Welcome back to the second part of our Samhain Publishing feature! If you’re looking for part one, you only need to snap your fingers twice and click here.
Ready to go? Great!
Science fiction romance, like its parent genre, involves speculative aspects. That applies to the romance every bit as much as the science. After all, just because SFR involves a romance doesn’t mean the worlds, technologies, and characters shouldn’t be otherworldly, exotic, or even disturbing. And one of the exciting aspects of this sub-genre is its potential to explore romances with really dark themes, or those based on different cultural romance models.
Not only that, but why limit SFR to male/female? The “What if” question can also extend to various other relationship types, such as m/m, f/f, m/m/f, f/m/f...and alien! (I think you get the painted picture here.)
Let's push a few envelopes, people!
That's why I see so much potential here for all SFR authors. Samhain is about nurturing niche market genres. SFR could be many things to its readers--classic comfort reads, experimental tales, or somewhere in between.
Before we get to my interview with Angela James, I’d like to shine a deserving spotlight on some of Samhain’s authors--particularly those who fall under the science fiction romance umbrella.
So please...explore the links below. Chef is passing around simosas and chilled glasses of mango lassi while you browse.
To aid you, Samhain’s Discover New Authors! feature serves up links to nuevo authors such as Maria Zannini, Michael Amos, Bettie Sharpe, and J. L. Langley.
Now for the main course--some of which is rilly hawt and spicy! You'll find links to the various author Web sites, their corresponding Samhain pages, and other articles of interest here:
Jordanna Kay – THE PRICE OF DISCOVERY & TABOO. (FYI, TGE regular Lisa Paitz Spindler designed the cover!)
Bianca D’Arc – The Resonance Mates series, beginning with HARA’S LEGACY
Liz Kreger—FORGET ABOUT TOMORROW & PROMISE FOR TOMORROW
(Side note: Liz Kreger was just nominated for a Romantic Times Reader’s Choice Award for her book PROMISE FOR TOMORROW in the “Small Press Contemporary Paranormal/Futuristic” category. Congratulations, Liz!)
Katriena Knights – EARTHCHILD & STARCHILD
Liz Craven – PROPHESIED & IMMERSED
Kim Knox – 7% AND RISING
Ann Somerville – INTERSTITIAL, ON WINGS, RISING, & REACHING HIGHER
Isabo Kelly - THE PROMISE OF KIERNA' RHOAN
And if your taste leans toward SF with romantic elements--and since you're here, I'm betting they do--Samhain offers the following authors:
Robert Leader – THE SWORD LORD, SWORD EMPIRE, & SWORD DESTINY
Sara Reinke – TETHERS (in this story, the heroine’s a mom!)
Saje Williams – TALES FROM THE MAGITECH LOUNGE, DEATH OF HEROES, SWORD AND SHADOW
Hope you had fun finding new reads--I know I did! And now, sit back and enjoy our feature presentation:
The Interview
The Galaxy Express: I've heard you're a fan of FIREFLY. Please take a moment to gush about why it appeals to you.
Angela James: Firefly has this perfect mix of otherworld appeal, romance, humor and fantastic character development and interactions. There isn't a character on that show who's not got an interesting past, present and future. Add in the action, the amazing dialogue and well—seriously, what's not to love? Except that it ended much, much too early. TGE: What are some of your other favorite SF books and movies?
AJ: In books, I'm a fan of Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series. I've been a long time fan of Linnea Sinclair's work—so long ago that it was when she was writing under a different name for a small, small press. I also enjoy any books by Elizabeth Moon, Eve Kenin, S.L. Viehl, and Kristine Smith. I could think about this all day and still probably miss a bunch.
TGE: You've expressed an interest in acquiring science fiction with romantic elements for Samhain. What kinds of stories/story elements would you like to see?
