"Science Fiction—Undercover Fantasy?" Guest Blog by Tia Nevitt

Debut author and fantasy guru Tia Nevitt (THE SEVENFOLD SPELL) gamely exchanged guest blog posts with me when I approached her about my interest in writing An Ode To Science Fantasy. For your reading pleasure, she explores the scandalous (!) idea that science fiction, at its heart, is all fantasy, all the time.

Science Fiction--Undercover Fantasy?

I’m of the opinion that science fiction is fantasy with delusions of grandeur.

Hey! Don’t throw things at me! I’m a science fiction fan! I say that in the best sense possible.

Although I am currently writing fairy tale retellings (The Sevenfold Spell, a racy reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, buy it now!), I first ventured into speculative fiction via science fiction and Arthur C. Clarke. My father had a worn-out copy of 2001 lying around, and one day, I picked it up and read it. To this date, this is the novel that I list as those with the best sense of wonder. (Don’t believe me? Here.) And as far as science fiction goes, it’s considered “hard”. Not as in with sharp edges or gritty characters, but it is based on “hard science”. (Well most of it. The monolith that was “full of stars” has never been observed in a scientific lab, so we must assume that Clarke dreamed it up.).

Back then, I was all, “I don’t read fantasy. I only read stuff that’s real. Or that could be real.” Yeah, right. That’s why I went and devoured 2010, which is even more speculative than 2001, and started Earth’s Children, with all its ancestral memories and shared consciousnesses.

My delusions of snobbery didn’t last long. By the time I was 22, I was a committed science fiction and fantasy reader.

About that time, I discovered Anne McCaffrey. It was a lesser-known novel called Crystal Singer. My husband (then, boyfriend) had it lying around and I picked it up and read it. I really didn’t like Killashandra much, but I loved the worldbuilding, and the special power based on musical ability. There was more of that sense of wonder again, this time in the ability to instantaneously communicate through these one-of-a-kind crystals. All based on hard science, but with that everpresent spark of fantasy. I’ve read it umpteen times.

And then, Alan Dean Foster. A friend of mine hooked me up with many of his books. She urged me to read Sentenced to Prism. I was immediately put off by the punny title, so first I read some of his Humanx books. By then I was convinced, so I gave it a try. I couldn’t put it down. Here this guy went to this deadly planet inhabited by a silicon-based life-form, and doesn’t dare let his carbon-based self get exposed to the atmosphere. He has all this impressive protective gear, and it doesn’t last five minutes before it’s is compromised and the silicon-based life forms are closing in on him.

But then, something wonderful happens. It’s all fantasy. But it’s presented scientifically. And it’s a very satisfying read.

Every Star Trek movie made has some element of fantasy. In fact, the elements of fantasy are what made it so popular. The time travel. The mind melding. The various mental powers. My favorite episode was “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky.” The whole episode seems like a fantasy, but then in the end you discover that all the magic these people believed in was actually … science.

So, yeah. You can pick up a science fiction novel and convince yourself that you are reading something edumacated. That you are of an intellectual elite. That it’s more macho. But you may as well be reading Lord of the Rings, because at its heart, it’s all fantasy.

Join the club. We love ya!

About the author:



Not even a stint in the military as an aircraft mechanic could erase Tia Nevitt’s love of fairy tales. To this day, she loves to read (and write) books that take her to another place, or another time, or both. Tia has also worked on an assembly line, as a computer programmer, a technical writer and a business analyst. When she’s not writing, she keeps a book blog called Debuts & Reviews, where she focuses on debut novels. She lives in the southeast with her husband and daughter.

THE SEVENFOLD SPELL is available from Carina Press.



Connect with Tia Nevitt at the following sites:

* Website – http://www.tianevitt.com
* Blog – http://www.tianevitt.com/weblog
* Twitter – http://twitter.com/tianevitt
* Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/tia.nevitt.page
* Facebook Profile – http://www.facebook.com/tia.nevitt
* eHarlequin – http://community.eharlequin.com/users/tia-nevitt
* Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/tianevitt

Guest Blogging at Tia Nevitt's Blog

I'm not a fan of black coffee, but in a lot of ways that's how I like my science fiction: straight up black. Regardless of the story's quality, going in I have the expectation that it will "feel" like science fiction and nothing else. Kind of a strange attitude, actually, when you consider that I'm a fantasy fan as well. And what about the fact that I always drink my coffee with cream--and sometimes sugar? (Espresso is the exception as I will drink that straight once in a while, and I have this cute little set of white espresso cups and saucers...but I digress).

It occurred to me one fine day that many of the "science fiction" stories I've enjoyed the most could be more accurately categorized as science fantasy. Too many to list, although in recent years, Sandra McDonald's THE OUTBACK STARS trilogy tops the, uh, list.

Occasionally, one encounters a bias against science fantasy because it's not "real" science fiction. This past February, John Scalzi nicely articulated the schism (in reference to films) in his post, Science Fiction vs. Science Fantasy.

