Three SFR Titles Among Carina Press Launch Books

Recently, Carina Press revealed its lineup of launch authors and books. In addition to KS Augustin's IN ENEMY HANDS (click here for my previous coverage of the book), there are two erotic science fiction romances among the list.

The first is ALIEN REVEALED by Lilly Cain. Here is the premise, courtesy of the author's Web site:

Inarrii agent Alinna Gaerrii was tasked with observing the Starforce base on Earth. Crash landing her observation pod onto the human base was not part of her mission briefing. Neither was making m’ittar – mind contact – with Major David Brown, the human who discovered her amongst the wreckage.

David thinks she’s a human psychologist sent to evaluate his Special Forces team – but she soon invades his dreams. Through their intimate mental connection she allows him to express his forbidden physical desires.

Alinna delights in the sensory exploration and submits to David in mind and body. She grows excited by the prospect of a treaty with the humans and a potential life mate in David. But an attack from an unknown ship sends the base into chaos, and Alinna may be forced to reveal her lie: erasing all hope of a successful treaty, and driving David away forever…


The second is HUNTERS by Michelle Marquis and Lindsey Bayer. (Unfortunately, I forgot to ask anyone at Carina for a copy of the cover in time for this post, so all I have is a small image I grabbed from the author's site.)

Here's the premise:

Nothing haunts you like the one that got away.

Harmony Knox is one of the smartest and most successful bounty hunters in the galaxy. From the crowded cities of Pyrus Four to the jungles of AEssyria no one can match her record for excellence and success. That was until an alien brain-eater named Prime became her only failure and escaped her, landing her in an AEssyrian jail for a year.

Now Harmony is free and things between her and Prime are personal. Vowing to capture him once and for all, Harmony will stop at nothing to catch this skip and put an end to his criminal career forever.

Barracuda Tanner is a haunted, ruthless man who became a bounty hunter when all other professions failed him. Emotionally scarred by his two year enslavement as a Kirillian cage fighter, he is searching for that one person who could mend his troubled heart. When he teams up with Harmony to catch the hydrocore Prime, he finally finds the one thing he’d been missing all his life; love.

And again, here is the cover for KS Augustin's IN ENEMY HANDS:



Also, Carina is hosting daily giveaways as well as a grand prize one ("the entire collection of 38 digital launch titles") until the official launch day, which is June 7, 2010.

Edited to add: Courtesy of Ms. Augustin, here are the dates you can enter for a chance to win the SFR titles:

In Enemy Hands - KS Augustin - May 2
Alien Revealed - Lily Cain - May 16
Hunters - Michelle Marquis & Lindsey Bayer - May 21

So that's three SFR titles out of 38 launch titles total. Not a bad day for science fiction romance, eh?

Joyfully yours,

Heather

What Would You Miss In A Post-Apocalyptic World?

I recently finished TSUNAMI BLUE by Gayle Ann Williams, and it left me with a serious coffee craving. Well…I kind of already experience that on a daily basis, but reading the story, in which a series of catastrophic tsunamis have drowned much of Earth, made me appreciate how well I have it these days, living as I do in a…hmm…pre-pre-apocalyptic world?



In TSUNAMI BLUE, coffee is a commodity worth its weight in gold. Coffee growers can't cultivate it anymore (if they're not already dead), so survivors barter whatever packages of the caffeinated elixir they can scrounge (sometimes this means diving beneath the ocean’s surface to forage through underwater supermarkets! If you’re a coffee lover, can you blame them?).

Of course, the book featured a romance, action, and some nice gritty scenes, but I liked that it was a science fiction romance from which I could take away something meaty to mull over. Sometime all it takes is a single element in the story.



In TWIST by Colby Hodge, the heroine time travels to a period about a hundred years in the future. A plague has ravaged Earth’s population, and humans are hunted by [censored to avoid spoilers] predators. Everything we know as a nation’s infrastructure is gone. In the world of TWIST, you can’t drive a car (no gas), fly a plane (no fuel), or communicate electronically. Or by phone, for that matter. As I contemplated the impact of both a dwindling population and lack of infrastructure, I was seriously spooked. I never think of Earth as a lonely place to be, but it could happen.



DRIVEN by Eve Kenin takes place in a frozen futuristic wasteland. It’s gritty, it’s dangerous, it’s desolate. What would I miss? Too many things to count. Warm weather. Eating out at my favorite restaurant. Forget eating out—just making a trip to the grocery store for some boxed mac ‘n’ cheese. The simple things in life—gone, possibly, forever.

The above examples may seem trivial, but they symbolize my fear of the devastation we’d face in a post-apocalyptic world. I can only focus on the lack of materialistic things like a nice hot shower; otherwise I’d drive myself nuts imagining the true fear and loss associated with such an environmental disaster.

