New releases
BEYOND THE SHADOWS – Jess Granger
A man of deception. A woman of justice. Can their fragile trust be strong enough to prevent a war?
Commander Yara knows perfect leadership requires perfect control and discipline. She has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything—or anyone. It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. She must return home to prevent war. Unfortunately the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority—especially hers.
Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman beneath that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for—love. He must find a way to convince Yara to join him, before they get caught in a web of deception that could tear their world apart.
Read chapter one here.
FORBIDDEN LOVE – Kaye Manro
T’Kon and Maya are galaxies apart, so different yet so much alike…
Exploring the galaxies at FTL (faster than light) is routine for the inhabitants of Asconage. T’Kon’s cool-blood culture exists on a planet in the scorch of binary suns. Yet there are governing archaic rules to prohibit interspecies mating with those from different worlds and evolutionary paths.
When T’Kon crashes his spacecraft on Terrain, a seasonal planet barely on the cusp of space travel, he cannot resist the warm-blooded audacious female who gives him aid. His desire for Maya entices him to abandon his species moral code.
There is little time to linger inside their illicit passion. The warring factions of her world are closing in. A quick fix of his spacecraft and a fast exit is his best choice… But can T’Kon leave Maya behind and forsake their emerging Forbidden Love?
Read the excerpt here.
Re-releases
FARTHEST SPACE: THE WRATH OF JAN – Ellen Fisher (look for it on the Kindle around May 10)
Re-release of Susan Grant’s Star series:
THE STAR KING
Haunted by a magical encounter in the desert after her jet was shot down, ex-fighter pilot Jas Hamilton is determined to discover why dreams of the mysterious golden-eyed man have derailed her life. When the two find each other after twenty years, they rekindle a passionate attraction.
Read the excerpt here.
THE STAR PRINCE
Ian Hamilton considered himself a typical guy, a finance major who found all the excitement he needed in the stock market and his vintage Harley. Then his stepfather offered him the crown to an empire and the reins of a mission critical to world peace. What could he do but go for the ride?
In a daring bid for freedon, Princess Tee'ah fled the world she knew for the freedom to fly. No more princes, no more rules. Both the man she wed and the life she led would be of her own choosing. But when a handsome stranger offered her a job piloting the Sun Devil, she choose the romp of a lifetime -- with the one man she should have avoided at all costs.
From ocean-dark skies to the neon-drenched streets of L.A., Tee'ah and Ian find that true adventure is learning some rules are made to be broken...and some loves are written in the stars.
Read the excerpt here.
THE STAR PRINCESS
Ilana Hamilton isn't an adventurer like her pilot mother, or a diplomat like her do-right brother; she's a brash, fun-loving filmmaker who'd rather work behind the camera than be a "Star Princess" in front of it. Heiress or not, she's a perfectly normal, single woman...until Prince Ché Vedla crashes into her life.
With six months to choose a bride, the sexy royal wants to sow his wild oats. Ilana can't blame him -- but fall for the guy herself? Not a chance! Hotshot pilot or no, Ché is too stuffy, too arrogant, and too old-fashioned. But when he sweeps her off her feet Ilana sees stars, and the higher he takes her the more she loves to fly. Only her heart asks where she will land.
Read the excerpt here.
Other SFR release news
Pauline Baird Jones blogs about the Kindle/Mobipocket release of her latest book, GIRL GONE NOVA as well as the excitement of receiving her author copies.
Linnea Sinclair’s Dock Five audio books will be available from Audible.com starting July 6, 2010.
The above doesn't even cover the half of it. Read on for more!
Authors blogging
In response to my post on gateway protagonists in steampunk romance, KS Augustin provides a thoughtful analysis on why she’s chosen to use them in her own work:I was going to say that I don’t like the use of gateway protags any more and, as an Asian post-colonialist child, wonder if American audiences are really so insulated that they can’t fathom a book or movie if it doesn’t somehow tie in with their own culture.
