Silver Serenade Book Launch Party

Please join in the fun as we host this book launch party for Nancy J. Cohen’s Silver Serenade, which was just released July 16th from The Wild Rose Press. Nancy is a member of RWA and FF&P and is planning to be in Orlando for RWA Nationals. Her website can be viewed here.

I recently interviewed Nancy about her new release. Here’s what she had to say…

SFRB: First of all, Nancy, welcome to the SFR Brigade! As one of our newest members, please tell us a little about yourself and how you came to write Science Fiction Romance. What inspired or still inspires you? Who are some of your favorite authors or books in the subgenre?

I began my career as a published author writing futuristic romance as Nancy Cane for Dorchester. Marilyn Campbell was in my critique group and published in that genre at the time, and she inspired me to write one of my own. I’d written six previous romantic intrigue stories and none of them had sold. I was a big Star Trek fan so it wasn’t much of a stretch to combine science fiction with romance. I wrote four stories for Dorchester and then switched to mysteries when the market cycled down. My Bad Hair Day mystery series was very successful but I always had in mind the story for Silver Serenade and couldn’t let it go.

Some of my favorite SFR authors are Linnea Sinclair, Susan Grant, Catherine Asaro, Susan Kearney, Patricia Waddell, among others.

SFRB: Tell us a little about Silver Serenade. Who are the main characters? What’s the meaning behind the title Silver Serenade? What do you think makes it a great story—the romance, the world-building, the imaginative premise…or something else?

Silver is the heroine’s name and that’s where the title comes from, but it also relates to the mourning hymn she chants every night in her parents’ memory. They were killed by Tyrone Bluth, leader of Tyrone’s Marauders, and she’s pledged her life to revenge. She’s about to shoot Bluth from her sniper position above a hilltop when someone crashes into her. Jace Vernon has spotted her and takes her down before she can kill the one man he needs alive as witness in his defense. He’s been accused of murder on his home world of Kurash, and only Tyrone Bluth can clear him. He won’t allow Silver to complete her mission.

What makes it a great story? Everything! The complex universe, the characters, the touch of humor, and the paranormal element all combine to make this a memorable romance.

SFRB: Tell us a little about the universe where Silver Serenade takes place.

Two main governments occupy known space. One is the Terran Consortium consisting of Earth and its colonies. The Maxima Chancellor is the elected official at the head of this system. He sits on the Council of Directors, mostly made up of interplanetary corporate CEOs. Under them are divisions called Earth Centrum, Security Integrated Network (S.I.N.), and the Colonies. S.I.N. is the intelligence branch and that’s where Silver works. Earth Centrum and the Colonies each have their own presidents. The colonies are further divided into departments such as Administration, Exploration, Agriculture, Mining, etc. Earth Centrum has Defense Command, Justice, Education, Science, etc.

Across the border is the war-like Kurashki Alliance which, except for its space fleet, follows a feudal system with a hereditary monarch. They believe in conquest rather than diplomacy.

These two systems are on the brink of war, which can only be forestalled by the hero’s vote in the Kurashki body of government called the Parsate. Unfortunately, Jace has been framed for murder and his greedy cousin has taken over his estates and his titles. Jace has to regain his status to offer his plan for peace. He won’t succeed if Silver kills the man he needs alive to prove his innocence. Jace pursues justice while Silver is bent on revenge.

The politics are complicated, and there are hints of worse threats on the horizon as the story unfolds. I like adding political intrigue into my stories and building the groundwork for more tales of adventure in the same universe.

I’ve put bonus features like Weapons and Warships on my website for fans who like more details. Access them here.

SFRB: Nancy, I know you’ve written other novels—Circle of Light (a HOLT Medallion Award winner!), Moonlight Rhapsody, and Starlight Child--that I’d classify as SFR from the blurbs, but they’re identified as Paranormal Romance. Do you see a distinction between SFR and Paranormal Romance, or do you feel SFR falls under the broad PR umbrella?

In my case, it’s a matter of marketing! Paranormal romance gets more hits than futuristic or science fiction romance, and since my stories fit into both definitions, that’s what I call them on certain sites. I definitely see a distinction between the genres. Science Fiction Romance extrapolates on what might be real in the future or on technology or real issues we’re dealing with today. Futuristic Romance is similar but sometimes takes place in a pre-technological environment and focuses more heavily on the romantic conflict. Paranormal Romance includes elements like magic, extrasensory perception, or anything out of the ordinary often in a modern-day setting. Since my books take place in futuristic settings with at least one character who possesses special powers, I’m loosely interpreting that as meaning they can fit into either category. Just between you and me, they’re really SFR.

