SFRB Recommends #8: Empire by Michael J Hicks #scifi #romance #scifirom

Empire - Michael J Hicks

This is probably the first book I picked up that I could truly place within the modern SFR genre - that is, since my reading of Anne McCaffrey's novels. It is free on Amazon, and if I could put my reading of it into a single word, it would be 'Wow!' The book is arguably a war story, but it focuses on the brutal military training of Reza Gard, a human captured by the Kreelan Empire (yup, aliens, and about as alien as they can come) and a very unlikely romance.

The vision of this book is incredible, though I must admit I have yet to pluck up the courage to read further in the series. That should not detract from this recommendation, though. It's that one becomes so immersed in the alien mindset and world that coming back to reality almost induces culture shock! An excellent escapist novel - but don't expect it to be a pleasant read, necessarily. The Kreelans are brutal!

Author site: Author Michael J Hicks

Tales from the #SFR Brigade - rare #print edition #giveaway #scifi #romance

As an early Valentine's Day present, the SFR Brigade is proud to be offering an ultra-rare, not-available-to-buy-anywhere print edition of their first anthology - Tales from the SFR Brigade - a collection of eight science fiction romance stories in a range of settings and heat levels that should appeal to a variety of tastes for futuristic romance. Experience love and adventure among the stars in Tales from the SFR Brigade:

• A space captain discovers the cyborg she loves just might be her greatest enemy.
• A mind-wiped prostitute risks all when she recruits a dangerous stranger to help her escape a terrible fate.
• A prisoner-of-war confronts the comrade who loved her, then left her for dead.
• A space-obsessed physics teacher is kidnapped by a far-too-charming alien.
• An apocalypse survivor battles the biomech-enhanced hunter who seeks to capture her.
• A young artist must choose between her comfortable life on Earth or a war-torn space colony with her beloved.
• A daring thief is on the run from the alien law man who is determined to bring her to justice.
• A widowed rebel leader tries to save the last remnants of humanity, one stranger at a time.

From Earth to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, explore the worlds of Science Fiction Romance with stories from Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, Amy Laurens, and Kyndra Hatch.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Tales From The SFR Brigade

by J.C. Cassels

Giveaway ends February 14, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 Enter to win

But if you can't bear to wait and see if you're the lucky winner, don't forget you can download the digital version for FREE from most online retailers.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS
Available for FREE from...
 Amazon US | Amazon UK | ARe
 Smashwords |  B&N | Kobo

The Perfect Hero

I have a thing for heroes. Really, I do! I don't really care about her when I'm reading a romance. I want to know about him. I want to be in his head. It's taken the market many frustrating years to catch up with my reading preferences. While it is getting better, there's still a long way to go before I'm overwhelmed with choices.

Creating heroes is the easy part of a romance for me. Creating her is like climbing Mount Everest with no oxygen tanks. My romance novels are HIS story. His relationships, his past, his future, his issues. I have very firm ideas about what makes a hero, and I'm going to share some of them today.

Right now I'm in love with Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter books. Specifically I'm in love with a 6'8" Atlantean god named Acheron, leader of the Dark Hunters. He has everything I love in a hero: Height, a fierce sense of loyalty, a tragic backstory, will do anything to protect those he loves, tries his best to always act with compassion and kindness, and tries not to hold people's pasts against them. This dude is the KING of tragic pasts. It's a miracle he has any compassion and kindness left in him.

Acheron is my idea of a perfect hero. But it might surprise you what draws me most to him. It's not my undying fascination with Atlantis, or his height, or his tragic past, though all of those things are important to my love of him as a character. It's his compassion. No matter how much he gets stomped on and betrayed by people he should be able to trust, he refuses to give up. Even while his former best friend schemes to kill him he holds on to the hope that one day they can at least tolerate each other again.

My perfect hero is a man of compassion. A man who never gives up, no matter how much life beats him down. He's a warrior with a strong sense of justice and loyalty. He's a protector of those weaker than him, male or female, animal or alien. Most importantly he's not afraid to lay down his life for the one he loves. And he's not afraid for her to know it.

The hero can be a smart-ass, a rogue, have a bad attitude, or any number of other things. So long as he is compassionate and treats his lady (by the end of the story) with kindness and compassion, I will love him.

When heroes walk into my head, and they always come first, they tend to be warriors. Warrior does not mean alpha male as in paranormal romance alpha male. That gets old. A warrior is someone who fights his battles instead of shirking them. Someone who feels a strong sense of responsibility for those under his care. Someone who acknowledges his duty, whatever it may be, and performs it to the best of his ability. They're also noble and put others first.

Don't overlook the importance of having a noble hero. If I don't like your hero I'm not going to finish the book. And if I don't like MY hero, that I created, I'm definitely not going to finish the book.

Rachel Leigh Smith is a romance writer, a geek, and a Southern belle. She lives in Louisiana with a half-crazed calico named Zoe. When not adding words to an SFR novel she’s reading paranormal romance or crafting while watching some type of SF on TV. She’s still unpublished, but hopefully not for long. She also blogs sporadically at www.rachelleighsmith.com and hangs out on Facebook.

Meet the #Author Monday - Misa Buckley

Grace under Fire

 

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a 40yo mum of five, married to a man obsessed by Land Rovers, living in the Manchester area of Britain. I started writing for publication in 2009, with my first story released in 2011. When I'm not writing, I'm usually knitting, reading or watching sci fi on TV.

Tell us about GRACE UNDER FIRE

What inspired you to write this particular story?

It started as a dream after a slightly drunken rewatch of Stargate SG1's Insiders. So... usual source, really. There's half a dozen references to other sci fi shows, not least of which was Doctor Who's The Poison Sky (though there's a different reason for my fire).

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

It varies. For ARCHANGEL (my previous release, which is UF), Gabriel's personality came first, then how he looked and finally his name. On the other hand, I'd got Grace's name and several titles in mind before I developed her character.

Any tips for aspiring authors?

Just write. Ignore the trends or what anyone tells you is THE thing. Write what you want, what excites you. Even if it's been done a thousand times before. There's no new stories, just new ways of telling them. So just write.

Questions for fun:

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

It's tempting to say that I'd go back and start writing sooner, but how would that change things now? I'm mostly happy with my career to date, so no, I'd not change anything.

What super-power would you choose?

The ability to transport myself so I could get to all the conventions I have to miss because of flight costs (and no, I wouldn't choose the power of flight – I'm scared of heights!)

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

To have an agent, to have a publishing deal, and a decent lottery win.

Coffee, tea or wine?

Wine!

What is your favourite book?

Gah, I have so many! I love Pride And Prejudice, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Colour of Magic, Tigana, and every book in the Pern series.

Favourite genre and why?

To write? Sci fi, because that's what I grew up watching and still love (I'm a HUGE Doctor Who fan). But I read diversely across speculative genres and even some contemporary romance.

Favourite colour?

Deep blue.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?

GRACE UNDER FIRE is the first in a series, so keep an eye out for the following stories. ;)

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

Thank you for having me!