah!) 


Here's a big woot (and a big thank you) for a new review from Long and Short Romance Reviews! And the love keeps coming because Girl Gone Nova is also up for their Book of the Week! I hope you'll stop by and cast a vote for your favorite review of the past week. And here's my favorite parts from the review (well, I loved it all, but here's some snips): 

Girl Gone Nova by Pauline Baird Jones
Rating: 4.5 Books
Reviewed by Cholla


About my heroine:

"Doc is probably the most creative and inventive character I’ve met to date. Able to adapt to any and every situation within the blink of an eye, there isn’t a job too difficult for her...or so she thinks. And then she meets Hel – Leader of the Gadi people and everything changes." 


About my hero: 

Hel is a paradox of his own. His public side is all professional. He’s the calm and serene diplomat at all times, both out in public and with his advisors. However, when he’s backed into a corner, you definitely do not want to be the one standing in his way."


And then the big finish: 
"Girl Gone Nova is an action-filled science fiction treat! Stuffed full of intrigue, time-traveling, wisecracks and every girl’s dream of love and happily-ever-after, it’s a sure-fire hit with any lover of the genre. Ms. Jones has a talent for bringing unusual characters forth and making them seem like ‘one of the guys’, it’s a talent you’re sure to remember for a long time to come, as is her amazing novel, Girl Gone Nova."


To read the whole review, click here. And to vote for a "Book of the Week" review click here. Girl Gone Nova is a connected, follow-on to The Key, which won the Dream Realm Award and a Bronze IPPY. And I take the books in a steampunk/science fiction romance direction this December when Tangled in Time releases. 


Okay, I know I love it when I get a great review quote. Anyone else have a favorite to share? It's Saturday, so let's toot some horns!
perilously,
Pauline
Perils of Pauline 

Coffee Time Romance Reviews Kaye Manro's FORBIDDEN LOVE

Remember when this released back in May? I'm excited to share with my fellow Brigaders the Coffee Time Romance review of my sensual little SFR eBook FORBIDDEN LOVE... 

This is an interesting review, and earned four cups by one of CTR's highly regarded reviewers.  It is great to know that we SFR authors are out there and getting noticed.  Another great thing-- FL is now available at Amazon and is a kindle edition! I'm so pleased and impressed.

FORBIDDEN LOVE (CTR Review)

Reptilian specialist Dr. Maya Belle loves spending her days studying and caring for her beloved scaly desert friends. However, the government uses this desert as training grounds, and she fears for their existence as much as their safety.

Scouting missions like this are part of the reasons T’Kon of Asconage loves space travel, but it did not take long to realize that this planet is not ready to meet his people. They are a violent and combative species, and he sees no reason to interact with them.

Everything is going according to plan as T’Kon readies his craft to leave this solar system, when suddenly he is plummeting to the planet below. As Maya recovers from the freak sandstorm, she finds herself looking at the embodiment of her greatest dream and desire. This…man/alien is absolutely the most amazing creature she has ever laid eyes on, and for the first time in her life, she feels a soul-deep connection unlike anything she has ever experienced. T’Kon is struck by the same heady sense, and the feeling that this human female is everything his body craves, but how can they ever be together when they are worlds apart?

This quick read is as hot as the desert sun and just as scorching. Maya takes to her alien like a duck to water, which may seem odd, but when in relation to her profession feels almost natural. T’Kon is much more of a mystery, and one that I would love to see unfold in episodes to come. If you enjoy sci-fi combined with some blistering hot romance, these two are sure to rock your galaxy.

Lori Gardner
Coffee Time Romance Reviewer



Okay, you've got it! Book 2 in this series, FORBIDDEN DESTINY with more FTL adventures featuring T'Kon and Maya, coming in the near future...

FL did generate some fantastic attention. Here's a question for those of you who have already read FORBIDDEN LOVE. Did the CTR reviewer hit it right on, or is there somehthing else you would have said or added?

See you around the Galaxy!
Kaye Manro

Thursday Tag Party for 7/29/10!

Tagging, the final frontier...

OK, so it's not really that. But it is an easy, fun way to support SFR and your fellow authors. Amazon has the Tag system all set up for you, all you have to do is supply the tags.

A brief step by step if this is your first Tag Mission:

• Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)

• Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header

• Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)

• If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'

• If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)

Upset that you missed the last Tag Parties? Stop beating your head on the desk. It's OK. For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tag until the space pirates come home!