AJ: Yes, I really love science fiction but sadly, we very rarely see any submitted to Samhain. I'm not sure if it's that not many people are writing it, or that they don't know we really want to publish it. I've often said I'd do bad things to see a great science fiction romance in the vein of Firefly, with that Old West feel, amazing characters, romance and action. But above all, there are three things I want to see in a science fiction submission 1) a romantic element 2) a well-developed sense of world building and 3) characters (both main and secondary) that I can fall in love with or be invested in. That's why Firefly works—the characters come alive for the audience. You want to know them, be their friend and hang out with them. Those are the characters I want in a book.
TGE: Other than an excellent story, what can aspiring science fiction romance authors do to increase their odds of being published with Samhain?
AJ: Do their research. Know what we're looking for, what our business is about, what we're looking for in a submission. Then, before you submit, edit, edit, edit. Not just your manuscript, but your query letter and synopsis too.
TGE: In a general sense, how are science fiction romance e-books selling these days?
AJ: There is definitely a market for them. A thirsty market since everyone seems to want to write in the paranormal genre, and not too many in the science fiction romance genre.
TGE: Science fiction romance is currently a niche market. What are your projections about its future?
AJ: Any niche market is always going to have a future, because there's always going to be a group of people who are hungry for it. Will it grow beyond a nice market to the next big trend? Anything is possible with the right books!
TGE: Please tell us about any Samhain books in the science fiction romance/romantic SF category that would appeal to readers of this blog.
AJ: We have a nice handful of authors who've published books in the science fiction romance subgenre, including Liz Kreger, Katriena Knights and Liz Craven. There are a few less that published science fiction with minor romantic elements but there are a few like Robert Leader, Sara Reinke and Saje Williams.
Ms. James, thank you so much for your time and insights! I’ve really enjoyed having you and your authors aboard The Galaxy Express!
Joyfully yours,
Heather
22 comments:
Ms. James said, "Yes, I really love science fiction but sadly, we very rarely see any submitted to Samhain. I'm not sure if it's that not many people are writing it, or that they don't know we really want to publish it. I've often said I'd do bad things to see a great science fiction romance"
I can think of two things. As soon as an author lands on the website, he or she is struck with highly sexual cover art. If he or she braves that, maybe because they've read interviews like this one, he or she might pop over to Submissions. There, at this time, he or she will read that Samhain is accepting Romance only. Now, the manuscript may be a Science Fiction Romance, but if the graphic cover art is any indication Samhain is only interested in Erotic or Highly Sensual Heat Levels. The Science Fiction part of the equation is not a priority. Would Samhain really take a Romantic Science Fiction novel seriously? What if the Heat Level never gets past the bedroom door? What if the heroine actually gets knocked up from all that Hot Nookie in Outer Space? What if the man she loves is or looks African American? What if she's a single mom? Who's actually lovingly involved with her child? What if she's over forty?
On the face of it, the Samhain website does not appear to be receptive to anything except Erotic or Highly Sensual Romance, which can have Science Fictiony elements, but the Hero and/or Heroine must be or appear white, between the ages of 25 and 35, and childless. If this perception is incorrect, please let me know! I'd love to be wrong.
I understand sex sells, but it's everywhere in the Romance novel publishing industry right now. I need to know what sets Samhain's novels apart from the Endless Parade of Sameness.
Angela I'm one of the writers who didn't know you accepted SciFi, and the highly sexual nature of a lot of the books you publish kind of pushed me away - my books have sexual tension but not much in the way of fulfilling that. Are you interested in SciFiRom books that don't push the sexual boundaries?
Heather great post as always.
In the m/m genre, there are a number of sci-fi authors at Samhain (so ignored by our chief editor, sniff)
Me (Ann Somerville)
Emily Veinglory
J L Langley
Ally Blue has a fantasy story out, and there are number of paranormals of course.
Kimber An, Samhain definitely take non-erotic stories, so long as they're romantic. And my Angels in 'On Wings, Rising' have black skin (and is shown in that way on the cover.) I can honestly say the racial identity of the couple is not a factor.
"I've been a long time fan of Linnea Sinclair's work—so long ago that it was when she was writing under a different name for a small, small press."
What?! What was the name and how do I get my hands on these books??? :-)
I do have to agree with some of the other comments that Samhain looks like it has to be sex-heavy for a work to be accepted. I'm working on a SFR (in the vein of Linnea Sinclair, of course) but don't feel like Samhain's readers would be satisfied with the amount of sex in it.
