Thursday, May 29, 2014
Warning...Sci-Fi Will Sneak Up On You by Michele Callahan
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| COMING JUNE 15! |
Someone long ago dreamed of these things well before they were invented.
What if everything you read in that sci-fi book last week were to come into being? Portals through space time, wormhole generators, faster than light-speed travel, bending space, one scan healing for the entire body, colonies on other planets. That would be awesome. But some of it's scary, too. Genetic discrimination, advanced weaponry, war, and mind control. Evil alien races, time-travel, and annihilation of our species.
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| COMING JUNE 28! |
Honestly, I have no idea. What I do know is that people amaze me. Real people. Ordinary people. And no matter what manner of insanity the future throws at us, a hero will rise up and face it. That hero might be man, woman, or child. Might be a soldier, a doctor, a chef, or a painter. But when life sneaks in a low blow, humanity rises to the challenge. We have that power, and it's one I firmly believe in. I have faith in our world. Call me an optimist. Call me crazy. I don't mind. In my stories people rise up against horrible evil, and win.
If I'm creating the future, I'm going to make sure I do it right.
I'm curious...what kind of inventions do you think the future holds? Good or bad? Exciting or frightening? Me? I still want to be able to say, "Beam me up, Scotty."
THAT would be smothered in awesome-sauce.
Michele Callahan
Books:
Red Night (Timewalkers Book 1)
Silver Storm (Timewalkers Book 2)
Blue Abyss (Timewalkers Books 3) - June 2014
Black Gate (Timewalkers Book 4) - June 2014
White Fire (Timewalkers Book 5 - Finale) August 2014
CHIMERA BORN - Coming June 2014 as part of the Alphas Unleashed Anthology
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Misconception about Science Fiction Romance By S. E. Smith
The Misconception about
Science Fiction Romance
By S. E. Smith
What do you look for
when you are trying to find a great book to read?
I’m not asking about just a romance story but any story? Are
you looking for something that will take you away? Are you looking for a story
that contains great world building, interesting characters, action, adventure
and suspense all tucked neatly between the pages? Perhaps, you want a touch of
fantasy or paranormal blended with a romance that makes you wish you could disappear
into the story. Or even better, are you looking for a story that will make you
laugh, cry, cheer, and fall in love with the secondary characters as much as
you love the main characters? Are you looking for a story that makes you want
to return to that world again and again so you can live it with the characters?
All of that can be found in a Science Fiction Romance. There
is a misconception in my humble opinion by publishers who feel that Science
Fiction Romance isn’t a serious genre that should be paid attention too. In a
recent discussion with another author who was talking to an Amazon Publishing
representative she shared that she “… became leery when she (Amazon
representative) mentioned sci-fi romance not being big enough a genre and that
they (Amazon) would classify me as a paranormal.”
Personally, I think Science Fiction Romance is set to explode
as a genre. The stories are cutting edge, filled with action, adventure,
suspense, humor and enough hot romance to scorch the pages. This combination
has readers demanding more stories from their favorite authors. Every day I get
emails, posts to my website, Facebook and more from readers who are discovering
that Science Fiction Romance is not what it used to be.
Younjee M. shared the following with me in a private message on FB: "Hi! I just wanted to write to you saying how much I enjoy your books. I've never been a huge sci-fi fan (more about paranormal/supernatural and fantasy) but your books have just hooked me in! I got most of your series and its been awesome!"
She isn't the only one. Readers are gobbling up this exciting genre that brings all their favorites together. The issue with traditional publishers, IMHO, is that they have a hard tme thnking outside the box. Who says an author can't make Science Fiction sexy, fun and rewarding? It would be the same as telling Elvis or the Beetles not to create a new genre of music. So, for those who aren't sure about whether they should give Science Fiction Romance a chance I offer you a challenge: Try one! they may bite, hiss, scratch and snarl but isn't that what makes it worth reading?
Younjee M. shared the following with me in a private message on FB: "Hi! I just wanted to write to you saying how much I enjoy your books. I've never been a huge sci-fi fan (more about paranormal/supernatural and fantasy) but your books have just hooked me in! I got most of your series and its been awesome!"
