Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!


The SFR Brigade Year in Review

As we close out the 2010 year of operation as a SFR community, it's time to take a look back at the parsecs we've covered since our launch in March of this year. 

03-18-10  Launch of the SFR Brigade website.

03-25-10  Announcement of Brigade member Sharon Lynn Fisher being a Golden Heart Finalist. Kylie Griffin, another finalist, will join the Brigade later. 

03-28-10  Igniting the Main Engines and Ready, Stormtroopers? post explains the community concept and puts out a call for volunteers to man the stations.

03-30-10  Our first Twitter Blast and Incoming Transmissions news feature (which would later evolve into the HOAF "Hailing On All Frequencies" info posts managed by Kylie Griffin).

04-01-10  A Twitter Palooza: No Foolin'! features our first book giveaway as Jennifer Leeland offers all three e-books in her Command series-- TAKING COMMAND, RESISTING COMMAND and REGAINING COMMAND as well as her MARKED FOR PLEASURE and Jodi Redford's TAKING LIBERTY.

04-01-10  Our inaugural Book Tagging Party is hosted by Laurie Green

04-03-10  First week recap.  We have 43 members!

04-05-10  We meet our first goal of 50 members!

04-06-10  Our Inaugural Book Launch Party for BLAZE OF GLORY by Sheryl Nantus.

04-10-10  We have 73 members! Sandra Stixrude assumes the Tag Party Coordinator, and five Officer on Deck volunteers help man the brigade--Kaye Manro, Leslie Dow, Liana Brooks, L. L. Rosser, and Vicky Burkholder. 

04-14-10  We now have 83 members!

04-15-10  Linnea Sinclair employs her graphic artist talents to create a series of SFR Brigade banners for our title bars and footers. 

04-18-10  Donna S. Frelick conducts a comprehensive interview with Linnea Sinclair and the author sponsors a three book giveaway.

04-19-10  Our Shiela Contest finalists--Sharon Lynn Fisher and Kylie Short (Griffin) are announced.

04-23-10  We Have an Icon!  The SFR Brigade unveils its brand new shiny icon designed by the very talented cover artist Kanaxa (aka Brigade member Nathalie Grey).

04-25-10  The SFR Brigade has 93 members! Our first shipment of pins has arrived just in time to send out to Jess Granger for the RT Booklovers Convention.

04-30-10  April is our busiest SFR Brigade blog month with 104 posts!

05-02-10  The SFR Brigade launches a web site.  The blog is almost at capacity with just under 100 members.

05-03-10  Brigader Katherine Allred announces her upcoming release CLOSE CONTACT has been selected as an RT Book Reviews Top Pick!

05-03-10  Special Report: A Nightmare in Nashville.  The city of Nashville, Tennessee floods including the Opryland Hotel where the RWA National Conference is scheduled for July.

05-06-10  Laurel Wanrow is announced as a Daphne finalist.

05-16-10 Book Launch Party and giveaway for FORBIDDEN LOVE by Kaye Manro.

05-17-10  Publishers Showcase for Devine Destinies and Samhain Publishing.

05-18-10  Publishers Showcase for Carina Press, Interview with Carina Press Editor Deborah Nemeth.

05-19-10 Publisher Showcase for Ellora's Cave and Liquid Silver Books.

05-20-10 Publishers Showcase for Red Rose Press and Lyrical Press.

05-21-10 Publishers Showcase for Shadowfire Press and Mundania.

05-24-10  Kylie Griffin assumes hosting the Hailing On All Frequency (HOAF) news series.

05-27-10  The SFR Brigade has four PRISM finalists!  Novella category : Ella Drake - FIRESTORM ON E'TERRA. Futuristic category:  Kathy Allred - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, Jess Granger - BEYOND THE RAIN, Linnea Sinclair - HOPE'S FOLLY.

05-30-10  May is our 2nd busiest blog month with 83 posts!

06-08-10 Book Launch Party for CLOSE CONTACT by Katherine Allred.

06-10-10  Jaleta Clegg launches her Best Day Job in the Universe series of weekly articles.  Working at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center The Joy of TeachingNot Today; The Power of Imagination; Last Post.

06-18-10  SFR Brigade hosts the Space Invaders game as a weekend activity on the web site.

