Valentine #scifi #romance #giveaway

To celebrate the approach of Valentine's Day, Lyn Brittan has organized a giveaway to get you in the spirit. So, want the chance to win one of four scifi romance ebooks or a paperback omnibus? Simples! Just fill in the rafflecopter below. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer - Giveaway ends February 13 at 12:00 AM EST. Open internationally. Warning: content possibly not suitable for minors under the age of 17. eBooks and Digital Prizes will be sent electronically via email. Other prices may be sent U.S. Postal Service or similar service. Winners will be selected on or before 2/123/2014 by Random.org and be notified by email. No purchase necessary. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to participating authors. We do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting winners.

SFRB Recommends #9: Eroma by Piers Anthony #scifi #romance #scifirom

Eroma - Piers Anthony

From the book description:

In the futuristic multi-player Virtual Reality game of erotic romance (EROtic ROMAnce), sight, sound, and touch all work, and sexual climaxes are immediate and mutual. The audience of millions watches in 3D-TV every interaction, down to the most intimate and sometimes transparent detail. As players conquer difficult sexual tests, they are challenged to see what they are willing to do in order to win.

Not for the sexually faint of heart.

Piers, in his inimitable style, writes a vivid book that, in this case in particular, leaves very little to the imagination. Or rather, it sucks the reader right in to the world he creates until they live, breathe and feel just about all the characters do. Focussing on the sexual interactions of the main characters and the VR game challenges they face, the romance comes to the fore. However, it (the romance, that is) would not exist without the underlying technology that makes a multi-player realistic VR game possible.

This book is recommended for adults only, and you gotta like reading sex. And LOTS of it.

Author site: Piers Anthony Official Website

Don't Miss Out On The Growing Audio Book Audience + Giveaway

Talking about audiobooks today and giving away one copy of the WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM audiobook to a randomly selected commenter.

People often ask me why I'm so determined to have audiobook versions of my novels and the simple answer is that there's a huge and growing audience out there who enjoys listening to a good story. While many people listen to audiobooks in their car or otherwise commuting, there's an audience which enjoys the experience of hearing a good book while they multitask. Even in the shower!

Last year I had the wonderful experience of making an audiobook version of my award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM with Actor/Narrator Michael Riffle. I've written extensively about the process in a series of posts on my own blog. You can find the first post here which links to the others, if you're interested.

Briefly, I went through Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), which is a division of Audible, so I can only speak to that experience. ACX is wonderfully set up to keep things simple for the author, the actor and the producer, which I appreciated. For my first audiobook I couldn't afford to pay an hourly rate (usually between $200-$400 per "finished hour" - my book runs about 9 hours). ACX offers a contract vehicle whereby author and actor split the royalties 50/50 and no money is paid up front. Of course if it turns out you've created the Harry Potter or 50 Shades of audiobooks and have a runaway hit, your actor will become very wealthy over the life of the distribution contract!  Now WRECK may be an Amazon best seller and award winning, but I wasn't too concerned that I might be signing away millions. (And I appreciate working with Michael so much I might not have minded anyway LOL.)

At first though, I wasn't getting very many quality auditions. Then ACX put my book into their stipend program, where they pay $1500.00 to the actor when the book is completed. I paid nothing, just split future royalties as they come in. Then I got numerous auditions and was fortunate enough to find Michael, who embodied my special forces hero of the future perfectly.

Unless you're a trained actor as well as an author, don't read your own book! First of all, reading is very different from acting and getting all the characters to sound different and believable, and convey the right emotions is a huge challenge. Secondly, there's a definite art involved in the production of the sound quality. Michael put in many hours behind the scenes for every finished hour of the book.

I LOVED listening to the audiobook as he finished each chapter. I found that hearing how a trained actor interpreted the dialog and what he brought to the characters gave me new insights. Of course the book had already been published so we couldn't change anything, but I got a lot of ideas for the sequel. Chapter 7 is my favorite, listened to it three times. Even Michael said he got choked up while narrating that one and had to re-record parts of it. (No spoilers here though!)

This year Michael and I are doing the audio version of ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE, and we've cast an actress to read the heroine and other female characters with him. I think this is going to be an amazing project and can't wait to have the audiobook available.

I'm happy to answer any questions and I am giving away a free copy of WRECK to one randomly selected commenter. I'll pick the winner at 6PM on the 29th.....

Here's the blurb for WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM:

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.

But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?

Available at Amazon in all formats and wherever else eBooks are sold.

Meet the #Author - Tara Quan

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

I’m a newbie author, sci-fi fan, romance junkie, and self-proclaimed globetrotter. I’ve lived in Thailand, Australia, the U.S., and thanks to my husband’s job, the U.A.E. and Pakistan (all before my thirtieth birthday). I’m now preparing for our move to Italy. Our vagabond lifestyle makes it impossible for me to have a traditional career, so I get to learn different languages and embrace being a starving writer guilt-free.

