Top Three Finishers in The Great 2012 SFR Pitch Tournament
TETHERED by Pippa Jay
THE WARLORD'S COMEUPPANCE by Gail Koger
KNIGHT MEDIEVAL by Kaye Manro
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Top Preliminary Heat by Votes -- Team #1 - 171 Total Votes!
Liana Brooks
Carmen Webster Buxton
JC Cassels
Sharon Lynn Fisher
Pippa Jay
Kaye Manro
Jenna McCormick
Sarah Shade
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Winner of the Amazon e-Gift Certificate (Commenter)
Sarah J. McNeal
(Thanks to everyone for your wonderful feedback!)
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A great big thank-you to everyone--voters and participants--who made The Great 2012 SFR Pitch Tournament a huge success!
We received 453 votes with 87 comments during the initial heats, and in the final round, 242 votes with 22 comments, many with valuable information for our authors. This ensured everyone in the Tournament came away a winner!
On behalf of the SFR Brigade, I'd like to extend our sincere appreciation for the enthusiastic support shown by SFR fans and readers for this event.
Below are the seven finalists' pitches from all three heats of the SFR Pitch Tournament. Please vote for your top three choices for best pitch in the poll above to determine the winners of the competition. If you leave feedback to let the authors know what you liked about their pitches, you'll be entered in the drawing for a $15 Amazon e-gift card.
Voting for final round ends Thursday, January 12, at 6 PM Pacific Time.
~~~ Pitch Tournament Final Round ~~~
(In Alphabetical Order by Title)
B Cubed Book One: Born
By Jenna McCormick Post-Apocalyptic erotic romance
Born: Natural born humans are precious few and dwell in darkness.
Bred: Genetically engineered slaves who are the protectors of the Born.
Borg: The cybernetically enhanced enclave that split from the Born humans.
B Cubed
These three factions are all that remains of the human race after the world stopped turning. Scavenging in the darkness for what little is left, the war between them rages on though few know why. It begins with a child’s prophesy and can only end when they unite.
Or die.
From the moment he spies her silhouette cast by the bonfire, Cormack understands what it is to yearn for something he will never possess. Breds are made to provide for the natural born humans, dig their homes deep beneath the surface of the earth and to protect them from the ever-present cyborg threat. A Bred who reaches beyond his station will be recycled immediately, yet Cormack cannot get her visage out of his mind. Until he unearths a box, buried long before the earth stopped spinning.
Task Mistress Allora has no wish to brutalize the Bred worker she finds hoarding treasure, but as a servant of the colony that raised her from infancy, she is duty bound to report anything unusual to the Overlord, even if it costs the blue-eyed man his life. Yet something about the way Cormack watches her forces Allora to reevaluate her understanding of right and wrong. For this genetically engineered soldier is her only protection against the cyborgs who seek what they have discovered, a journal written by the prophetess Cassandra and a way to end the warring between the factions forever.
B Cubed Book One: Born By Jenna McCormick Now Available on: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and ARe PDF
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Forbidden Destiny (Book Two of the Forbidden Series)
By Kaye Manro
Science Fiction Romance/Space Opera
Can their love survive light years across the stars and centuries old archaic law? For Forbidden Lovers, T’Kon and Maya the adventure continues…
It should not have happened.
Something so inconceivable it sends his inherent perceptions spiraling. To make matters worse T’Kon now faces the Asconage Council of Elders, including G’Nore his father. They strip him of his flight privileges. After all, he broke the Realm of Planets formidable rule of no interspecies mating. How could he not? Maya enamors him with a passion so deep it mislays his sense of reasoning. T’Kon contemplates a perilous time travel journey into the past. The problem is a temporal leap will cause him to lose Maya forever…
What the hell can Maya do now? T’Kon warned that hitching a ride on his hyper-space jumping ship would send ripples throughout his Galaxy. His people, the Asconageans disapprove of their relationship and now hold her in confinement away from her alien lover. The thing is T’Kon stirs unimaginable sensual heat inside her, constantly. How could she have stayed behind? Yet Maya must find a way to escape this scorching unbearable planet. What will they do when they discover the secret she harbors?
Knight Medieval - The Quantum Portal Series
By Kaye Manro SFR/Time Travel
While research Archaeologist Alisa Vonn explores the ruins of Calimere Castle she finds a strange devise foreign to the era. When she examines it a temporal rift opens and transports her back to the 12th century, and straight into the arms of Sir Bryan, Knight of Calimere.
If that wasn’t enough, she meets Wyver, a time tampering wizard who in truth turns out to be a Time Dilatation Scientist from far into the future. He promises Alisa a one way passage back to her own time.
Yet the allure of the past and passion-filled nights spent with Bryan give her pause. If she takes Wyver up on his offer, she may never see her sexy knight again.
Coming soon...