I was, in a nutshell, prepared to be scathing. One thing stopped me. I’ve written a gateway protag myself.
In Aliens Among Us?, Kaye Munro reflects on Stephen Hawking’s latest insights about the possibilities of time travel & alien invaders.
Photos from the 2010 RT BookLover's Convention
Linnea Sinclair posted Intergalactic Bar & Grille Party Photos from the RT BookLover's Convention.
And here's a shot of the steampunk panel. You can just make out Nathalie Gray's (second from left) shock of short blond hair. I assume the empty chairs belonged to folks who had to exit for a quick bathroom break.
And speaking of steampunk, here's a list of publishers actively seeking steampunk romance as discovered during the convention (via Steamed):
Grand Central Publishing
Carina Press
Ellora’s Cave
Heather Osborne at Tor/Forge
Samhain
(Quick reminder: Ms. Gray and I will be discussing steampunk romance at Coyote Con this Saturday, 11 pm EST.)
The Ellen Fisher Report
As you may recall, I recently interviewed Ellen Fisher regarding the re-release of her science fiction romance NEVER LOVE A STRANGER on the Kindle. Since then, the author provided an update on her sales: she’s sold 123 copies (the baseline was 36). Thanks for all the support, my loyal passengers!
Whose man titty gleam will reign supreme? Ellen Fisher experiments with covers for her Kindle books, with surprising results—and implications for SFR.
She also blogged about Indie Vs. Epublishing
Skiffy Rommer review
Cathy "Queen of the Frozen North" Pegau shares the lowdown on her experience reading AGENT PROVOCATEUR by Nathalie Gray.
Via SFR Brigade:
Attention, SLITHER fans! Frances Pauli unveils her free SFR serial SPACE SLUGS: The universe is about to get sticky.
Laura Scarlett describes how authors can benefit from collaborating with digital publishers in a summary of What to Expect When You’re E-Expecting: RT Workshop Report:1. More opportunities- Angela and Lauren discussed as to how five years ago agents were hesitant to represent books for digital. That’s clearly changed. Agents have seen how much money can be made and expanded their representation. The chances of your book getting published have increased.
2. Name recognition- there are many authors who first started out pushing through e-books that are now in print. Not to mention the marketing by e-book sellers, using tactics like giving away the first book of a series for free. That has helped many authors sell the rest of the series.
3. Higher royalty rates- whereas you’re looking at single digit percentages in most print publishers, most e-book publishers are paying in the double digits.
Currently, I’ve got just as many ebooks on my TBR pile as print ones, which should tell you something.
Marketing mojo
Monica Valentinelli is the content and Web analytics manager for Musicnotes.com, and in her article for SFWA, she discusses the importance of managing your online reputation. (via a comment she left at the BookEnds Literary Agency post, The Internet and Your Career).
File Under “Not SFR but I’m going to blog about it anyway” category:
Congratulations to newly minted author KT Grant (a.k.a. the fabulous blogger Katiebabs of Babbling About Books, and More) who sold her first book. Her debut novel LOVESTRUCK features “a May/December Lesbian Contemporary Romance set in New York City [and] will be released in May from Noble Romance Publishing.”
She was an early supporter of TGE and it was exciting to hear about her success.
Cool stuff
The name says it all: Raygun Revival. It’s “…a throwback publication that revisits space opera and golden age sci-fi. Our stories focus more on character development than hard science and sail all the wide-open waters between fantasy and harder sci-fi. Think of the original Star Wars stories, Doc Smith's Lensman series, the Warlord of Mars tales from Edgar Rice Burroughs. Think of everything from John Carter and Gully Foyle to Kimball Kinnison and Han Solo.”
Check out some truly cringe-worthy genre covers in Good Show Sir: "only the worst Sci-Fi/Fantasy book covers". (Thanks to Marcella Burnard for the link.) While I don’t think all of the covers were bad, there are plenty on the list to make us realize how good we have it these days.
Now I turn the mike over to you. Got any SFR news or links to share?
Joyfully yours,
Heather