Our lovely lineup for this week:


Alien Mate by Eve Langlais






Forbidden Love by Kaye Manro









Fire Griffin by Jane Toombs




Hearts and Minds: An Impulse Power Story by J C Hay









SFR denizens untie! Er, unite. If you are a member with a book on Amazon or if you know of a member's book we've missed. contact me at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com and I'll add you to the rotation. Feel free to contact me with anything else as well. Well wishes. Gypsy curses. Tales of old Ulysses. I'm flexible. Happy tagging!

Polls, Polls, Polls...

While many of us are away at RWA re-assessing and re-energizing our writing careers, I thought this might also be a good time to poll the SFR Brigade community.

Below are a series of polls about your reading habits, SFR and the SFR Brigade community, in general. Please take a moment to answer the polls and comment with further thoughts.

See you next week!

Pony up!

Say it isn't so?
http://www.epicauthors.com/

I just checked out my entry in EPIC and I noticed there's not one, science fiction romance. There are two in the erotic science fiction romance category. Hey, what's going on, Brigaders? This is a chance to Buffy-size those paranormals and we're falling short.

EPIC is a great contest for ePublished novels and I'd love to see some more names next to my entry and in the science fiction romance category.

Come on, Brigaders, pony up.

:)

SFR Discussion on Goodreads

We've recently been talking about getting the word out about SFR through reader sites and subgenre discussion groups. One place the activity has picked up of late is on the Goodreads SFR discussion board.

If you have a few minutes, pop on over, check out the topics and add your own input to the chats.

If you hear of any other active SFR discussions, let us know.

Hailing On All Frequencies!

Just a reminder that there will be no HOAF news posted in the first week of August as I'm attending the RWA® National conference in Orlando, Florida.I'm looking forward to meeting up with fellow-Brigaders and sporting the new SFRB badge with pride as I mingle in the crowd.

NEW RELEASES

Lisa Lane's new book, PANDORA'S HOPE, the sequel to her erotic SFR novel, LUST IN SPACE, is set for release by Ravenous Romance in early August.  Exact date is still TBR.

Eve Langlais's ALIEN MATE is now available, and ALIEN MATE 2 will be released with Amira Press on July 23rd.

Eve Langlais also has THE HUNTER available from Amira Press.

SUGAR RUSH by Kimber An is being published by Decadent Publishing (release date TBA).

T.K.Toppin's book, LANCASTER RULE, is the first in a trilogy available from Champagne Books.

BEYOND THOSE DISTANT STARS is John Rosenman's latest release with Mundania Press LLC.

Nancy J.Cohen's SILVER SERENADE was released on July 16th by The Wild Rose Press.

BLOGGING

Verona St.James's Summer of SFR continues and this week she's reviewed ALPHA by Catherine Asaro. 

Welcome Committee member Pauline Baird Jones interviewed new Brigader, John B. Rosenman, on July 21st here on the blog.

As the end of July and August are the busiest season for romance writers, Kylie Griffin starts a new series called An Interview With...series of posts featuring a swag of Aussie Authors & a ring-in from the USA.

23rd July - Mel Teshco
29th July - Tracey O'Hara
7th August - Sherrilyn Kenyon
14th August - Keri Arthur
21st August - Anna Jacobs

MEMBERS NEWS

Eve Langlais's ALIEN MATE 2 (sequel to ALIEN MATE) is being released on July 23, 2010.

CONTEST NEWS

Laurie Green's SFR manuscript, OUTER PLANETS, has just won the Parnormal Romance section of the 2010 COFW Ignite the Flame contest! Woohoo, Laurie!

Michelle de Rooy is a finalist with her fantasy romance, APPLESEED, in the Romance Writers of New Zealand 2010 Clendon Award! Her second entry, EXHALE, made the Highly Commended list. Final judging will be done by Mary-Theresa Hussey, editor from Harlequin M&B. Congratulations and good luck, Michelle!

With the RWA® National conference just around the corner some of our Brigade members in the running for either a Golden Heart (paranormal section) or PRISM Award. Here's a little something to whet your appetite.

Check out the following sites and posts and wish our members well as the night approaches.

GH finalist - Sharon Lynn Fisher dropped in on the Spacefreighters Lounge.

GH finalist - Kylie Griffin visited the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood.