She isn't the only one. Readers are gobbling up this exciting genre that brings all their favorites together. The issue with traditional publishers, IMHO, is that they have a hard tme thnking outside the box. Who says an author can't make Science Fiction sexy, fun and rewarding? It would be the same as telling Elvis or the Beetles not to create a new genre of music. So, for those who aren't sure about whether they should give Science Fiction Romance a chance I offer you a challenge: Try one! they may bite, hiss, scratch and snarl but isn't that what makes it worth reading?
Take the Challenge: Some of my favorite Science Fiction Romances are below.
Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair: at Amazon.com
Raheiran Special Forces captain Gillaine Davré has
just woken up in some unknown space way station, wondering where the last three
hundred years have gone. The last thing she remembers is her ship being
attacked. Now it seems that while she was time-traveling, she was ordained a
goddess…. Gillaine’s only hope of survival rests with dangerously seductive
Admiral Mack Makarian, who suspects her of being a smuggler—or worse. But he
can’t begin to imagine the full extent of it. For Gillaine is now Lady
Kiasidira, holy icon to countless believers, including Mack—a man who inspires
feelings in her that are far from saintly…feelings she knows are mutual. But
when their flirtation is interrupted by a treacherous enemy from the past,
Gillaine’s secret—and secret desires—could destroy them both….
Project Genesis by Michelle Howard: at Amazon.com
Grim by M. K. Eidem:
Riley St. Claire has
always followed her own rules. When she discovers her current employer is not
as law abiding as she thought, she has to leave town in a hurry or end up
buried with the dead guy she discovered. What she doesn’t expect is to find
herself being picked up by a passing trader from another world.As the ruling King of Sarafin, Vox d’Rojah, was expected to produce a son who would be joined in marriage with the first born daughter of the King of Valdier. The problem was Vox had no intentions of having any sons, at least not in the near future. He was quite happy with the wide selection of females he had at his disposal. When he is captured by a ruthless Valdier royal and sold to a mining operation the last thing he expected to find with his bride mate.
Vox isn’t sure which would be easier: fighting another war with the Valdier or capturing and holding onto the human female who is unlike anything he has ever encountered before. Now, Vox has to escape back to his world while fighting pirates, traders, and Riley! The King of Sarafin has met his match with Ms. Riley St. Claire from Earth.
Now, he just needs to figure out a way to let her know he has chosen her as his Queen and he has every intention of keeping her by his side forever.
Choosing Riley was
voted #12 in the 50 Self-Published Books Worth Reading Poll at Indie
Author Land. Don’t miss two great
books coming out next month:
Razor’s
Traitorous Heart: The Alliance Book 2 is due out June 12, 2014.
Kali Parks is a shadow
in the war between two factions that are fighting to gain control of Chicago.
Born and raised on the streets, she stands as a silent sentinel at her
brother’s side as he battles to gain control. She will do whatever it takes to
bring peace to those she has pledged her life to protect, including fighting
against the creatures that came to their world almost six years before.
Razor, a councilman for the Alliance, has been sent to oversee the remaining Trivator troops on Earth and make sure the transition for the induction of Earth into the Alliance goes smoothly. He is the one the Alliance calls when they have a situation that needs to be resolved once and for all. His reputation for dealing with difficult rebels is renowned. He asks no questions and takes no prisoners. His job is to eliminate all threats to the Alliance.
He finds himself torn between duty and something he is unfamiliar with, his heart. When a shadow warrior saves his life and disappears, he discovers his world is no longer as cut and dry as he thought. The more he learns, the more he discovers he is not immune to the warrior’s passionate desire to fight to protect her people.
Forced by duty to settle the conflict, he must decide between the Alliance and his own desire to claim the unwilling warrior. When the conflict escalates, he does the only thing he can; he makes a pact with one of the factions in exchange for a prize that will surely cause a battle of a different kind – the one for his traitorous heart.
Will he be able to claim her before she escapes from him again? Or worse, will she sacrifice her life to protect those she loves before he can?
Razor, a councilman for the Alliance, has been sent to oversee the remaining Trivator troops on Earth and make sure the transition for the induction of Earth into the Alliance goes smoothly. He is the one the Alliance calls when they have a situation that needs to be resolved once and for all. His reputation for dealing with difficult rebels is renowned. He asks no questions and takes no prisoners. His job is to eliminate all threats to the Alliance.
