Chinese Women Have All The Fun

Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut, or "taikonaut", landed in Mongolia today after 9 days in space. First of all, congratulations Yang. Second. . .jealous! So, so jealous. 

Ever since I heard everyone in Firefly speaking Mandarin, I've been interested in China's space program. And it's pretty impressive. They're charging along with plans for a space station (squee!) and even a manned trip to the moon in 2016 (nerdgasm!)

My novel Red Ice, which will be coming out later this year, actually features a hero of Chinese descent. What do you think the future of China in space will look like? Just as important, what do you think the future of China in space fiction will look like?

BUTTONOMICS by Pat Hauldren

BUTTONOMICS by Pat Hauldren

a fun and funny way to be a healthier writer

Amazon Tag Party - 06/28/2012

Welcome to the monthly SFR Brigade's Amazon Tag Party. Please find the list of this week's participating titles below. All you need to do is click on the title and it will take you to the relevant Amazon page. Happy Tagging!

A brief step by step guide:

1.Go to the Amazon buy page (links provided below)

2.Scroll down to the 'Tags Customers Associate with this Product' header. Please be aware that not all the tags show up on the books - you will; need to click 'show all (number of) tags' to see the full list. There's also a limit to how many tags you can agree with - 15 - so choose wisely my young apprentice!

3.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.)

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

5.You can also type into the 'your tags' box to add your own (no need to save the page, just type and add)

6. Please also click the 'Like' button next to the title.

The Lords of Space...

.

or A Hard Man is Good to Find

Either way I love a man in a military uniform.  There is something about the way the clothes hug his strong form creating an air of dignity and quiet strength.

See the words Navy Diver on the rim of his underwear?
Yep he's military!

No disrespect to the women who serve as well.  But when I fantasize, I tend to be the only female in the picture.  Still, I digress. For me, a strong alpha hero man in military uniform is like Adonis in space, his beauty will both allure and capture your heart.  That's probably why I write Military Scifi Romance.  Military Scifi Romance is so nichey that it would barely cover an eighth of a page on search at Amazon.  And when I was invited to join the SFR Brigade, I knew I had found my home.  I love it not only for its obvious military overtones but here we writers of this small yet potent subgenre are appreciated for who we are-- true lovers of science fiction.

Military fiction, once the bastion of male writers such as W.E.B. Griffin and Tom Clancy, now enjoy a feminine touch with equally strong characters and engaging plot lines by such notables as Suzanne Brockmann and Marliss Melton- who tend to lean towards what many publishers categorize as Romantic Suspense or what I call Military Romance novels.

Still we can't forget about authors who write specifically in this subgenre like fellow brigade members Linnea Sinclair and D.L. Jackson.  Their novels prove to me that I am not alone in my obsession.

Speaking of which, though I've never served (a stint in ROTC in high school doesn't count), it's always hard not to include some aspect of military life in my fiction.  It doesn't mean all of my stories have soldiers in it, it just means when it fits I let my inner commando shine through.

For example in my book, Kybernatia- Gabrielle Burle, project manager for the development of the planet, was forced out of her job under a veil of secrecy.  In the course of her investigation she discovers one man connected to that same planet was forced out of his job as well.  Determined to discover the truth, she seeks out that man who has since abandoned that life for a quieter one in the midwest.

Okay so where does the military come in you ask?  That's a surprise but I can give you a sneak peek to sort of whet your appetite.

An Excerpt from 'Kybernatia'

The Mark One Investigation and Discovery Vessel pulled slowly into high orbit around Monoceros 4.>   After two days’ journey from her central post, arrived with a full complement of instruments and crew ready to perform a non-invasive survey of the planet and its people.
>

“Sir,” the specialist said, turning to face the Captain.

“Yes?” Captain Alley Ferrato stood rigid, overlooking her post at the center console on the bridge.
“We are in orbit around Monoceros 4.”

