Monday, October 2, 2017

Quantum Connections - Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 Spans Multiple SFR Series

One of the remarkable things about Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 that we haven't talked much about is that many of the stories also further the adventures of a number of exciting Science Fiction Romance series.

Several of the authors are here today to discuss how their stories came about and how these tales fit into their greater sci-fi universes. So much goodness to look forward to!

Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 releases next week -- October 10th!
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Pets in Space 2 Links Up with the Dragon Lords of Valdier
By S.E. Smith

Dragon shifters, emus, space, and a spirited grandmother all come together in an amazing, action filled adventure that will leave you fanning, laughing, and rooting for the characters. How can so much come together in one story? It is easy - it is called Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2! #PetsinSpace.

Pearl's Dragon: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 10 is the story of Pearl St. Claire and a sexy dragon shifter named Asim. This story came to life when I was asked to participate in Pets in Space, an anthology that supports Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that helps disabled veterans. I loved the concept of combining pets with Science Fiction while helping such a worthwhile cause. Pearl, Asim, and a hatch of mysterious eggs gave me a fabulous idea for an exciting adventure that I hope you all enjoy as much as I do.

Please join eleven other amazing authors and me in supporting Hero-Dogs.org!



About the Author
S.E. Smith is a New York Times/USA TODAY Bestselling Author who encourages readers to reach for the stars and embrace the action, adventure, family, friendship, and true love that is found in the worlds she creates. http://sesmithfl.com
 
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Sensate is Connected to the Alien Attachments Series
By Sabine Priestley

Sensate is a deeper exploration into a phenomena that occurred in Liberation, book two of my Alien Attachments series. In that book, Ria has a com unit that develops a personality. It’s not always a good thing. At one point, instead of blaring the atmosphere breach alarm, it screams “like a teenage girl”. Ouch. I loved the concept of the emergence of sentience and knew I’d go deeper some day. I suspect I’m not finished yet.

The very notion of AI has always intrigued me so when I was asked to write in the Pets In Space anthology, I knew I wanted to develop that more. My main character in Sensate is Marco Dar. He’s in all my Alien Attachment books as one of the Earth Protectors, but he never found his happy ever after. A charming rascal, he’s a consummate ladies’ man. When his com evolves beyond a simple personality, they decide to find a way to give it a body. Fortunately/Unfortunately the best person for the job is a woman who’d rather not see Marco again. A woman he’s never quite forgotten.

About the Author
Multi published author of Sci-Fi Rom and Urban Fantasy. Sabine grew up consuming Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance novels (there was a brief bodice ripper period, but we won’t go into that). She wanted to be an astronaut and travel the stars. She ended up an Electrical Engineer and Cultural Anthropologist. She’s a geek with heart. Seriously disappointed we’ve yet to establish so much as a moon base, she’s encouraged by the recent developments by superstars such as Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, among others. She’s a travel addict, beach-loving, stargazing disruptor. Her heroines are kickass and her stories action packed. Sabine Priestley
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How Time Trap Relates to the Project Enterprise Series
By Pauline Baird Jones

Tying a shorter story into a wider series can be a lot of fun for readers. Characters that need their story told, but within a smaller frame, get a chance to shine.

I’ve had several readers ask me about Briggs, Sara’s mentor, friend, and dancing partner from The Key: Project Enterprise 1, so he was an obvious choice for my hero. The bigger challenge was figuring out how he could meet anyone when he was stuck on a super secret, hidden base in another galaxy.

In that weird way that creativity happens inside my head, Madison strolled onto my mental stage—with a parrot on her shoulder.

She reminded me about a short novella I wrote for inclusion in another anthology a couple of years ago called Nebula Nine.

And the pieces began to fall into place. Now, when you throw time travel into any story, those pieces don’t fall neatly or quickly. But they do fall, thank goodness.

Even with time travel as an option, I had some challenges to overcome, as did Briggs and Madison. But the payoff for them is a happy ending and for me, I suddenly see a way forward for my next Project Enterprise book (coming in 2018).

In New Orleans, they used to say, laizzez les bon temps rouler. Let the good times roll. I’ll edit that to “let the good words roll!”

While you’re waiting for Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 and for my as yet unnamed book, I hope you’ll check out Found Girl: Project Enterprise 6.

