Would you like a new background?

All hands on deck!

We are looking at giving the blog a new look for summer? Why? Why not?

There are several good options available but everything you see here is a suggestion. We can refine these ideas, change things, and add features to make the SFR Brigade blog more accessible for our members and people who are cruising through looking for a new author to love (check our library!).

 

This is what the Brigade page currently looks like. Very utilitarian but not unattractive. Some people dislike the black background and have commented that it's hard to read on. Other people prefer this background. This is our default look that we will keep until something better can be found.

ETA: The side bars can change in color and level of transparency so that the image won't show through. Fonts, colors, post background colors, widths, and layout are all variables we can adjust.

Option #1 -The Generic Blogger Space Background

Not much to look at, but blogger has a default "space look" with planet Earth in the background. 

 Option #2- The Eagle Nebula

Courtesy of the copyright free images at NASA (check the archives they are awesome!) we could use this bright nebula as the background. If we wanted a header could be made to match and all the font colors and backgrounds can be changed with ease.

Option #3 - The Solar Flare

A nice dark option with a little shot of heat for those who like our current background. This is also a NASA image. The simple image against black makes this a clutter free choice.

Option #4 - Close Up Of The Sun

It is summer in some parts of the world so why not something fiery?  This is another NASA image, free for use, and tiled.

Option #5 - Something else entirely 

We don't need to change the background. We could get one of the brigade members to donate their artistic talent to creating a background just for our use. You are welcome to scroll the NASA image archives and see if there's something you'd like better.


Leave your thoughts in the comments box below, link to the NASA pics you like and we'll try to add them to the line up. Next week the top favorites will be put up for official vote with a blind ballot widget so everything is anonymous.

Keep flying!

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

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.)

Battle Stations!

Brigade!

Do you know how long it's been since our last tag party? A long, long time.

The Brigade had a tradition of hosting a Tag Party on Thursdays. Tags are those little words and phrases that help Amazon's search engine sort through all the titles.

Any idea how many titles Amazon has? It's in the millions for print books and now over 800K for Kindle. Wow. Tagging gets us noticed on the search engine - makes it easier for the reader to find us amongst the teeming masses. (And, yes, I'm quoting a tag party there.)

Tagged books also give us a good idea of what's out there to read, and gives us an open comments forum for fun (spoiler free!) talk about the books. You're not required to buy or review the books, but you'll probably find yourself adding books to your TBR pile.

From the Twitter chatter, there's a lot of interest in getting this going again. All we need is some victims, and some volunteers willing to click a few buttons. A party host who is willing to organize everything and write the actual Tag Party post would be wonderful to.

Thursdays are in the middle of the week, everyone has a busy life, so let's put this to a vote.

YAY or NAY?

If YAY, would you be interested in hosting?

SFR Brigade Library Updates

NOTE: If you have previously published books not yet listed in the library, please fill out this form. If you have multiple titles that fall under one sub-genre and heat rating (like a series)you can list them all with commas between the titles.

**ETA** The question about advertising on the SFR Brigade blog through tag parties and other options is not letting authors pick multiple options, please list them under "other" while we get this bug sorted out. Thanks!

Results of the "Hit-and-Run" Blog Rule Post

The poll is now closed with 28 votes cast. Thank you for voting and voicing your opinions. The results of the poll are as follows:

I agree that "Drive-By Self-Promotion Posting Rule" should be enforced by revoking blog author privileges.
20 (71%)

I don't agree. Members should be free to post whatever content they like to the blog without being expected to interact.
1 (3%)

I'm undecided or don't care.
7 (25%)

The majority of members have agreed the rule should be created and enforced. The updated Blogging Rules have been postec on the sidebar at right. Thanks for your votes!

Proposed New Blog Posting Rule: Please Vote

This community of SFR writers, readers and fans has a happy history of not requiring a number of rules in regards to posting to the blog, other than to leave at least 3-4 hours since the last post so each has a little time at the top of the page.