“Very well. Maintain course and begin shipboard scans.”

“Aye aye, ma’am.”

“Open forward shields,” Alley ordered.

The blast shields at the front of the bridge opened up, exposing a brilliant golden-brown planet.

“Release forward probes,” Alley said to the science officer as she took in the magnificent view.
“Releasing forward probes.”

As the probes dashed out toward the planet, they immediately began to send back information.

“Status report?” asked Alley, sitting down in her chair. This was always her favorite part of any mission, the capture of information for knowledge’s sake.

“All scans are coming back normal, Captain. This is an Earth-like planet.”

“Very well. Transfer probes to low orbit and send one out to scan their closest settlement.”

“Aye, sir. Probes are altering position,” the science officer said as she tapped the screen at her station.

Suddenly, her eyes grew wide.  She bolted upright. “Captain, I think you need to come see this,” she said as she stared into the view scanner at her station.

Walking over to the panel, Alley forced herself to take her eyes off of the brilliant planet.  “What is it?”


“You’re not going to believe this,” she said, pointing to the data on the screen.

“My God.”

End Excerpt...

Okay so there were no hotties in this peek but I did give you military!  If you would like to read more...

Kybernatia is available now at Decadent Publishing and Amazon.com.  http://www.amazon.com/Kybernatia-ebook/dp/B004ZH3O9S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340828442&sr=1-1&keywords=kybernatia

Bio- 

Clare Dargin is an author who lives in the midwest with her family.  She loves gardening, animals of all sorts and comic cons.  She writes all the time and loves hearing from fans, friends and admirers.  The re-release of her first Military Scifi Romance, “Cold Warriors” will be available soon from Decadent Publishing.

You can find her on the web at www.claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com

Also her work Speculative Sky is now available in print at Amazon

The SFR Brigade Midsummer Blog Hop - Winners and Findings

I'm very pleased to announce the winners of the grand prizes are:

Sue B with a comment on Pauline Baird Jones's blog for her choice of a Kindle Touch/Nook Touch

Cheryl Corbin with a comment on Cathy Pegau's blog for the collection of sfr titles and the Anabanana Gift Card

Huge congrats to them both and we hope you enjoy them.

Some of the individual blog winners were:

Jessica Subject - BookAttict

Hywela Lyn - Diane

Mixed Book Bag - Anna M

Sue Ann Bowling - Maryellen Brady

Kitty Roads - Shadow

Pippa Jay - Krista

Imogene Nix - BookAttict 

AR Norris - Pam - VanillaOrchids

Cathy Pegau - Diana

Findings:

First, a huge thank you to everyone who took part. For those who donated to the prizes, an extra thank you. Special thanks go to Heather Massey, Laurie Green, Janet Miller, Jaleta Clegg and PI Barrington who all contributed despite not taking part. You are AWESOME!

However, I must also say a huge apology to Natalie Wright, who's link somehow got cut from the inlinkz during the event. I'm still no clearer on how this happened, and I'm mortified. In the future I'll remember to copy the master list right at the start and use it to double check links during the hop. Also I think it might be wise to draft a volunteer to independently check the links.

Overall, everyone seems to have had a positive experience. I'm very happy to be sent any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms for ways to improve future events (yes, I am considering doing this again). The general conscensus appears to be that:

1. The event should take place over more than one day. Not only would this give visitors more time to hear about the event and stop by to comment, but also solve some of the complications due to participants being in different time zones. Two upcoming hops I know about are running over 3 or 4 days, which would probably work better.

2. There were technical issues with the inlinkz code, and I had to ask a few people to link back to the central list on the Brigade site. For future hops, I'd draft two basic hop posts with the inlinkz and required information for Blogger and Wordpress sites. It might also be an idea for participants to post before the official start of the hop so we can catch any problems early.

