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!

SFR Brigade Mid Summer Blog Hop Winner!!!!

Woo hoo! What a great blog hop! Lots of fantastic comments and interesting posts.

Thank you all so much for participating. I wish I could give every one of my commentors a prize, but, alas, there is only one from here. And that one is....

Diana!

*Confetti in air*

Diana won a copy of Rulebreaker and an Amazon gift card.

But wait! There's more!

Be sure to check the SFR Brigade blog for the GRAND prize winner. Really. DO IT!!!! (That's a hint, people!)

Yanno, I love giving things away so much, and Rulebreaker's first "birthday" is coming up in August...Yep! I'm gonna do this again!

In the meantime, feel free to buy it if you can't wait ; )

Thanks again, everyone! I had a great time and hope you did too!

SFR Brigade Mid Summer Blog Hop: Land of the Midnight Sun

(Photo from the Alaska Community Photo Index http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/photopages/Barrow_Photos.htm)

Twenty-three hours and forty-one minutes. That’s the hours of visible daylight we experience during Summer Solstice. That’s a lot of light.

Here in Alaska, we celebrate both Solstices, but Summer Solstice is my favorite. Summer Solstice is full of outdoor parties, midnight baseball games, kids running about well after their bedtimes. Who can sleep when the sun is bright until ten or eleven at night? The normal cues for activities are skewed when the sun doesn’t set. Energy levels run high, until you have to get up for work the next morning anyway.

How do we here in the northern latitudes deal with all that lovely, tempting light? Blackout curtains and routine. You see, we gain or lose light gradually, just a few minutes a day. We ease into those 23+ hours without realizing it because we try to keep our biorhythms on an even keel for work or school or sanity when it comes to getting kids into bed. Then, after Solstice, we ease back into shorter days, minutes at a time. Our bodies and minds get used to the coming winter darkness. Mostly.

But all this light has me wondering (because that’s what I do).

What if we were in a place where the sun NEVER set? Would the artificial dark of buildings be enough? Would we miss seeing stars and the moon? Would we lament the loss of mystery that night brings?

Over time, how would we humans adapt? Would we? What sort of psychological issues might erupt from not enough natural darkness? What about the flora and fauna in our all light, all the time location?

There are a number of SF and horror movies that use darkness because it scares the bejeebus out of us. Could we use light the same way?

Tell me what you think about a permanent Land of the Midnight Sun. Leave your email addy and I’ll choose a comment at random for a copy of Rulebreaker and a $25 gift card to the ebook outlet of your choice. A winner will be announced on Sunday, the 24th.

If you can't wait to see if you've won, feel free to pick up Rulebreaker at Carina Press or Amazon or B&N or wherever fine ebooks are sold ; )



Liv Braxton's Felon Rule #1: Don't get emotionally involved.

Smash-and-grab thieving doesn't lend itself to getting chummy with the victims, and Liv hasn't met anyone on the mining colony of Nevarro worth knowing, anyway. So it's easy to follow her Rules.

Until her ex, Tonio, shows up with an invitation to join him on the job of a lifetime.

Until Zia Talbot, the woman she's supposed to deceive, turns Liv's expectations upside down in a way no woman ever has.

Until corporate secrets turn deadly.

But to make things work with Zia, Liv has to do more than break her Rules, and the stakes are higher than just a broken heart…


And don’t forget to hop on over to the other SFR Brigade Mid Summer Hop spots (Sorry a more convenient list isn't on this post! There is a complete list in the post below : ) for more prizes and a chance to win one of the biggies!

Enjoy the sun!

SFR Brigade Midsummer Blog Hop

Hello there!

On Friday 22nd June (Pacific Time) the SFR Brigade will be holding its first ever Blog Hop to celebrate Midsummer. 36 fabulous science fiction romance authors will be telling you mystical or scientific stories related to the event, and they'll each be giving away a prize - books, gift cards, swag bags...and lots more!

Plus there's TWO GRAND PRIZES!

1st Prize - a Kindle Touch or Nook Touch
2nd Prize -a library of science fiction romance titles from over 20 authors (these will be mostly ebooks with one print anthology), and an Anabanana Gift Card.

All you need to do to enter is pop along to the blogs listed below and comment on as many as you want (only ONE comment per site will count as an entry). Each time you comment at a stop, you'll earn one entry into the grand prize - so the more sites you visit, the greater your chances of winning. The winners will be drawn at random on the 24th June and announced on this site. The list of participating authors can be found below this post. Spread the news!