Well, the naysayers can't stop me from either enjoying science fantasy or including it under the science fiction umbrella. Therefore, I invite you to visit the blog of author Tia Nevitt (formerly of Debuts & Reviews fame and now a debut author of the fantasy romance, THE SEVENFOLD SPELL) where I indulged in An Ode to Science Fantasy.

I thought Tia's joint would be an ideal location for the post given her expertise in speculative fiction, and particularly in fantasy. Even better is the fact that when I invited her to guest blog here at The Galaxy Express on a related topic, she was totally game. So stay tuned for her guest post, which will appear tomorrow night.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Winner of Kimber An's CRUSHED SUGAR

The winner of Kimber An's CRUSHED SUGAR is...Kaye! Congratulations! Please email me at sfrgalaxy "at" gmail.com (subject line: Sugar) and I'll forward your contact info to the author.

Thanks so much to all who entered.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Help! Need Sci-Fi Romance Audiobook Titles Asap!

A science fiction romance fan wrote me and asked about the availability of audiobooks in the subgenre. She needs them quickly because of a pending trip during which she'll need lots of reading material.

Searching for books at Audible and Podiobooks by genre produces limited results (where's a good metadata system when you need one? Grr.), and searching by author name is time consuming.

Aside from authors such as Linnea Sinclair and Lois McMaster Bujold, I remembered that Ella Drake's JAQ'S HARP and SILVER BOUND are available as audiobooks. I also found KS Augustin's IN ENEMY HANDS and THE MYSTERIOUS LADY LAW by Robert Appleton (which makes me wonder--are all of Carina Press' titles available as audiobooks?).

However, there must be more.

If you're a reader and/or author with knowledge of SFR audiobook titles, please hit me up in the comments! Links appreciated.

Thanks for your support.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Cover Exclusive: BLUE GALAXY (Carina Press) by Diane Dooley

Thanks to the generosity of debut author Diane Dooley and digital-first publisher Carina Press, I'm excited to share an exclusive unveiling of the author's science fiction romance novella BLUE GALAXY (May 9, 2011). And I do mean exclusive—even Carina Press hasn’t featured the cover on its site yet.

Ta-da!



There’s no denying that this cover promises a science fiction romance. Despite the obvious fact that the portrayed hero is a model, I like the image chosen because he conveys a gritty feel (which is what the story blurb, featured below, promises readers about his character). His gaze is compelling enough that the cover would have worked equally well with him alone. I'm not getting a solid vibe on the heroine, but one could argue her pose lends her an air of mystery. Still, in terms of marketing and story transparency, the cover for BLUE GALAXY delivers. And, no man titty!

This cover also makes me wonder about a recent trend I’ve noticed, that of science fiction romance covers with a cool-blue tone. Not just with Carina covers like IN ENEMY HANDS (KS Augustin), either. Check out the covers (but hurry back!) for THE SLIPSTREAM CON (S. Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore), THE FACILITATOR (Sahara Kelly), NAKED SIN (Brenda Williamson), TORN (K.D. King), and MECHMAN (L.J. Garland).

See what I mean? And now we can add BLUE GALAXY to the mix (although given the title, a bluish tone for the cover was practically a given). I wonder if there’s an unspoken consensus among digital/small press publishers that SFR in a space opera setting is best conveyed with an outer space feel. It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes a more solid trend, or if it’s just a design element that’s “in” at the moment.

Next, allow me to share the story blurb for Diane Dooley’s BLUE GALAXY:

Falling in love is easy; staying alive long enough to enjoy it just might be impossible.

Javan Rhodes, the hard-drinking, disreputable captain of space freighter The Kypris took a mission to save himself from hitting the bottom of the food chain. Transporting Sola, a beautiful young aristocrat, from Earth to an unknown destination on the outer rim of the colonies is lucrative, but also highly illegal.

As tough as it is to evade both the law and the lawless, the hardest part of the job is not falling in love with his irresistible cargo. But just as he decides that he will never be able to hand her over to the warlord she must marry, he discovers that Sola has been playing a very dangerous game – one that could not only cost them their lives, but could also affect the balance of power in an increasingly dangerous universe.

***

You know you want some! BLUE GALAXY is now available for pre-order at Amazon for the bargain basement price of just $2.39! And yes, I do believe that “Squee!” you heard right before this post went live was me as I pre-ordered a copy for my Kindle.

Here’s where you can find Diane Dooley:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Dooley/146280878746604?sk=wall
Blog: http://dianedooley.wordpress.com/

She’ll also be a contributor to Carina Press’ CONTACT – Infinite Futures SF/SFR blog, so look for her posts there in the near future.

So, my fellow passengers, what do you think of the cover? Would you like to see more like it? Any thoughts on other possibilities for sci-fi romance covers, or need we look no further for our SFR cover formula?

Joyfully yours,

Heather