06-20-10  SFR Brigade launches a Store on Zazzle.

07-19-10  Book Launch Party for SILVER SERENADE by Nancy J. Cohen.

07-28-10 through 07-31-10  Brigaders attend the 30th Annual RWA National Conference held in Orlando, Florida, including Charlie Allden (Cheryl Alldredge), Ella Drake, Sharon Lynn Fisher, Donna S. Frelick, Jess Granger, Laurie Green, Kylie Griffin, J. C. Hay, Darynda Jones, Lizzie Newel, Lisa Paitz Spindler, Sarah Shade, Karin Shah, and Laurel Wanrow.

08-01-10  Announcement of Decadent Press digital publisher launch.

08-04-10  Frances Pauli reports on being the SFR Brigade Spocon Ambassador (Spokane, Washington)

08-05-10  Kylie Griffin posts a recap: SFR Brigaders Invade RWA 2010

08-06-10  Announcement Dorchester drops mass market for POD, e-book format.

08-09-10  Book Launch Party for WILD CARDS AND IRON HORSES by Sheryl Nantus.

08-14-10  D.L. Jackson announces UK independent press Young Rebel Publications is open for submissions.

08-27-10  A. R. Norris hosts a Publishers Showcase for Desert Breeze Publishing.

09-01-10  Brigaders Pauline Baird Jones and Frances Pauli assume the Briefing Officer/Welcoming Committee duties for new members.

09-13-10  Donna S. Frelick wins a Buffy Award after a win in the TARA Contest, Paranormal category with her SFR WIP, Unchained Memory.

10-01-10  ENEMY WITHIN by Brigader Marcella Burnard is an RT Top Pick!

10-30-10  Book Tagging Results reported.

11-01-10  Our EPIC Award Finalists announced.

11-03-10  Brigader nominees for 2010 RT Book Reviews Awards announced.

12-01-10  Carina Press is named Most SFR Friendly E-Publisher after a poll on SFR Brigade.

12-20-10  The SFR Brigade one of the blog hosts for the Second Annual SFR Holiday Blitz.

12-31-10  The SFR Brigade now has 172 members on the blog and/or web site, and 110 followers.

Here's to a very productive and successful 2011!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thursday Tag Party for 12/30/10!

The last Tag Party for 2010! Another year - and it certainly was a busy one.

This week, we help celebrate with our own Lisa Lane as all of her Darkness and Night books come out in paperback. (Woohoo!)


Here's the quickie manual of how to tag for our first-timers:
  • Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)
  • Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header
  • Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)
  • Don't forget your SFR Brigade Tag!
  • If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'
  • If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)
For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tagging is always welcome.

And now, on to Lisa's lovely, sexy trio of books!






The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee by Lisa Lane

















The Darkness and the Night II: Cosmic Orgasm by Lisa Lane














The Darkness and the Night III: Twins of Darkness by Lisa Lane










From the Tag Party to all our Brigaders - have a safe and happy New Year's Eve and here's to a banner year to come! If you'd like your work featured in the weekly Tag Party next year, please drop me a line at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com .

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Science Update

Happy Tuesday Brigaders!

All us SF Brigaders know the science is as important as the romance in SFR. In my opinion, where we SFR writers excel at bringing out the human and social elements of the story we also excel at infusing the small details of future technology without nauseating the reader with thesis-like paragraphs and chapters. We're good at the details and the subtle world building of the future. So, today I've got pretty cool stuff on some great Science Updates that have great opportunities in SFR.

First up, bandages that change color to let you know your wound is becoming infected. How cool is this futuristic medical treatment? Expand this and you'll have patches, gauze, and medical tape that indicates...whatever. Maybe even blood pressure, heart rate, healing progress...


Next, the sad news that chocolate is going the way of the dinosaurs. Don't fret, it's not anytime soon but still, it gives pause for thought. When you're writing, what of today's commodities will not be around, in proximity, or evolved into something else? To tell the truth, I haven't really explored this concept in many of my works but it has intrigued by the ideas and will definitely infuse some of this in my next works. Thinking beyond just the fact that a yummy treat will be going away, we need to think of the full implications. Cocoa beans are a commodity ...