About the Author
Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. Pauline Baird Jones

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The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy Ties to the Star Series
By Susan Grant

In the Pets in Space 1 Anthology, my story “Stray" (now titled Star Hero) featured a frightened, starving yipwag (an alien street dog) named Bang-Bang that took shelter under a wreck of a car where he met another puppy. Even though Bang-Bang was ravenous, he shared a piece of meat with the other weak and starving pup.

Readers always wanted to know what happened to that puppy. Me too! And so I wrote her story for Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 ("The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy”).

About the Author
When NY Times/USA Today bestselling author and Air Force veteran Susan Grant isn’t driving an 18-wheeler (a 747 jumbo jet) she loves writing romantic, action-packed stories featuring gutsy woman and honorable men. Flying to exotic places and trying every kind of food imaginable helps Susan bring her sci-fi worlds alive for readers. She is a winner of the prestigious RITA award for her book Contact, an alien abduction sci-fi romance. Susan Grant

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Rescued by the Cyborg is a Novella in the Cy-Ops Sci-Fi Romance Series
By Cara Bristol

Cy-Ops stands for Cyber Operations, a covert cyborg military force battling terrorism in the 24th century. The series tagline is “saving the girl and galaxy one mission at a time.” Each novel/novella is a standalone read, featuring a cyborg hero in need of the right woman and a heroine just right for that role! Rescued by the Cyborg stars another new hero and heroine, but series fans will appreciate some familiar characters from the other books supporting roles. The first book of the series, Stranded with Cyborg, is free. There are five main books in the Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance series, with a sixth to be published in January 2018, PLUS two extras: Married to the Cyborg, a sequel to book 1 which readers get for free when they subscribe to my newsletter, and Rescued by the Cyborg, which is in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.

About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol writes science fiction romance with heart, heat and humor. Cara Bristol

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How does Star Cruise: Songbird Connect to my Series?
By Veronica Scott

My Star Cruise series is set on the interstellar luxury liner Nebula Zephyr and I love using the ship and the crew to tell scifi romance stories. The format works well for novellas like my Star Cruise: Songbird, where the heroine is a famous rock star doing a special cruise for her fans (who get overexcited at times) and the hero is a security officer on board the ship assigned as her bodyguard.

My previously established characters among the crew make cameo appearances, which my readers have told me they really enjoy. I had read about rock bands doing dedicated cruises for their fanbase here on Earth and thought that was a terrific plot idea. And of course I’m a huge fan of rock star romances in general!

I’ve found it works well as a story telling device to have regular crew members and also people coming and going on the ship, much like the old “Love Boat” TV series used to do.

(And to answer a question I get asked often in this leadup to the release date: no, my singer in this story bears no resemblance to the famously alien Diva Plavalaguna in the Bruce Willis movie “Fifth Element.”).

The Nebula Zephyr sails the galaxy in my interstellar civilization known as the Sectors, which forms the home for all my scifi romance novels. There’s been a lot of worldbuilding, which no one needs to know to enjoy this standalone novella, but which I hope provides a solid underpinning for my story telling and the feel of entering a real time and place where amazing things can happen.

About the Author
Best Selling Science Fiction, Fantasy & Paranormal Romance author, as well as the “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happy Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories. Veronica Scott
 
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How My Story Relates to the Galactic Defenders Series
By Jessica E. Subject

Gib and the Tibbar is a story in my Galactic Defenders series. The hero, Gib, is a Galactic Defender. He arrives with his squadron on Hemera to provide security during their Alorama ceremony, but the mission does not go as he expects.

Gib and the Tibbar is set during a period of time before that of Bryce, the first book in the series. And the hero and heroine of the story are only briefly mentioned or seen in Bryce.

About the Author
Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you can not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. Jessica E. Subject
 
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How Pet Trade Fits into my Central Galactic Concordance Space Opera Universe
By Carol Van Natta

My contribution to Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 is Pet Trade, a novella set in the space opera universe I’ve created in the Central Galactic Concordance series that starts with Overload Flux. There’s a big damn story arc underway in the series, but I have smaller tales to tell, too. The trouble that’s brewing across the galaxy will splash onto frontier planets like the one where my main characters, Bethnee and Axur, find their pets and each other. According to the timeline, Pet Trade takes place somewhere between books 3 and 4 in my series, but you can enjoy my story without having read any of the other books (though I hope you will).