3. I need to appoint a second to double check all the links so that any mistakes I make/miss are caught.

4. Maybe try to find more venues to promote the event. I don't really want to spend any of the donations on paid advertising, or ask anyone to donate for that reason. So, if anyone has any suggestions on how and where we might be able to promote (and is willing to volunteer to do so) please let me know.

5. A lot of comments didn't qualify for the draw because they DID NOT LEAVE CONTACT DETAILS! I know most of you did state in your posts that we needed that information, but perhaps next time we need to make it clear that no email address = no entry in the draw. I think we all had enough to do with getting organized and posted etc without playing hunt the email.

6. There seemed to be some interest in producting a solstice-themed sfr anthology. Would anyone be interested in that idea? Maybe we could each write a themed short story to give away as part of the event? I know Liana Brooks did just that.

So how did you find the hop? Anything you'd like to add? Suggestions as to when to hold the next one? Prizes? Themes? Don't be afraid to shout out in the comments. Or if you'd rather do it in private, my email is pippajaygreen(at)gmail(dot)com.

Recognizing Our Newest Brigade Members

It's been a while since we announced our latest round of new members, and membership has really jumped since that time!

Please take a moment to welcome our many new recruits!

__________________________________

Ab Gayle

Andrea Cardinalle Vetter

Astrid Cooper

Beverly Rae

Bonnie Hill-Burgess

Brain Collier

Cara Michaels

Charisma Knight

Cindy Woolf

Cricket Starr

Cynthianna Matthews

Dahlia DeWinters

Debra Soles

Deborah B. Wright

Donna McDonald

Echo Myst

Heidi Ruby Miller

Helene M. Provost

Janet Miller

Janice Seagraves

Jayme Evans

Jeff Goldberg

Jenna Bennett

Joely Sue Burkhart

Kara Griffin

Karen Mueller Bryson

Kat Mancos

Kayelle Allen

Kh LeMoyne

Kiernan Kelly

Kitty Roads

Kylie Breakey

Leah Petersen

Linda Andrews

Linda Robinett

Linda Walker-Reducer

Lisa Omstead

Lynne Kensington

Maggie Nash

Miriam Newman

Monica Enderle Pierce

Mystic Kat

Natalie Wright

P. I. Barrington

R. Stone

Silvia Violet

Sue Ann Bowling

Stefan Barterczyk

Stephanie Burkhart

Stormie Kent

Taryn Noelle

T. C. Archer

T. K. Anthony

Wendy Burke

Happy Trails, Voyager I

So today, after 35 years and 11 billion miles, the Voyager I spacecraft has arrived at the very edge of the solar system and is about to make the leap to interstellar space. And what will our emissary to the stars discover past the sun's heliosphere, you ask? Well, I personally hold out hope that someone like, oh, say, this guy

will warp by and pick it up. And just in case Voyager does happen to stumble across a civilization full of tall, dark, handsome dudes with interesting foreheads, it is carrying this

a golden record of Earth sounds and images, player needle included.

What was not included; the pinnacle of human literature, Pride and Prejudice. A grievous oversight, no? I also would have tossed in Prince of Ice by Emma Holly.

But that's just me. What romances would you have sent with Voyager?

The SFR Brigade Midsummer Blog Hop!

Hello! Welcome to the SFR Brigade's Midsummer Blog Hop. 37 fabulous authors have a post on the theme of Midsummer, with a prize on offer. Below you'll find the list of participating authors - just click on their names to hop to their blog. And don't forget, each blog you comment on scores you one entry to the grand prize draw, which is open internationally. So what's in the draw?

1st Prize - winner's choice of a Kindle Touch or a Nook Touch
2nd Prize - a library of science fiction romance titles donated by various authors and an Anabanana Gift Card. Most of the books will be in digital format, with one print anthology.


The Blog Hop begins at 00.01am on the 22nd June Pacific Time and runs to 11.59pm by the time on THIS blog (so all day Friday). The grand draw will take place on the 24th June and winners announced on this blog (individual giveaway winners will be notified by the participants and announced on their blogs). So hop along and grab some prizes!

