I Love Robots by Yolanda Sfetsos

Hi there! It’s great to stop by the SFR Brigade today to help celebrate the release of my latest SFR book. Yay.

My latest release is the fourth book in my RECAST series. In this book I wanted to explore what happens when an AI gets the chance to leave all responsibility behind to chase his own adventure. Can a machine really go on an adventure because he’s drawn to a woman and is desperate to encounter love? Yes, of course. And this is what Walsh does. But he’s not the first—and certainly won’t be the last robot—to chase a dream.

The other day we went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron. I love what Marvel is doing with their movies and shows, but that’s not what I want to focus on today. I want to chat about Ultron, the super villain in this movie. As much as we’re supposed to despise him because he’s an evil machine who wants to destroy the Avengers and the world, I couldn’t help but feel some sympathy towards him.

Ultron doesn’t start out evil. He’s actually a great idea born from two very brilliant minds who want to protect the world from its biggest threat. So when you put it that way, Ultron’s reasoning makes sense. I mean, who is humanity’s biggest threat? Ourselves. Humans often treat each other like crap, and don’t respect nature. So when you put this into a program, what was Ultron supposed to do? Of course it makes sense that he would want to eradicate humans. It’s what any analytical mind would conclude… and this is what separates human from machine.

Humans are a lot more than intellect, plans and goals. They are creatures of habit who are filled with emotions, feelings and all those entanglements Ultron was so eager to escape. Yet, he might think like a machine but he sure didn’t speak like one. He was sarcastic, engaging, and even funny. He was articulate and made sense, he continually found a way to evolve, and yet at the end of the day wanted to become physically similar to humans. And that makes me wonder…

Who says that robots and androids can’t become more than what their fabrication settings tell them to be? What if they could develop real feelings and affection, know the difference between pleasure and pain? Wouldn’t that be a fascinating possibility?

I’ve always had a soft spot for robots and often find myself sympathizing with the AI that humans create but then are so quick to discard, or disregard. Robotics and computers are developing at such a fast rate that by the time we actually create real androids, it might just end up being more like the Vision. And wasn’t he a masterpiece? :)

What about you? Do you like robots, or do they freak you out? I for one wouldn’t mind seeing robots in our future.

Thanks for reading,

Yolanda

AUTHOR BIO:

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

MY LINKS:

Website: http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yolandasfetsos

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos

BOOK BLURB:

She escaped the arena of death, but trusting him might be the death of her.

 

 

 

RECAST, Book 4

Taylor may be the Clash Arena’s most dominant—and only—female gladiator, but today she just can’t catch a break. After winning yet another brutal fight, with the arena inexplicably falling down around her ears, she jumps at the chance to escape the prison of her subterranean pit.

Instead, she finds herself knocked unconscious more times than she can count, and pursued over the edge of a sea cliff by an AI enforcer she can’t shake off her heels.

Walsh has been living a double life, masquerading as a tyrant’s enforcer while hiding his true agenda. When the despicable arena falls, there’s only one thing on his mind—saving the savage blonde who doesn’t trust him as far as she can throw him. Which is a considerable distance.

Once he convinces her he’s not out to kill her but help her survive, they form an uneasy alliance. But Taylor senses he’s keeping a secret, not just from her, but about her. And the truth will show them exactly what it is to be human.

Warning: This book contains some girl-on-girl action, a kick-ass gladiator who takes no crap, an AI who puts it all on the line, a band of misfits who aren’t as merry as they seem, cute tadpoles with sharp teeth, and grip-you-by-the-hair kisses. Strap in, interstellar turbulence is a bitch.

DASH is now available from Samhain Publishing.

Meet the #Author Monday - Yolanda Sfetsos

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

My name is Yolanda Sfetsos and I live in Sydney, Australia. I love to tell stories and spend most of my days coming up with new ideas to write about, and then turn those ideas into actual stories. I also love to read, watch TV shows (though I’ve been a bit disappointed with my faves lately), love going for walks, and just hanging out with my hubby and daughter. I collect books because I’m a total bibliophile, and love stationery.

