My Top Ten "Comfort Movies" are all Sci-Fi + Giveaway

Before school ended for my children, I was talking with one of the other parents at the bus stop about movies we like to watch when we're having a bad day, or when the world is having a bad day, and watching the news makes us incredibly sad. They're movies we watch over and over, and never get tired of watching. He called them "comfort movies", and his #1 pick was Ferris Bueller's Day Off. While I've seen that movie many times, it has never been a comfort movie for me. But, the idea made me think about my own comfort movies. And the only ones I came up with were all science fiction.

Here's my list of Top Ten Comfort Movies:

1. Independence Day - I know this may seem strange as a comfort movie, with aliens attacking the Earth, but in the end, the world came together to fight the aliens and bring them down. It's that unity in the end that gives me hope for our real world.

2. Contact - Once again, the world has to come together to send Eleanor Arroway on a mission to make contact with alien life. In this movie, the aliens are peaceful, which is what I hope for when first contact is made.

3. Avatar - Even with all the weapons one could imagine, it is love and what is right that wins.

4. Super 8 - An alien is stuck on Earth, and it only wants to get back home. Sometimes it takes a bunch of children to help us realize the truth.

5. The Host - Aliens come to Earth, and believe they have made the planet a better place to live. But, it's the human spirit they did not expect that wins in the end, our desire to live.

6. Home - This is such a fun movie about aliens again learning about the human spirit.

7. The Martian - While this is a newer movie, I have watched it many times already. Once again, the world comes together for a purpose. This time, to bring Mark Watney home.

8. Any Jurassic Park movie - While some in the series are better than others, I love watching these movies about genetically engineered dinosaurs.

9. Any Star Wars movie - Once again, there are some I love better than others, I will watch any of these space adventure movies.

10. The new Star Trek movies - I do love some of the older Star Trek movies, but it is the new ones I will pop into the DVD player. I love all of the interpersonal relationships involved in these movies, and I've become attached to the characters. I admit, I wasn't around when the original series was on television, so the actors playing the characters now are the ones I've become accustomed to.

Please share with me your comfort movies. Are any of them sci-fi?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. Check out her new release, BRYCE:

A dedicated Defender…

Bryce fell in love once, but after Lalia was ripped away from him, he locked his heart from feeling anything for anyone else. Instead, he devotes his life to the Galactic Alliance, killing every bloodthirsty Erebus he comes across.

A shunned princess…

Lalia Comosova fell in love with the wrong man. When her parents learned of her transgressions, they sent her to Earth to hide her error in judgment from the rest of the kingdom.

A second chance?

When these lovers are reunited after many years apart, they have a chance to find happiness together. But fate steps in and threatens to rip them apart as it did years ago.

For more information about Jessica and her books, visit her website: http://jessicasubject.com

Not only is Jessica E. Subject celebrating the release of BRYCE, the first book in her Galactic Defenders series, she is also celebrating FIVE years published. And she is offering three fabulous prize packages. Contests are open as stated, except where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter. Contest will close July 24, and winners will be notified by email. Good luck!

RTC Giveaway (Canada/US only) includes:

3013: Renegade by Susan Hayes (signed)

Reader Abduction by Eve Langlais (signed)

As Cold As Ice by Mandy Rosko (signed)

Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

other goodies from some of the authors who attended Romancing the Capital

My Favorite Things Giveaway (Canada/US only) includes:

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

The Martian by Andy Weir

Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

Bryce by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

International Only Giveaway includes:

Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

Bryce by Jessica E. Subject (signed)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Light Up The Holidays ~Medieval Style~

Today I'm spending time with Jessica Subject and Light Up The Holidays! I'm interviewing my hero, Marcus from A Medieval Yule. Though this short story isn't SFR, it is really the precursor to my SFR time travel series, The Quantum Portal, which has several medieval settings.

Stop by for an interesting chat with hero, Marcus. Here's the link: Jessica's Blog

I'm also blogging today on LSAR/WC and Stuff Your Stocking With Books. My  medieval themed post is up today! Here's the link: Blogfest

Leave a comment on either blog for a chance to win a PDF download of 

A Medieval Yule. 

You can also visit me this season to enjoy more Medieval themed blog posts. Leave a comment on any of the posts for additional chances to win 

A Medieval Yule on: Kaye's Blog 

Here's to everyone having a wonderful Holiday! Thanks to SFRB for making 2011 a fantastic year for SFR authors!