New Member Jael Wye

Everyone please give a warm welcome to our newest Brigade member! 

Jael Wye, reporting for duty. Thanks for the welcome aboard. 

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am a painter, writer, book addict, houseplant enthusiast, dedicated mom, and my rocker husband's number one groupie. I live in the beautiful northeast, otherwise known as Red Sox Nation. Though I love science fiction with the white hot passion of a thousand nerds, I'm allergic to technology in real life. Seriously, it's all I can do to turn the coffee maker on. It's crazy.

We’d love to hear more about your book.

I'd love to tell you. My first novel, Red Ice, is a retelling of Snow White, set on Mars 300 years in the future. It's a story of political intrigue, high tech, and true love. I'm currently in negotiations with a publisher for it, and when I have more to report I'll be sure to, er, report it.  Here's the blurb.

Red as Mars, white as ice, black as space. . .

Shy, brilliant Bianca Ross has one ambition; to finally go back home to the Mars space elevator her father built, the great orbiting space station where she was born. Instead, her father’s second wife has exiled her down to the surface of the planet and assigned her to take over a mining operation for her family’s company. Now she somehow has to keep the mine’s gorgeous playboy owner at a safe distance, while at the same time uncovering his dangerous secrets.

Cesare Chan will do whatever it takes to save his mining company from the tyrannical Ross family, and to protect the escaped Earther slaves he has taken in. Tracking Bianca across the deserts and canyons of Mars, he is shocked to discover that his lovely, maddening enemy needs his help as much as he needs hers.

There are secrets on Mars that neither Cesare nor Bianca know, and murderous intrigues at work that could kill them both. Betrayed by their allies, hunted by a psychotic assassin, and adrift on a planet as beautiful as it is deadly, Bianca and Cesare must use all their wits and all their hearts to fight for each other, and for the future of Mars itself.

Would you like to share any upcoming projects?

Absolutely. Red Ice is the first book in a series of five scifi/fairy tales. The second book, based on Jack and the Beanstalk, will be finished by the fall.

What do you like about writing SFR?

I like taking existing trends and extrapolating them forward to guess at the wild changes the universe has in store for us centuries from now.  And I like to use the endless possibilities of the future to explore things about human nature that will never change, no matter how smart our computers get or how fast our spaceships go. Things like honor, and lust for power, and of course, love.

What do you find challenging about it?

Trying to predict what's important today that won't be in a few years, and what we're barely aware of now that will someday be absolutely critical. Predicting is hard, especially about the future, as Yogi says.

.

What is your favorite SF book or movie?

Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. Magnificent hard scifi with mythic themes, huge in scope, decent in execution.

Favorite mode of fictional travel?

Dragonback, like the Dragonriders of Pern!

Thanks,

 Jael Wye

New Librarian!

Brigade, please welcome Greta van der Rol! She has graciously stepped forward and offered to take over the duties of librarian while I lose my mind this summer. I've promised her that being the Brigade librarian isn't all that scary, and that we'll all help her as best we can.

Greta writes SFR, historical romance, and is an amateur photographer. She says, "I love writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. I live not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoy photography and cooking when I’m not bent over the computer. I have a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping me in my writing endeavours."

Be sure to drop by her blog and tell her thank you for volunteering!
- Liana

The SFR Brigade's Midsummer Blog Hop is Coming!

Hello there!

On Friday 22nd June (Pacific Time) the SFR Brigade will be holding its first ever Blog Hop to celebrate Midsummer. 36 fabulous science fiction romance authors will be telling you mystical or scientific stories related to the event, and they'll each be giving away a prize - books, gift cards, swag bags...and lots more!

Plus there's TWO GRAND PRIZES!

1st Prize - a Kindle Touch or Nook Touch
2nd Prize -a library of science fiction romance titles from over 20 authors (these will be mostly ebooks with one print anthology), and an Anabanana Gift Card.

