May is always a marvellous month for me - the final traces of winter are being swept away, and I celebrate two anniversaries: my wedding day and my debut as an author.
But this year I get to do something extra awesome as well, and so can you...
Looking for Blue skies and smooth sailing to cure ALS
May is ALS Awareness Month and twelve sci-fi/paranormal/time-travel romance authors will be donating 25% of their May book sales to the National ALS Association (including me)! Help us raise money to support the ALSA in their mission to provide care for ALS patients and continue their research to find a cure for this heinous disease.
Look for these hashtags on Twitter to find and help support our efforts:
Psst, if you buy any of my other blue cover books (like Gethyon, Keir's Fall, or Reboot, I'll add that money to my donation too). Happy reading, and may all your skies be blue!
The pets are back! Embrace
the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction
Romance authors, brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join
in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning
author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is
King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times,
USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant,
Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A.
Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn
Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that
supports our veterans!
10% of all preorders and the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. 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 creative minds of today’s leading SFR
authors have joined forces to bring readers 12 amazing, never before released
original Science Fiction Romance stories all in one place – Embrace the
Romance: Pets in Space 2! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning
authors as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that
supports our veterans!
Why Jessica E Subject Joined the Pets in Space anthology:
Carol Van Natta on Embrace the Romance:
Links &
Information:
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal
Romance, Fantasy Romance
I’m very excited to be a guest of the amazing Pippa Jay today to make this special announcement along with three big reveals—cover, blurbs and trailer video!—of an exciting new science fiction romance anthology.
When I was originally asked if I wanted to be a part of this amazing project, how could I say no? It combines two of my very favorite things—pets and space--and in addition will help support a very worthwhile cause.
Ready for the big unveiling?
Pets in Space
Out October 11th, 2016
Even an alien needs a pet...
Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?
New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Bestselling authors have nine original, never-released stories that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!
10% of profits from the first month go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
A MATE FOR MATRIX: CYBORG PROTECTION UNIT
By S.E. Smith (New York Times/USA TODAY Bestselling Author)
Matrix Roma is a member of the elite Zion military Cyborg Protection Unit. Matrix gets more than he bargains for when his cyborg partner, a hybrid Wolfhound named K-Nine, goes missing and ends up finding a mate for Matrix in the middle of a deadly mission on an unknown planet called Earth.
STRAY
By Susan Grant (New York Times/USA Today Bestselling, and RITA Award Winning Author)
Interplanetary Marine Lt. Lukas Frank has a lot in common with a street dog named Bang-Bang; they both started off as scrappy orphans fighting to survive—and beat the odds. Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Capt. Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender — his heart. Lukas’s struggles with PTSD threaten to tear the three of them apart, but nothing threatens them more than when Carlynn goes missing on a mission. Can a scarred marine and his unlikely canine partner find Carlynn and bring her home, or will he lose everything he’s finally found worth fighting for?
SPARK OF ATTRACTION
By Cara Bristol (USA TODAY Bestselling Author)
Memory: intact. Cognitive function: enhanced. Emotion: erased. After becoming a cyborg, Captain Dante Stone didn’t think he’d ever feel again, until a traumatized young woman and a ball of synthetic fur named Sparky helped him to love.
STAR CRUISE: STOWAWAY
By Veronica Scott
Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.
THE REAL DRAGON
By Pauline Baird Jones
Emma Standish didn’t think her day could get any worse. Her dad is marrying his boss, her dragon suddenly came back talking and typing, and it’s her fault the Earth, or at least ten square miles of Texas, is going to be destroyed. That’s what happens when you forget something very, very important. Luckily for her, she’s got the love of her life that she can’t remember and her dragon by her side. Who needs to worry when you’re having a day like this?
STARDOG
By Laurie A. Green
Navigator Taro Shall has a mission no one wants – find a way to eradicate snakes on a starship. He never expects to find the answer to his problem in a charming street vendor named Adini. His already unusual mission becomes more complicated when he suddenly acquires an adorable StarDog that soon sweeps him and Adini into the maw of a brewing insurrection.
SPIKE
By Alexis Glynn Latner
Young Roboticist Ten Jaxdown has to deploy, and possibly sacrifice, the swarm of investigative robots that he has invented and cares about more than anything else in the star system. It may be the only hope for those depending on him and his robots to save them. Yet, even as frantic preparations for the unprecedented deep-space rescue mission are set in motion, it could all be threatened by sabotage.
