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Category Archives: SF
WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, Titanic and Other Ship Wrecks-Guest Post by Veronica Scott
If I asked you to name a famous ship wreck or ship sinking, you’d probably come up with the Titanic at some point in your short list, right? I mean, who wouldn’t, with all the books, movies and other discussion still surrounding the event, even 101 years later?
So true enough my SFR novel WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM is loosely based on Titanic, although set in the far future, on a space liner, but I also took inspiration from some other sinkings and wrecks in history. When I was deciding what to write for this guest blog at Cathy’s (and thank you for having me today), I researched famous shipwrecks in Alaska and found the “unsinkable” SS Islander, with water tight compartments, built for the luxury trade, which hit an iceberg (or a rock) on August 14, 1901 and sank in twenty minutes. Forty people died, possibly more since there were at least eleven stowaways. (VS sez that’s a lot of stowaways!). The ship is rumored to have gone down with great riches in the hold, just as Titanic took treasures of all kinds to the bottom of the Pacific, including a jeweled copy of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. My own doomed Nebula Dream has unspecified wonders in its cargo hold.
Lifeboats and who gets into them are another constant theme when researching wrecks and sinkings. The biggest lifeboat, meant to hold 50, was reported to have left the Islander with only eight people aboard. Titanic’s lifeboats are legendary for being lowered underfilled. I always wondered about that, why the crew was so concerned about not putting too many people into the boats, until I just this year read several accounts of earlier tragedies at sea where the lifeboats did split as they were lowered, which the crew of Titanic must have known. My Nebula Dream has lifeboat problems of her own…
Even getting to a lifeboat didn’t always mean a person survived. In the accounts of the White Star Line RMS Atlantic, which sank in 1873 with terrible loss of life, all the women and children died, even though many were put into lifeboats but the life boats capsized or were smashed against the rocks. Interestingly, one of the crew members of the Atlantic was discovered to have been a woman in disguise as “Bill,” a sailor who liked his grog and tobacco, and who had done three voyages on the ship. Now there has to be a novel there, right?!
We writers LOVE doing research and it often takes us down rabbitholes, like I just did just then with the sailor who was a woman, sorry! Then we have to force ourselves back to the original topic we were pursuing. How about the White Star Line’s Republic, known as “The Millionaires’ Ship” because so many rich Americans liked to travel back and forth to Europe aboard her? When she had her mid ocean catastrophe in 1909, the Marconi crew broadcast the “CQD” emergency call and another ship did arrive in time to take off nearly everyone aboard. This explains a lot about why the passengers on Titanic just three years later were so sure they had plenty of time, weren’t in all that much danger and had no need to go into the tiny lifeboats. Even the Board of Trade expected there would always be another ship conveniently nearby to take the passengers from a disabled or sinking cruise liner. Well, the Californian was near the Titanic all right (within ten miles) but never got word of the sinking. One of those very sad “what ifs”.
I made sure the circumstances of my spaceliner’s wreck placed her far away from where she was supposed to be and amped up the difficulty of anyone coming to their rescue in time…
And one final thing, in a very old, low budget movie about a fictional shipwreck (not Titanic) which my parents allowed me to see on TV (and be traumatized by but hey, that’s par for the course as a kid!), a poor woman is trapped under wreckage as the ship sinks. Her husband struggles to get her free in time. (It’s “The Last Voyage” with Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone, if you’re interested.) I made sure to put a scene into WRECK where something similar occurs and my hero Nick has to come to the rescue of trapped children, thus exorcising my personal lifelong demons from viewing that movie!
Here’s the book’s story:
Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.
All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.
But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?
WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, a 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winner, is available for kindle, as an audio book or a paperback at Amazon. The audio sample is here.
You can find me at:
http://veronicascott.wordpress.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/vscotttheauthor
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Scott/177217415659637
Thanks for having me as a guest today, Cathy!
Romance Writers: The Unvarnished Truth About Their Miserable Existences
The writing life! Being wined and dined by publishers and agents. International book tours and humungous royalty checks. Stellar reviews and loyal fans.