All you need to do to enter is pop along to the blogs listed below and comment on as many as you want (only ONE comment per site will count as an entry). Each time you comment at a stop, you'll earn one entry into the grand prize - so the more sites you visit, the greater your chances of winning. The winners will be drawn at random on the 24th June and announced on this site. The list of participating authors can be found below this post. Spread the news!

SFRBrigade Interviews Ainsley Davidson

We'd live to welcome Ainsley Davidson to the blog today! She consented to the going under the BIG microscope. (grin) Without further ado, here is Ainsley!

Please tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a Ph.D. chemist and long-time SF lover. I live in Colorado with my husband and kids. I love to garden, scour thrift shops, and write.

We’d love to hear more about your book:

My SFR novel was originally published in 2009 as A Greater Art. It won an EPPIE award for science fiction romance. In 2012, Carina Press republished the book as Lesserblood Lies.

Lesserblood Lies Blurb:

To protect her children from the despotic Trueblood, Merianne defied them by taking her girls and fleeing the planet. Even though Merianne's daughters are Lesserblood, they have the Talents. The Trueblood would train her children to use their dangerous gifts, but their methods are cruel, and Merianne would never see her girls again.

Merianne tries to give her girls a safe, quiet life, but when they befriend Thorne, a brilliant scientist, she finds herself drawn to the kind and captivating man-- despite his uncanny resemblance to the

Trueblood.

Thorne wants to help the girls control their emerging Talents, and he's intrigued by their mother. But just as Merianne finally accepts Thorne's help, two of her children are seized. To rescue the girls, Merianne and Thorne must risk death at the hands of the Trueblood, who will kill to protect their lies.

Purchase links:

Carina Press

Audible

amazon

nook

Would you like to share any upcoming projects?

Sure! I’m working on a new SFR novella with the working title of

Triplicity. It’s a cyberpunkish tale of love in a world devastated by

environmental wars.

What do you like about writing SFR?

I adore creating a new culture. Although my background is in hard

science, I’m an anthropological SF writer. I also relish writing interpersonal drama—something romance offers in spades.

What do you find challenging about it?

I often fail to use (and spell) my invented words correctly.

What is your favorite SF book or movie?

Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. Pure poetry. I was devastated when I discovered Mars doesn’t actually have canals.

If you could have a robot that did one chore/task and only one, what

would you choose?

Please give me a robot to do my grocery shopping. I hate it. The machine should clip coupons, find the best deals, travel from store to store. The robot will also never, ever forget to take in the shopping bags.

Many thanks for stopping by, Ainsley and welcome to the Brigade!!!

Radio Interview Canned Laughter and Coffee with Futuristic Erotic Romance Author Jenna McCormick

Listen to internet radio with COS Radio on Blog Talk Radio

While at the RT convention I recorded a radio interview with the fabulous Renee Bernard. Hear me talk about the futuristic world I've created in No Limits and the up coming sequel, No Mercy featuring Zan the space pirate and his special stuff. ;-) Yes, I really  said that on the radio.

RT Book Reviews Blog Features Erotic Sci-Fi Romances

I'm cross-posting this news from The Galaxy Express:

Can you hear that galactic sizzling? The RT Book Reviews blog is spotlighting a number of spicy futuristic romances in Spruce Up Your TBR Pile: Futuristic Eroticas!

I had an opportunity to contribute my thoughts about why these hot cosmic tales appeal to readers, so I invite you to check out the article and expose yourself (heh!) to a few new reads in the process. Happy reading!