He finds himself torn between duty and something he is unfamiliar with, his heart. When a shadow warrior saves his life and disappears, he discovers his world is no longer as cut and dry as he thought. The more he learns, the more he discovers he is not immune to the warrior’s passionate desire to fight to protect her people.
Forced by duty to settle the conflict, he must decide between the Alliance and his own desire to claim the unwilling warrior. When the conflict escalates, he does the only thing he can; he makes a pact with one of the factions in exchange for a prize that will surely cause a battle of a different kind – the one for his traitorous heart.
Will he be able to claim her before she escapes from him again? Or worse, will she sacrifice her life to protect those she loves before he can?
A
Warrior’s Heart: Marastin Dow Book 1.1 out June 15, 2014.
Ben and Aaron Cooper
think their luck has ended when the freighter they are on is captured by the
Marastin Dow, a terrifying alien species known for their savagery. Instead they
discover love with two warriors who capture their hearts. Now, they are in a
race to keep the fragile gift they find before it is ripped away from them
forever.
Coming June 15, 2014
A Warrior's
Heart is a big short story and is
part of an anthology titled Alphas Unleashed with Michele Callahan, Mina Kahn
and Carolyn Jewel.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
DO YOU LOVE CATS?
Recently I watched an amazing video of a cat saving a little boy from a dog attack.
Cat saves boy.
Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying cats are magical creatures - aloof and mysterious, but when the need arises they can be heroic. I can see the feline hero, TC in my book MUST LOVE CATS - Book 1 in the Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley doing much the same, but his mission is a bit less dramatic.
Cat saves boy.
Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying cats are magical creatures - aloof and mysterious, but when the need arises they can be heroic. I can see the feline hero, TC in my book MUST LOVE CATS - Book 1 in the Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley doing much the same, but his mission is a bit less dramatic.
Thomas Cash (TC) Riley is mad, bad and – dead. Killed in a
one car wreck he's given one last chance to redeem himself for living a
selfish, unfulfilled life, and to determine his soul’s final destination.
TC's task, bring together two damaged, single parents,
Daniel Bishop, a widowed architect allergic to everything with fur, and
Katherine Sinclair, a small town veterinarian.
With the help of a lonely little girl and a brash young boy,
can TC remember his past and save his soul in the allotted time?
And can he do it all as a cat?
Are you owned by an amazing cat or have any great stories about them?
Friday, May 16, 2014
Take Me To Your Leader
There have been strong female leaders and there will be again. So why is the leader of the free world who greets the arriving alien always a male?
Apparently, Hollywood hasn't gotten the memo about women in positions of power.
But thankfully, writers can create worlds in any image we imagine.
And it isn't like we lack for female centric societies. Many Native America cultures are matriarchal. Then there is the odd power mothers in India and China wield.
Alas to base my alien race upon them would require research to suss out the way to exploit these Earth-bound cultures. Instead, I decided that if women were in charge and men kept down, things would be the same only different.
How can anyone live up to their potential if they were denied opportunity because those in power wanted to keep their power?
Because I really believe it is the pursuit and need to maintain power that causes abuse. And so ultimately, I held up the mirror to familiar cultures by creating an alien one where the same injustice still exists. It's just in the hands of females.
At least in fiction being bad is an equal opportunity occupation.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Swords and Blasters
SWORDS AND BLASTERS –
Two complete sci-fi romance series in one box set, The CENTAURI Series and THE
SWORDS OF GREGARA series.
In the CENTAURI SERIES
we have:
CENTAURI DAWN – Meet
Audra and Darius. She’s a princess and he’s her knight in shining armor on the
planet Centauri. Just one problem, she’s promised to his brother.
CENTAURI TWILIGHT – Anton Coridian has promised
his queen to find her sister, but Lara is not the pampered princess he expected. Lara,
Audra’s twin sister has been a sex slave for most of her life, she deserves a
happily ever after, but first she vows to see all of her people freed.
CENTAURI MIDNIGHT –
Kitari Dolana is on a mission to find the man responsible for her brother’s death.
Garrick Marcus, spaceship captain is after the same man. Together they discover
that good friends sometimes make the best lovers.
In the SWORDS OF GREGARA
SERIES we have:
JENALA – Alone after her
father’s murder, Jenala Delasa must fight for survival against the man who
murdered him. Santro Baltin is just the man she needs to help her bring the
killer to justice.