Yeah. Right. Read on…
A Day in the Life of Diane Dooley
0600: I wake to golden sunlight streaming through the window. It’s going to be another perfect day! Wearing my favorite pink twin-set, my grandmother’s pearls and a scant misting of Chanel #5, I drift downstairs to my book-lines study, where the butler brings me herbal tea and buttered toast points. I start writing my latest romance novel, the words falling to the manuscript like raindrops to roses…
0630: Wake from the lovely dream to find a dog’s butt in my face and my husband’s snoring in my ears. Grope around in the dark until I find yesterday’s clothes, then rub deodorant on my smelly bits. Spend the next hours corralling children, dogs and husband, finally collapsing in exhausted heap until coffee ready.
0830: Open manuscript, read last few paragraphs. Realize I have written the Great American Romance Novel. What should I wear to the awards ceremony? Write the most wonderful words of all: The End. Send manuscript to agent, knowing that it was too perfect to edit.
0930: Wake from the lovely dream to find a different dog butt in my face. Inhale coffee. Open manuscript, read last few paragraphs. Sob with frustration, then spend an hour on Facebook and Twitter, pretending to be a real writer. Drink half a bottle of inspiration, then write a three chapter sex scene in which the heroine unfortunately dies of erotic asphyxiation. Delete it, reminding myself that I am a romance writer and a very nice person. Remind self again. Drink more inspiration.
12Noon: Pass out on couch with my butt in the dogs’ faces.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, another writer is stirring…
A Day in the Life of Cathy Pegau
0600: Husband’s alarm goes off, kicking me out of a dream about hot pool boys and honey. OMG! I’m paralyzed! No, just the cat across my legs. Eject the furry boulder, Dog immediately jumps up on bed, huffs and falls asleep. Dog’s got the right idea.
0615: Alarm goes off. Slap snooze. Slap drooly dog face away from mine.
0624: Ditto
0633: Double ditto (what’s with 9 minute snoozing? I never understood that.) Roll out of bed to make sure kids are up (they are). Bless husband for making coffee. Squint out into darkness. *Shiver* Global warming my ass…..
0800: Kids and husband out to school and work. Time to hit the manuscript. Open email, Twitter and Facebook…just to check.
1200: Manuscript not open and I’m still in my pajamas, but I now know what all my imaginary writer friends had for lunch, did at work and will be doing this evening. Also, a personal best on Spider Solitaire. Go me! OK, let’s get serious.
1230: Open manuscript. Read last few pages. Hmmm…..This needs some work. Oh! Time for lunch!
Diane Dooley’s Day Continues…
1230: Put final touches on the Oscar acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay, then go out with actual, real-life, flesh-and-blood people called “friends.” Find jeans and a swimsuit that fit perfectly and make me look fabulous.
1245: Wake up with dog’s tongue in my ear. Roll off the couch; find some spaghetti in my cleavage. Eat it and call it lunch.
1300: Open manuscript, then spend two and a half hours looking for inspiration on YouTube. Also complete all chores while loudly singing the entire ‘Bat Out of Hell” album.
1630: Kids arrive home from school. Spend next several hours cooking, cleaning and doing 4th and 6th grade English, Math, History and Science homework, along with art projects that include building dioramas of books I’ve never read. Use physical force to get boys in shower, then to bed.
2130: Look for inspiration in fridge, but it’s all gone except for a lone bottle of Angostura bitters. Fix drink with it. Open manuscript and start to type. The Angostura is working!
2200: Husband arrives home, seeking food, shelter and good company. Ignore him. Continue to write romance novel in which everyone is damaged and dies at the end. Fingers working hard to keep up with words flowing from brain. I love writing!
0200: Take phonecall from Daniel Day-Lewis, who wants to have one of my books adapted for screenplay so he can play one of my characters. He was born to play the role, apparently. He would also very much like to meet me. Am eventually persuaded.
0400: Awake with my face on the keyboard, which is covered in a vile-smelling, sticky substance which could not possible be my own drool. Final line in manuscript is: h4O[[NKLN,K [P9-O=-O9M=ORTZST=O-U. Save document, then drag my carcass to bed, considering it a day of successful writing. Kick dogs out of my sleeping spot. Collapse. Sleep without dreams.
Cathy Pegau’s Day Continues…
1330: Wake from carb-induced coma nap. Why is MTV’s Hip Hop Countdown blaring from the television? Button pants and sit at table. This manuscript will ROCK as soon as I can get past chapter three. Is the hero/heroine “cute meet” too cute? I think punching a guy in the junk spilling coffee on a guy makes a lasting impression. Leave it in. Plow on, making notes to flesh out scenes later.