SFR Brigade has four finalists for the 2010 PRISM Awards.  Winners will be announced at the FF&P The Gathering event. Our finalists are:

Ella Drake for her novella FIRESTORM ON E'TERRA

When fire meets ice, the storm flames out of control.
Intragalactic smokejumper and former refugee Wilson Dex takes the latest in a long line of risks, a mission to quell the firestorm on planet E'terra.
Equipment from his transport ship malfunctions, forcing by-the-book Commander Samantha Varde dirtside to help Dex though she suffers from landsickness.
While fighting the ill-timed and against-code heat between them, they have hours to reprogram a torpedo, fly into a tornado, and chute into a firestorm, all to save the colony before the storm flames out of control.

Katherine Allred for her futuristic CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
The Bureau of Alien Affairs needed a special GEP agent with empathic abilities to handle their most extraordinary assignments--and a rogue geneticist saw to it that Kiera fit their specifications. Bit she turned out stronger, faster, smarter and more impervious to harm than anyone anticipated. A reluctant "superhero", Kiera wishes she were nromal, but it is not to be.
On Orpheus 2, the indigenous Buri race faces extinction, a prospect the powerful Dynatec corporation welcomes and, in fact, may be actively hastening. As a special agent for the Bureau of Alien Affairs, it is Kiera's job to protect these beautiful, exotic aliens...and to discover what there is on Orpheus 2 that Dynatec feels is worth killing for. But the magnetic allure of the breathtaking Buri leader is proving a dangerous addiction. And now, to save Thor's people, Kiera will need a power she's never before possessed--something hidden in the unexplored recesses of her heart.

Jess Granger for her futuristic BEYOND THE RAIN
In a universe torn apart by civil war, a warrior and a slave must fight for their freedom, for their lives, and for a love that may destroy them both…
After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her homeworld of Azra as one of the Elite — the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten — but radiating feral power and an unbroken spirit…
Soren is a Byralen, an enigmatic people who possess a unique hormone that they use to bond with their mates — and that is sold as a sexual narcotic in the shadow trade. For years, he has endured torture at the hands of his captors as they leeched his very essence. The last thing he expects is to be freed from slavery by a beautiful warrior woman with radiant blue eyes.
Driven by her rigid sense of honor, Cyani frees Soren even though her life hinges upon the success of her mission. But after so many years in bondage, his hormones are so unbalanced that he will die if he does not bond with a woman. Can the lovely but distant warrior be the woman he needs to survive, or will the forbidden bond destroy them?

Linnea Sinclair for her futuristic HOPE'S FOLLY

It's an impossible mission on a derelict ship called HOPE'S FOLLY. A man who feels he can't love. A woman who believes she's unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both.

Admiral Philip Guthrie is in an unprecedented position: on the wrong end of the law, leading a rag-tag band of rebels against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or would be, if he can reach his command ship—the intriguingly named Hope’s Folly—alive. Not much can rattle Philip’s legendary cool—but the woman who helps him foil an assassination attempt on Kirro Station will. She’s the daughter of his best friend and first commander—a man who died while under Philip’s command, and whose death is on Philip’s conscience.

Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened man, and newly-minted rebel leader, who it seems has just become her new commanding officer? And will she still be willing follow him through the jaw of hell once she learns the truth about her father’s death?

REMINDER

Have you updated your SFR Brigade Twitter Squadron listing lately?  We have new members!

NEW MEMBERS

Please welcome our newest member...

• Eve Langlais

BOOK REVIEWS, SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

The following Brigaders will be at the-

RWA® 2010 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing on 

Wednesday, July 28 

5:30-7:30 p.m. 

at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Resort

Pacific Exhibit Hall, in Orlando, Florida.

• Ella Drake
• Jess Granger
• Erica Hayes
• Jodi Redford   

If I've missed anyone, I apologise (that list was huge!)

Out of This World Summer Blog Tour

In celebration of my upcoming release, Pandora's Hope, I would like to organize a blog tour beginning in August. I invite other SFR and erotic SFR authors with recent or upcoming space themed releases to join me; the more, the better.

Contact me at Lisa_Lane *at* cerebralwriter *dot* com for details.

About Pandora's Hope:

Captain Nora Bradley, fiancé and First Officer Robert Smith, and crew have developed quite the reputation: their current tactical officer is an astral clone of the one they started with; a race of shape-shifting aliens currently travels the stars as an impostor “Pandora’s Hope”; and everyone is still recovering from the embarrassing and life-changing ship-wide orgy caused by their bout with the “space flu.” Worst of all, though, is that the more Nora tries to plan their wedding, the more Robert gets cold feet....