RIZA – Plastic surgeon,
Riza Lamrona, was the only one left who could identify him. Now she’s on the
run from one of her patients. Darick Remaul, former Space Patrol officer is the
one man on the planet who can help her survive.
HONORA – She gave up
everything to become a member of the Gregarian Guard. Now captured and
enslaved, Honora Reyestat must fight for her life. Joridan Dolana was assumed
dead when he was captured by the slavers that hold Honora. Together they must
escape or die.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Sci-Fi Shows Coming To A TV Near You
It's always fun to see where science-fiction is going on the small screen.
Here are a few upcoming shows that will keep the sci-fi addict satisfied for a few months...
BELIEVE. From IMDB: A relationship forms between a gifted young girl and a man sprung from
prison who has been tasked with protecting her from the evil elements
that hunt her power.
FOREVER: From IMDB: A 200-year-old man works in the New York City Morgue trying to find a key to unlock the curse of his immortality.
THE WHISPERS. From ABCAllAccess.com:
Parents have a soft spot for their children. In THE WHISPERS,
an unseen alien force has figured this human weakness out. They have
invaded earth and are using our most unlikely resource to achieve world
domination – our children.
In the country’s center of political power, Washington DC, several
kids have been talking about their imaginary friend, Drill. What the
parents don’t know is this friend is not as imaginary as they assume.
Drill is able to entice the kids to play very dangerous games with very
real consequences.
FBI agent Claire Bennigan has been called in to investigate the case
of a 6-year-old girl who almost killed her mother playing a game with
her imaginary friend. She wonders if this girl is disturbed or is there
something bigger at play.
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, the defense department just sent
Wes Lawrence to the Sahara Desert, where he witnesses what looks like
an alien spaceship and something else even more inexplicable. Someone
needs to start putting the pieces together to save humanity. As the game
clock counts down, and the children unwittingly help the aliens, it’s a
suspenseful race against an unseen enemy. Amblin TV is co-producing
with Dawn Olmstead’s Grady Girl.
OUTLANDER: From Starz:
Follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945
who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately
thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is
forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish
warrior, a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire's heart
between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
So tune in to your TV for some new sci-fi action in the next few months!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Messing with a Good Thing
So, my hubs and I started watching Man of Steel last night. Yes, we are a little late. Pretty sure our 2 movies/month Netflix turnaround isn't the best financial move we've ever made. By the time we get kids to bed and I get off my computer it always feels too late to start a movie. It didn't help that Superman Revisited is 2.5 hours long.
Anyway, I managed to get about an hour watched, with the last fifteen minutes a blur as I faded in and out of sleep.
So far, here were the problems I had with it:
Looooooonnnnnnnnggggg intro. Everything seemed unnecessarily drawn out. I was thinking, "How long have we been watching this, and they still haven't blasted that freakin' baby into outer space?!"
And then we get the back and forth flashback/flashforward between Superboy and Superman. I get it. If they had done it linearly, it would have been more boring than it already was. We needed to see some Super Shirtless Beefcake saving everyone on a burning ship to get us out of the ridiculously sluggish intro on Krypton.
But then it felt disjointed. He's in school with his x-ray vision, gets his superman key from Kevin Costner after being told he should have just let his classmates die rather than have the world find out "we are not alone." That's a tough pill for a twelve-year-old to swallow. It was a tough pill for this thirty-eight-year-old to swallow.
Then we zoom to Amy Adams and the stupid spaceship scene. That's when I decided I'd rather fall asleep.
Anyway, I'll finish it for the beefcake alone. Yes, Superman is a superstud, but I can't help but think that the producers of new superman failed to improve upon old superman.
Maybe they didn't care so much about improvement. Maybe it's all about the super payout.
------------
On a completely unrelated side note, I have a $25 Rafflecopter giveaway for my Double Takes blog tour going on.
Check it out here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1251e92/
And if you enjoy MM romance, or maybe you've always been curious, check out Double Takes. It's a rockin' ride and is discounted on Amazon right now.
-Kimber
www.authorkimbervale.com
Anyway, I managed to get about an hour watched, with the last fifteen minutes a blur as I faded in and out of sleep.