1445: There! Made it to the end of chapter three! Wait. What the…? I’d already written chapter three? Really? Son of a…. *sigh*
1545: Furious activity as kids arrive home from school, dogs jump about, cats streak out from under thunderous paws of death. Call the dogs in. Tell kids to shut BOTH doors. Wonder what that damn piteous wailing is. Fetch indoor cat from outside. Ask kids how their day was. Half listen while I consider a plot point that can make or break this story. Wait. What was that about meeting with the principal tomorrow???
1730: Look up from sixth version of opening paragraph of chapter four to see kids staring at me, hollow-eyed. Dinner? Didn’t I feed them yesterday? Husband is settled in his favorite chair (when did he get here????) shaking his head. I suggest pizza.
1900: Favorite show about to come on. But it’s a rerun, so I can miss it and get back to writing. Oh, but it’s a REALLY good episode! Sit on couch with manuscript open. I’ll work during commercial breaks. Get one and a half sentences down.
2000: Ditto with second favorite show in line-up. Rewrite sentence. Twice. Add two more. Yay! Progress!
2100: Laptop battery dying. Plug it in. Crack knuckles. Get to it!
0030: Dog snoring at my feet. Everyone’s been in bed for a couple of hours, but things are moving along. Just need to get the gist of this scene down….
0245: Husband taps me on the shoulder, startling me and nearly knocking me off the chair. “You’re working in the morning. Come to bed.” Look at screen. No new words. Save what I have, shut down computer, and hope to squeeze in a little writing between classes tomorrow.
So there you have it, folks. Think twice before you take up the writing life!
* * * * *
Diane Dooley writes romance, science fiction and horror; short stories, novellas and novels . You can catch up with her on her blog, Facebook or Twitter. She also blogs regularly at Contact: Infinite Futures and is a contributor to The Galaxy Express.
Check out Diane’s latest releases Blue Nebula and That Night!
Come on A GALACTIC HOLIDAY!
THE SCI-FI HERO, IN ALL HIS GLORY!
First, thanks to Cathy Pegau for hosting us, the authors of A GALACTIC HOLIDAY, Carina’s Press’s sci-fi holiday anthology. Happy Holidays, Cathy!
There’s just something crack-o-licious about certain sci-fi heroes. Think about it—what is it that’s so appealing about Mal Reynolds? He was rough around the edges, educated by life rather than a stuffy academy, and a former member of a rebellion that wound up losing in an epic way? And then there’s the seemingly opposite side of the coin represented by James Tiberius Kirk. Sophisticated, Academy-raised, a respected member of Star Fleet—a winner in every sense of the word. These two heroes shouldn’t have anything in common.
But they do.
In their heart of hearts, both Mal and Kirk were mavericks. They both understand the parameters of their worlds/galaxies/’verse, and their place in it. They know the rules. A lot of the time, they even follow them…until they don’t.
What makes these two so universally loved is that they always tried to do what was right. Not what’s legally acceptable. Not what they’re ordered to do. Not what was expected of them. What these two much-adored characters shared is an moral compass that always pointed true, and they didn’t care about what rules they had to break in order to make things right. How can you not love someone like that?
In A GALACTIC HOLIDAY, the three heroes also come from very different backgrounds, but each one falls into the category of hero. To find out more, read on!
Anna: Born and raised on Rendar (a high-tech planet with no families), Savan Bardan has always fought for what he wanted. First as a space marine, he led his men into terrible battles and now as the top trade negotiator in the galaxy. He’s the tough, silent type who keeps his past nightmares buried and likes to always win. But deep down he questions everything: his planet’s hunger for more energy, the tactics his colleagues are willing to use to close a deal and his own goals. I think he knows something is missing from his life.
Enter Brinn Fjord. The negotiator for the ice world of Perma. A woman who blames him for the death of her father. Brinn is dedicated to her family, her people’s prosperity and protecting her world’s environment. She is just the woman to show Savan what he’s missing! And I tossed them together during the winter holiday of Yule…let’s just say it is a real education for Savan.