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Steamrolled
By Pauline Baird Jones Science fiction romance/steampunk
With all of time at risk, it’s a bad time to fall in love…unless it’s the only time…
Robert Clementyne is going on a transmogrification machine hunt. He fears finding the machine will be as difficult as pronouncing the name. How can the steam-powered device perform as advertised, and how useful can any information be, coming from a steampunk themed bowling alley/museum?
It’s pretty crazy, but he’s been there, done that, and thinks he can handle it.
And then he meets the proprietor/curator…Emily Babcock.
Emily grew up in crazy, still lives in it—hey, it’s her freaking zip code. So no worries when Robert and his team walk into her bowling alley. The first visitors ever to her museum.
But neither of them is prepared for what happens when they open the door to the past…and the future. With a side trip through Roswell…and a face-to-face meeting with an evil genius/wannabe—who is on his way to becoming evil overlord-of-everything…
Stellar Timing
By Jennifer L. Hart Futuristic Romance
In the year 2059, the best part of Ellie MacIntyre's day is her morning coffee and it's all downhill from there. When a talking dog and cat enlist her aid in finding their missing brother, everything she ever knew about the universe is knocked on its keister by a six foot warrior with smoldering dark eyes.
Betrayed by those closest to him, Prince Brennigan was banished to the universal Hotel California, the penal colony called Earth. The only way to escape this fate worse than death is to befriend a portal-maker, a sorci who can open a gateway through time and space and return him to his home planet. Getting along with the magically inclined is not his forte—magic is the prevalent fungus at the root of his problems.
Now the hope for his people, and his heart, lies with Ellie. Can Ellie best an evil sorceress and win the heart of her space prince before this medieval times space opera's final curtain?
Available for purchase or free lending with Amazon Prime membership Kindle
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Tethered
By Pippa Jay Space Opera/Sci-fi Romance
For Loree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something that she was trained to do - it’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone, one of many in Refuge, she’s about to learn her secluded existence - and those of all her kind - is under threat by a race that can neutralize their talents and leave them defenseless…
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the Tier-vane, or risk a conflict that could only end one way…
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a risky deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out humans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love that they share save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
Tethered is a Work in Progress
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The Warlord's Comeuppance
By Gail Koger
Stealing from a warlord and giving him the one finger salute as I made my getaway was not the brightest thing I’d ever done. Okay, it was an incredibly stupid stunt.
Did I mention that this particular Coletti warlord is the most feared in the entire galaxy? That Zarek’s the ultimate predator and even the other warlords are scared spitless of him? That he never ever stops until he either captures or kills his prey?
Yeah, I have the big, bad after me and all because of one little finger. Okay and a Ditrim crystal the size of my fist. Am I worried? Of course, only an idiot doesn’t fear a very angry Coletti warlord. But, I am very good at what I do. Bad news is, so is Zarek.
WELCOME! We're kicking off our Great 2012 SFR Pitch Tournament with three initial heats of eight fabulous Science Fiction Romance pitches each -- 24 pitches by 18 different authors!
Everyone is invited to read and vote for your favorite three pitches in each heat. The two pitches with the most votes in each heat will advance to the final round.
If you add a comment to tell the authors what hooked or intrigued you about their pitch, we're offering a *BONUS!* All comments containing feedback in the Pitch Tournament will be entered into a drawing for a $15 Amazon e-Gift Certificate.
The first rounds of the Pitch Tournament will end Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 6PM Pacific Time. We plan to kick off the final round on Monday, January 9th.
FOR VOTERS PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS HEAT WAS CLOSED TO VOTING AS OF JANUARY 8TH AT 6 PM PACIFIC TIME. CLICK ON THE SFR BRIGADE BANNER AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO VOTE FOR THE FINALIST IN THE FINAL ROUND. Thanks for your support!
There are eight SFR pitches in this Tournament heat (below).
Vote for up to three titles in the poll above with pitches that best capture your interest and compel you to read the story. The two pitches with the most votes will advance to the final round. In case of a tie, both will advance.
Find a story you just have to read? Sales links are included (if available) below each pitch.
The authors would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below with feedback on what elements in the pitches hooked you and you'll be entered in a drawing for an Amazon e-Gift Certificate.
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Tethered
By Pippa Jay Space Opera/Sci-fi Romance
For Loree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something that she was trained to do - it’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone, one of many in Refuge, she’s about to learn her secluded existence - and those of all her kind - is under threat by a race that can neutralize their talents and leave them defenseless…
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the Tier-vane, or risk a conflict that could only end one way…
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a risky deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out humans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love that they share save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
Tethered is a Work in Progress
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The Dimensional Shift
by Frances Pauli Science Fiction with Romantic Elements
Chloe came to the Three Lakes area for the peace and quiet. She happily abandoned the world of retail management, suits and promotions to work as a hotel maid catering to the local tourists. Until Andrew Paige showed up--a suit of the worst kind, the kind that makes her knees weak.