Okay, I'm starting to get too excited so I better hurry and get to the most exciting find. What we Sci-Fi geeks have been waiting for...Light bending camouflage. 'Nuff said. Check it out. I'm struck speechless and typeless yet again at this news. There's been work on military flight camouflage but this new metamaterial research is going to open up doors for all kinds of smaller scale ideas and more field battle uses. I imagine a futuristic Patton play. Not just creating a false military site, but hiding our military posts, our men in the field, our ground vehicles, and our small reconnaissance flyers...



For the full article, please feel free to stop by Adventures of a Sci-Fi Writer.

Monday, December 27, 2010

SFR Holiday Blitz Winners

The winner of the SFR Holiday Blitz at the SFR Brigade is:

PinkStuff28

Congratulations! You've won copies of Jess Granger's BEYOND THE SHADOWS, Angelia Sparrow's SKY-RAT, and Autumn Dawn's SOLAR FLARE. I'll be contacting you shortly for your address information.

Thanks to everyone who entered. See you again next year!

Hailing On All Frequencies (for the last time)!

NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER NEEDED!
This is my last week of posting Hailing On All Frequencies! Due to time constraints, I'm signing off as chief collater and information gatherer for this weekly round-up.
If any Brigader would like to take over this commission (feel free to use the same format if you like) then please contact Laurie Green and she'll happily let you take your place on the bridge at the communications station.
Thank you to everyone who's sent in information and snippets - it's been a pleasure promoting SFR and our Brigaders!
Kylie Griffin - Comms Officer - signing off...

Merry Christmas, Brigaders, and may 2011 be a year of achieving all your writing goals!

NEW RELEASES
Mel Teshco's latest release is MOON THRALL. Available from Ellora's Cave early next year (date to be confirmed).




Jennifer Leelan and Mima are releasing their anthology BOUND AMONG THE STARS on Dec.20th at Liquid Silver Books.










MEMBERS' NEWS
Mel Teshco's book, ICE-COLD LOVER, has been nominated for a CAPA award in the Paranormal Erotic category. Congratulations, Mel! The Cupid & Psyche Awards are given by The Romance Studio for excellence in romantic and erotic fiction. Results will be announced on Valentine's Day 2011.
The SFR Holiday Blitz has started!
The SFR Brigade will be participating.  The event runs until December 26th with free books to be awarded on December 27th. This is the 2nd annual event and it's bigger and better for 2010, with 15 participating blogs, and over 50 SFR books to be given away by at least 33 participating authors!

BLOGGING
Erica Hayes has posted a list of achievements accomplished in "This year, and what I did".
Over at Kylie Griffin's blog this week...
25th Dec. - Christmas is...a time of giving books, of course! 
27th Dec. - Talented Aussie & Kiwi Authors - check out some great authors from Down Under!
30th Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview - Alli Sinclair - a writer who hails from Oz
1st Jan. - Need a Useful Link or Two? - a smattering of blog articles I found useful in 2010

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Angry Robot will be opening their doors to unsolicited manuscripts in the month of March 2011.

And this is what they are looking for:
We’re publishing novels, either standalone or as part of greater series. We’re not looking to publish your novellas, short stories or non-fiction at this time.

All our books are “genre” fiction in one way or another — specifically fantasy, science fiction, horror, and that new catch-all urban or modern fantasy. Those are quite wide-ranging in themselves; we’re looking for all types of sub-genre, so for example, hard SF, space opera, cyberpunk, military SF, alternate future history, future crime, time travel, and more. We have no problem if your book mashes together two or more of these genres; in fact, we practically insist upon it.

Our books will be published in all English-language territories — notably the UK, US and Australia — so we’ll be buying rights to cover all those. If you are only offering rights in one territory, we will not be able to deal with you. We will be able to offer e-book and audio versions as standard too, plus limited edition and multiple physical formats where appropriate. We are not contracting any work-for-hire titles; we offer advances and royalties.

Beyond all of this, what we’re really looking for in your writing is this:
• A “voice”, that comes from…
• Confident writing
• Pacy writing
• Characters that live, have real relationships and emotions, even in extreme situations
• A sense of vision, a rounded universe that lives and breathes
• Clever construction, good plotting, a couple of surprises even for us jaded old read-it-alls
• Heightened experience – an intensity, extremity or just a way of treating plot or situation in a way we’ve not come across before.