Sasha: Leo is a man’s man. He’s a man of action, but he’s smart enough to think things through first. His colony lost protection from Patrols and the Raiders ‘recruited’ him before Black Lung wiped out the rest of the colony. After raiding for a while, the Patrols caught up with his ship. He spent the next few years working for the Patrols, feeding the info. Once he’d earned their trust, he got his own ship and crew. He still helps out the Patrols from time to time, but he’s an entrepreneur – taking whatever jobs pay most so he can help people/colonies/ships in trouble… partly because he knows what it’s like to be deserted and partly because he likes to do the right thing. He’s a loyal captain and protective of his crew and his ship. But he’s a loner, maintaining enough distance to keep control of his wily crew. Meeting Riley, the heroine, makes him question the whole ‘loner’ thing – but Riley isn’t necessarily sold on the idea of a long-term ‘thing’ either so he has his work cut out for him.
Stacy: Right from the beginning, Detective Edison Wicke popped out of my head as a full-fledged smartass! He’s a sexy charmer, though, so I can forgive that quick-trigger mouth of his. Just think of Edison as that guy we ladies secretly want to meet—the guy who has a sizzling quip for just about everything that comes his way, and the sleek charisma to keep you laughing.
But come to find out, Edison’s wicked sense of humor hides a turbulent childhood where December 25th was just another day to struggle through. Because of the harshness of his background, he has a strong sense of justice (in fact, his name was almost Edison Just instead of Edison Wicke, due to his unwavering sense of what is right). He’s hardcore when it comes to protecting those who can’t protect themselves, and his loyalty to Reina is so great he changed his entire life in order to be near her. And in the face of adversity, he stands by her side when no one else will.
If that isn’t a true hero, I don’t know what is.
You tell us—what traits do you like to see in your heroes?
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A GALACTIC HOLIDAY – Carina Press | Amazon | B&N | All Romance
Anna Hackett – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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Sasha Summers – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Stellarnet Prince by J.L. Hilton
Welcome J.L. Hilton on her blog tour for her newest release from Carina Press, Stellarnet Prince, Book Two in the Stellarnet Series, following Stellarnet Rebel (January 2012).
Stuck in the Middle with You
When Cathy wrote about M/F/M relationships, she joked that if she ever happened to be the “/F/”she hoped she wouldn’t have to sleep in the middle of the bed. I’ve never had the opportunity to be an “/F/” either. I know I’m an edge sleeper. I like to be able to uncover a leg for proper temperature control, climb out to use the bathroom, or get as far away as a king-sized bed will allow when my husband starts snoring. And I have kids, so I have to be accessible in the event of nightmares, illness and thunderstorms. In my new novel, Stellarnet Prince, chapter one begins with the heroine waking between two males –one built like Matthew McConaughey and one built like Michael Phelps.
Chapter One
J’ni pressed her breasts to Duin’s speckled back, kissing his neck while he slept. In many ways, they were similar, his race and hers. They were omnivorous mammals who bled, laughed, and needed sleep. They possessed two legs, two arms, ten fingers. But there were numerous differences between her race and his, between humans and the Glin.
Her hand moved over his thigh, smooth as pearl, and traced the dense muscles hardened by a lifetime of hunting and swimming. Beneath closed eyelids rimmed with short, white lashes, his eyes were larger than her own and filled almost entirely with dark gray irises. Past his pale lips were teeth smaller and sharper than hers. His hairless skin bore several shades from taupe to chartreuse—but only on the back half of his body, like many aquatic creatures on Earth.
Light flickered through cracks in the woven walls of the hut. J’ni knew what the sunlight meant to his planet. Devastation. Too much water had been stolen by the Tikati, too many rivers dammed. Within a few years, pollution and ecological upheaval had altered the storm systems and water flow upon which the lives of these hunter-gatherers depended. But she couldn’t help her instinctive response. The light made her feel good.
She rolled onto her back and stretched. Bright spots danced over Belloc’s arm and across her stomach. Glin faces, chests, stomachs, the insides of their arms and the fronts of their legs were pale. But Belloc’s front had the slightest shade of blue, where Duin’s had a hint of yellow. Unique among all Glin, her husband’s back half was a deep indigo blue, with thin lines of blue-green in a wriggling pattern that looked like rain on a window. The pattern made his skin seem to shimmer when he moved. “Gulla tup, bugloim.” The rich cello music of Belloc’s voice resonated in his chest as he spoke to her in Glinnish. “Awaken well, my love.”
“I couldn’t think of a better way to wake up than between the two of you.”