On further thought, it's my opinion that Samhain really needs to update it's website. As a blogging book reviewer, I know of readers I could send to Samhain but I don't because of the explicit cover art. Re-organize the website. Seperate the Erotica to its own website, linked, but seperate. Reorganize the site to make it pleasant and easy for readers to find what they're looking for. Remember, they're busy and tired. It's frustrating to search for the stories they'll love in the Endless Parade of Sameness. Frustrated readers give up and go to the library instead. They usually won't try again unless strongly encouraged by someone they can count on.
Clearly, Samhain is dedicated to finding out what readers really want and then giving it to them. I've noticed Samhain really goes the extra mile to do that. I think it will pay off in this ailing economy too. Readers are frustrated. A publisher which can provide some relief will do well, I think.
Normally I'd thank Heather for posting my link and leave it at that. (Thanks, Heather!) :) But I would like to say, that although MY work is erotic, Samhain does in fact, publish all levels of romance from sweet to menage to m/m.
In response to the first commenter, I'd have to say that IMO, Samhain is very open to interracial romance. I/R, as I've seen it called, is not something anyone at Samhain shies away from. So the idea that your characters have to be "white" to be accepted at Samhain is patently untrue. From my observations, there's not as many people writing I/R, so the ratio of such stories isn't high. My friend, Eve Vaughn, comes to mind and maybe a few others, but it's really still a niche that few authors have ventured into.
I write alien romances but the mythos is based on an invasion of Earth by "Alvians" who have been here before and are the basis for our legends of elves. So my aliens are tall, blonde and have pointy ears. While the relationships may be inter-species, they're not really interracial. Sorry. ;-)
As for the rest of the comments, Angie knows better than anyone what is acceptable as far as the romance/SF mix goes, so I can't speak to that. But I can say, if you're writing a hybrid of romance and sci fi, Samhain is more open to it than any of the larger publishers I've tried. Same goes for the fantasy/romance mix. My ongoing Dragon Knights series is a case in point.
Now, I will admit, I write very hot romance, but the SF side of my stories is as thorough as I know how to make it. I'm a former biochemist, so the science part of my books is as accurate as such things can be in a work of speculative fiction. Just because the cover may be a "romance cover" don't expect skimpy sci fi. That holds true for every SFR book I've read at Samhain.
I've been very happy at Samhain and can recommend them as a great place for aspiring writers of romance - SF or otherwise. Thanks again to Heather for the spotlight! :)
Bianca D'Arc
www.biancadarc.com
Thanks for mentioning both Leslie and myself, Heather! BTW, I designed the cover for TABOO, not for PRICE OF DISCOVERY. Love both books!
I think one of my most memorable moments was at an RT con when Angela squeeeed me. ;-) I can tell you from an author's point of view, being squeeed by an editor like Angela James is an all-time high.
I've never written for Samhain but I sat barstool-to-barstool with Angie (how about that tiny, dismal bar in Pittsburgh?) many times and find her to be an energetic, creative, thoughtful, passionate and highly intelligent person. If I weren't under contract to Bantam, I'd write for her in a NY minute...and I don't write hot. And since she reads me and likes my work, I'd say Angie is driven as an editor more by story and characterization and voice than by any formula for a romance, SF or otherwise. If it's hot it's got to work as a story; if it's not hot it's got to work as a story.
I have read Isabo Kelly's KIERNA' RHOAN and that's SF Romance and that's a book I can highly recommend. Samhain is also the house for two other top notch authors I know: Lynne Connolly and Kate Johnson. Lynne is an elegant, eloquent author. Kate Johnson just rocks and is spew-alert funny.
Hey Angie, will I see you at the bar at RT in Orlando? Don't forget my Intergalactic Bar & Grille Reader Party! Woot! ~Linnea
PS: my captcha word verification for this post was LIZINDR...LOL! Considering we had iguanas in my back yard the other day...