So far, here were the problems I had with it:
Looooooonnnnnnnnggggg intro. Everything seemed unnecessarily drawn out. I was thinking, "How long have we been watching this, and they still haven't blasted that freakin' baby into outer space?!"
And then we get the back and forth flashback/flashforward between Superboy and Superman. I get it. If they had done it linearly, it would have been more boring than it already was. We needed to see some Super Shirtless Beefcake saving everyone on a burning ship to get us out of the ridiculously sluggish intro on Krypton.
But then it felt disjointed. He's in school with his x-ray vision, gets his superman key from Kevin Costner after being told he should have just let his classmates die rather than have the world find out "we are not alone." That's a tough pill for a twelve-year-old to swallow. It was a tough pill for this thirty-eight-year-old to swallow.
Then we zoom to Amy Adams and the stupid spaceship scene. That's when I decided I'd rather fall asleep.
Anyway, I'll finish it for the beefcake alone. Yes, Superman is a superstud, but I can't help but think that the producers of new superman failed to improve upon old superman.
Maybe they didn't care so much about improvement. Maybe it's all about the super payout.
------------
On a completely unrelated side note, I have a $25 Rafflecopter giveaway for my Double Takes blog tour going on.
Check it out here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1251e92/
And if you enjoy MM romance, or maybe you've always been curious, check out Double Takes. It's a rockin' ride and is discounted on Amazon right now.
 |
| http://www.amazon.com/Double-Takes-Shooting-Stars-Vale-ebook/dp/B00JTNT4MO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399123192&sr=1-1&keywords=double+takes |
www.authorkimbervale.com
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Chimera Born - Ingredients: One Dream About The Future, One Author, And 23 Years on Simmer
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| Timewalkers Book 1 |
Picture this, a fresh faced college kid lays her little head down on her pillow one night and something odd happens...she has a nightmare...
About the future.
And it wasn't good.
I slept that night and watched a space opera play out behind closed eyelids. Except it wasn't Star Wars, or Star Trek, or anything I'd ever seen or heard before. It was Earth not too many years from now, a future earth. The car was incredible, but nothing I'd have imagined. The technology, very cool, but a twist on what I could now, in 2014, conjure. (And remember, this was 1990, computers had barely been invented - I still typed on a typewriter for all of my college papers. There was no Internet, networking, or laptop around.)
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| Timewalkers Book 2 |
In this dream I lived and watched life play out inside the mind of a man. He was honorable, strong, and dedicated. He was a soldier in the woods with an order to eliminate a threat. But that threat turned out to be an ten year old child, a new evolution of humanity. That child was going to change everything, and I mean everything we ever thought we knew about life on this little blue planet. So, instead of killing the child with a sniper's bullet, this man saved the child but sacrificed himself in the process. He did it for all of us humans. For the world.
That child lived, but myself and the friend whose mind I'd hijacked? We died. I died with him in that dream, felt him get shot multiple times. Felt him struggle through agonizing pain to lift that child into the car and send the car safely away. (Yes, it drove itself.) Felt his satisfaction that he'd won this fight. Felt him die.
I woke up and I never saw what happened next. Did the child grow up and turn into a monster? Did humanity awaken? Evolve? Was that child the next great Avatar on Earth or just a poor kid who got caught in the crossfire?
Or perhaps the child was a Chimera, born from two or more species of human descendants? Just a spontaneous mutation like they talk about in the X-men movies?
I don't know the answers, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for a single day since then. Not one. So...being a writer, I decided it was time to stop being a coward. Time to bring them to life and finish the story, to discover what happens next.
CHIMERA BORN will be out in an anthology in June with the fabulous authors S.E. Smith, Carolyn Jewel, and Mina Khan. Chimera Born brings to light the world of my dream, if reimagined a bit. It's the beginning of a new series all about what might happen next on our beautiful blue Earth. I had to take creative license since no one from the future would return my call.
I hope that's not a bad thing...
Best,
Michele Callahan
Books:
Red Night (Timewalkers Book 1)
Silver Storm (Timewalkers Book 2)
Blue Abyss (Timewalkers Books 3) - June 2014
Black Gate (Timewalkers Book 4) - June 2014
White Fire (Timewalkers Book 5 - Finale) August 2014
CHIMERA BORN - Coming June 2014
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