SFRB: When, where or how did you come up with the idea that became Silver Serenade? How long did it take you to write it? Are there any anecdotes connected with the story you'd like to relate?

I was intrigued by the notion of two characters, a man and a woman, who would be after the same bad guy but for different reasons. What would happen when they caught him? Which one of them would prevail? Thus I created my heroine, an assassin, whose assignment is to kill the terrorist, Tyrone Bluth. The hero, a convicted murderer, needs the villain alive to prove his innocence. Jace and Silver team up to catch the bad guy but what will happen when they succeed? Which one of them will give up their goal to help the other person?

It took me a long time to write, because I did it in between my other book obligations. I finally had free rein when I finished my Bad Hair Day mystery contracts. Silver and Jace nagged at me to finish their story, and I couldn’t get them out of my head.

What surprised me were the unexpected twists the story took, and I hope they delight you as much as they did me. I don’t want to spoil your fun except to say that a couple of surprises involve the Elusians. Jace’s valet, Mixy, is an Elusian who has the ability to magnify Jace’s emotions and display them through his colored robe for all to see. He adds a touch of humor to the story and also the paranormal element. Mixy is a riot. If anything, he threatens to steal the thunder from our heroes.

Also what amazed me in this story was the spiritual or mystical turn of events when Silver and Jace go to Stacktown. That’s a planet where people go and don’t return, and there are rumors about ghosts. I wasn’t quite sure what would happen in that place and the outcome surprised me.

SFRB: Do you have a favorite quote, line or scene from Silver Serenade that you'd like to share?

Here’s an exciting scene where Silver and Jace are making an escape:

[Silver is speaking to Jace] “We used to play with turbo scooters when we were kids. These are the newest R-25 models by Royce. I checked the fuel levels earlier, and we should have enough to get to the hospital. We’ll blend in with ground cover if we fly low.”

Jace gave her an admiring glance that shot a thrill through her. “Resourceful. How about the noise?”

“Dampeners take care of that problem. Are you okay with driving your own?” Bending, she grabbed hold of one device and uprighted it.

“I’ll manage.” Following her example, he placed one foot in front of another on the single board, gripped the handle bars, and wound a safety strap around his torso.

“It can get a little bumpy when you hit an air current, but we’ll go faster with a tailwind. Stay on my tack.”

Silver pushed the start button, and a familiar vibration rumbled underfoot. Punching the anti-grav flow valve, she suppressed a whoop of exhilaration when her scooter lifted. Hoping she could maintain her balance with rusty skills, she jabbed the turbo boost.

Her pulse raced as she shot over the edge of the roof, tilted sideways, centered her rider, and soared forward. Uh oh, security detail below at two o’clock. Veering left, she avoided the estate’s main entrance and surged toward a clump of trees leading to a major thoroughfare. That would take them into the city. Loose hairs whipped her cheeks and stung her eyes as she spun into the air lane.

Glancing backward, she grinned at Jace who proved his mettle by waving. Gods, this was fun. It had been eons since she’d done something so sinfully playful. A flush warmed her skin as she remembered their lovemaking. Well, maybe not so long.

As they neared her apartment complex, she slipped into a stream of other night owls prowling the streets. The rush of wind in her ears died, replaced by roaring engines and nonstop loudspeaker advertisements. She plunged her scooter up and down geometrically designed avenues and looped around skyscrapers. Intent on checking over her shoulder for signs of pursuit, she narrowly missed a dive-bombing aircar.

Her stomach catapulted into her throat as she careened sideways and flipped upside-down. With a lurch, she righted herself and swooped north just in time to avoid hitting a flyby night train.

Her apartment building loomed into sight. Hopefully anyone watching from the street wouldn’t notice their descent.

SFRB: What’s next? Any more SFR novels in the works?

Right now I’m working on a true paranormal romance. It takes place on modern-day Earth with magical elements and is based on Norse mythology. Once I get this story out of my head, I may do a sequel to Silver Serenade. I already have an overall series title and the spin-off characters in mind. It will help if readers clamor for more stories in this universe! You can keep track of my releases and projects here:

Website: http://nancyjcohen.com/
Blog: http://nancyjcohen.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://bit.ly/c3YchC
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nancyjcohen

SFRB: In closing, would you share a blurb and/or an excerpt from Silver Serenade?

Here’s a blurb and an excerpt showing the romantic conflict since we already did an action scene above.

BLURB:
Ace pilot Jace Vernon is forced to flee his home world after being framed for murder. He seeks justice, but S.I.N. agent Silver Malloy gets in his way. The platinum-haired beauty counters his every move in the quest to clear his name. As he makes it his mission to break her, he doesn=t count on the personal consequences of success.