When Andrew offers her a job at his hotel, Chloe is hell bent on resisting, but the Dimensional Shift is no ordinary hotel, and Chloe is immediately tossed into the world of inter-dimensional tourists, their odd accommodations, and a string of thefts that threaten to ruin her chances at romance.
While learning the ropes, dealing with the Shift's unusual guests, and trying to determine if the boss' interest in her is strictly professional, Chloe uncovers a plot to steal the hotel's dimensional keys. With the help of the town gossip, her alien abductee neighbor, and her new invisible best friend, Chloe confronts an inter-dimensional crime ring and a host of complications that make romancing the boss look like the least of her troubles.
The Telomere Trilogy Book 1: Revelations of Tomorrow
By A. R. Norris
The crew of Daring Star salvages a load capsule and finds the beaten body of Jetta McCree. The young woman has discovered her employer developed a biochemical droplet and is contracted with terrorists to manufacture it on a large scale. Captain Noah Bonney fights off corporate security forces, her ex-husband's pirate fleets, and carnivorous beasts to keep the young woman safe and transport her to the safety of the Imperial Home Port.
But the adventure brings to surface demons Noah's been suppressing and secrets from her people's history she's tried to forget. Now, she must face them if she's to reconcile with her daughter and keep the love of her life from leaving. With 450 years under her belt and nothing but eternity ahead of her, she's built a thick shell… one she's not sure she can break.
Stealing from a warlord and giving him the one finger salute as I made my getaway was not the brightest thing I’d ever done. Okay, it was an incredibly stupid stunt.
Did I mention that this particular Coletti warlord is the most feared in the entire galaxy? That Zarek’s the ultimate predator and even the other warlords are scared spitless of him? That he never ever stops until he either captures or kills his prey?
Yeah, I have the big, bad after me and all because of one little finger. Okay and a Ditrim crystal the size of my fist. Am I worried? Of course, only an idiot doesn’t fear a very angry Coletti warlord. But, I am very good at what I do. Bad news is, so is Zarek.
Tin Cat
By Misa Buckley Urban Fantasy/Sci Fi Romance
A year after the accident that put her in a wheelchair, Amber Gerald has more or less gotten used to living with her impairment. It doesn't make a difference to running a comic book store anyway, and the customers have been the best support group she could have wished for.
When she rescues an abandoned cat, Amber has no idea that she's interfering in the mad scheme of a time travelling bank robber. Or that the man that walks into her store dressed like Blade is about to become her bodyguard.
Between being an unwitting owner of an android cat and falling for a cybernetic bounty hunter, Amber finds her life a whole new level of weird as science fiction becomes a very real factual threat.
She may learn to live for love…if vengeance doesn’t kill her first.
Plix spends her lonely, gritty life trying to solve the mysteries her father left behind. Armed with a variety of cybernetic enhancements and a talent for getting into places she shouldn’t be, she searches for clues to his murder—and who’s responsible for poisoning her city.
Waking up on a street corner with her brain wiring fried to a crisp, she figures she must have gotten close this time. There’s only one man she trusts to pull her back from the brink: a tuner who can retrieve the evidence hidden deep in the recesses of her mind. A man she dares not let too close to her heart.
When Edison downloads a secret SynDate schematic from Plix’s burnt-out circuitry, he knows with dreadful finality that nothing—not even the fiery kiss he’s been holding back for years—will stop her from pursuing her quest past the point of insanity.
All he can do, as he helps her plan her final mission, is ease her pain, watch her back…and hope one of them doesn’t pay with their lives.
Lucy in the Sky
By Barbara Elsborg Erotic SF romance MF with a a bit of MM
When you wake up to find a spaceship in your backyard, what do you do? Choose from three:
Phone the police.
Scream.
Go yell at the alien for wrecking your garden.
Lucy storms out of her house to confront the inept pilot and the last option turns out to be both the right and wrong choice when she finds the gorgeous hunk’s name is Three. She’s torn between fury that he’s crushed her roses and decapitated her statue of Eros, and a longing that he enliven her boring life and whisk her to the stars. Three doesn’t give her a choice when he throws her over his broad shoulders and takes her into space. Lucy soon finds herself exploring alien territory in ways she never imagined.
Three’s efforts to hide and protect her on the mother ship are stymied by his inability to keep his hands—and other body parts—off the luscious Lucy, and it looks as if her immediate fate might be a solo trip into space without a spacesuit.
Tangled in Time
By Pauline Baird Jonoes Science ficiton romance/steampunk
Colonel Carey (from The Key and Girl Gone Nova) takes a test "flight" through the Garradian time-space portal, but an unexpected impact lands him somewhere and some when. As he attempts to get to Area 51, he crosses paths with Miss Olivia Carstairs, who could be Mary Poppins' twin sister. Or maybe her cousin.
Olivia's got a transmogrification machine powered by steam and a mouth he'd like to kiss like it was his job. Can he convince her to join forces before she shoots him with her derringer?
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