I like the simple things in life, and feel happier when I’m at home doing my own thing. :)

Tell us about DASH:

DASH is the fourth book in my SFR series called RECAST. It’s set in a fictional galaxy and each book features a different couple, but they’re all connected. This one is set after the Clash Arena falls, which means that the timeline coincides with both CLASH and SHIVER.

I like to call this my Robot Love Story. :)

What inspired you to write this particular story?:

I’ve always been fascinated with robots, so I knew that writing a story like this would someday be on the cards. Not to mention that I’d planned to write it since the beginning of the series.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

Taylor turned on her heel and ran the other way. She was fast and knew she could evade him long enough to follow this tunnel to safety. Once she disappeared into the outside world he wouldn’t be able to catch her.

“Walsh, wait!” someone else yelled.
Taylor didn’t look back, instead rushed along the corridor so fast the walls blurred. She didn’t miss a step, managed to avoid every obstacle in her way. There were chunks of fallen rock, crevices on the ground, bodies lying motionless—but she leaped over everything. Her vision had faded to black so she could move along these corridors as if she were playing a game inside the blueprint of this place. She gained a lot of ground and, according to her estimation, would hit freedom in minutes.
Enforcer stayed right on her tail. She could hear his pounding steps echoing hers. No matter how hard she pushed to outrun him, she couldn’t evade him.
How do I lose this freak?
In her haste, Taylor’s concentration slid for an instant and she missed a step. Her foot caught in a crevice and sent her sprawling. The blueprint faded and she found herself back in the rocky underground. A heavy weight pressed against her spine when she hit the ground. She ate dirt and bit her tongue, tasting blood.
The asshole had caught her, and she was trapped beneath him like a useless lump.
“I told you to stop,” he shouted near her ear.
“Get the hell off me.”
“I can’t do that.”
The ground rumbled beneath her belly, like a hungry beast ready to swallow her whole.
“Get. Off.”
“I can’t do that,” he repeated, pushing his hips against her rump. “I know what you are—”
Taylor slammed her head back hard enough to smash his face. It hurt like hell but Enforcer grunted and gave her some room. She pressed both hands against the dirt so hard that her fingers broke through the earth. She used the ground as leverage to pull her legs out from underneath his, and was standing before he could respond.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:

It depends. Sometimes the name pops into my head. Other times the personality, or even the looks. Sometimes everything comes at the same time. Or I might get the character’s story and what they look like before I settle on an appropriate name. It’s always different, which makes everything so much fun!

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

Never give up! And no matter what, just write. You can read all you want about writing and think about doing it as well, but if you don’t actually sit down and get started… you’ll never write. So write a lot, and make sure you reward yourself whenever you reach a milestone.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?: I tend to think that things worked out the way they did for a reason, so no, I probably wouldn’t change anything. Even if I do want to stop every evil act ever performed against a person or group because of unfounded prejudice.

What super-power would you choose?: Man, I’d love to fly. Who wouldn’t, right?

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?: Nope, not going to fall for that because everyone knows that no matter what I wish for, there will be unexpected consequences. :P

Coffee, tea or wine?: Coffee and tea. Depends on the time of day and the mood I’m in.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!): There are SO many books that I love and adore. But for the sake of choosing one, I’m going to say FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury because it’s one of a handful of books that affected my life and led me on my writing path.

Favourite genre and why?: I love a variety of genres—urban fantasy, horror, SciFi, thrillers, mysteries—but I find that no matter which one I choose, I always like a little mystery in my stories.

Favourite colour?: Red. No, black. Okay, red and black.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: DASH will  be released from Samhain Publishing on May 26, so I’m very excited about that. I’ve also got the last book in my UF Sierra Fox series coming out on paperback in October.

Asides from that, I don’t have any other contracted stories at the moment, but I’m working on some spin-off novels. I’ll also soon start working on the last two RECAST stories. So I hope to have more news later in the year.

Thanks for the cool interview!
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

AUTHOR BIO:

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

MY LINKS:

Website: http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yolandasfetsos

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos

BOOK BLURB:

She escaped the arena of death, but trusting him might be the death of her.

RECAST, Book 4

Taylor may be the Clash Arena’s most dominant—and only—female gladiator, but today she just can’t catch a break. After winning yet another brutal fight, with the arena inexplicably falling down around her ears, she jumps at the chance to escape the prison of her subterranean pit.