Me neither. I tell you what, edge sleeper or not, if I had the opportunity to play monkey-in-the-middle with some men who looked like Matt and Mike, I’d do it. Or die trying. Even if they are from another planet. And knowing Duin – at 40 years old, a father of five and grandfather of two with a personality similar to Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street – he’d probably be better at dealing with the kids’ nightmares than I would, anyway!
~J.L. Hilton
Hot AND good with kids?!? I’d “suffer” the middle too ; )
Thanks, J.L.! Folks, if that sexy excerpt wasn’t enough to excite you into picking up Stellarnet Prince (and how could you possibly resist after reading it???), here’s a blurb to whet your appetite even more:
An otherworldly love. Human blogger Genny O’Riordan shares two alien lovers: Duin, a leader of the Uprising, and Belloc, the only surviving member of the reviled Glin royal family. Their relationship has inspired millions of followers–and incited vicious anti-alien attacks.
A planet at risk. A Stellarnet obsessed with all things alien brings kidnappers, sex traffickers and environmental exploitation to Glin. Without weapons or communications technology, the planet cannot be defended. Glin will be ravaged and raided until nothing remains.
A struggle for truth. On Earth, Duin discovers a secret that could spur another rebellion, while on Glin, Belloc’s true identity could endanger their family and everything they’ve fought for. Have the Glin found true allies in humanity, or an even more deadly foe?
An exciting continuation to a fabulous series! Go get it now!!!
Author website: www.JLHilton.com
Book website: www.StellarnetSeries.com
Publisher website: www.CarinaPress.com
Buy link: http://www.StellarnetSeries.com/shop/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/J.L.Hilton.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorJLHilton
deviantART: http://jlhilton.deviantart.com/
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5344538.J_L_Hilton
Happy First Year, Rulebreaker!
One year ago today my debut novel, Rulebreaker, was released by Carina Press. It’s been a wild ride for the past year. Lots of ups, a few downs, but overall fantastic. I can’t say too often how fabulous Carina Press and my editor Rhonda Stapleton have been, or how much I appreciate the input and patience of my agent, Natalie Lakosil at Bradford Literary Agency.
I’ve received great feedback from readers. No, not all of it was “OMG! This book rocked!” And that’s all right. I need to know what works and what doesn’t so I can make future books better. So thank you ALL for your comments and reviews.
Rulebreaker’s actual birth/conception (ie: first words on paper or into computer) took place long before last August. Perusing old files, I found the original bits that dated back to 2008, a full manuscript dated late 2009, and the full I’d sent to Carina after getting picked up in a pitch contest in May 2010. But it didn’t stop there. Rulebreaker went through a few changes, including the title. It saw the red pens—or rather, the red of Track Changes—of two critique partners and a couple of beta readers. Two different editors worked on it with me. There was a cover that wasn’t really the cover that had to be straightened out. For the record, I loved both versions. Carina covers rock!
So now, over three years later, Rulebreaker is out there. I have two more books in the works with Carina Press. Other stories are in various stages of development. I’m busy writing and researching, falling in love with new characters and trying to keep some of the plot bunnies wrangled for later dates. Life is good and I couldn’t be happier. And I have many people to thank for that. So thank you!
To celebrate, I’m having a giveaway. A digital copy of Rulebreaker and a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or B&N or wherever. There may be another surprise prize, if the stars align themselves. I’ll keep you posted.
EDITED TO ADD: I just received actual print copies of Rulebreaker that were not needed for the Ritas. So there will be more than one prize winner. Ebook or print copy plus the GC for the first person chosen. Ebook or print for a second lucky duck. Comment away, people!!!! Oh, and funny thing, the cover of the print book is not the same as the ebook. Heh!
What do you have to do? Comment on this post. Ask me about my writing process. Tell me if you’ve read the book and what you liked or didn’t like. Ask me about living in Alaska. Whatever. I’ll do a random drawing on Sunday, August 12. Also, can you answer this question: What was Rulebreaker’s original title? No, you don’t have to answer correctly to win anything. I just want to see who’s paying attention : ) BTW, my CP’s cannot answer this one!
ETD, Part 2: We have winners! Helgagrace won a print copy of Rulebreaker and asked for an iTunes gift card. Taryn Rose won an ebook copy of Rulebreaker. Thanks for commenting everyone!!!
Oh, and the original title for Rulebreaker was….Hmmm…I think I’ll save that for another time ; )
Cover Reveal and Giveaway for Colonization by Aubrie Dionne
I’m honored to be part of Aubrie Dionne’s cover reveal tour for her release Colonization: Paradise 21, a sci fi YA book coming from Inkspell Publishing as an ebook and in print this October. Isn’t it lovely!