Due to a number of complaints by members, I think it's time we consider a new rule for posting to the SFR Brigade blog regarding "drive-by" self-promotional links. This is the posting of links to sales pages, "buy-my-book" advertisements, promotional blogs or fanpages without any further discussion, interaction, communication, or contribution to the community.

This does not apply to articles related to book promotions, blog tours, or book discussions with sales links or any other post that provides content in addition to a promotional link, or members who regularly contribute to and interact with the community.

In other words, the rule would apply to members who post solely for self-promotion purposes without any other interaction with the community.

A poll has been posted above so community members can vote their preference. Comments and discussion are also encouraged about the purpose of or need for the new rule, but we ask that the comments be kept general and individuals or specific examples not be singled out.

This voting poll will run for one week or until 30 votes are received, whichever comes first.

Science Fiction Romance Fanpage on Facebook

Our Facebook fanpage is blasting off with 91 "Likes" so far.

Pauline Baird Jones has issued a challenge to fellow members and fans of SFR:

Let's see if we can get over a hundred LIKES by the end of the day! 

Please also consider promoting our fanpage on your personal or author pages by sharing posts, etc.

Just to clarify, this is a separate Facebook entity from our two Group pages. Here's what the fanpage is all about:

Please post your publicity (including giveaways, new releases, book trailers, reviews, blog tours, etc.) Anything that would appeal to readers should go there. (Anything that appeals to writers should go on our Group page/s.)

Click here to check it out.

Links to our fanpage and both groups are also posted on the sidebar under the Facebook icon. -->

New Members

Please join me in welcoming our latest recruits to the SFR Brigade. Click links to visit their web sites or blogs and learn more about them.

Glad to have you all aboard!


Linda Andrews


Janet Miller


Cricket Starr


Cynthia Woolf

New Coordinator for our Upcoming Events Calendar

I want to thank Brigader Pippa Jay for stepping up to assume the role of Calendar Coordinator for the calendar on our SFR Brigade web site. Please join me in thanking her for contribution our membership. We couldn't continue to thrive as a community without the support of our volunteers.

You can check out the Calendar feature HERE.

Be sure to let Pippa know your upcoming SFR release titles and dates. (Sorry, we can only list Brigade members books, but we'd be glad to sign you up!) You can include publisher, a brief blurb and a sales link that will be added in the details. Workshops, conferences, submission calls, contests and other events of interest to SFR writers and authors are also welcome.

The calendar is an excellent resource to see what's coming up at a glance. The advantage to Brigaders? The web site posts the next four upcoming events on the sidebar so the information is automatically announced just prior to the date. Members or visitors can scan the calendar and click on the items to learn more. I've also reactivated the calendar link on the blog sidebar.

For authors, consider adding your releases to the SFR Brigade calendar as one very easy step in your book promotion campaign. 

Contact Pippa Jay via the SFR Brigade web site messaging system, by email -- pippajaygreen (at) gmail (dot) com or via Twitter @pippajaygreen

SFR Pitch Tournament Update: Starts Saturday!

We now have eighteen entries for our Great 2012 SFR Pitch Tournament and we've set the start date for the Tournament to begin.

THE GREAT 2012 SFR PITCH TOURNAMENT

~~ to begin on ~~

Saturday, January 7th!

There's still time to enter a SFR pitch (or a second, or third, or fourth!) Your work does not have to be published, and can be a SFR work of any length. You must be a member of the SFR Brigade to enter, but we'd be happy to sign you up!

For more information and to enter the Tournament, click HERE to go to the web site post for more details. An announcement will be posted when the tournament is closed for entries.