Anastasia Steed is an intrepid young mission designer. She steps forward with an idea that can improve the odds of the mission. Neither she nor Ten expect the assistance they receive from a very unusual pet. A pet that will bring together two alienated human beings who didn’t realize they needed each other. Can Ten and Anastasia discover who is behind the sabotage, save the mission, and discover what is evolving between them? With a little bit of unusual help, anything is possible.
SPACE RANGER
By Lea Kirk
Graig Roble is the Senior Commander of security for the Guardian Fleet. His expertise as a weapons specialist and combat master is his world, what he was born to do – or so he thought until he finds his resolve and focus inexplicably wavering. Even returning to his position aboard the Atlantis can’t save him; if anything, it has left him questioning his own motives. He never thought that could happen until he met Simone Campbell.
Simone's focus is on her home world - Earth. She thought her life was full with her research as a botanist. After all, she always believed that helping the people of her world become self-sufficient should take all of her concentration - except it doesn't. There is one man that keeps pulling her attention, and her heart, away from her job.
Graig's gift of a puppy to keep her company does more than that, it keeps him in her dreams. How can such a simple gift bring her comfort and make her long for more? Graig and Simone are about to find out that sometimes love can blossom from the smallest, furriest ties.
ESCAPE RUN
By Carysa Locke
Teegan’s job as a hunter is to track down the Talented, those driven insane by their gifts. She and Ember, her psychically gifted fox, have tracked dozens of people for Cole, the man who works to rehabilitate and recover these troubled souls. When one of Cole’s most dangerous patients escapes, Teegan and Ember are on a hunt that could prove fatal if she doesn’t keep her focus on her mission. Unfortunately, Cole is proving one distraction that might make this her last hunt if she can’t do that.
Can Teegan keep her heart and mind in the game long enough to save an entire planet’s population, or will her distraction lead to heartache – and possibly death for everyone?
Want to Know More or Chat with Our Authors on Your Blog?
Please feel free to contact each author direct (just click their names above to go to their websites) or contact Narelle Todd at GetMyBookOutThere.com for more information. We would love your help in raising as much as possible for our charity, Hero-Dogs.org, by helping us spread the word about this anthology.
Many, many thanks to Pippa Jay for hosting our big reveal today.
Author Bio
Laurie A. Green is a three-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, an award-winning author, and a science fiction romance enthusiast who founded the SFR Brigade community of writers, which is now nearly 900 members strong.
She confesses to being an Andromeda Galaxy groupie and would someday love to own a vacation home on Mars or Titan. She's enthused to be a part of this wonderful anthology mash-up of two of her favorite things--pets and space.
Her family includes her husband, David, four dogs, three cats and several horses, all who reside on a ranch in beautiful New Mexico. A former military budget director and reserve state trooper, she now spends her time writing, networking, researching, enjoying the Southwestern lifestyle and, naturally, stargazing and daydreaming about other worlds.
“The human spirit is stronger than anything
that can happen to it.” – C.C. Scott
Thanks to
Pippa for allowing me some space on her blog!
I wanted
to take some time to talk about something important to me, and I’m sure to a
lot of you, too. Cancer. The Big C. That word.
Ugh. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been affected by it in some way.
According to the Cancer Institute, an
estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States
and 589,430 people will die from the disease, just this year. That’s over a third of the population. Cases
in the UK are a bit more manageable—331k this year, but if you ask me, that’s
still 331k too many.
This year, anyone in my family could be
among the 1.6 million new cases of cancer.
Including me.
It’s terrifying to think about,
especially considering healthcare in the US. My family history includes, but is
not limited to: renal, lung, bone, pancreatic, ovarian, and breast. I’m at risk
for cervical cancer as well. So needless to say, I really want cancer to bite it, bad.
In light of my family history and the
number of people and pets I’ve lost to cancer, I wanted needed to do
something. Two years ago, an idea hit me like a bolt of lightning (okay, maybe
not that dramatic, but still). Halloween is my favorite holiday. I write erotic
romance. Both of those can involve a fair amount of screaming, if you do it
right. So Scream! For the Cure was
born.
Over the years, I’ve been incredibly
lucky and blessed to make a lot of friends and connections within the writing
community. YA authors, romance authors, paranormal and horror and suspense, and
the wonderful thing about authors is that they are generous. It’s one of the strongest communities a person can be
part of, so when I put out the call last year for the first Scream! auction, 32 fantastic authors
answered the call, some of whom I’d known for years, some for months, and some
I met through the auction itself. And don’t get me started on the readers.