Silver refuses to abort her deadly mission even if it means killing the one man Jace needs alive to prove his innocence. Her resolve wavers when Jace’s charms melt the barriers around her heart. Can she help him win his case, even if it means betraying her own people?

EXCERPT:
Silver bowed her head. Just when she’d finally cast aside the darkness of her past to grasp the light, Jace snatched it from her.

By the stars, she didn’t want him to know how much she cared. Duty meant more to him than she did, or he’d renounce his obligations in favor of staying with her. She should have realized happiness was merely an illusion.

“So, I bring you to life, huh? Like this?” Pressing a hand to the small of her back, he dragged her against him. With his other hand, he tilted her face. She lifted her gaze to his resolute jaw and contoured lips.

His mouth crushed down on hers. At first, she refused to respond, but his relentless kiss weakened her defense. She parted her lips, letting his tongue swirl inside her mouth.

He explored her crevices, leaving nothing untouched, while she grew languorous in his embrace. Switching his angle, he scoured her mouth until her teeth hurt.

You want to play with fire? I can handle the game. She knew he wasn’t immune to her charms. Maybe he had to marry Yvette, but the proper Kurashki lady could never give him what Silver could. She’d make him remember her for all eternity.

Intrigued? Here’s the Silver Serenade book trailer to really get you hooked.



Silver Serenade sounds like a wonderful SFR treat.  And now for the party favor!

For a chance to win a .pdf copy of Silver Serenade add a comment below.  You can just say hello or tell Nancy what intrigues you about her novel.  Have fun!

Walking the Line in SFR

World Building Versus Info Dumping

First off, let me just remind everyone of one thing -- as Abraham Lincoln said, you can’t please all the people all the time. So, it’s unlikely anyone is ever going to be able to create the “perfect book”, one where they world build with the exact right amount of data and detail without any form of info dumping…at least according to the entire reading population.

You can write the most popular book in the world, but there will always be those who don’t care for it, some of them virulently. It’s the nature of art because everyone truly IS a critic: No matter what you do creatively, someone will always find fault with it.

Gini’s Definitions
World Building -- creating the sense of place and time so the reader/viewer is included into the story with a sense of acceptance or wonder and is able to suspend disbelief.

Info Dumping -- too much information, over-abundance of information, detracting from the reader’s/viewer’s enjoyment.

Info Lack -- The lack of enough information, which can leave the reader/viewer confused, annoyed, and ultimately dissatisfied because there isn’t enough explanation to allow disbelief to remain suspended.

Genre Needs Are Different
World building is important in every genre, but possibly most important in science fiction and fantasy. In these genres, authors are taking readers to a place that either exists only in the author’s imagination, or sharing events that can only or have only happened in the author’s imagination. This makes world building vital to a reader’s understanding of what’s going on, their ability to “see” the world and situations the author’s taken them too.

Romantic sparks are vital to a romance. But romance isn’t a requirement in science fiction OR fantasy. There’s plenty of romance in both, but not enough to be accepted as a natural part of the SF/F genre overall. If there’s romance, most times it’s not front and center, and many times it’s not integral to the plot.

But all that’s different with Science Fiction Romance. In this cross-genre/sub-genre, the romance is as important as the science fiction, or at least it’s darned close. (There are debates raging about Romantic Science Fiction vs. Science Fiction Romance, but I’m not getting into that here -- that’s for others to discuss and decide. For this purpose, SFR or RSF are the same: there’s a lot of romance in that science fiction story.)

Expectations
Herein lies the crux of the problem. Science fiction readers expect world building. They expect to have the science explained. You can’t say, “he moved at supersonic speed” without, somewhere along the line, explaining how that’s possible. Traveling to a new world? You’d better have some explanation for how the space flight will work. Depending on your SF -- hard or soft -- you’ll have to explain a lot or a little, but explain you will. Because science fiction readers expect it, and if you don’t do it, they can’t buy your situations.

Romance readers, on the other hand, are willing to take a lot of the world building as a given, as long as they find the characters’ romantic situation compelling enough. They’re willing to accept what the author says at face value, because what they care about most is how believable, fun, romantic, spicy, etc., the romance actually is. Their focus is on the relationships between the characters more than the characters’ relationships to the world.

I’m not saying that romance readers aren’t discerning. They are. But what they’re looking for is at odds with what most science fiction readers are looking for. They want a central relationship they can sink their teeth into and become emotionally invested in, far more than they want to understand the inner workings of black hole technology.