Instead, she finds herself knocked unconscious more times than she can count, and pursued over the edge of a sea cliff by an AI enforcer she can’t shake off her heels.

Walsh has been living a double life, masquerading as a tyrant’s enforcer while hiding his true agenda. When the despicable arena falls, there’s only one thing on his mind—saving the savage blonde who doesn’t trust him as far as she can throw him. Which is a considerable distance.

Once he convinces her he’s not out to kill her but help her survive, they form an uneasy alliance. But Taylor senses he’s keeping a secret, not just from her, but about her. And the truth will show them exactly what it is to be human.

Warning: This book contains some girl-on-girl action, a kick-ass gladiator who takes no crap, an AI who puts it all on the line, a band of misfits who aren’t as merry as they seem, cute tadpoles with sharp teeth, and grip-you-by-the-hair kisses. Strap in, interstellar turbulence is a bitch.

DASH will be released from Samhain Publishing on May 26.

An Adventure In Publication by Yolanda Sfetsos

Hello, it's great to be here today. I’d like to thank SFR Brigade for giving me the chance to drop in.

My latest release is called Recast, Volume 1, and it’s the print edition of the first two books in my SFR series. This is the first time WITHER and CLASH have been available in print, so I’m very excited. Finally holding this book made me remember the story of how I got the opportunity to have the first book in this series published...

It all began a few years ago with a cowboy anthology call out at Samhain Publishing. As soon as I read the submission guidelines, Colt Marshall appeared out of nowhere. But they wanted cowboy stories, so I enquired about whether they would consider a space cowboy submission. The editor said she would, so I got stuck into writing Colt and Brynn’s story right away. And it poured out of me really quickly. The only problem was that as soon as I started meeting some of the other characters, a much bigger landscape was revealed.

I knew there would be many more tales to tell in this world, but didn’t let this deter me from submitting my story. In the meantime, I made notes about this potential series—which I’d already decided was going to be called RECAST—and the characters, situations and locations all came together. When I was done, I had six category-sized stories to tell…and one longer spin-off.

When I heard back about the anthology, I was sad to hear that my space cowboy and feisty sheriff hadn’t made the cut, but a different editor was interested in checking it out. Before I knew it, I was signing my first contract with Samhain and I couldn’t believe that my SFR tale was going to be published. Colt and Brynn were going to be out in the wild. I couldn’t wait for readers to discover the world they lived in.

Fast forward several years, a few editors, and the first print collection is now available. With an awesome cover! Thanks to my lovely editor, I’m enjoying another very exciting part of the publishing experience. And I hope to stay on this ride until the end of the series. Right now, the first three stories are already published, two of them are in print together, and I recently signed a contract for the fourth installment. I also plan to write the next two very soon.

I love how this adventurous, passionate series set in my very own dangerous galaxy turned out to be an adventure for me too. :)

Thanks for reading,

Yolanda

 

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

 

 

 

LINKS:

Website: http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yolandasfetsos

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos

 

 

 

 

 

When betrayal, revenge, secrets and lust collide, there can only be chaos.

WITHER


Recast, Book 1

 

 

Wrangling is in Colt’s blood, but the woman he loved wasn’t easily tied down. Now a mysterious client has him wrangling someone who may not be human. Colt doesn’t care as long as he gets paid.

Colt could solve or multiply Brynn’s problems. She doesn’t expect him to understand why she left, but she needs his help. Colt looks as good as she remembers, and even after years, their mutual lust is alive.

 

 

Desire strips away secrets. A secret that could be their death sentence…


CLASH


Recast, Book 2

Half-Recast Ace Abu is determined to get to Fray and destroy the Clash Arena.
When he finds a barstool in Grit, he’s ready for a few beers, but the sexy singer on stage only makes him burn hotter.

Ely’Shea longs for freedom. When the boss is away she indulges her passions. That night she catches a glimpse of an alluring cowboy. Unable to resist temptation, they’re consumed by passion…but once the fuses are set, their deepest secrets could blow any chance of forever to hell.

Product Warnings

Contains shapeshifters, space cowboys, female sheriffs, singers, double lives, and so many secrets it can only end in total madness.

RECAST, Volume 1 is now available from Samhain Publishing.