Sunday, December 2, 2012

SFR News & Links For December 2012

Whoa! 2012 has been a strong year for science fiction romance. Here's the final round of new releases for this year. Enjoy! 

New releases


BONDED (erotic planetary romance) - Ria Candro

Book 2 in the Mating Ritual series 


When Inara crash lands on a deserted planet, the last thing she expects is to run into two stunning men from the planet Spygia—who claim she is their mate. While she’d love nothing more than to indulge in a steamy encounter—or two or three—with these gorgeous hunks, she’s on the run from the barbaric Malucons who decimated her home planet of Chivea. And she’s on a mission to find her cousin, the only other Chivean survivor. Nothing, not even the promise of paradise to be found in the Spygians’ arms, is going to stop her. 

When Inara refuses to be bonded to them, Neichon and Valeron strive to uncover what secrets she’s hiding before they unveil a few of their own. How will their reluctant mate react when she learns she’s destined for, not two, but four Spygian men? 

[Publisher’s note] Just so you know—this story contains explicit M/F/M and M/F/M/M/M scenes. Enjoy!



LUST REBOOTED (erotic planetary romance) - Christine d'Abo


Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It's nearly Christmas, and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn't expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens up the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.

When Zoe activates Sam, she doesn't realize the trouble she's in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights, and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe herself struggles to keep the situation real despite her growing lust, but it's becoming more and more obvious that she's falling in love. But with who-Sam or Rupert?

When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose-or risk losing them both.


[This story seems like an erotic SFR take on the 1959 Twilight Zone episode “The Lonely”]

DANGEROUSLY MINE - A.M. Griffin


After aliens invade and conquer Earth, Eva is transported to a distant slave trading planet. Escape and freedom are her only priority, but none of her martial arts training prepared her for what she faces. She finds herself enslaved to the warrior King Taio. Eva’s drawn to this sexy alien male who ignites her heart and body. 

Taio is disgusted with the idea of owning a slave—until now. From the moment he sees her, he knows Eva is his for the taking. Torn between lust and duty, Taio knows nothing will stop him from protecting his little warrior. 

Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere under the title Taken: Eva and has been revised for Ellora’s Cave.

Reader Advisory: Eva’s sexual awakening includes brief female/female exploration.


DRAGONFLY - Erica Hayes 


Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who’s planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza; a orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment’s personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she’s in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell—Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire’s most dangerous agent—can’t dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie’s expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly’s confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core … if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY - Pippa Jay


“Welcome to Venus Ascendant, a Public Grade space station in the Andromedan Galaxy. With our open-to-all policy, any being in the universe can find their perfect R & R, romantic getaway or dangerous liaison at our purpose built resort. The on-board empathic AI Ganesa ensures that anyone coming to Venus Ascendant will find their heart’s desire, with suites that transform from luxurious boudoirs to sunset-lit beaches to dark BDSM dungeons. So come to Venus Ascendant and find exactly what you’re looking for!”

It was meant to be a romantic getaway for Marie and the love of her life Jaisen; a chance for him to get to know her better after months of her denying him more than a few stolen kisses. Instead, Marie finds herself dumped and alone on Venus Ascendant with no credit for a transmat and the next starship home not due for another hour.

But the all-seeing AI isn’t going to leave anyone aboard the space station with their dreams unfulfilled. Marie's boyfriend might not have made it to the station, but there are others willing and able to take on the role - even if they aren’t entirely human.

ALIEN VS ALIEN (comedic) – Gini Koch


Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini and the rest of the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps are still recovering from their introduction to Washington D.C. politics, parties, and conspiracies. So when compromising pictures arrive, no one’s too surprised. They’re also the least of anyone’s worries.

Evil androids running amok, birds of all kinds and from all places creating havoc, a Senator trapped in an ever-tightening web of intrigue, and escalating international tensions all seem tough but manageable. But the disappearance of Jeff Martini and Charles Reynolds during the International One World Festival signals more than the usual nastiness — and it looks like even ACE can’t help them.

Then new trouble arrives in old packages and even with the best hackers in the world, beings from near and far, the full might of Earth’s military, and the Wonder Twins on their side, Centaurion Division’s outmanned and outgunned.

Now Kitty’s racing against the clock to find not only Jeff and Chuckie, but to keep the peace between Middle Eastern countries, all while searching for the bases of super-soldier operations — to stop them or die trying.

CASE OF THE SENSHI PEARL - A.R. Norris


Someone has killed an oppressive leader on Nereus. To avoid a planetary war, the two governments have agreed to allow Intersteller Intelligence Agency's Quantum Agents to investigate the murder.

With Nereus being a world of multiple human species -- one of land, one of water, and one of both -- only shape shifter Agent Raina Tanuki can meet them on their own suspicious grounds. But heading to the highly racist planet stirs painful memories Raina's tried to forget.

To make matters worse, the planet-balancing Senshi Pearl is stolen. If war doesn't destroy them, then the very planet itself will. Can she push past her fears to objectively approach the case to solve it? Can she work through those same fears and learn to love and be loved?
Read the excerpt.