Now that the ship is back on mission, with a glorified babysitter from Space-Corp on its way, it seems that the ship-wide fun might be forced to an end—but first impressions always prove wrong on Pandora’s Hope, and the new addition to their crew, “Quality Control Officer” Patrice Jocar, might have more in common with her new peers than they think. In this second installment of the Lust in Space series, the crew of Pandora’s Hope explores more exotic intergalactic regions, picking up the most unlikely of refugees and encountering new alien species—while their wild and sexy antics continue. Will Nora and Robert’s relationship survive another excursion into deep space, or will the experience tear them apart for good?

Anchorage Is Also A Planet

Imagine my horror when I discovered the two current titles in my Anchorage series listed on a third party site as "Westerns". What the...? When I inquired, the answer was that since the series was about Anchorage, and therefore in Alaska, they must be Westerns.

Errrm...isn't that sort of like saying because a series is named "Paris", it must be a Western? There is, after all, a Paris, Texas.

Just to set the record straight - I'd like to make it clear that Anchorage is also a planet. It's not on the charts and since it's so far from the regular routes, it's not a tourist destination, but plenty of people call it home. Some of them are even human...

Anchorage - seven books, one planet. Let the gravity well suck you in:

Book 1: Marya -

A prophecy foretelling the heir’s death, an assassin among his protectors, dreams of a sinister, hidden city–and Marya’s trials have just begun.

Available Now at Red Rose Publishing

Book 2: Romenel: Voyage into Twilight -

Something is hunting fearless mercenary commander Romenel Devar. He’ll die if he can’t stop it but he doesn’t even know what it looks like.

Available Now at Red Rose Publishing

Book 3: Romenel: Obligations of Blood -

To the west, a plague of monsters and revelations from the past Romenel would rather leave buried. To the east, a dynastic war and bloodshed to come…

Releasing August 19th!

Book 4: Pelinas: The Enemy Within:

Exiled and ill, Pelinas takes refuge with his father’s enemies. But his mind hides terrible secrets from him and he struggles over who he can trust.

Book 5: Pelinas: Child of the Koss:

Duke Per believes only he is fit to rule. His sons will pay the price for his bloody obsession and only the youngest has the means to stop him.

Book 6: Emily: Rediscovery:

The Montagna Mining Company crosses the galaxy for gem deposits. What they get instead is an epic culture clash and the instigation of civil war.

Book 7: Emily: Shadow and Light:

An embittered warlord, a half-wild ex-assassin, a rogue pilot and an anthropology professor—and these are the only hope to save the world?

Psssst

Help me give a great big cyber-whooo hoooo, to Laurie Green. Her novel, Outer Planets, just won the Ignite the Flame contest (West Central Ohio).

Yeah, she's bad.

Bring on the Buffy award!

Thursday Tag Party for 7/22/10!

So I'm sitting at my desk today with my buddy Finn the pooka and my cats, who are in reality quantum space engineers from the planet Prrruh, and they reminded me it's time for-- THE TAG PARTY!

Here's the thing about tags. The more times a tag 'vote' is added, the farther up in Amazon's search lists the book lands. More tags = more visibility. And we all know what that means. (Yes, yes, besides having to duck into the nearest weapons' locker to escape your fans.)

A brief step by step if you're a virgin tagger:

• Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)

• Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header

• Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)

• If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'

• If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)

Upset that you missed past Tag Parties? Don't be! The party never ends! For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tag to your heart's content!




The Key by Pauline Baird Jones









In Enemy Hands by K S Augustin








Beyond the Shadows by Jess Granger












Wild Cards and Iron Horses by Sheryl Nantus







Tag, tag, tag! It makes the kitties happy and helps your fellow SFR authors! If you would like your book or another member's book featured, please drop me a line at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com. (Otherwise we have to rely on Finn, who can't read, and me, who everyone knows is cracked.)

SFR Interviews John B Rosenman

We'd like to welcome new SFR Brigadier, John B Rosenman to the blog today.

1) Please tell us a bit about your SFR book and your favorite part of the plot of characters or the process of writing it.

Beyond Those Distant Stars (published by Mundania Press) is about humanity on the brink of annihilation.  Mysterious, rapacious, seemingly invincible aliens have invaded the galaxy and crushed us in battle after battle.  At the same time, Stella McMasters, a woman in her mid-thirties, is at the tag end of her military career.  Because of a radioactive accident, the only way they can save her is to remove most of her body and turn her into a cyborg with superhuman strength and speed.  They also give Stella her first command of a ship. 