Here's the link for details.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

A Very Merry Star Wars Holiday Special

The odds of seeing a truly entertaining Star Wars Holiday Special are approximately three thousand six hundred and twenty seven to one...

Hats off to Gamervision for pulling it off!



Happy Holidays from the SFR Brigade!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thursday Tag Party for 12/23/10!

Holiday wishes from the Tag Party to all of our Earthly and Otherworldly friends. No matter how much of a skeptic you are, this is the time of year for believing.

What you choose to believe is up to you. (Hey, there are 500 confirmed planets out there already and we've just started counting! The possibilities are multiplying like tribbles.)

Oh, yes, I do have books for tagging this week, let's not forget.


The short list (no need to check it twice) for any new sugar plum fairies, er, taggers:
  • Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)
  • Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header
  • Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)
  • Don't forget your SFR Brigade Tag!
  • If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'
  • If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)
For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tagging is always welcome.




Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy (the paperback edition)

















Starjacked by Karin Shah

















A Greater Art by Ainsley Davidson














Always on the lookout for YOUR SFR books - new or old releases on Amazon that we haven't featured yet. And any stray space pirate captains, you can gift wrap them and send those along, too. Send me a message at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com and I'll add you to the schedule.

REMINDER: HOAF news! (last for 2010)

This is your last chance to send any of the following information to me, Brigaders!

After the 27th I'm signing off as your Comms Officer!
  • a new release
  • interesting blog post
  • contest news - finalist, place or win?
  • a book reviews - either one you've done or one done on your book by someone else?
  • a link to a good article or website
  • a contest running on your site or blog
  • give-aways on your website or blog
  • free stories on your website or blog
  • a blog tour for your new book
  • an upcoming birthday
  • attending a convention
  • just signed with an agent
  • sold a book
  • industry news
  • heard of an SFR contest our members could enter
Email kyliegriffin (at) clearmail (dot) com (dot) au

Monday, December 20, 2010

Shining the Book Promotion Spotlight on Gary Starta

Shining the Book Promotion Spotlight on Gary Starta

The SFR Holiday Blitz is Here!



The SFR Brigade welcomes you to the SFR Holiday Blitz. We’re all about sharing the science fiction romance joy, and to make it easy for readers to claim science fiction romances of their very own, 33 authors have teamed up with 15 bloggers for your chance to win a selection of over 50 science fiction romance books.

Entering is easy peasy: Just leave a comment. Then visit the other participating blogs, which are listed below for your convenience. Many of the blogs feature print & ebook prizes for readers around the globe, so be sure to visit them all.

The deadline to enter is midnight at EST on Sunday, December 26. The winners will be announced on Monday, December 27 (but feel free to include your email address with your comment).

Curious about what you can win here at the SFR Brigade?

One winner will be picked at random to win the following prizes:



An e-copy of SKY-RAT by Angelia Sparrow (steampunk)
An e-copy of SOLAR FLARE by Autumn Dawn (space opera)
A print copy of BEYOND THE SHADOWS by Jess Granger

Here are links to the other participating blogs:

The Galaxy Express

SpacefreightersLounge

SFR Brigade

GeekMom

Lisa Paitz Spindler

Enduring Romance

Smart Girls Love Sci Fi & Paranormal Romance

SciFi Guy

Dirty Sexy Books

Love Romance Passion

Panic in the Lingerie!

Queen of the Frozen North

vvB32 Reads

Corrina Lawson

Flying Whale Productions

Thanks for visiting!

Hailing On All Frequencies!

Well, the 25th is fast approaching and for those of us who celebrate Christmas, I'd like to wish you a safe and relaxing holiday.

May you celebrate this special time of year with your family and friends and remember the true message behind the "reason for the season". 

Merry Christmas, Brigaders!

NEW RELEASES
Jennifer Leelan and Mima are releasing their anthology BOUND AMONG THE STARS on Dec.20th at Liquid Silver Books.










Erica Hayes' Book 4 in the Shadowfae Chronicles, BLOOD CURSED, is due for release on 2nd August, 2011 in the US & UK.










Francis Pauli has a new release, her holiday diesel punk, LORDS OF OAK AND HOLLY. It came out on the 15th from Devine Destinies.