Meanwhile, click HERE to read these amazing pitches:

BORN (B Cubed Book 1) by Jenna McCormick

SHROUDED by Frances Pauli

PANDORA'S HOPE by Lisa Lane

STEAMROLLED by Pauline Baird Jones

STELLAR TIMING by Jennifer L. Hart

KEIR by Pippa Jay

FORBIDDEN DESTINY (Forbidden Series) by Kaye Manro

EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE by Liana Brooks

LUCY IN THE SKY by Barbara Elsborg

SPLINTERED ENERGY by Arlene Webb

REFUGEES ON URLOON by Melisse Aires

REVELATIONS OF TOMORROW (Telomere Trilogy) by A.R. Norris

UNACCEPTABLE RISK by Jeanette Grey

NEXUS POINT by Jaleta Clegg

GHOST PLANET by Sharon Lynn Fisher

THE WARLORD'S COMEUPPANCE by Gail Koger
THE DIMENSIONAL SHIFT by Frances Pauli
BARRON'S LAST STAND by JC Cassels

And Then We Were 212: Closing 2011 With a Cheer!

Please extend a very warm Brigade welcome to our last group of recruits for 2011!

'Cali Hicks


Carmen Webster Buxton


JC Cassel


Jeanette Grey


Renae Jones


Marlene Harris


Sharon Smith


Yolanda Sfetsos

A hardy hail to all and glad to have you join our ranks!

As we close another year, this is an opportune time to recap our journey as a group over the last year.

The SFR Brigade is now 212 strong with 190 members on the web site!
Our Facebook SFR Brigade group page has 87 members to date.
Our Twitter Brigade boasts 34 listed members.

The SFR Brigade fired up its main engines in March 2010, with a hope to someday grow to 50 members, but the SFR universe was so much larger than any of us imagined! The Brigade brings together an ever expanding universe of authors, writers, readers, bloggers, industry professionals and fans with one common interest--the love and promotion of Science Fiction Romance.

Though the life expectancy of most group sites is approximately six months, the Brigade has continued to grow, helped by our many deck officers, administrators, series hosts, event ambassadors, Facebook and Twitter admins and users, bloggers, graphic artists, and other contributors of time and effort to the group.

As we begin 2012, look for our main drive to fire up once more as we redefine our navigational goals and reorganize our mission to set course for a brave, new SFR future.