Without readers, this wouldn’t even be a thing. We ended up raising almost $400
for Stand Up 2 Cancer, and that was with me having absolutely no idea what I
was doing, and those authors and readers being incredibly patient.
So, what is Scream! For the Cure, you ask?
Every year, a group of amazing authors join me for a month-long auction event
every October. We have different virtual baskets, though some contain physical
swag or books as well. This year, there’ll be a lot of guest posts from the
participating authors and some giveaways as well, so you’ll want to stay up
with the auction hashtag #scream4thecure and the official site: screamforthecure.wordpress.com
This year’s auction will benefit Dyin’ 2
Live, a non-profit wish-granting program run by the wonderful people at Fxck
Cancer. I had a chance to meet someone from the organization last year, and the
more information I learned about them, the more I wanted to help out. The funds
won’t go to cancer research this year, but it’ll go to a cause just as
important: providing hope to those waging war against this horrific disease. To
learn more about this year’s charity, visit: makingdreamshappen.org
For those
of you who don’t know, Pippa and I have been friends for a while now. She’s by
far one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, and she and I have some
similar goals, including supporting cancer research and charities. She’s always
a big contributor to the auction and this year, she’s donating almost
everything she’s written. Thanks again, Pippa!
She had impeccable beauty—the sort of
woman who men started wars over. Wars where thousands died.
On March 6th, Distinguished
Press is proud to launch The King’s Mortal, the first book in Armada West’s
Wintertide series. 100% of the proceeds of the pre-orders and sales on Friday
will go to the charity To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit movement
dedicated presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with
depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.
Synopsis:
I invite you to join me in Cimmerian, the
frigid vampire realm—the home to the huntsmen of God. They have been tasked
with slaughtering the humans who've released the plagued doppelgängers of
mankind from their hellish prison, and it is an eternally uphill battle. Hope
comes in the form of young Lana Corvin, a psychic lingering on the cusp of
death with a blood disease, and wasting her precious days as the main squeeze
of a notorious drug dealer. When she becomes the target of Cerberus, a kingpin
drug lord, Fate will teach her that life—no matter how much or how little of it
you possess—gives no second chances. That is, unless the rogue Vlad Dracula,
hellbent on usurping the throne to claim Cimmerian for himself, doesn't teach
it to her first.
Here’s a little details regarding The
King’s Mortal and the Wintertide series:
5
Things…About the Characters
1.Lana was adopted from Ukraine, and
speaks Russian
2.Annika, the princess of the vampires,
was originally a man with a romantic interested in Lana…but I decided she had
way too many guys chasing after her, and made her a woman!
3.Lana has a problem with needing to
seek revenge
4.The slayers have sold their souls for
longevity
5.I based the character of Cerberus on
Escobar from Nip/Tuck. Every time I’ve shared a picture of Escobar, people
always say that’s exactly how they envisioned him!
5
Things…About the Story
1.Cimmerian, the vampire realm, is a
desert cast in a frigid, eternal night
2.There is abuse of the heroine, as well
as adult themes — drinking, drugs, weapons, and rape (not for titillation) —
that may make some readers uncomfortable
3.I don’t believe in a good side and bad
side. There’s a lot of gray
4.When I first wrote the story, Vlad had
been king while Constantine was the outcast. I decided to change it up, since
Dracula is always the ruler of the vampires in the movies
5.The story is told exclusively from
Lana’s POV, except for the prologue and the occasional intermission
5
Things…About the Series
1.I wanted to give vampires a reason to
exist, and it seemed completely non-traditional for them to be the henchmen of
God
2.Everyone has their own ambitions, and
some will be ruthless to achieve it
3.I chose the series title, Wintertide,
because the lives of many characters are overwhelmed by a period of barren,
hopeless despair. For some it will ebb. Others will drown.
4.After the second book (The Dragon’s
Pawn), an offshoot series of novellas will begin that centers around a
cryptozoologist. This will tie into the finale of Wintertide
5.A final warning, I do not believe in
happy endings. I believe in logical endings. That said, things will not end
well for everyone.
Armada West is an American author and model
from upstate New York. Her first notable recognition was for her comedic play,
"The Loo Cue", which won a playwright competition and starred actress
Fiona Hutchinson. An avid gamer, West wrote articles and tech reviews for
TheGamersHub.net
Her foray into publication began at Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly in 2012
with the release of her romance novella Undefeated and her first full
length novel, Bottom Feeders. A short story, Underneath (The
Christmas Tree), was included in the first Hot Ink holiday anthology Milf
and Cookies.