NIGHTS OF STEEL (steampunk; The Ether Chronicles) - Nico Rosso


Return to The Ether Chronicles, where the skies above the American West are about to get wilder than ever…

Bounty hunter Anna Blue always finds her fugitive. But her latest mission is filled with mystery: a high price for an eccentric inventor. And her biggest rival, Jack Hawkins—a startlingly handsome, entirely unsettling man whose abilities match her own—is hunting the same bounty. Neither will back down.

When a rogue Man O' War flies his airship into the California skies, guns blazing, Anna and Jack are forced to team up or die. But it isn't the danger that has them ready to flare like gunpowder. They've circled each other for years as competitors only. Fighters and outsiders, they never thought they'd find a kindred soul. As hot passion and raw need draw them together, can they survive this mission long enough to track the most elusive fugitives their hearts?

Read the excerpt.

WARLORD’S BOUNTY - Cynthia Sax


The bigger the bounty, the more dangerous the fugitive. 

Khan, a Chamele warlord, has a huge bounty on his head. His enemy is willing to pay an outrageous amount to secure him. Khan wants to be apprehended, especially if the bounty hunter capturing him is a brown-eyed female with razor-sharp daggers and an even sharper tongue. He’ll allow her to subdue him sexually, his passion and prowess not inhibited by restraints, and when she collects her bounty, he’ll collect his revenge, killing his enemy and claiming his little bounty hunter forever. 

Zeta doesn’t do forever. She captures the worst scum in the galaxy and trades them for credits. Khan is fierce and sexy and the most dominant male she has ever encountered, but he is also a fugitive, and once she sates herself with his body, she’ll betray him. It is her job.


ALIEN LOVER (erotic space opera) - Jessica E. Subject


Unconvinced of her fiancé’s demise, Molly combs the galaxy to search for him. As her supplies run low, she is forced to turn around and set a course for Earth, alone. But, a Moloxian Starcruiser halts her retreat, and the single passenger transports onto her ship without permission. Taser in hand to defend herself, she is startled as the form remolds into her fiancé. Has Diego found her or is her tired mind playing tricks?

Read an excerpt.

A GALACTIC HOLIDAY - (sci-fi romance anthology) Carina Press 


Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?

A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:
"How the Glitch Saved Christmas" by Stacy Gail
"Galileo's Holiday" by Sasha Summers
"Winter Fusion" by Anna Hackett

Industry news

Lyrical Press has a new look as well as a new price structure! Effective 2013, they are lowering the prices of their ebooks:

15,000-19,000: $.99
20,000 - 29,000: $1.99
30,000-44,999: $2.99
45,000-64,000: $3.99
65,000-84,000: $4.99
85,000+: $5.99

What a timely and responsive marketing strategy! Anything that makes SFR more accessible is OK in my book! (in the interest of full disclosure, I have a forthcoming release with Lyrical).

Lyrical Press will be having a Doomsday Sale. From December 21-31, you can score 75% off of their entire digital catalog. Lyrical’s science fiction romance offerings include

KEIR – Pippa Jay
MOONSTEED and DARK TEMPEST – Manda Benson
WINTER OF THE PASSION FLOWER – Annie Seaton
WHISTLING DIXIE – Serenity Woods
VALERIA – Kaitlin R. Branch
REFUGEES ON URLOON – Melisse Aires
METALMARK – Ella Drake
PISTONS AND PISTOLS – Regina Riley
NEBULA’S MUSIC – Aubrie Dionne
LONDON’S CALLING – Elysabeth Williams

Random House announced the formation of three new digital imprints. Loveswept and Hydra are the romance and SF/F/Horror ones, respectively. Might be a possibility for authors of science fiction romance. Here are the submission guidelines.

Writer Beware: Erotic Romance reports on the disturbing developments at Noble Romance.

Authors blogging

At Kait Gamble’s blog, J.L. Hilton blogs about “10 Cool Pieces of Technology” that readers will encounter in her Stellarnet series:


I love the Internet. I think it’s the most incredible invention since the printing press, sliced bread, vaccinations, beer or chocolate. It’s changed life on our planet and the course of human history in about a billion ways. So when I sat down to write the Stellarnet Series (http://www.stellarnetseries.com/), of course I included a futuristic version of the Internet. I think contemporary science fiction should have more than just lasers and robots, it should extrapolate from the technology that is such a huge part of our lives now — things like social media, video games and MMORPGs, virtual reality, tablets and smartphones.


I also did a search for science fiction romance at the Carina Press blog and a big list of posts popped up!

At Spacefreighters Lounge, Pippa Jay takes us through Redesigning A Cover for her story THE BONES OF THE SEA.

Also at Spacefreighters, Laurie A. Green embarks on a hip Space News Round-Up. My favorite is the “Lasting Art” tidbit:


"The Last Pictures" is a very unusual art gallery that may claim the prize for longevity. 

It was put onboard a Russian communications satellite launched on November 20 from Kazakhstan, a satellite that could still be in orbit billions of years from now, maybe even after the Earth ceases to exist. The photos include images of a rocket, a typhoon, refugees at sea, Earthrise, a theatre, a church, a mountain and many other images.


At CONTACT – Infinite Futures, Kim Knox discusses her plans for research in preparation for writing the third book in her new steampunk romance series.

Now I turn the mike over to you. Got any science fiction romance news and/or links to share?

Joyfully yours,

Heather