MEMBERS' NEWS
Laurie Green and Jennifer Hart have placed in the HF/SF/F section of the RWA FFP On The Far Side contest. Final results below. Well done, ladies!
Hard SF/SF/F: Danielle Rose Poiesz, Editor, Penguin
1st: Jennifer Hart - "Stellar Timing"
2nd: Elizabeth Struble - "StarWay to Paradise"
3rd: Laurie Green - "The Outer Planets"
For a full set of results, click on this link.

The SFR Brigade will be participating in the SFR Holiday Blitz this year.  The event begins Monday morning, December 20th and lasts until December 26th with free books to be awarded on December 27th. This is the 2nd annual event and it's bigger and better for 2010, with 15 participating blogs, and over 50 SFR books to be given away by at least 33 participating authors! Mark your calendar and stay tuned.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER NEEDED!
December 27th, 2010 will be my last week of posting Hailing On All Frequencies! Due to time contraints, I'm signing off as chief collater and information gatherer for this weekly round-up.
If any Brigader would like to take over this commission (feel free to use the same format if you like) then please contact Laurie Green and she'll happily let you take your place on the bridge at the communications station.
Thank you to everyone who's sent in information and snippets - it's been a pleasure promoting SFR and our Brigaders!
Kylie Griffin - Comms Officer

BLOGGING
Maree Anderson has been a guest all this week at the following blogs (and giving away free copies of her latest release, FROM THE ASHES) - Dark Side DownUnder and Helene Young's blog.

Over at Kylie Griffin's blog this week...
13th Dec. - The 12 Days of Christmas - a light-hearted list of things to do before the big day
16th Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview with Chris Taylor
19th Dec. - You Know You're a Paranormal Author When...poking fun (in a nice way, myself included) at those who write in this genre
23rd Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview with Maggie Le Page - a writer who hails from Quake-City (Christchurch), New Zealand
25th Dec. - Christmas is...a time of giving books, of course! 

BOOK REVIEWS, GIVE-AWAYS & BOOK SIGNINGS
Francis Pauli kicked off book two of her Space Slug saga, a free SFR read. Both book one and the new, SLUG OPERA, can be found at this link along with the Space Slug Galaxy Guide and Slugationary. 

Erica Hayes is visiting the Dark Side DownUnder blog on Thursday 16th Dec for Magic Thursday and is giving away a copy of POISON KISSED (Bk 3 in the Shadowfae Chronicles) to one lucky person who leaves a comment. 

INFORMATION OF INTEREST
From the Irene Goodman Agency website. Might be of interest to some of you:

"Irene Goodman will be conducting a live webinar on Thursday, December 16th, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on How an Agent Picks a Client: From Query to Career.
This event will give you an inside look at exactly what goes through an agent’s mind through each step of the submission process when  making this all-important decision. And with this peek inside an agent’s mind, writers will see what makes a query letter stand out, what makes an agent request sample pages or a book proposal, and how agents evaluate single titles vs. a book series.
In addition to instructing, Irene Goodman will be taking questions live during the webinar. No question goes unanswered."

Here is the registration link.

"All registrants are invited to submit either a query letter or the first page of a manuscript (300 words or fewer for each) immediately after the event. All submissions will receive a critique from the instructor. (All the instructor's funds will be donated to charity—specifically: the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation.)"

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Tag Party Suffers An Engine Glitch

Due to my holiday senility, we have no Tag Party this week. My apologies to everyone.

I will do my best to get a post together for next week - so...

Any suggestions, requests, demands or pictures of naked Petari males should be sent to me at:
ravenesperanza@yahoo.com

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

REMINDER: HOAF news!

Send any of the following information to me, Brigaders!
a new release
interesting blog post
contest news - finalist, place or win?
a book reviews - either one you've done or one done on your book by someone else?
a link to a good article or website
a contest running on your site or blog
give-aways on your website or blog
free stories on your website or blog
a blog tour for your new book
an upcoming birthday
attending a convention
just signed with an agent
sold a book
industry news
heard of an SFR contest our members could enter

Email kyliegriffin (at) clearmail (dot) com (dot) au

RWA FFP 2010 On The Far Side

The contest results for the RWA FFP Chapter On the Far Side contest are now up...and if you look closely, we have 2 Brigaders who've placed in the HSF/SF/F section!