SFR MidSummer Blog Tour Coming Soon!

Come join us!

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!

Free Read and a Giveaway

A bit late, but there's still time to pop on over to Jessica E. Subject's blog for her Science Fiction Romance Holiday Festivities and read some cool short stories, get inside info about some of the worlds some great authors have created, and win things like books and such! (Note: some of the contests have closed, but there are still great reads!)

I have a free read up too! A short, sexy piece where my two heroines from Rulebreaker celebrate Founder's Day. Also, a book and gift card giveaway.

So head on over, read some fun SFR, and maybe win a thing or two!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the 2011 SFR Holiday Blitz!

Yes, friends, it's that most wonderful time of year again! The Galaxy Express is hosting a Science Fiction Romance giveaway extravaganza! Lots of different authors giving away lots of great books. All you have to do is comment. The more blogs you visit, the better your chances!

I'm giving away a copy of Rulebreaker at Contact-Infinite Futures. Come on by and see what all is being offered.

Happy Holidays, to be sure!

Science Fiction Romance Lights Up the Holidays

The lovely and talented Jessica E. Subject has brought together a plethora of authors to give you the gift of stories. Starting yesterday and through December 30, you can check out what some favorite characters are up to for the holidays, or perhaps meet a few new friends. And do check out ALL the posts. Some authors are having contests! Yay!

Here's the schedule of author posts:


December 1 – D.L. Jackson
December 2 – Lisa Lane
December 3 – Jessica E. Subject @ Daily Dose of Decadence
December 5 – Gini Koch
December 6 – Heather Massey
December 7 – Jessica E. Subject @ 30 Days of Decadence Holiday Blog
December 8 – Rebecca Royce
December 9 – Bella Street
December 12 – Sara Brookes
December 13 – Maureen O. Betita
December 14 – Jessica E. Subject @ Jennifer Lane’s blog & TRS Book-a-day Giveaway
December 15 – Ann Mayburn
December 16 – Jeanette Grey
December 19 – Melisse Aires
December 20 – Diane Dooley
December 21 – Jessica E. Subject on Lisa Fox’s blog
December 22 – Azura Ice
December 23 – Eve Langlais
December 27 – Ella Drake
December 28 - Cathy Pegau
December 29 – Marva Dasef
December 30 – Misa Buckley

Yes, there I am, on the 28th!

And yes, I'm giving away a copy of Rulebreaker!

So take a break from the madness, read some fun stories, and maybe win a little something for yourself. Happy holidays, All!!!

Warm Fuzzy Feeling

During the Rulebreaker Blog Tour I was lucky enough to be a guest on several fabulous blogs. There were several giveaways of the book and I received some lovely responses from winners.

One of those winners, author Misty Simon reviewed Rulebreaker on her blog. Misty told me that while she'd never read F/F before she had been looking for one to try. Having someone new to the genre enjoy your story is a warm fuzzy that writers crave. Okay, maybe that's just me, but I don't think so : )

Anyway, I want to say thanks to Misty and to all the other folks reading my book, perhaps getting a first taste of a new genre. You all make my day!

Release Week in Review

Gratuitous dog picture:


What a great Release Week for Rulebreaker! I can't thank my hosts enough for their generosity. And the chance to connect to folks through the comments was great fun. Thank you so much Heather at The Galaxy Express, Maria Zannini, Carina Press, Manic Readers, and Shelley Munro.

Go visit them and show them some love!

But the fun isn't over yet! I have a few more guest appearances coming up and will have some authors visiting here in the weeks to come. On Tuesday the 16th, I'll be at Sarah Makela's blog, and on Wednesday the 17th I'll be at Maureen Miller's.

Stay tuned for more appearances later in August and into September.

I'm getting great feedback on Rulebreaker and appreciate all the kind words folks have for it. Thank you so so much!

RULEBREAKER Cover

Liv Braxton, a small-time thief stuck on a backwater planet, takes on the gig of a lifetime filling in as executive assistant at Exeter Mining Company. Her job is to download incriminating files, but Liv finds herself unexpectedly torn when she falls for Zia Talbot, the beautiful and alluring VP she is supposed to betray.

When I saw this for the first time, my jaw dropped and I felt myself getting all faklempt. Can you blame me? It's a gorgeous cover, and I can't thank the art team at Carina Press or the artist at Croco Designs enough for the perfect rendition of Liv and Zia. That's them, I said to myself.