I don't write heavily erotic stories but have had fantasy romances accepted at Samhain. Lords of Ch'i, for example. I would imagine the same is true for SciFi.
I wanted to add that I really like Saje Williams' writing very much.
Wish I had more time to play....
Kimber An, thanks for your input. Good stuff to ponder.
Bianca, Ann, Linnea, thanks so much for the info and clarifications.
Thanks, Natalie!
Brimfire, I believe you can get a lot of info on Linnea's work at her Web site www.linneasinclair.com. Her GAMES OF COMMAND is a reworked version of COMMAND PERFORMANCE plus she's got free shorts there, too.
Gotta run...be back later.
I'm very much interested in the deal between Samhain and Kensington. I've read the PW article on it, but is there anything else to know about that situation?
Thanks for posting this, Heather!
I'll certainly add Samhain to the list of publishers I plan to submit to when my first SFR is complete. I'm still writing the first draft, so it will be awhile. But I'm having a blast with my characters. So different from the American Civil War romances I usually write.
Thanks, Heather!
Kimber An: We have had many successful books in all genres, all heat levels, and with different ethnicities of characters. We have never been known to reject a book because it has too little or too much sex, a character of a certain age, color or parenting state. What we do, and always will, reject on is the quality of the writing, the strength of the plot and the depth of the characters.
Natalie: The book Heather mentioned as having been nominated for an RT Reader's Choice Award, Promise for Tomorrow, is fairly tame, not too sexy at all, and pushes absolutely no sexual boundaries. I'm not interested in the heat level, I'm interested in the story. We have a paranormal author, Dana Marie Bell, who writes wonderful shapeshifter stories, which are sensual, but by no means explicit, and she's one of our top sellers. It's all in the writing (and the promoting--she's a promo whiz).
Ann: There is no way for me to possibly remember to list every author, I only picked a few from a quick scan of the website. I'm sorry you feel ignored because of that but I don't think any author can, in all honesty, accuse me of ignoring any genre since I've edited in just about all of them!
Kimber An: When we have thousands of dollars to invest in maintaining seperate websites for all the different lines we'd like to expand (Young Adult, Inspirational, etc) we'll be doing that, but unfortunately, we're still a young company, pouring most of our money back into marketing and promotion, and have to work with what we've got!
Linnea: You totally made my month with your comments. It's pretty fabulous to have an author who I've long respected say such lovely things. I'm going to keep coming back to read them. And yes, I did squee the first time I met Linnea.
I owe you a drink in Orlando, Linnea!
Thanks to the Samhain authors who commented and those I didn't specifically address. I'll be happy to answer any more questions!
Heather, how can I contact you? My email is logophilos at gmail dot com, if you could drop me a line
Ooooh - some of those books look so tempting, but I hate to read entire books on my computer (I already spend way too much time in my office.)
Maybe I'll dig out my old lappy so I can read e-books in bed. I really like the look and sound of 'Tethers.' And M/M sci-fi romance sounds intriguing. Maybe that would wean me off of disgusting amounts of time watching 'Broke Trek' on CrackTube.
Cool interview, Heather and Angela.
Well, I learned something new about Angie. *grin* I never knew she was a fan of Firefly.
You can't pry Serenity out of my hands!
I was reading some of the comments from readers who felt the Samhain site might be "too" sexy. I will admit, it held me back at first too. But one of my crit partners, Maya Reynolds, urged me to submit to Samhain. Samhain is a young company but so well respected. I appreciated how patient the art department, editors and the admin staff have been with me.
And my fellow authors at Samhain...holy cow, I couldn't have asked for better company. I've made friends with many of them and they have been instrumental in scraping that sticky amniotic fluid off this new author. lol
Don't let the covers fool you. Read the blurbs and first chapters. The stories will wow you. Promise.
Speaking as a Samhain author who writes a combination of SF and Fantasy romance with NO heat level of which to speak, I can say that heat level has not been a major issue so far. My covers are certainly not the highly sensualized type to which Kimber An has referred.
I wish I could do pure SF, but I find paranormal and fantasy elements creeping in whether I want it or not. It's part of my vision.