Hard SF/SF/F: Danielle Rose Poiesz, Editor, Penguin
1st: Jennifer Hart - "Stellar Timing"
2nd: Elizabeth Struble - "StarWay to Paradise"
3rd: Laurie Green - "The Outer Planets"

Well done, Jennifer & Laurie!!!

To see the full results, use this link.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

First post and book giveway!

I joined the SFR Brigade a while back, but this is my first official post. And I’ve got a box of gently used science fiction romance books to give away to make more space on my bookshelf.

Included are titles by SFR authors, Susan Grant, Patti O’Shea, Susan Kearney, Catherine Asaro, Kristin Landon and others, 14 books in all, and every one is a science fiction romance. The copyrights vary, but none are older than the 1990’s.

To be eligible to win the box of books, just leave a comment on this post today with a way for me to contact you if you win. I’ll pick a winner at random tomorrow and announce it in the comments.

Good luck!


Monday, December 13, 2010

Hailing On All Frequencies!

NEW RELEASES
Erica Hayes' Book 4 in the Shadowfae Chronicles, BLOOD CURSED, is due for release on 2nd August, 2011 in the US & UK.


Francis Pauli has a new release this week, her holiday diesel punk, LORDS OF OAK AND HOLLY, is coming out on the 15th from Devine Destinies.







 
Pauline Baird Jones' new release, TANGLED IN TIME, is available from L&L Dreamspell Publishing in digital and available for pre-order in print.
Sara Creasy's CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS (sequel to SONG OF SCARABAEUS) will be out in March 2011 with Harper Voyager.










MEMBERS' NEWS
The SFR Brigade will be participating in the SFR Holiday Blitz this year.  The event begins Monday morning, December 20th and lasts until December 26th with free books to be awarded on December 27th. This is the 2nd annual event and it's bigger and better for 2010, with 15 participating blogs, and over 50 SFR books to be given away by at least 33 participating authors! Mark your calendar and stay tuned.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER NEEDED!
December 27th, 2010 will be my last week of posting Hailing On All Frequencies! Due to time contraints, I'm signing off as chief collater and information gatherer for this weekly round-up.
If any Brigader would like to take over this commission (feel free to use the same format if you like) then please contact Laurie Green and she'll happily let you take your place on the bridge at the communications station.
Thank you to everyone who's sent in information and snippets - it's been a pleasure promoting SFR and our Brigaders!
Kylie Griffin - Comms Officer

BLOGGING
Over at Kylie Griffin's blog this week...
9th Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview with Jenn J.McLeod
12th Dec. - A Few Good Books - some recommended readings
13th Dec. - The 12 Days of Christmas - a light-hearted list of things to do before the big day
16th Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview with Chris Taylor

On Dec. 18th, Verona St.James will be hosting SF author Vijaya Schartz on her blog as she talks about her two ongoing SFR series The Ancient Enemy and her upcoming release, The Chronicles of Kassouk. 

NEW MEMBERS
Please welcome our newest member:
  • Suzanne Hamilton
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Samhain Publishing is seeking submissions for their November 2011 End of Days themed anthology. Stories can be of any genre or heat level, and submissions are open to M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof, but all submissions must feature either an apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic theme (or both) as integral to the story. Submissions should be 20,000 to 30,000 words in length. All stories must end with a happy ever after for the hero and heroine. For more details check out their Submissions page.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST
Dear Author has an interesting little discussion about the kinds of author promotions that work and don't work, and some readers weighed in on what works for them in the comment thread.

A very helpful post called Through the Plot Hole over at The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood focuses on techniques to help you fix holes in your plot. Worth a read!

Friday, December 10, 2010

TANGLED IN TIME Gets Five Books from LASR! :-)

Long and Short Romance posted their review of Tangled in Time today and gave it 5 books! Here's a snippet from the review:

"I love original plots, quirky characters and surprises and I enjoyed every minute of Tangled in Time. Do read."


This means that the novella is up for their Best Book of the week. Voting begins tomorrow and ends Sunday evening. If you're online tomorrow and feel like it, please stop here and vote for your favorite!



Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thursday Tag Party for 12/9/10!

SFR Brigade recently did a poll on SFR friendly e-pubs and Liquid Silver Publishing was on the list. Today, I thought it would be fun to feature some of the wide variety of SFR they have over there. (From our Brigaders, of course ;) )

A basic how-to if you're a virginal Tagger:
  • Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)
  • Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header
  • Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)
  • Don't forget your SFR Brigade Tag!
  • If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'
  • If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)
For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tagging is always welcome.