Finding a new home has never been so dangerous.
Andromeda has spent all seventeen years of her life aboard a deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet. Her safe cocoon is about to break open as Paradise 21 looms only one month away, and she must take the aptitude tests to determine her role on the new world and her computer assigned lifemate. As a great-granddaughter of the Commander of the ship, she wants to live up to her family name. But, her forbidden love for her childhood friend, Sirius, distracts her and she fails the tests. The results place her in a menial role in the new colony and pair her with Corvus, “the oaf”.
But when Andromeda steps foot on Paradise 21, her predestined future is the least of her worries. Alien ghosts from a failed colonization warn her of a deadly threat to her colony. And when Sirius’s ship crashes on the far ridge in an attempt to investigate, she journeys to rescue him with Corvus.
Andromeda now must convince the authorities of the imminent danger to protect her new home. What she didn’t expect was a battle of her own feelings for Sirius and Corvus.
Can she save the colony and discover her true love?
Author Bio:Aubrie Dionne writes science fiction fantasy with romantic elements. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She’s also a professional flutist in New England.
Please visit her website: www.authoraubrie.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2964057.Aubrie_Dionne
Twitter: @authoraubrie
Blog: http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com
Giveaway! – Open for US and UK only.
We have a very cool keyring as a giveaway.
Go here to find out how to win!
Congratulations, Aubrie! I can’t wait to read Colonization!
Since It’s Posted in PM, It Must Be True
From Publishers Marketplace: Cathy Pegau’s CAUGHT IN AMBER, sci-fi suspense about a former drug addict enlisted to get close to her ex-lover and drug dealer to help save a federal agent’s addicted sister, who finds herself falling in love with the sexy agent, and BREATHLESS, to Angela James at Carina Press, for publication in 2013, by Natalie Fischer Lakosil at Bradford Literary Agency (World).
(Thanks for the head’s up, Loreth ; )
Yes, I’ve know about the deal for a while now, but hadn’t said anything official until I okayed it with my lovely agent, Natalie. So now we all know.
I’m super excited to be working with Rhonda Helms on these books. She was fantastic with RULEBREAKER, and I know AMBER and BREATHLESS will be in good hands with her whipping guiding things.I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the input of my crit partners Jody Wallace and Sharron McClellan Camaratta and beta readers Melanie and Bella (did I miss anyone?). I thought AMBER would never get good enough to submit, but with patience and excellent revision notes, Natalie made it happen.
Okay! Back to work on BREATHLESS so Rhonda doesn’t hurt me.
Thanks, everyone!
Cover Reveal: Fortune’s Hero
Coming in August from Entangled Publishing: Fortune’s Hero, a science fiction romance by Jenna Bennett.
Isn’t it gorgeous? Heather Howland is the artist.
And the story sound amazing too. Check it out:
Last year, space smuggler Quinn Conlan was on top of the world. He had everything a man could want: a fast ship, a great crew, a gorgeous girlfriend, lots of money, and adventure and excitement around every corner.
That all changed when he agreed to ferry a shipload of weapons to the beleaguered planet Marica, currently under siege by Rhenian forces. Now he’s stuck in a prison camp on the moon Marica-3, subjected to weekly sessions with the camp’s “medical team,” and praying for a quick death before he breaks under the torture and spills everything he knows about the Marican resistance.
When the opportunity presents itself, Quinn takes a Rhenian med tech hostage and heads into the inhospitable interior of the small moon. There, he has to keep himself and Doctor Elsa Brandeis safe from the deadly flora and fauna, as well as hidden from the prison guards searching for them, all while formulating a plan for getting his crew out of prison, his ship out of impound, and everyone out of orbit.
But when Elsa professes her love, can Quinn take the beautiful doctor at her word, or will trusting her—and his heart—condemn him and his crew to an eternity on Marica-3?
Cool, huh? I can’t wait to read it! : )
Congratulations on the great cover and the upcoming release, Jenna!
WRITING A SF NOVEL PART 4: THE WRITING PROCESS–Guest author Robert Appleton
How lucky we are! SF author Robert Appleton is here today with the next installment of his five part series AND this is the release day for his newest book, Sparks in the Cosmic Dust from Carina Press!
