NAUGHTY OR NICE Holiday Anthology To Benefit Nathan Fillion's "Kids Need To Read"

I'm excited to share that I contributed my sci-fi romance short, FORTUNE CAT'S VISIT, to the NAUGHTY OR NICE anthology, a collection of holiday-themed stories. 

Even better, all the proceeds will go to Kids Need To Read! This non-profit organization was founded in 2007 by author PJ Haarsma and FIREFLY actor Nathan Fillion.

Kids Need to Read Mission Statement:

Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children.

Kids Need to Read Vision Statement:

All children and adolescents will have access to quality books no matter their race, economic status, or capabilities. Further, our organization will provide inspiring programs to increase literacy rates and decrease dropout rates throughout the United States. These programs will be presented in a manner that will foster and uphold dignity and self-respect. We will consistently demonstrate to children and adolescents the need to read, as we believe literacy contributes to school and life success.

NAUGHTY OR NICE includes a fun lineup of stories. Some are humorous, some include mystery, and some contain paranormal or, in the case of my story, sci-fi elements. Click here to purchase at Amazon (the price is a budget-friendly $1.99).

Here's the description:

Yolanda Sfetsos Tags Her Sci-Fi Romance, SHIVER

[Heather's introduction: Author Yolanda Sfetsos writes a science fiction romance series by the name of Recast. The next book, SHIVER, will be released by Samhain Publishing on January 7, 2014. In light of her forthcoming book, I invited Ms. Sfetsos aboard to tag her book for us. Entertaining, yet informative!]

I’d like to thank Heather for having me over, as well as suggesting that I come up with some tags for my SFR story, SHIVER. This is the third installment in my Recast series.

Here they are:

*Hero is an arena gladiator with a severe blood craving
*Vampires in SF
*Rebellious heroine not afraid to get her hands dirty to help others
*Psychic powers in SF
*An instant attraction hot enough to melt the ice caps
*Set inside an ice castle located in the middle of an icy tundra
*A control freak, meddling mother running a hidden dirty business
*The galaxy’s most dysfunctional family with way too many secrets
*A secondary character begging for his story to be told
*Generous side serving of cyberpunk with bots, AI, active Network and an evolving processor
*Action-adventure quotient: high
*Heat level: passionate, but sweet

Want to know more? Here's a link to the excerpt.

Thanks for reading,
Yolanda

RECAST blurb:

Blood made him a monster. Passion could be his salvation.

After narrowly escaping brutal captivity in the Clash Arena and the bite of a bloodsucking creature, all Eniell Knox wants is to get off the crappy planet that ruined his life. When he steals an abandoned ship and is shot down over freezing northern Fray, he finds nothing but more trouble. An alluring young woman who stirs his hunger—and her shackle-happy mother—could push him over the edge.

Day after day, Lian Shan lives like a prisoner, fending off a parade of creepy potential husbands her mother tries to force upon her. She longs to experience life outside the confines of her ice castle and meet the man whose face haunts her dreams.

When a handsome, mysterious man crashes onto the estate her world breaks apart, spilling unfathomable secrets. Some of them her own.

Though Eniell and Lian’s mutual attraction explodes off any known star chart, there’s something her dreams left out—he’s been bitten by a monster. Which means if he turns into one, the first thing on his menu could be her neck… 

Warning: This book contains shared temptation hot enough to melt ice caps, a warrior with a blood craving, a rebellious heroine who isn’t afraid to share hers, and the galaxy’s most dysfunctional family.

About the author

Wife. Mother. Writer. Bibliophile. Dreamer. Animal lover. Intrigued by the supernatural. Horror freak. Zombie enthusiast. Movie & music fan. Slave to her muse.

Yolanda lives in Sydney, Australia with her awesome husband, lovely daughter, and cheeky cat.

Connect with Yolanda Sfetsos:

Website: http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yolandasfetsos

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/yolandasfetsos

Related post: An Interview With Yolanda Sfetsos

Guest Blog About IRON GUNS, BLAZING HEARTS

Author Pauline Baird Jones (STEAMROLLED) invited me to guest blog about why I wrote IRON GUNS, BLAZING HEARTS. Warning: my answer is *completely* honest. (!)

She also hosted an article by Veronica Scott on why she wrote her "Titanic in space" sci-fi romance WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM. Her post is a fun behind-the-scenes look at how the Titanic sinking inspired her book.

Happy reading!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly Interview At Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance

Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance kindly invited K.S. Augustin, Diane Dooley, and me to participate in an interview about the Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly!

We also dug into an in-depth discussion about science fiction romance, the current market, favorite genre elements, and more. Come on over and chat with us!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Christie Meierz's THE MARANN: For Fans of THE KING AND I

As soon as I read the blurb for Christie Meierz's THE MARANN, I was like wow, it's THE KING AND I—in space!

A story that will appeal to fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Zenna Henderson, The Marann recounts one woman’s journey through loneliness, shattering revelations, and attempted assassination on a world where everyone can read her emotions.

Marianne Woolsey is a high school Spanish teacher in rural Iowa, when Earth Central Command decides her linguistic talents would be better exercised if she spent 26 years teaching the daughter and heir of an alien ruler on a planet 24 light years from Earth. Now she’s alone on a planet of aliens so humanlike that she has to keep telling herself her student’s noble father is just her boss.

Handsome – and deadly – the Sural has ruled his province and led his planet far longer than he can admit to his daughter’s human tutor. He hides much more from the space-faring races of the Trade Alliance than he is willing to reveal. What he doesn’t want Central Command to know, he has to conceal from Marianne, but Marianne is concealing her own secrets from him – and as an empath, he knows it.

This first novel in the Tales of Tolari Space series explores what could happen when you put an unsuspecting human on a planet full of empaths.

Many, many years ago, I watched the 1956 version of THE KING AND I starring the oh-so-dreamy Yul Brynner. The story in a nutshell: the King of Siam hires widowed English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to be the governess for his children. 

I have fond memories of the film, but haven't seen it since. Part of me worries it won't hold up or that I'll discover worrisome subtext. (Earlier this year, I did watch the first half of the 1999 version ANNA AND THE KING, but found it underwhelming. Bummer.)

So it goes without saying that I was jazzed about reading an SFR with a THE KING AND I flair. In that sense, I daresay THE MARANN is the only SFR of its kind I've encountered. THE MARANN is the first book in the author's series Tales of Solari Space. Christie Meierz originally released it as an indie, but has since contracted it with Sky Warrior Books. THE MARANN also won the 2013 FF&P Prism award for Futuristic Romance, so that's cool!