Perfect.

The cover shows Liv and Zia's strength and vulerability, two characteristics I love in heroines. Liv is a thief, she needs to be tough but she's not unfeeling. That's sort of her problem : ) Zia may be standing behind Liv, but she's no shrinking violet. Far from it.

The blue tone, weapon and background let you know this is going to be a futuristic/science fiction story. The position of the characters tells you it's a romance, but not erotic. It looks like Zia is about to kiss Liv's shoulder. There's a scene in the book where Zia comes up behind Liv and does that. I'm not sure if the artist read it, but it's nicely implied here. And rather sensual, IMO : )

Rulebreaker comes out August 8. I'll be posting a blog tour schedule in conjuction with the release. I hope you join me.

But until then, feel free to pop back and drool over the cover. I know I will : )


The legalese:
Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Copyright© 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Wanna See Something Pretty?

Head on over to The Galaxy Express ; )

Or, if you'd rather wait until tomorrow, you can come back here.

ETA: Oops! Sorry, gang, I'll post Thursday or Friday. I have to find something first : P

Over at Contact-Infinite Futures Today

I have a short post over at the Carina Press SF/SFR blog, Contact-Infinite Futures, about John Travolta having been considered for the part of Han Solo, and a little more on how movies fix a character in our head. Consider movie characters and the actors we associate with certain roles. Would anyone else fit the bill? Pop on over and leave a comment.

Update: Rulebreaker will be released in less than three months! I received the preliminary cover from the art team and Oh. My. God! It's gorgeous. Liv and Zia are perfectly portrayed. Better than anything I could have wished for. And yes, I am a dork and look at it at least once a day. When the final-final cover is approved, I'll post it, of course. For now, you'll have to live with my teasing : )

Rulebreaker Release Date

August 8, 2011 will be a heck of a day here in the Hopefully-Not Frozen North. My F/F SFR Rulebreaker debuts at Carina Press. Here's a blurb:

Liv Braxton, a small-time thief stuck on a backwater planet, takes on the gig of a lifetime filling in as executive assistant at Exeter Mining Company. Her job is to download incriminating files, but Liv finds herself unexpectedly torn when she falls for Zia Talbot, the beautiful and alluring VP she is supposed to betray.

It seems unreal that this story, that ANY story of mine, is going to be published. But there it is. Or will be.

I'm getting up the nerve to contact folks for a blog tour, which should be fun/chaotic. I've never done one before, nor hosted any other person on my blog, so we'll see how it goes.

IRL, I want to have a release party, but other than displaying my cover (which I can't wait to see because Carina puts out some awesome covers!) it's not like I can sign anything. Still, any excuse for a party, right?

August 8 is also the start of Science Camp week. We will have at least two house guests, possibly three, to add to the mix. That'll be fun, but we'll have to keep things family-rated, as two of our guests are under 13.

So there you have it. August 8, 2011. Mark your calendars and stay tuned. I'll post a cover and, hopefully, a blog tour schedule.

Title Me This

A lot of writers have difficulty coming up with titles for their work. You want something that conveys the tone and perhaps the genre, but it should be dynamic, gripping. Different. Because despite the fact that titles aren't copyrighted, do you *really* want to call your book "Gone with the Wind" or "The Bible?" Probably not.

I'm a hit or miss sort of titler. My first foray into fantasy (boy, that sounds kinkier than it is) yielded "The Guardian." Rather generic, in the scheme of things, and at the time I didn't realize that everyone and his/her brother/sister had a book with this title. An Amazon search recently came up with 11,000+ hits. Yeah, that book will be retitled. (After it's revised. It was a first foray and it shows. I still like it well enough, but I'm betting my skills have improved in the years since it was written. Gosh, I *hope* they've improved!)

My next writing/titling project was a trilogy that is still waiting for fantasy romance to take a bigger upswing, and yes, for me to revise the daylights out of it. But the titles rock! The first is "What Price the Crown" (zero hits on Amazon--Yay!), the second, "Once a Princess," (18 hits, mostly for the same book) and the third, "Queen without a Country" (9 hits, all about Queen Mary). Not that the titles alone will get it sold, but they are good titles, if I do say so myself.

My paranormal women's fiction, "Haunted," is another okay title on a particularly favorite story. That one will need less revising (I hope) to let it see the world some day.