West co-authored a romantic sci-fi short
story, Space in the Fall, with fellow author and friend, Jadeleath. The
piece premiered in the Persephone's Song anthology from Keith Publications.
In 2014 West was contracted by Distinguished
Press for her series Wintertide, a re-vamping of Bottom Feeders. The King's
Mortal will be available March 6, 2015. When the Gloves Come Off, a
full length novel adaptation of West's Undefeated, was picked up by
Roane Publishing in 2014. A release date is still pending.
As a model, Armada West has been featured in
Riot Vixen magazine (February 2014) and on Inked Girls. She also worked with
game developer, Jaime Fraine, for his 2014 "Tree Translator"
Kickstarter campaign and was featured in two of his promotional videos.
Like paranormal, horror, UF and suspense? Want to help support a great cause and bid for some fabulous goodies? Read on...
What it is:
The first-ever Scream! For the Cure is a multi-genre, multi-author online auction to benefit Stand Up 2 Cancer, hosted on the official Scream! For the Cure blog.
Beginning October 5th readers will have an opportunity to bid for baskets. The categories are Erotic Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA & Adult paranormal romance, and Horror/Suspense. We’ll be showcasing the baskets the week they go up for auction—detailing what’s in each basket and the contributing authors—with the auctions taking place on that Friday. In-between, we’ll also have guest posts on the blog from different authors and bloggers talking about their personal struggles with cancer, some who’ve battled the disease themselves, and some who have witnessed the ongoing struggle through someone else. It’ll also be a forum for people to talk about their experiences and maybe share some uplifting stories as well. Check out the official Scream! For the Cure blog for more details!
Who it helps:
Stand Up 2 Cancer is one of leaders in supporting cancer research, and 100% of donations goes directly to research to end this horrible disease.
Today is your last chance to snag some of the out-of-this-world items in the SFR Brigade sponsored category of the Brenda Novak auction. Space boots and collectibles and novels, oh my! Memorabilia, movies and more! http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl
There's just one more week to go until the end of the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research, and your chance to grab some awesome space goodies from the SFR Brigade sponsored category. Check out the fantastic, far-out offerings here -http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl
Space boots and collectibles and novels, oh my! Memorabilia, movies and more. Check out the SFR Brigade category in the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research! http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl And help support a good cause!
The SFR Brigade has a category in the Brenda Novak annual online auction for diabetes research taking place on the 1st of May. This is an awesome opportunity to support a great cause AND win some exclusive science fiction romance goodies! You can read more about the auction HERE, and check out the SFR Brigade's fabulous category of items HERE. My contribution to the auction is a now rare and signed print edition of my scifi romance novel Keir with a one-of-a-kind handmade charm bracelet. I'm also one of the contributing authors to the rare print edition of the Brigade's anthology.
But there are lots more shiny things too! Please stop by and take a look. And if you'd like to help promote the category and the event, please feel free to use the ready made tweets below. The Brigade will be launching its promotion on the 20th April, but any and all support for this great cause is appreciated.
Here's the shortened link to the "Out-of-this-World Offerings from the SFR Brigade" category:
Big news! The SFR Brigade is sponsoring a category in the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research. Check out these fabulous far-out offerings "For the Cure." http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl
Love the romance of space exploration and science fiction? The SFR Brigade offers a sneak peek at its category of cool offerings for the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research. Auction begins May 1, but get a sneak peek here! http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl
Space boots and collectibles and novels, oh my! Memorabilia, movies and more. Check out the SFR Brigade category in the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research! http://bit.ly/1jgNHZl
4th-29th November is anti-bullying month, and as part of my contribution I'll be donating the royalties from my #YA #scifi novel Gethyon to the UK charity Childline, which supports children being bullied and abused. Gethyon seems a fitting choice since my male MC is bullied at the beginning of the story. Now, because of the way I receive my royalties (quarterly) I won't know my sales until December, or possibly March. I can, however, track my daily sales at Amazon. So what I will do is calculate my royalties for this month from those, and donate them at the end of November. Then, when I know my total sales elsewhere, I'll send a second payment to make up the difference. I've no idea how much of a contribution I'll be able to make since I'm not JK Rowling or anything, but I hope to make at least a small difference that may make life better for someone out there. Thank you in advance for your support.
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