One of the joys of creating a whole universe is that I get to create bits of world-building that serve as background color and texture for the settings in which the characters have their exciting adventures. One of those tidbits is the “pet trade,” an industry that has a well-deserved shady reputation for having only situational ethics, if they have any at all. The galactic government has all sorts of rules against experimenting on people, but animals—and some humans—aren’t so lucky. “Pet Trade” is my golden opportunity to explore that part of civilization, and enrich the tapestry of the universe as a whole.

About the Author
Carol Van Natta is an independent author of science fiction and fantasy, including Overload Flux, Minder Rising, Pico’s Crush, and Jumper’s Hope, the first four books a space opera series; In Graves Below (Magic, NM), a paranormal romance; and Hooray for Holopticon, a retro science fiction comedy. She shares her Fort Collins, CO home with a sometime mad scientist and various cats. Any violations of the laws of physics in her books is the fault of the cats, not the mad scientist.
Carol Van Natta

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How Both my Pets in Space Stories are set in the Aeon's Legacy SF Series

My Pets in Space stories - both in last year's anthology and this year's - are set in a SF series, Aeon's Legacy, in a future history that extends five thousand years and two thousand light-years from today. So Mascot, my story in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, unfolds in an already invented universe, with a heroine who has existed in my imagination and notes for a long time. (She’s based on someone I once knew - but that's another story.) I've known for years that Daya had a pet hugwort too; what I didn’t know until I wrote “Mascot” was that her romantic interest would be an interstellar auditor.

Mascot is a kind of hinge in my future history: it’s between four earlier books and at least that many more in an even further future.  Mascot happens in a v-e-r-y strange nebula that figures into two earlier books, Star Crossing and Helldive. But it’s in a later era with a highly developed interstellar civilization, a variety of terraformed planets, several interstellar governments and alliances, and careers like interstellar auditing. The heroine of next book, Witherspin (coming out in 2018), is an interstellar lawyer. Her romantic interest is a turncoat counter-terror agent of the interstellar government called the Faxen Union. In the course of the book the two of them are caught up in the little war that’s offstage in Mascot – the Faxen Union’s attack on Starway. I think readers who like Mascot will like Witherspin too. 
 
About the Author

Alexis Glynn Latner writes science fiction and fantasy romantic adventure. Her science fiction novel Hurricane Moon was published by Pyr in 2007 and again by Avendis Press in 2014 with the sequels Downfall Tide in 2015, Star Crossing in 2016, and Helldive coming in late 2017. Her science fiction, fantasy, horror and mystery stories have appeared in the magazines Analog and Amazing and in various online, print and e-book anthologies. She works at the Fondren Library at Rice University in Houston and teaches creative writing through Rice’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. For real life adventure and the romance of flight, she is a sailplane pilot. Alexis Glynn Latner 

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How Courting Disaster Enhances the Inherited Stars Series
By Laurie A. Green

All three published books in my Inherited Stars Series have direct ties, and Courting Disaster: StarDog 2 will be the latest story in the saga. It's a sequel to both StarDog (from the original Pets in Space collection and now free via Instafreebie) and to my award-winning novel, Inherit the Stars, which was named one of the "Best Books of 2015" in E-Originals by LibraryJournal.com.

Courting Disaster takes the reader three years into the future of both stories, where it becomes clear that Operation Reset did not bring the galactic HEA that everyone was hoping for. Captain Jagger and Ketsia Tayah, who were minor but important characters in Inherit the Stars, and Luna, who had a cameo as a pup in StarDog, join forces in this new adventure to find they've set a collision course with danger.

About the Author
Laurie A. Green is a contributing blogger to Spacefreighters Lounge. You can learn more about her books or subscribe to her newsletter on her site: Laurie A. Green

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Embrace the Romance; Pets in Space 2 not only brings you all these adventures (and then some) in exciting science fiction romance series, but 10% of all preorders and first month's profits will go to Hero Dogs.

Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

The authors are proud to support this excellent organization.


We're now at T-minus eight days until release and the excitement is really building! After more than ten months of work on this project, all systems are go!

Some fabulous reviews are already rolling in, and we're looking forward to hearing more from our readers very soon.

Thanks for tuning in to explore these exciting science fiction romance series. Have a great week!


7 comments:

  1. Great post! Thanks for including me and adding to my TBR list!

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  2. Such a great idea, Laurie! Thanks for having me here to explain!

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  3. Glad to host you both. So much series goodness to enjoy in this collection!

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  4. Great idea, Laurie. Thanks for including me.

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  5. Really enjoyed the post and thanks for including me!

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  6. Thanks for being a part of it, Veronica. :)

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