By the way, author Joss Ware also has a post-apocalyptic series out, so I’m sure that will set me to grieving over things I'd miss as well. I sure hope coffee’s still around, at least.*

What would you miss the most in a post-apocalyptic world?

Joyfully yours,

Heather

*Chai tea would work in a pinch.

George Mann’s THE AFFINITY BRIDGE: A Steampunk Reincarnation of THE X-FILES?

For the past year or so, it seemed I couldn’t visit John DeNardo’s SFSignal without encountering a post about or related to THE AFFINITY BRIDGE, a newish steampunk mystery series by George Mann. Given that the book was a) steampunk and b) John seemed especially obsessed enthused about this series, I figured I really better read this book and see what all his the fuss was about.

THE AFFINITY BRIDGE kicks off “An ongoing series of steampunk mystery novels featuring the adventures of Sir Maurice Newbury, gentleman investigator for the crown, and his feisty assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes.”

I must say, John was on to something because this steampunk tale kicks some serious brass ass. It’s pure, unadulterated steampunk, but it’s also enormously entertaining. Lots of intrigue, action, and adventure. The steampunk elements are accessible for readers new to the genre, and the themes are meaningful yet not mind-bogglingly dense.

Now, THE AFFINITY BRIDGE isn’t science fiction romance. However, I wanted to bring this series to your attention because the author does introduce a very definite attraction between Newbury and Hobbes, one that’s evident from their first meeting. Hence, the title of this post: I do declare that THE AFFINITY BRIDGE is a steampunk version of THE X-FILES, and power to it for that very reason! I really hope Newbury and Hobbes fire up the sexual tension a la Mulder and Scully.

The two series are wildly different, yet the commonalities I detected had me in constant squee mode since I still miss the THE X-FILES “experience.” THE AFFINITY BRIDGE is a classic example of how an idea can be reinvented in a totally fresh way. Like THE X-FILES, the story begins at the beginning of a case and Newbury and Hobbes are brought together for the first time. I won’t go into spoilers, but the usual suspects abound such as the shadowy government conspiracies, paranormal/speculative phenomena, and of course, the promise of a romance.

And if someone were to make a film or television series about the adventures of Newbury and Hobbes OMG OMG PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN BECAUSE OMG I WOULD BE ITS BIGGEST FAN!

(I know what you’re saying, John—now who’s the one obsessed?!)

Anyway, if you’d like to learn more about THE AFFINITY BRIDGE, here’s the complete premise:

Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by unfamiliar inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, whilst ground trains rumble through the streets. Clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in teh offices of lawyers, policemen and journalists.

But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side. Queen Victoria is kept alive by a primitive life-support system while her agents Sir Maurice Newbury and his delectable assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, do battle with enemies of the crown, both physical and supernatural. Newbury and Hobbes are called in to investigate the wreckage of a crashed airship and its missing automaton pilot, whilst attempting to solve a string of strangulations attributed to a mysterious glowing policeman and dealing with a zombie plague that is ravaging the slums of the capital.

There's a good review of the book at SF Reviews. You can also check out George Mann’s free, downloadable Newbury & Hobbes short stories. And here’s information on the author’s next steampunk release, GHOSTS OF MANHATTAN (May 2010).


Have you read THE AFFINITY BRIDGE? Even if you hadn’t read it, would you want to see a steampunk version of THE X-FILES on television or in film?

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Nat's Flash RT BookLover's Convention Updates (um...Updated 4/28!)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Have you ever witnessed the sight of a French woman squeeing in glee, gesticulating and jumping in place? It scars you. That pretty much describes me about, ooh, 2 hours ago. Passengers on this here most awesome Galaxy Express, and gentle readers, I have achieved my mission to meet The One.

Did I get an autograph? Check!
Did I also get a hug? Oh, double-check that my lovelies!
But did you expect THIS?! I bet you didn't!

Linnea Sinclair is as lovely as she is fierce and funny. I think I'm in love. And she KNEW MY NAME! *faints*

Thank you to Sahara Kelly for the picture and for presenting me to The One.

I'm a happy SFR member.

Update: Here was the original...artistic shot I received, followed by the true Linnea and Nat! ;)





This flash update was brought to you by Nathalie Gray, author, cover artist, chocoholic, and goof.

Nat's Flash RT BookLover's Convention Updates

Well, I'm here in Columbus for what I call the Sweet RT Madness of Love. And I have to say, it's the nicest RT hotel to which I've been. It's HUGE. I haven't seen any SFR goodness so far, but rest assured that I have my scanning ray set to MELT-A-HOLE-THROUGH-TITANIUM-PLATING Level. My primary goal is to pester Linnea Sinclair for her autograph, and perhaps a photo with yours truly. I shall not rest until the intergalactic police drag me away!

This flash update was brought to you by Nathalie Gray, author, cover artist, chocoholic, and goof.