Starbound Lovers

Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop is scheduled for January 16th through the 19th. It's not too late to sign up! The theme is romance. You can be a romance writer or blogger who is focused on the romance genre. Posts have to be PG-13 but you can have hotter rated books.

We have a total right now of 49 participants. The hop is limited to the first 100 entrants.

Grand Prize right now is: $35 Barnes & Noble or Amazon Gift Card, winner's choice. But that increases with donations from the participants.

For more information on the hop and to sign up you can click here. Hope you can join! It's a great way to get your books or blog out to new readers.

By this time, most of us are on the last of the egg nog and are whittling away the pounds of left overs in the fridge.

And while Christmas has passed, the New Year still looms ahead. So I wish everyone all the best in the coming year.

Now I'm off to enjoy the X-mas episode on Futurama.

Today is Christmas Day and is celebrated in Christian religions as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe in the tradition or not, it is a good time to be kind to one another. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, for whatever you celebrate at this time of seasonal change.

See you in 2014!!

If you believe the futuristic series and other romantic sci-fi novels coming from my imagination, they do. Whether it's the Chronicles of Kassouk series with all these gorgeous large cats on the covers, my contributions to the BOREALIS novellas (BLACK DRAGON and AKIRA'S CHOICE), or the Ancient Enemy sci-fi romance series, there is always a cat involved. Sometimes it's a pet, sometimes a warrior's battle companion, or a wild man eater. In AKIRA'S CHOICE, it's a genetically enhanced cheetah. In my stories, felines come in all sizes.


I wasn't aware that I had cats in my novels, until someone pointed it out to me. Then I realized that my love of cats transpired into almost everything I wrote. Is "cats in spaceships" a new concept? Certainly not. Think of early explorers on ocean-going ships. They all carried cats onboard. Coincidence? Not at all. They needed the cats, not only for companionship, but to keep in check the rat population. Since spaceships also carry food supplies and land in spaceports and space stations, rodents are a constant threat. Especially since they also have a propensity to chew everything, including bulkhead and wiring. Not a good thing on any kind of ship.

Other sci-fi authors featured cats on spaceships. The queen of sci-fi romance, Linnea Sinclair, in her Dock Five series, calls them furzels. And her furzels have special abilities, like protecting their owners, communicating with each other, and disappearing from one place to reappear in another... regardless of closed doors. Sometimes I wonder if my house cats do that, too. She has entire scenes written in the darling furzels' point of view.

In AKIRA'S CHOICE, my latest Borealis series novella, released in September 2013, the heroine is a samurai bounty hunter who chases fugitives with her enhanced cheetah, Freckles, a certified fugitive retriever. The cheetah is not just a prop. The felines in my books are full-fledged characters, and most of the time they play an important role in the story. They are not furries (furry people who look like animals and walk on two legs). To my knowledge, cats do not talk (at least not with their mouth) nor do they behave like people, although I suspect most cats have the power to influence our minds. It's certainly true for my cats. They make me do unthinkable things for them... like open a can of tuna at 3 AM. That's cat power.

Since I cannot imagine life without cats, and people in the future live in space, I imagine they would take their cats everywhere. If you stop by my website and you love cats, visit my cat page and meet my kitties. There is also an illustrated list of all the cats in my books.


WHAT AKIRA'S CHOICE IS ABOUT:

When bounty hunter Akira Karyudo accepted her assignment, something didn't add up. Why would the TPP want a kidnapped orphan dead or alive?

She will get to the truth once she finds the boy, and the no good SOB who snatched him from a psychiatric hospital. With her cheetah, Freckles, a genetically enhanced feline retriever, Akira sets out to flush them out of the bowels of the BOREALIS space station. But when she finds her fugitives, the kidnapper is not what she expects.

Markku, a decorated rebel soldier, stole his nephew from the authorities, who performed painful experiments on the boy. Stuck on Borealis, he protects the child, but how can he shield him from the horribly dangerous conditions in the lawless sublevels of the decrepit space station?

Akira faces the worst moral dilemma of her career. Law or justice, duty or love. She can't have it both ways.


About the author:
Find her website HERE
Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and claims to also travel through time, as she writes without boundaries about the future and the far away past. Her love of cats transpires in most of her books. Her stories collected many five star reviews and literary awards. She makes you believe you actually lived these extraordinary adventures among her characters. Reviewers compared her stories to Indiana Jones with sizzling romance, and she takes that as a compliment, anytime.






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Today's post combines two of my great loves--music and science fiction! Music is my ultimate muse when it comes to writing, so I thought it'd be fun to share some of my favorite sci-fi songs.