I’m not saying that science fiction readers don’t care about characters and relationships. They do. But what they want is a believable world, a situation that they can buy into, and proof that it could actually happen, far more than they want a romantic happily ever after.

Cater…a Little
I personally think it’s a lot easier to get the romance side to come over to SF, than the SF side to go to romance. Books shelving in the SF/F section will have a better chance of garnering both SF and romance readers -- the SF ones because the book is on “their” shelves, the romance ones most likely from buzz, be it word of mouth, reviews, or social networking.

Yes, I’m suggesting you cater more to the SF side and put in a little more of the world building and scientific explanations than you might in a straight romance. The key phrase is “a little”. Too much and you run the risk of losing the romance side. Too little, though, and you’ll lose the SF side. And as much as it pains me to write this, it’s easier and less frustrating for a reader to skim (ack!) over some explanation they’re not interested in than to wonder why and how some character can achieve some feat that appears impossible.

Walk the Line
I follow a rule here -- please your publisher. If you’re pubbing with an imprint that does no romance (like I do, since I’m with DAW Books), the SF side is always going to take precedence. If you’re with a romance imprint, the romance side will take the lead, most likely per your editor’s requirements.

Find a romance reader(s) if you’re heavy on SF. Find an SF reader(s) if you’re heavy on romance. Have them read your MS and tell you where they stumbled. Change what you can/agree with.

So, once that’s done, how to still ensure the other ‘half’ of your potential readership enjoys your book? What’s a science fiction romance author to do? What any other writer should do: Write the story you want, that your editor approves, that your publisher wants to put onto the bookshelves. And know you’ll never please everyone, so you’d better please yourself.

Interview with—Nick DiChario—author/teacher extraordinaire

By Arlene Webb

Nick DiChario’ short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies including The Year’s Best Science Fiction, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century. Nominated for two Hugo Awards and a World Fantasy Award, the list of credentials is quite long, so please check out his website at http://www.nickdichario.com/ for the fuller picture.

http://nickydthewriter.wordpress.com/

What were your early influences in writing? Any mentor you wish to mention?

When I started writing science fiction way back in the 1980s, I took a writers' workshop at SUNY Brockport with SF author Nancy Kress. Thus began a long friendship that has lasted to this day. Mike Resnick was also a big help to me in my career. We collaborated on a bunch of stories and even published a collection of our short fiction titled Magic Feathers.

I can't say enough good things about Robert J. Sawyer. We've been great pals for nearly 20 years, and he published my first two novels under his Robert J. Sawyer Books imprint: A Small and Remarkable Life (2006) and Valley of Day-Glo (2008).

Both novels, which might have otherwise gone unpublished, were nominated for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel of the Year.When I was in college, I was lucky enough to study under two wonderful teachers and brilliant writers, Anne Coon and Abraham Rothberg. The three of us are still connected and see each other when we can. I guess the upshot is that writing doesn't have to be as lonely as it's made out to be. Writers and their mentors develop special bonds because of the passion and intensity of the insurmountable task they share: to create something that other people want to read.

As any honest existentialist should, you authentically accepted responsibility for life choices, quit teaching last year and took the challenge to continually create yourself—and, yippee, there’s a third novel. Genre? Favorite character? Blurb? Any release date yet?

Ah, so you noticed my penchant for existentialism. I think it's a fine philosophy that knows no bounds and gets deeper the more you explore it. I guess some of that has escaped into my first two novels. I've written a few book and film reviews for Philosophy Now Magazine through the existential microscope. I don't claim to be an expert, and I've thought on more than one occasion that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

No more so, I suspect, than with my third novel, which I've just completed. This one might be more existential than the previous two. I'm not sure how you would categorize the book. Mystery maybe, or somewhere in the speculative/mystery/suspense family. It's nothing like my first two books, which are nothing like each other. As usual, my work remains difficult to categorize. No publisher or publication date yet, but I hope that happens some day soon so you can all read it!

Me too! I can’t wait to see what book three brings. I’m a big fan of Danny Rose, and an even bigger fan of Tink Puddah. To quote Chadwick Ginter’s review:

‘Tink Puddah is an orphan, struggling to survive in the Adirondack Mountains of 1845. But Tink is also a blue skinned alien from Wetspace. In Nick DiChario’s debut novel from Robert J Sawyer Books, we are seeing what author Nancy Kress has called "one of the most original first-contact novels ever."