Stella reflects a belief I have explored in novel after novel.  Seemingly ordinary people can become transcendent heroes if placed in situations that elicit their greatness.  Because of the radioactive disaster, Stella alone can save the human race.  Can she do it?  Will she be strong and resourceful enough?  At the same time, I explore Stella’s self-doubts and longings about her sexuality and whether or not she is still a woman.  Can she find love?  Could anyone love and desire her, or will the “lab freak” bias against people like her make romance impossible? Is she herself still capable of experiencing arousal and sexual love?  I tried to make Beyond Those Distant Stars not only a slam-bang, rousing space opera about war, but a love story about a new kind of woman’s sexuality and search for fulfillment. 

To me, Stella is crucial to the novel, as is her bad-boy Jump Pilot lover, Jason.  Also important are other female characters such as the courageous, hard-as-nails General Gage and the cosmic female I won’t mention because it would be one heck of a spoiler.

This novel was written in about a year with critical input from my writers group, and one of my favorite scenes is when Colonel Powers changes his opinion that the families of traitors should be treated as traitors themselves.  Ultimately, he changes because Stella makes him see that such patriotic views are no more than stupid bigotry.  Change and growth, by the way, are important traits for me in my characters.  I love to see them grow and acquire maturity and overcome their prejudices.

Other things I like about this novel are the aliens.  I love creating them!  In BTDS, I think I use my imagination to pull out all the stops.  One last point: most or all of my novels involve mysteries, and I have a few here.  No one has ever seen the aliens.  What do they look like, and what are they like and really after?  Can Stella find lasting love and stand up not only to the alien menace, but to widespread prejudice and opposition from her own side? Is George Darron a traitor or a friend?  Keep turning the pages if you want to find out.

2) Can you tell us a bit about your other books, published and in process?

Some of my novels have a somewhat similar plot: a man travels to a distant world and has amazing adventures, both romantic and otherwise.

·         A Senseless Act of Beauty is an epic African Science-Fiction novel featuring an exotic alien world filled with wonders and a hero ensnared by the delectable beauty of an enchanting alien female.  Blade Publishing.

·         In Alien Dreams, Captain Latimore travels to a distant world where he finds that the only way to save his crew is to become an alien and make love to their ravishing, telepathic queen for thousands of years.  Nice work if you can get it!  Drollerie Press.

·         Speaker of the Shakk – Can Theophilus Merlan, a shy geologist, save the Shakk, a peace-loving alien race from two monstrous alien invaders who seek to conquer their planet Yellowsand?  At the same time, can he and Ann Benson find love despite their inner wounds?  Mundania Press.

·        Dax Rigby, War Correspondent - Dax Rigby faces overwhelming odds on the savage planet of Arcadia. Can he stop World War III back on Earth while being pursued by an unknown killer and a relentless seductress?  Available, Sept. 2011 from MuseItUp Publishing.

·        Dark Wizard – This novel is a little different.  It occurs in California!  Kan not only has total amnesia, but superhuman strength and the ability to bring back the dead.  Then a beautiful girl complicates things even more.  When Kan learns his identity, he is faced with a deadly evil and a cosmic mission.  Available, May 2011 from MuseItUp Publishing. 

My shorter books allow me to explore challenging dimensions.  The Voice of Many Waters features cosmic Christianity and an evil threat to a perfect race without any religious or spiritual beliefs (Blue Leaf Publishing). Bagonoun’s Wonderful Songbird occurs on the South Pacific island of Nauru and showcases an unlikely romantic couple: a fifteen-year-old girl and a nearly seventy-year-old man.  It’s published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing, as is Childhood’s Day, in which a man has himself cloned and reborn as a young boy in order to cope with lifelong guilt over the death of his father.  The Blue of Her Hair, the Gold of Her Eyes (MuseItUp Publishing) involves a woman whose mysterious disease causes everyone, including her husband, to fear and reject her.  Can she survive, and what will she ultimately become?

I could mention other published and forthcoming books, but these should provide some of my flavor.  I invite you to visit my website (www.johnrosenman.com) and MuseItUp Publishing for more information.

3) What are you most proud of in your writing career?