WRITING A SF NOVEL PART 4: THE WRITING PROCESS
Or Thru the Black Hole
iPod fully charged. Check. Assorted Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, James Horner, Holst and other cosmic composers set to continuous play. Check. Phone off. Check. John Carter of Mars & Dejah Thoris and Luke & Yoda posters nicely lit on the wall. Check. Sisyphean mindset in place. Um, check. Genius in place. I wish. Ideas racing at light speed. CHECK-CHECK-CHECK…
It’s hard to describe the moment-to-moment process of actually writing the book without sounding pretty insane. Sure, I’m using the craft I’ve learned painstakingly over years of storytelling. I can describe to you the structure and the characters and the worldbuilding and how to create tension and emotion. But what I can’t tell you is exactly how I combine all those, moment to moment, to spin the threads uniquely mine.
Without coming across as too goofy, I will say that while anyone with a competent grasp of language can learn the nuts and bolts required to write a novel, you have to take it far beyond that. Not that I’ve mastered this gig yet—I don’t think you ever really do—but what makes a strong piece of storytelling stand out from the crowd is, for me, something that can’t be taught. It’s the moment to moment intuition, the descriptive flights of fancy, the feel for tension and emotion in a given scenario, the insights into human behaviour you’ve picked up over a lifetime. You don’t know for sure they’re going to work on the page but you trust your instincts anyway.
Writing is generating those sparks in cosmic dust and using them to light your way.
You can’t be that intense all the time, of course. Knowing when to step off the gas is just as important in novel writing. You don’t want to exhaust the reader. And the best way to ensure that is to keep the writing smooth and natural: pacing is another intuitive skill, probably the easiest one to get wrong when you’re wrapped up in the grammar mechanics and the plot points and the million other factors jostling for your attention. There comes a point where you have to just glide and let your instincts take over, otherwise you’d be agonising for a year over each chapter.
The hardest scenes for me to write in Sparks in Cosmic Dust were those with group dialogue. It’s like acting all the parts in a play on your own, and each character has to have a unique voice while also driving the story forward. I’m at my best with one on one dialogue—I like generating friction in the backs and forths—but in a five-strong group, it’s harder to settle into a groove. It’s also hard to give each character equal weight. While it’s often necessary to focus on one or two in the scene, you have to at least consider the others’ POV, even if they’re not speaking.
The easiest chapters were, strangely enough, the action scenes. There are quite a few in Sparks, especially in the second half. But I’ve found from past experience that my action scenes flow much better if I write them in one go. The ebb and flow requires continuity, and any time I have to stop-start, I lose that momentum. One extended chase/fight scene ending on the beach of Zopyrus I had to spread over two chapters, but I made sure I got the whole thing done in two days. It also had an emotional climax, which may have ultimately worked better because I was so exhausted. The desperation the characters felt mirrored my own.
I outlined thirty-odd chapters before I wrote Sparks, giving a paragraph for each chapter. That’s always the most critical part of novel writing for me in that the story arcs have to work in condensed form before I even think about embarking on the journey into the black hole. Chapters evolve as I write, but for the most part that initial outline is close to the end product.
It took me three months to write Sparks, and another one to edit it before submission. That’s a pretty quick turnaround, especially the latter part. I think the confidence gained from having written four previous novels allowed me to loosen up and trust my intuition this time. The result is my most ambitious and probably my most consistent SF book yet.
Today is launch day for Sparks in Cosmic Dust! Woohoo! To celebrate, I’m posting a five-part look at the book’s development, from initial concept to book launch. I’m also giving away one SF title from my back catalogue with each segment, ending with a special Sparks giveaway. The winners will be all announced on September 30th on my own blog: http://robertbappleton.blogspot.com
Here’s where you can find the other installments:
Part 1: Concept (Aug 31)—Contact: Infinite Futures Blog
Part 2: Character (Sep 13)—Mercurial Times (my blog)
Part 4: The Writing Process (Sep 23)—Shawn Kupfer’s Blog
Part 5: Publication (Sep 28)—Carina Press Blog
With this fourth installment, I’m giving away one set of The Eleven Hour Fall trilogy ebooks. To enter, either leave a comment here on Cathy’s blog or send me an email at sevenmercury7@aol.com with SPARKS GIVEAWAY FOUR in the subject line. Don’t forget to give your name.
Good luck!