Catching Up on the Universe

Yeah, so I was a few years late to the game and only watched the final episode of Stargate: Universe last night. While I did follow the series while it was on, I missed the last season because of work scheduling conflicts and a broken DVR. I'll admit, after seeing it, I'm torn. I read some reviews of that episode as being "bittersweet." Others railed at the heavens and Gods of Broadcasting for daring to cancel a gritty sci-fi show that was clearly gaining both steam and momentum. I agree. The franchise was solid. And even though, this particular title did not have the same campy, often laugh-inducing feel as SG-1 and Atlantis, it was a very well written and produced show worthy of further exploration. I felt the same way when the re-envisioned remix of Battlestar Galactica went off the air. It makes me want to ask why. While I love the campy shows (I'm a loyal devotee to Eureka), I long for the darker series where the characters are often sweaty, dirty and ready to turn on each other at a moment's notice. As far as I'm concerned, Stargate: Universe had all that and then some. The cast had tremendous chemistry, the plot lines were interesting (they had me at wormhole and multi-verses)and it was already part of a familiar world-building rubric. So, why do networks make decisions they know are going to be unpopular with their viewers? Did they need the air time for another Sharkasaurus v. Crabocoulous? I don't know...but it upsets me to think that might be it. Or is it that they don't believe their audiences can handle intelligent programming? I'd hate to think that's the reason because it would really stick in my craw. My only hope is that one day the cast will reunite for a movie and all the questions left hanging will be answered. A geek girl can dream. -Kathleen Scott

Librarian Wanted

As you've all noticed by noticed by now the SFR Brigade library remains outdated. This little thing called life tripped me up and got in the way. I feel guilty and horrible because I know there are Brigaders waiting for promotion for their books, but the fact is I can't do it alone.

Right now the Brigade needs some assistant librarians. It isn't an in-depth task, you just need some free time to type in names and add the hyperlinks. If we had enough librarians we could actually use the SFR Brigade tag on Amazon (hint hint - use the tag!) and add books without hunting down the authors. The alternative is letting authors added books to the library on their own.

Really, all we need is a few volunteers with an hour or so to spare to help split the list and get everything updated. If you're interested please email Liana at liana (dot) brooks1 (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank you!
Liana

Notice to New SFR Brigaders (or Those Wishing to Join)

We're trying to streamline the process to add new members to our roster, so if you're new to the SFR Brigade and aren't yet listed on the Brigade Roster at left, please go to the SFR Brigade Facebook Group Page and look for the Files (see links at top) that says "Add Me to the Brigade Roster."

Then just type in your name as you'd like it to appear and include a full address for the web site or blog you'd like linked to your name. We'll get you added to the roster asap. (Names are alphabeticized by first name.)

Thanks!
(If you're not a member of Facebook, please add the information in the comments below.)

Upcoming - the SFR Brigade's Midsummer Blog Hop

Pssst! On the 22nd June the SFR Brigade will be holding it's first ever blog hop to celebrate Midsummer and all things SFR! I can now confirm that the 1st Grand Prize will be a Kindle Touch or Nook Touch, with a second prize of over 20 science fiction romance titles from various authors and a gift card - available internationally. And, of course, there will be individual prizes along the way from each participating blog (some restrictions may apply).

So what do you have to do to win? Simple! Just hop to each blog on the list below on the 22nd June and comment. On each blog, this will enter you for a chance to win the prize on offer there, and earn you one entry to the grand prize too. The more blogs you comment on, the higher your chances of winning! (Only ONE comment per blog will count as an entry - no multiple comments).

And if you want to take part? That's simple too. If you're a member of the SFR Brigade just go to the sign up page here - http://sfrcontests.blogspot.co.uk/p/sfr-brigade-midsummer-blog-hop-sign-up.html
read the guidelines and enter your name, blog URL and a contact email into the form. We'd love to have you. And if you're not already a member and want to take part, there's a new and easier way to join - go here. 

Until then, a huge thank you to all the members who've signed up and contributed to the prizes - you rock! I'd also like to thank Heather Massey, Laurie A Green and Janet Miller who have all contributed even though they aren't taking part in the hop. In the meantime, I'll hope you all spread the word about this event. See you on the 22nd! :)