Kaye Manro

SFR Book Reviews by Jessica E. Subject

I recently had the chance to read two fabulous SFR books, both of which I bought myself. The first is Alien Tango by fellow SFR Brigade member Gini Koch. The other, Across the Universe is a YA SFR by Beth Revis.

Alien Tango by Gini Koch

From the back cover:

For Alien Super-Being Exterminator Katherine "Kitty" Katt, anti-alien conspiracies, threats from outer space, and a couple of killer alligators are all in a day's work. But internal alien schemes and some major "relationship" complications are about to bring a new meaning to the phrase "chaos and confusion."

It's been five months since Kitty joined Centaurion Division, working with the aliens from Alpha Centauri. She and Jeff Martini have grown closer as a couple and life looks rosy. But when an experimental spacecraft is unexpectedly returned to the Kennedy Space Center, Kitty and the rest of Alpha Team are called on to investigate and are immediately embroiled in life-or-death situations that scream "political conspiracy."

The team must survive murderous attacks, deal with a mysterious space entity that has seized control of a group of astronauts, and evade a woman who'll do anything to eliminate the competition when she develops an obsessive crush on Kitty's old high school boyfriend. And that's all before the evil masterminds decide Kitty's extermination is vital...

For my review and more information about the book, click here.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

For my review and more information about the book, click here.

Submission Alert: Decadent Publishing Seeks SFR

Many thanks to Brigader Jessica Subject for a head's up that Decadent Publishing is looking for Sci-Fi with strong romantic elements.

A quick check of their Daily Dose of Decadent blog revealed a Submissions post addressing the question of what they are looking for, included the following: 

"I REALLY want some Sci-fiRom. Give it to me at any length." 

Also:

"End-of-the-world novellas"

and

"I would invite authors with back list titles they own to submit and see them published once more with a company committed to promoting."

There's your knock of opportunity, Brigaders.  Polish up those manuscripts and fire away.  Decadent's submission guidelines can be found here.

What is Six Sentence Sunday?

The idea of Six Sentence Sunday (SSS) began with Sara Brookes. She posted six sentences from a work-in-progress (WIP) or published piece on her blog on the occasional Sunday to gain interest from readers. Another romance author friend thought it was a good idea and asked for details. When a couple more author friends showed interest, Sara decided to create a central location to post SSS links and make it easier for readers to find and also easy for those wanting to participate. The first SSS post was on February 28, 2010 with four participants and is continually increasing every week, with thirty-six links to check on the first Sunday of 2011.

Participating is easy. Pick any SIX sentences from your work from any genre, whether WIP or published (you don’t have to be published to participate) and post them on your blog on Sunday before 9 AM EST. To be linked to the Six Sunday blog, visit http://sixsunday.blogspot.com/ from Wednesday to Saturday and fill out the “linky tools list” with your information.

There are some rules and common courtesies to follow:

• · Remember, this is SIX Sentence Sunday. While the occasional extra sentence is fine, twelve sentences is not.
• · You are not required to link to other contributors, but a link back to the main Six Sunday blog would be nice.
• · Your SSS post is not to be used to display a new book cover, share reviews or other news, although you can share where to find the book your excerpt is from.
• · You don’t have to visit the other participating SSS blogs, BUT it is kind to do so and leave comments. (Subscribing to the blogs through Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, or the RSS feed is also a nice gesture.)

Spreading the word and sharing the love for SSS on twitter can be done using the #sixsunday hashtag. You can also find SSS on twitter @6_Sunday. For more information on how to participate, visit the blog and click on some of the previous links to see how it’s done.

To get your upcoming or new release a promo spot on the SSS blog, you must contact Sara Brookes and be a regular contributor. Spots are assigned on a first come, first serve basis.

I began participating after an author friend of mine posted on the SSS blog; this Sunday will be my thirteenth SSS post. While I don’t have anything published to prove sales, I have bought several books from SSS participants after reading excerpts and made some great new writer friends.

I also find SSS to be a great writing exercise. If I can take the most boring group of six sentences from any of my WIPs and entice readers to want more, my book will be amazing, right? Well, I think I have a ways to go, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Whether you’re a reader or writer, be sure to check out http://sixsunday.blogspot.com/ and if you benefit from reading and/or participating, be sure to show your love to Sara Brookes, the site founder and administrator.