I write what I like and feel, and I do it even if people don’t approve or care.  My first published novel, The Best Laugh Last, cost me two jobs.  You can find it on my website at www.johnrosenman.com.  I guess I’m also proud of my perseverance and of creating novels that I (immodestly) think are not only good stories, but well-written and sometimes symbolically rich.

4) What makes it all worth it to you as an author?

Writing is who or what I am, and if I’m not writing, I’m not very happy.  I’m unfulfilled.  What makes it worth it?  Being inspired by an idea, character, image, or phrase and feeling myself swept along in the writing process so that the book or story practically writes itself and I know it’s better than I’ve ever done before.  Also, seeing my brainchildren achieve final embodiment and expression in published books, whether they’re ebooks or print books makes it worth all the toil and rejections.

It’s also incredibly rewarding to find editors and publishers who will read my strange, bizarre stories and actually like them, respond to my visions, and offer contracts.  Over the years, I’ve been blessed with such people.  Some of the publishers online have created communities where you feel right at home, even a member of a family.  To take one example, there’s Lea Schizas of MuseItUp Publishing.  It’s one thing to find a publisher for your book; it’s even better to find a publisher who will accept you along with the book.

And of course, awards and good reviews make it worthwhile too, provide validation.  Beyond Those Distant Stars won Allbooks Review Editor’s Choice Award, and all my books have received mostly favorable reviews.  I won’t mention the other kind. ;)

5) Do you read print books, ebooks, or both?

Well, I’m a child of the fifties, so I read mainly print books, even though most of my books are available in e-book format.  I’ve read a few ebooks, but mainly, I still read print books.  Please notice: there is strong and growing evidence that ebooks are the wave of the future.  So my reading habits could change.

6) Who are some of your favorite SFR authors?

Lois McMaster Bujold, to begin with.  I love her Vorkosigan adventures.  Do you know, I named my character Stella McMasters to honor her?  True, the romance element of most of her novels is minor, but it’s there.  Shards of Honor is great, and more romantic. 

I served on the staff of a publisher with Linnea Sinclair, and I like her work as well.   Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War largely inspired my novel, Inspector of the Cross, which I just finished.  And I love Dan Simmons’ Hyperion.

7) Any advice for new SFR authors?

I guess some of my advice would be the same as for any writer.  Write what you want, what’s in you, and have the guts and courage to do so despite rejection and discouragement.   Also, read the masters in the field, read what’s being written today especially.  How can you write it if you don’t read it? 

Don’t be afraid to explore new kinds of romantic relationships.  Some of my SFR novels involve fairly traditional man-woman romances that enable me to explore interesting characters and relationships.  But I also like to go beyond them.  In one novel, which I’ve just finished, the hero ends up with an alien bride whose species is essentially emotionless.  Still, she grows to love the hero.  When she makes passionate love, her blond hair whips in the air like snakes.  If she gives birth, her children are born from her head. Though Turtan and Yaneta belong to different species and are not cross-fertile, I wanted to explore a truly different kind of relationship.  Oh yes: there is another female who loves Turtan too, a female computer he programmed himself a thousand years before.  The two “women” decide to share our hero.  Can such a ménage a trois work? 

In another novel, Alien Dreams, published by Drollerie Press, the hero is transformed into a giant angelic-looking alien and makes love to their ravishing queen for 10,000 subjective years.  During the process, psychic transference occurs and they swap bodies psychologically.  You won’t find that in The Joy of Sex.

So, to future SFR readers, remember the “SF” in “SFR.”  Science fiction is speculative and its writers often take wild, wild chances.  Don’t be afraid to take them, too, even if you fail.  Embrace the opportunity to explore and develop new kinds of romantic relationships, to push the outside of the ultimate envelope.  Remember as well that Romances are always about people in the broadest sense.  Even if your story is XXX rated, thinking and feeling creatures are involved.   

Finally, go deep inside yourself and ask what attracted you to SFR in the first place.  Then you may get your answer for your next best seller.

8) What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the summer?

Besides playing tennis and going on a trip or two with my wife, I’m looking forward to submitting Inspector of the Cross for publication.  Thanks to suspended animation on freeze ships, Turtan is nearly 3000 years old and travels to distant worlds to investigate weapons that might be used against their terrible enemy.  Can he find something that will end their endless war?  Yes, he can.  But then...he meets a beautiful woman.

You and your books are most interesting, John! Thanks again for stopping by and welcome to SFR Brigade!