I'm also totally cheating because I didn't prepare any real content. 
;-)

First, I'll share the song that inspired me to write my sci-fi romance Star Catcher. In all honesty, I'm not a huge Katy Perry sort of girl, but once in a while pop sneaks into my playlist (shut the front door) and she's rather fun to sing along to. I could definitely do without the rap (sorry Kanye, you ruined the song) but I figured I'd post the actual video so you can enjoy the space makeup. Anyway, all rap aside, the song is dead sexy and got me thinking about smokin' hot alien dudes.


Okay, I also must provide this spoof version because it's out of this world funny. :)



One of my absolute favorite bands (whose hunky guitar player, Synyster Gates, inspired my second novel Forever is Now) came out with a new album this year. 

Hello, gorgeous.

The band is Avenged Sevenfold, and their song Planets is almost experimental (for them) in nature, and invokes a sense of chaotic extra-planetary shifts of power. You can hear the conquering of a species in both the lyrics and instrumentals.  Even if hard rockin' music isn't your thing, give it a listen just for fun. It isn't romantic--it's dominating and cataclysmic. And freakin' awesome.

It all started for me with Princess Leia and Han Solo.  I was six years old and thought Han Solo would be the coolest boyfriend E-V-E-R.  He was cute, funny, he had an awesome side-kick (Chewbacca) and a space ship.  Does life get better than that?

I'm older now, but I still love those sci-fi heroes.  I love Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romance so much that I started a readers' fan convention just so I could meet my favorite authors.  The first year I did meet two of them in Nalini Singh and Christine Feehan.  I still adore them both and am a huge fan.

That was four years ago.  RomCon has grown and our fifth convention will be this coming June in Denver.  Each year we give out awards for the best books of the year submitted to the Reader Rating program. Over 500 readers signed up to read and rate romance books for other readers.  The best books win the Readers' Crown award in their category. 

And guess what?  Sci-Fi romance needs more readers and a larger voice in the contest.  (My opinion, of course!)  Readers...SIGN UP to be a judge.

So, I'm offering a FREE reader rating to Sci-Fi and FFP romance authors from now until Christmas.  Let's spread the word about how amazing, fun, entertaining and all-around awesome these stories are.  Tell everyone!    Authors...ENTER YOUR BOOKS FOR FREE.

The amazing authors on this blog are a great start.  Let's rock the sci-fi reading world together. Or leave it behind in a space ship with a hot alien hero.  I'm cool either way.

Cheers and happy reading!

Michele Callahan

I'm so pleased to announce that Thirteen Nights has just released from Ellora's Cave on December 6. I shared the blurb in my last post so this time I'll share an excerpt from the speed dating event, where the warriors of Greek Pantheon find a breed partner for the Thirteen Nights ritual when Annie meets Tai.

EXCERPT
A strong drink in hand, she found her seat by matching the number on her name tag with the table number. Following the instructions on the card, she swiped it over the datapad and put her thumbprint on the screen where directed. That would tap into her medical records to ensure genetic compatibility. A bell rang in the distance and the first male slid into the seat. A small human. She smiled politely but knew that weak frame could never handle an Amazon lover. Humans were not forbidden, but strongly discouraged. Not all were as frail as this one, but humans usually wanted more than the Amazon vows permitted. The bell couldn’t come soon enough. Annie clandestinely hit the no button on the pad.

A giant of a man swaggered into the now-open seat, all testosterone and appetite. Linebacker shoulders, six-pack abs straining against a muscle shirt chosen to show them off, thighs so big they could choke a horse—and probably had. Elaborate tattooing covered his left arm from shoulder to wrist, detailing every victory, every kill. Similar markings ran diagonally across Annie’s back.

He touched his card to the pad and instantly his resume popped up on her screen. Black belts in karate, kendo and Kung Fu, expert sniper, awarded the Golden Shield—the Gargarean symbol for valor—six times, hobbies included hunting, archery and jousting. Okay, the man could kill, but who was he really?

“I’ll give you a good ride. You’ll be well-sated. I’ve fathered two already, one on a first-timer.” Typical Gargarean—built for show and incapable of mincing words. His eyes burned over her, intent blazing so fierce she felt the heat crawl across her skin. It was said the male warriors went celibate for six months before a breeding to build their lust to a fever pitch. From that look, she’d say it was true for this one.

She nodded, splaying well-manicured, fire-engine-red nails on the table. The male covered one hand, pushing his palm against the tips.

“Yes,” he rumbled. “They’ll feel good tearing through my back when you lose control.” He laid his left arm out in front of her, an invitation to test the strength of him, and show off his prowess. As expected, she walked her fingers along the planes and angles of his muscles, periodically digging her nails in to test his reaction to different pain levels—to see if he really could handle her and show respect for his military achievements. Those muscles would ripple well under her fingers and nails.