Now on to our Liquid Silver covers and links for this week!


Unity by Kim Knox




Commanded to Yield by Jennifer Leeland

Searching the e-verse for YOUR SFR books - new or old releases on Amazon that we haven't featured yet. Or, if you have a device that will give me about six extra hours in a day, I'll take that, too. Send me a message at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com and I'll add you to the schedule.

REMINDER: HOAF news

Send any of the following information to me, Brigaders!
 
a new release
interesting blog post
contest news - finalist, place or win?
a book reviews - either one you've done or one done on your book by someone else?
a link to a good article or website
a contest running on your site or blog
give-aways on your website or blog
free stories on your website or blog
a blog tour for your new book
an upcoming birthday
attending a convention
just signed with an agent
sold a book
industry news
heard of an SFR contest our members could enter

 
Email kyliegriffin (at) clearmail (dot) com (dot) au

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What Draws Me to Write What I Do

Join me at The New Sensuality to chat about meshing literary elements with erotica, sci-fi, and horror.

Brigaders: what elements do you like to add to your sci-fi?

Monday, December 6, 2010

Claire de Lune: Dual Author Interview


How on earth (or elsewhere) did two authors from opposite sexes and opposite genres--science fiction and erotic romance--ever get to join forces for a sexy mystery novel set on the moon? Head on over to the lovely Beth Anderson's blog to find out.

Hint: I'm the manly sci-fi half. ("Who's scruffy-looking?")

In the meantime, here's the blurb for Claire de Lune, our daring eBook recently released at Amber Quill Press - Amber Heat. (Paperback coming soon).

CLAIRE DE LUNE by Sloane Taylor & Robert Appleton

You’re invited to the galaxy’s most prestigious beauty pageant. Clothing optional. Romance and danger…fully provided…

Cocky young detectives Gerry Rappeneau and Sebastian Thorpe-Campbell arrive at the premier lunar resort expecting a week of eye candy and long massages. With a half-billion-credit purse up for grabs, this year’s pageant is the focus of a hundred worlds. And beauty isn’t the only thing in the eye of the beholder.

One contestant, Evelyn Lyons, is attacked and her assailant killed. Surely a simple case of a stalker gone mad, as nothing bad ever happens at the Selene contest. So the brochure says.

The closer Gerry gets to Evelyn, the more he is convinced she’s hiding something. His meticulous character sparks with her wild, sassy nature, and they embark on a torrid affair. Their forbidden romance isn’t the only thing set to ignite in Pont de Reves.

Sebastian’s infatuation with demure Claire Villiers, another contestant, threatens to put all four of them in harm’s way. A deadly trail of corporate conspiracy, monstrous assassins and hot bikini wax is more than anyone bargained for in this incendiary erotic mystery. Get ready for some serious heat on the dark side of the moon.

See you there,

Robert Appleton

Hailing On All Frequencies!

NEW RELEASES
Frances Pauli's new SFR release, THE DIMENSIONAL SHIFT, was released on Nov. 24th from Awe-Struck Publishing.

Pauline Baird Jones' new release, TANGLED IN TIME, is available from L&L Dreamspell Publishing in digital and available for pre-order in print.










Sara Creasy's CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS (sequel to SONG OF SCARABAEUS) will be out in March 2011 with Harper Voyager.


E.D.Walker has a new release out this week, HEIR TO THE UNDERWORLD, from Sapphire Blue Publishing. It's a YA fantasy novel dealing with ancient gods, the Wild Hunt, fairies & other supernatural shenanigans.









MEMBERS' NEWS
Marva Dasef's SFR, ULTIMATE DUTY, is now out in print as well as ebook. It was released on Nov.7th by Eternal Press.
Remy Belieux, a woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive 
factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted 
into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves 
her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. 
Now, she must decide what to believe, where her ultimate duty lies, and 
fight for more than her life against impossible odds.
Available from Eternal Press PDF, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Print.
She also has a spacey, cool trailer. Click here. 