My SFR "Bad Girl" was called that for lack of a better idea as I wrote it. The title fit, since the MC is a thief, and I really didn't think much of it as I queried. No one at Carina Press asked about changing the title when they offered for it. But recently, I was once again at Amazon and put it in the search box. 702 hits, including this gem from 1946 . So I contacted my editor and asked about changing the title. She said no one at Carina had suggested a change, but if I wanted to offer some alternates she'd see what the team thought (side note: *love* the idea of having a team : ).

So we brainstormed. And brainstormed some more. Several words kept coming back to me--rules, felon, thief, breaking rules--words that would give a sense of the story, combinations that would hopefully catch a readers attention. Between the two of us, we had six or seven. Kym told me to pick the 3-5 I liked and she'd let me know. As I ran through them again, I was telling my kids about the situation. My youngest piped up, "How about 'Rulebreaker'?"

Huh. How *about* "Rulebreaker?"

I put it in the mix, told Kym my 10 year old suggested it as a "What the heck" idea, let my agent know what was in the works, and waited. Well, the team liked it. My agent was good with it. So now, "Bad Girl" is "Rulebreaker," and I'm thrilled. And I know who to consult when titling my books.

Making My Mark

I've been reading up on marketing strategies and branding for authors. With a book coming out in August or so (still on track there, as far as I know) I need to get word out every way I can.

I've taken mini courses, subscribed to marketing groups, looked into what others have done, to glean what may work and what may not. For instance, a Real Live book signing isn't going to do me much good because mine will be an ebook. What would I do? Sign the readers' computer or Kindle screens? That would be annoying. A reading at my local bookstore or library might fly, but again, I wouldn't have much in the way of tangible "goodies" to sell or share. OK, I could do give away items, so that one is still on the maybe list.

One of the things I see as working is a virtual book tour. It sounds like fun and a lot of work, but marketing is work. And if I want my next book published I'd better show some effort in getting word out. So, I've been checking blogs where science fiction romance is reviewed/discussed/revered/mentioned. I've started a list of places I will be asking about blog stops and such. Offering exchanges is important, as in, "I'll have you over this day for your book if you'll have me over that day for mine." It's a lot like arranging playdates in that way : )

One of my stumbling blocks, however, has been my "brand." Everywhere you turn, authors are talking about branding. Branding isn't about that particular book (I've leaned something, anyway), but about the author. What represents *you*? What phrasing/terms show a reader who *you* are and what they can expect from one of your stories? Does your website/blog reflect the tone of your work?

Oy.

So here's my challenge. What catchy line(s) can I use as a brand? What reflects me and my writing? First, I tend to write SF/F/Paranormal stories. Even if I TRY to start off with a non SF/F/P genre it ALWAYS gets some sort of woo-woo treatment. So let's just assume everything I write will have some kind of otherworld feel to it. Second, while I write m/f or f/f romances they aren't erotic or even steamy. I think I have one love scene in each of the books I've written. Maybe two. But while they may be sensual, they aren't graphic. So the "Hot lovin' for long, cold nights (since I'm in the frozen north)" idea won't work. Really. It won't. Lastly, I don't think of my tone as overly dark or light and fluffy. There are some serious situations and places I hope elicit a chuckle or two, but I wouldn't categorize my work at either extreme.

You understand my problem now. I fall in the middle of most scales.

So what's an unbranded author to do? Help me, Obi Wan!

Winner of the SFR Holiday Blitz

First of all, I want to thank Heather at The Galaxy Express for putting on another fabulous Blitz. You rock, Heather! Thanks also to all 33 authors who offered up 50 books! How generous was that? And to my fellow bloggers who hosted, it was again great fun to be linked to all of you for such a great event.

And of course, huge thanks to everyone who entered. I hope you enjoyed yourselves and discovered a couple of new blogs to check out. Some of us who are just getting going in this publishing thing (more news on that as it comes in ; ) appreciate it.

So, on to the winner.....

The name/comment randomly chosen to win all three prizes is...Francene!!!!!! Congrats Francene, I'll be sending you an email so I can get contact info from you.

Thanks again, Everyone! And don't forget to check out the other blogs to see the winners there.

Happy New Year, and Happy Reading!


The Galaxy Express

SpacefreightersLounge

SFR Brigade

GeekMom

Lisa Paitz Spindler

Enduring Romance

Smart Girls Love Sci Fi & Paranormal Romance

SciFi Guy

Dirty Sexy Books

Love Romance Passion

Panic in the Lingerie!

vvB32 Reads

Corrina Lawson

Flying Whale Productions

Alien Romances