Tell us about your Undead Fairy Tales series:

A year and a half ago, for reasons I can’t quite recall, I decided a post-apocalyptic zombie word would be the perfect setting for fairy tale-based romances. Inspired by Rapunzel, Tower in the Woods was my debut work. A fateful snowstorm pitches my tower-bound sniper against a mysterious federal agent, and several hot nights and near-death experiences later, they get their happily ever after.

The second book in the series, Catching Red, is scheduled for release on February 3, 2014 (so this interview is basically my cover reveal). My knife-wielding Little Red Riding Hood gets herself into a world of undead trouble, and it’s up to Agent Marcus Woodsman to save her. Writing this novel was loads of fun since I could let my sci-fi side come out to play. Not only did I describe the progression of the Undead Reanimation Virus in great detail, I set quite a few scenes in futuristic Washington, D.C.

What inspired you to write Catching Red?

That’s easy–finishing the first book. Because Tower in the Woods was a Rapunzel story, about 70% of the world I sketched out never made it into the novella. The romance is, after all, set in a tower. As soon as I was done whipping Book 1 into shape, I was dying to create a heroine who could hack and slash her way through a zombie-infested world. Little Red Riding Hood seemed like just the ticket.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

This is how Red and the Woodsman first meet [pre-final version]

Before she could process what had happened, a dark shadow appeared. The tall broad-chested man hacked through the creatures like an angel of death. Wielding a modified woodcutter’s axe, he removed heads with the apparent ease of cutting grass. Lethal and silent, her savior made his way through the swarm. He moved so fast her blurring eyes struggled to capture his progress.

She heard sounds of parting flesh and breaking bones -- thuds as bodies and heads fell to the ground. The axe’s crescent blade appeared as silver arcs against the black and gray tableau. The only other source of color was the man’s golden hair. For a moment, she was certain he was a delusion spawned from blood loss and terror.

A large hand closed over the scruff of her neck and yanked. Jerked to her feet, she gazed into eyes of brightest blue. Knowing she wasn’t fighting alone gave her failing body a second wind. Turning so their backs met, her knives and his axe slashed out in tandem. Before long, the undead around them became a mound of body parts on the dusty white floor.

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

Oddly enough, it’s always been the name. Once I decided on Scarlet “Red” Ryding, it seemed only right to make her a petite redhead.

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

I’m an aspiring author myself, so I’m drawing a blank. Oh—once you have that first contract, all the books you buy (as well as your laptop) are considered “business expenses” for American tax purposes. According to my husband, I contribute to our family income in the form of deductibles.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?:

I would stop myself from getting that horrible haircut in high school.

What super-power would you choose?:

Teleportation. Words cannot describe how much I hate going through airport security.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:

1.    Become a NY Times bestselling author

2.    Be able to afford a private jet that will take me wherever I want whenever I want

3.    Be able to stay in shape without exercising

Coffee, tea or wine?:

Tea. Specifically, Cacao Mint Black from Teavana (which I just discovered they might have discontinued).

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):

I’m cheating by naming what I think are now 7 books­–the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh

Favourite genre and why?:

I’m not sure I should admit this here, but I have a love affair with paranormal romance.

Favourite colour?:

Let’s see. My laptop’s cover is pink. My keyboard protector is pink. I have a pink Hello Kitty ATM card. My favorite purse and shoes are pink. I’m going to insist it’s purple.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?:

I’m taking a full-time Italian course right now, so I’m on a self-imposed writing break. Nonetheless, I’m mulling over a shifter romance and a fairy tale set in space. By March, one of them will emerge victorious.

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

Catching Red (pre-final blurb) – Coming February 3, 2014

Scarlet “Red” Ryding is on a mission. To prevent mass suicide, she must fulfill her grandmother’s evil wishes and return posthaste. With knives in hand, she dives headfirst into an abandoned hospital full of zombies. But after getting trapped within, she is forced to accept help from the world’s most dangerous predator—a man.

Covert Agent Marcus Woodsman received strict instructions against interfering in the affairs of nomads. As a spy for the Federal Military Agency, his mandate is to observe and report. But when he finds a little redhead caught in the center of a brain-eater swarm, conscience compels him to put his axe to good use. By the time he realizes this smartass scout comes equipped with a world of trouble, it’s too late—he would do anything to keep her safe.

As Red and her Woodsman work together to survive undead, brave a snowstorm, and bring down an evil cult, they learn to laugh, love, and fight for happiness. The second book in Tara Quan’s Undead Fairy Tales series, Catching Red is a post-apocalyptic thriller with a happily ever after.

Consolidated Buy Links: http://www.taraquan.com/books/

Where Readers Can Find Me:

Website: http://www.taraquan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taraquanauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laylatarar

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/taraquan