A Gargarean in his prime, proven in battle and the bedroom. She should want this. Damn the little voice in her head that told her that it wasn’t enough for the father of her child, so she rated him acceptable, not preferred. Some part of her she kept well-buried thought it would be nice to find someone with an interest beyond weapons and bloodletting. Someone who could handle, I don’t know, maybe a conversation. The next twelve nights joined at the groin could be a lifetime.

Each new Gargarean who plopped down in front of her merged into the next one until she couldn’t distinguish among them. They all rang the same—deadly, dominant and completely interchangeable. She knew she was a desired partner, and would be many of these men’s first choice. The male warriors liked to boast about knocking up the first-timers, it was worn as a sign of their sexual prowess. The DNA compatibility test would have to choose one of them for her. She didn’t really care.

Lost in frustration, she didn’t register the newest candidate in front of her. The blue light on the screen identified him as Gargarean, but he lacked the giant muscular proportions of the male warrior race, that scent of pure dominance and heightened testosterone. Oh, his eyes revealed menace and the lethality of the warrior-bred and his arm tattooing was as detailed and complex as the bigger men who came before him. But he had the lean, muscled strength of a human soldier, the power he emanated more subtle and highly controlled. From the way her lower body pulsed, she liked it. A lot. When she eyed the screen with more focus, the mystery resolved itself. Tai, human father, Amazon mother, given to the Gargareans at birth. That explained his size. “How did you survive their training as a youth?”

“Your mind can bring you to places your body cannot.”

“That’s not a very Gargarean philosophy.” Or Amazon for that matter, even though she agreed with him. “How would your background play out over the twelve nights?”

“Each night more attuned to your needs than the next. You would be seduced across all dimensions, pleasured in the realm of mind, body and spirit.” He flashed her a smile that promised all kinds of sin, but those deep brown eyes, so tender and soulful, pledged warmth and humor.

Let me know what you think.

Buy Links



 

Back in the early 70s I saw my first Christmas village and fell in love with the miniature houses and people. Unfortunately being newly married my budget didn't allow me to purchase these pricey trinkets. This was way before Dollar stores became popular and the price of the items fell into my budget. So when I found the unpainted plaster house kits at the craft store I pounced and started painting. Over the years I amassed a sizable collection of houses, trees, ponds, vehicles, and people. Each year as I set up the village I wondered about the lives of its inhabitants. As a result I wrote a short story THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE. 

Here are a few pictures of my collection. The one with Cat-zilla is my favorite.








As my gift to everyone you can download a FREE copy of THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE from Smashwords by using Coupon Code: EX39J.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238736
Coupon Expires: 12-26-2013



Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and A Safe & Happy New Year!
Elysa Hendricks
http://www.elysahendricks.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elysa-Hendricks-Author/137316289643103

As we on Earth are sliding into the holiday season, my thoughts naturally turn to space. There's no doubt in my mind that when we look to establish bases beyond our planet we will bring with us our traditions.

You know what I'm talking about. That's right.  The important thing.

The food.

Naturally we will bring with us seeds of our future but also as likely we will have to improvise as our seeds may not take. Which leads us to some potentially interesting plot twists. Remember those aliens that got drunk on milk? I'm sure some folks might claim that after imbibing in too much eggnog now:) Imagine if the alien substitute for yams caused the same thing. Or, for those who like a little holiday chaos, what if it mimicked ergot poisoning?

One thing is for sure, like space, the possibilities are limitless.

So I raise my glass of shoggerflost before digging into a helping of candied fizzigest, "Have a safe and wonderful holiday Eason and happy writing!"

One of my publishers, BOOKS WE LOVE, is running specials on my books all season long, and I love it.

ALIEN LOCKDOWN
Still 99cts this morning,
then $1.99 until November 28th

in the US HERE
in the UK HERE

"Packed with tension and action from the first page to the last, Schartz's novel is an exciting adventure. She has a rich imagination and deftly executes it." - RT Magazine

Soon FREE IN KINDLE in the US only
From Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, 2013
Find it HERE

ANAZ-VOOHRI
Ancient Enemy Book One

"Ms. Schartz offers her readers an enthralling story. Zack is a charming, headstrong, and determined character, the likes of which anyone would be pleased to call friend... a definite must read " - Love Romances

"A fantastic futuristic science fiction adventure... the evil Captain Kavak certainly ranks as one of the worst villains ever encountered! ...the romantic element is intertwined in the storyline. ...a book that is definitely out-of-this-world!" - ck2skwips&Kritiques

"...well-written characters ...bad-guy aliens intent on destroying humanity...romance, adventure and plenty of futuristic shoot-'em-up action." - RT Magazine

HAPPY READING!



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