To the residents of Skanoh Valley, Tink Puddah is just another foreigner. An odd, and gentle man who has touched many lives. But to preacher Jacob Piersol, the atheist Puddah represents both a challenge and a trial. One that could cause the preacher to lose his own soul as he struggles to save the alien’s. Deftly told in two timeframes, from Puddah's orphaning, and immediately following his death, DiChario has crafted a beautiful novel, whose symmetry and balance will leave you questioning just what it means to be human.’The way you’ve handled writing from an alien PoV, transcending reader’s disbelief, is an inspiration to writers of all genres. Then, book two shows just how imaginative and subtly twisted with satirical humor you are, Nick. Paul DeFlippo of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine had this to say:

‘Once upon a future time, there was a brave and resourceful—albeit cripplingly asexual—Native American lad named Broadway Danny Rose, son of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Confused? Let’s start again. Nick DiChario has written a new bonkers novel, Valley of Day-Glo (Robert J. Sawyer Books, trade paper, $15.95, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-88995-415-1), which channels the proud and seminal shades of Robert Sheckley and George Alec Effinger into a vivid and unique tale of some outrageous and bizarre post-apocalypse doings involving a handful of hapless survivors.

The backstory is this: sometime a couple of centuries from our era the planet has undergone the Reddening, a disastrous collapse that left the environment stripped and barren. Indians are the only group who have managed to remain extant on the North American continent, and they have done that only by plundering the buried remnants of the earlier civilization. Taking their personal names from movie titles, revering such tomes as The Microwave Cookbook and The Modern Book of Baseball, they live spartan lives interspersed with deadly internecine rumbles. One legend, however, remains a common inspiration: that somewhere exists the Valley of Day-Glo, a utopian earthly paradise. DiChario’s dry wit and antic imagination, propels this weird odyssey at an unflagging pace, and carries the reader effortlessly along.’

As a lover of stories that transcend the norm, I think everyone should grab these up if they haven't already. And, Nick, you're not only a renowned author, with your impressive teaching career you’ve inspired all levels of writers including myself. What would you say are the biggest mistakes authors make? Any thoughts on hunting an agent or sending direct to publishers? Is there a predominate piece of advice you’d offer an aspiring author?

Writers just starting out make all kinds of mistakes, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Nothing teaches us quicker than our mistakes. (Take my word for it.) Instead of trying to avoid them, we should probably embrace them, learn from them, and move on. I will add, though, because I think it's true for everyone: You simply cannot give up on your dream. Lance Armstrong once said, "Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever."


Writing is hard work, but if you think it hurts to go on, think about how much it will hurt to stop. A nearly insignificant percent of one percent of all published authors are natural talents who didn't have to work for years at it before being successful. I don't know why that comes as such a surprise to most new writers, or why it seems to discourage them.


It takes an incredible amount of guts to keep writing through the learning stages and the rejections and the disappointments, but they're all just battles. You only lose the war when you give up on yourself. Whether you're just beginning, or hunting for an agent, or submitting to editors, there's only one rule that matters: Don't give up.

Where do you think the sci-fi genre is headed? Thoughts on whether TV influences sci-fi writers or vice versa?

I'm an eternal optimist, so I hope that the sci fi fiction genre will hit another upswing eventually. It's been in a dark valley for a long time. Readership is down, and many of its best magazines have ceased publication. But sf on the big and little screens seems to be doing okay. Avatar is now the most successful film of all time.

Rob Sawyer's excellent novel FlashForward has been made into a compelling TV series on ABC. And if you throw fantasy, graphic novels, and comic books into the mix, undoubtedly second cousins to sf, there is plenty of evidence that people are still fascinated by it. The trick is getting people interested in reading the good stuff, not just grabbing the media tie-ins or film novelizations.
I think most readers really do want to stretch their minds and enjoy the best that any genre has to offer, but sometimes it's hard to identify and find those books. I don't know if there is a magic bullet that can make that happen, but I do know that sf film and literature are now, and probably forever, married for better or worse.

Why or why not e-books? Do you own, or plan to, a kindle or ipad?

Well, there's no doubt that e-books will be a part of the publishing landscape for years to come. It's only in its infancy now. I'm really looking forward to where it goes from here. I don't have an e-reader yet, but I suspect it's inevitable. I'm waiting for one that really calls out to me. The iPad doesn't have a reader-friendly screen, and what I've seen of the other readers makes me think they can be vastly improved. I'm also a big fan of audio books, so I guess I don't feel the same sense of urgency that others seem to feel for e-readers. And, well, I grew up with books, and I still haven't found a better reading device.

Thank you, very much, for spending some time with us, Nick. I plan to announce book three as soon as it hits the shelves, and without a doubt there's many fans anticipating whatever’s percolating in your mind/heart right now.