Let's make 2012 the best Brigade year yet!

~~~ * ~~~

Time To Update the Library

It's the end of the year, and we're doing some tidying around the SFR Brigade. If you'd like your work listed in our library you can either add it yourself, or email Liana Brooks on the SFR Brigade website.

For published work we need: title, buy link, genre, and heat rating

For upcoming work we need: title, release date, genre, heat rating - if you have a link or cover art you'd like to include that would be great too.

If your work is already listed in the library, please check to make sure the link works! There are a few where the links are broken or take the reader to the publisher's main page.

Happy New Year and Happy Writing!
- Liana

Announcing the SFR Pitch Tournament

The SFR Brigade is kicking off the New Year with a new kind of event...

The Great 2012 SFR Pitch Tournament!

What is it?
A fun competition for writers of SFR.

What's the purpose?
To help SFR Brigade writers judge what pitches work best to hook readers. As a bonus, readers will discover some great SFR titles.

How does it work?
Up to 50 pitches will be accepted and entered in random order into tournament heats. Winners of each heat will be chosen by poll and then entered in a heat/heats against other winners. Heats will continue until the top three are chosen. The number of heats and duration of the tournament will be determined by the number of entries received.

Who can vote?
Anyone can vote by poll. Voters are also encouraged to make comments on the Pitch Tournament posts.

When will the contest start?
We're shooting for January 7th-15th, 2012, depending on the number of entries posted prior to that time. Meanwhile, pitches can be submitted HERE where they will be available to read in advance (with sales links, if provided).

Who can enter?
Members of the SFR Brigade. Not a member? Join us. There are no dues or obligations to join our alliance.

Does my work have to be published?
No. It can be published, e-published, self-published, pre-published or a work in progress of any length as long as it falls under the SFR Brigade definition of SFR. (See FAQ section in our Welcome Message.)

How do I enter?
Post your entry as a comment on the SFR Brigade web site forum under the THE GREAT 2012 SFR PITCH TOURNAMENT ENTRIES thread and it will be transferred to a blog post when the Tournament begins.

You may enter multiple times, but each entry must be submitted as a separate comment on the thread.

Submit your information in this order:

1. Title

2. Author/Pen Name

3. SFR subcategory description (optional) i.e. Steampunk, YA Apocalyptic, Near Future

4. Your SFR Pitch: Can be a blurb, query, back cover copy, etc. up to 500 words.

5. Include sales link, release date, or pre-published (optional)

(Please note that any non-Science Fiction Romance pitches entered will be disqualified.)

What do the winners get? For that matter, what do the non-winners get?
Winners get a virtual ribbon, but all entrants get a chance to pitch your SFR (or future SFR title) to readers and visitors (with a sales link, if provided).

What can I do to help make this a success?

1. Enter your work.

2. Spread the word through FB, Twitter, email, Goodreads, Shelfari and other forums. Include a link to the Pitch Tournament information.

3. Invite everyone you know to vote.

Ready to enter?
Great! Submit your Pitch Tournament Entry on the SFR Brigade web site forum HERE.

(Remember we're limiting the contest to the first 50 entries.)

Poll: Self-Published SFR

The purpose for this poll is to gather information for a possible new project. We'd like to get an idea how many SFR Brigade members have or are planning to self-publish novels and/or short stories, either separately or as part of an anthology.

For the purposes of this survey "SFR" applies to the broad spectrum of Science Fiction Romance defined by the SFR Brigade, including:

• alien romance
• alternate history romance
• apocalyptic romance
• contemporary science fiction romance
• erotica science fiction romance
• futuristic romance
• interstellar adventure romance
• military science fiction romance
• medical science fiction romance
• near future romance
• space opera romance
• science fantasy romance
• slipstream (sci-fi/fantasy blend) with technical or scientific elements
• steampunk romance
• time travel romance
• young adult in any of the above
• erotica in any of the above

(For the purposes of this survey, "SFR" does not include works with vampires, werewolves, fae, demons, angels or any entity that exists in a Fantasy, Urban Fantasy or Paranormal setting, unless there are scientific, technological, or cultural elements that define the work as SFR.)

Thanks for your response!

Joining Our Ranks

.

Please give our newest Brigade members a big welcome!  

Cathryn Cade
.
Cary Caffrey
.
Nina Croft
.
Michele Hart  
.
E. A. Hoornaert
.
Imogene Nix

Glad to have you all as a part of our SFR community!

New Members

Please give a big hail and welcome to our newest members.  Click on the links to visit their sites.


Kerry Vail  http://www.kerryadrienne.com/

Joanne Elder  http://www.sciencefictionthrillers.com

Maureen O. Betita  http://www.maureenobetita.com/

Looking for Active Member Blogs

Hi Brigaders!

It's time to update our "Bases of Operation" blog roll.  If you're a Brigade member with an active blog (new posts at least once a week) please email me at Lgreen2162 (at) aol (dot) com) with your blog address and we'll get your blog added, along with a thumbnail, a snippet from the most recent post, and a time stamp. (With one disclaimer that Blogger won't allow all sites to be added--but it will accept most.) 

The blog roll automatically orders the list placing the most recent posts first so the more often you post, the more often you hit the top of the list. Yes, it's a nifty little tool that we're under-utilizing.

If you want to see the layout, you can find our current "Bases of Operation" blog roll on the right sidebar >>> scroll down.

Which brings us to the next question... 

We'd like your input!

We're looking at a new layout that would show only one or two of the most current posts on the main page, and the blog roll would be moved to the bottom of the post section so it's wider and easier to see.  (Older posts would still be available via the older posts link or the 'Search This Blog' function. This might help our members find posts they're interested in reading as well as improve traffic to our members' sites. 

Please tell us your thoughts.

Welcome New Members!

Please give a big welcome to our newest Brigaders!

Catherine Asaro

Greta van der Rol

Lucy Woodhall