BLOGGING
Over at Kylie Griffin's blog this week...
2nd Dec. - Romance Rocks! Some statistics about romance sales.
6th Dec. - The Gifted Gecko - craft of a different sort (with a give-away!)
9th Dec. - Who's That Girl? Interview with Jenn J.McLeod
12th Dec. - A Few Good Books - some recommended readings

BOOK REVIEWS, SIGNINGS & GIVE-AWAYS
Marcella Burnard will be at the PNWA Writers Cottage in Gilman Village in Issaquah, WA (just outside of Seattle) on 12/8/2010 from 3-6pm for a book signing. This is a multi-author signing/holiday party. Everyone is welcome!

INFORMATION OF INTEREST
An interesting post for all published authors on the Importance of Tracking World Rights at Pub Rants this week.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Desert Breeze Opens to Submissions!

Submissions are open at Desert Breeze Publishing! We are seeking manuscripts to fill our fall and holiday 2011 release schedule. At Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., we are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 30,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 65,000 and 90,000 words. We are more than willing to accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed and the series
has been thoroughly formulated. We are also willing to look at rereleases as long as proof of release can be provided and the author can submit new work as well.

We are looking for submissions in all of the following romance sub-genres:

Contemporary Romance
Romantic Suspense
Romantic Comedy/Humorous Romance
Inspirational/Christian Romance -
Both Traditional Christian Romance and Edgier Christian Romance
Fantasy Romance
Paranormal Romance
Time Travel Romance
Science Fiction Romance/Futuristic Romance/Speculative Fiction Romance (emphasis mine)
Steampunk Romance
Urban Fantasy Romance
Modern Cowboy Romance
20th Century Historical Romance (1901 through the Viet Nam War)
Historical Romance (Prior to the 1900's)
YA Romance in all sub genres

We love romance, and we love happy endings. Now, a happy ending doesn't have to be wedding bells and proposals -- but leave us no doubt that your hero and heroine could easily ride off into the sunset together.

We are specifically looking to add some holiday themed books to our November and December 2011 release schedule. Books can be between 25k and 100k, and can focus either heavily on a holiday, or have the holiday as a backdrop theme. You can write around Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year...
And books can be in any genre listed.

Desert Breeze Publishing is a royalty paying publisher of romance in electronic novel format. We publish from the sweet to the heated, with the exclusion of erotica or erotic romance and GLBT/alternative lifestyles. Our
books are currently distributed through Amazon and Amazon UK for Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Books on Board, All Romance eBooks, Kobo, and the Apple iBookstore for distribution in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. All our Inspirational/Christian Romances are available at Christianbook.com.

Full submission guidelines, along with instructions for submitting, can be found at our website:
http://www.DesertBreezePublishing.com under Submissions. We strongly encourage authors who are interested in submitting to also review our FAQ page, so you can understand more about DBP as a
whole.

We anticipate a 4-6 week response time to all queries.

Thanks!

Gail R. Delaney
Editor-In-Chief
Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc

Thursday Tag Party for 12/2/10!

This week, thought it would be fun to do a Linnea Sinclair retrospective. Linnea has blazed the way for lots of us writing SFR and in this selection, we have Kindle books, paperbacks and audio books (how fun!)

The short run-down if it's your first tagging expedition:
  • Go to the Amazon buy page (I've included the links below)
  • Scroll down to the Tags Customers Associate with this Product header
  • Look for these tags: SFR, Scifi Romance, SF Romance, Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance - please feel free to add any extra tags you feel are appropriate to the work (i.e. Space Opera, Military SF, etc.)
  • Don't forget your SFR Brigade Tag!
  • If the tags are already there, just click on them to add your 'vote'
  • If not, type them into the 'your tags' box to add them (no need to save the page, just type and add)
For a list of past Tag Party books, come on over to the Book Launch and Tag Party Books page. Tagging is always welcome.

Now on to our list of Linnea lovelies:



Finders Keepers (paperback) by Linnea Sinclair
















Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair













Shades of Dark by Linnea Sinclair














Hope's Folly (the audio edition) by Linnea Sinclair











My scan techs and I are on the hunt for YOUR SFR books - new or old releases on Amazon that we haven't featured yet. You can help. If you any suggestions, requests, or know where I can get a good Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, send me a message at ravenesperanza@yahoo.com and I'll add you to the schedule.

SFR Brigade Bases of Operation