I'm also a huge fan of firefly, and I see exactly what Angela is saying in this interview--it's probably the best SF offering on television, ever, but, then again, I consider Josh Whedon to be something of a genius. Between Buffy and Firefly, he pretty much sewed up the SF and paranormal/fantasy picture on TV for the foreseeable future.
I think a great example of romantic SF might be Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkorsigan Saga, particularly the first few books about Miles's father and mother, as well as the grand comedy of manners, "A Civil Campaign."
Even if a new website is unaffordable, I think re-organizing the current one would be well worth the investment in this economic climate. Samhain appears to have the kind of wonderous variety a lot of readers are looking for, but as soon as they land on the site they see explicit cover art and think, "Oh, it's just Erotica," and click away, never to return. The reader is not getting an accurate impression of all Samhain offers. Sexy cover art may draw in some readers, but it repulses others. If Samhain can find a way to reach both sets of readers, they'll have it made.
Remember, readers are smart and sensitive, but they're also busy and tired. Many will not stick around to read the blurb or first chapter if they think the book is just Hot Nookie in Outer Space.
Lisa, thanks for stopping by! I fixed the boo-boo. Re: the Kensington deal, I haven't seen anything reported/updated about it. Maybe Angela knows something. ;)
Ciar, thanks for your thoughts!
Susan, glad to hear that! Can't wait to meet your characters.
Angela, thanks for stopping by to clarify about sex scenes/heat level.
Ann, my email is my next stop. I'll give you a holler.
Z, cue the Twilight Zone music. I had the same thought about TETHERS!
Maria, thanks for your input. This sounds like a great group of authors and staff.
Saje, hello and welcome aboard! Thanks for describing your work. And spot on about Bujold--she is very much worshipped here.
And we circle back to Kimber An...!
Kimber, your comments remind me that this is such a crossroads as far as epublishing is concerned. It's very much a young & developing industry.
It also took advantage of the erotica niche market, and Samhain's Web site is simply an extension of that success.
Now what we have here is a very interesting and unique situation where the editors of such an epublisher love genre fiction and want to acquire it. I'm sure Angela is aware of the challenge to get quality SFR/fantasy/UF manuscripts in light of Samhain's role as an epub that releases erotica. But she still tries, which means there's an audience.
All of the above plus everyone's comments point out how dependent a niche market is on word of mouth, and on taking advantage of the (marketing) tools the Internet has to offer. When posts like this happen, people can exchange valuable information they often can't get anywhere else. Imho this exchange is how niche markets remain viable and even grow.
Are there challenges? Absolutely, and you pointed out several. We SFR fans have to work a little harder because of the existence of things like a runaway erotica trend and hotter heat levels in romances. We have to work a lot harder because of the current economic slump.
But what I've been seeing is that Samhain can invest in SFR authors who can then blog and promote and keep spreading the word. Readers will blog and promote and spread the word as well. That's why they won't click away when they visit Samhain--they'll go because they know what to look for. It's not the most straightforward path, but right now it's the only one we have. I mean, even with traditional print publishers it isn't always easy to find the books we want.
There's no reason a niche market genre like SFR can't survive and grow, even if we have to work around things like the parade of flesh covers and limited publisher budgets.
It can be done.
Thanks, Heather. You know how it goes--your name comes up and you have to follow it to its source to find the context. :D And I find the subject matter of great interest, all things considered. Samhain is a great publisher to write for, and I couldn't be happier. The more people who know it, the better off we all are, editors, authors, and readers alike. Samhain rocks.
Wow, I only wish Google Alerts had sent me here sooner!
Linnea, I'm so thrilled you mentioned my books, especially since I love yours so much.
And, incidentally, my books for Samhain are very low on the heat meter. Romance can still be sexy without any explicit sex!
Cat, thanks for stopping by! I appreciate the info about your work. I agree that there are many ways to make a book evocative and sexy without boatloads of sex.
As I've said elsewhere, readers can go anywhere for the sex scenes, so SFR authors shouldn't worry so much about trying to compete. Not all readers want that. Variety is key.
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