First, let me say thanks to Susan Kearney for taking the time to write that wonderful post (and for hanging in there with me with all the stupid roadblocks I hit around it). I so appreciate you gracing me with your kind presence and patience, Susan! *big hugs*
Second. We have a winner!! *drum roll and trumpets please*
Our winner is......
Julie!
Congratulations, Julie.
I've sent you an email already with the pertinents, so we're ready to go...And you should have a copy of Jordan in your box, asap.
I failed to mention this yesterday, so I hope it's not too late, but there is an interesting post, over at Abigail's fine All Things Urban Fantasy with Urban Fantasy author Laura Bickle concerning her upcoming debut novel Ember, and the cute minor character (ahem, a salamander). Go on over and take a peek, if you have a chance.
Oh, and my friend Julianne at Writing the Renaissance has a post on Francois I who, it looks, had a similiar thing for salamanders. :) Check it out here.
Today we have a special treat for you: Romance author Susan Kearney, author of several titles, including the latest series, the fabulous futuristic SF Romance The Pendragon Legacy, has a little guest post concerning what she loves about both genres, and how she came to write this series. So, grab some coffee, make sure the Tribbles are all locked up, ;) and enjoy this special presentation. :)
I like to write futuristic romance because it combines two of my favorite subjects: Romance and Science Fiction. Obviously lots of folks who enjoyed Avatar, Independence Day and the Star Wars sagas agree. I believe the appeal of this genre is the element of what if? What if we really could go into space? What will we find out there and who will we wish to spend our lives with in this new universe?
To me one of the most exciting times in life is when we find the right person for us. The person. The one we want to share our future with. That person is not always the one we imagined. For example in JORDAN, the title and hero of this story, has already lived for centuries. He doesn’t want to fall in love. He has no intention of falling in love . . . and yet. Falling in love is not always a choice. Sometimes, it just happens. And that’s what is so much fun about writing these kinds of books. We can find love anywhere—even when we aren’t looking.
And sometimes shared danger can up the old human hormones, creating that special chemistry that might not have sparked and ignited under different circumstances. In Jordan, the heroine is a self-made woman who builds spaceships. Under ordinary circumstances she wouldn’t fall for one of her employees, but when the two of them are thrown together under the most dire of circumstances, they must unite to succeed—for the sake of everyone on Earth. Working together, placing their lives in one another’s hands, creates a level of trust . . . a trust that’s oh so necessary for them to succeed.
As for the science fiction elements, as a child I watched Star Trek and read extensively in the genre. So combining the elements of love and space exploration is a natural. Tying those elements together with Arthurian legend was a bonus. Yes, it taxed the imagination. And let’s be real, this isn’t the kind of fiction that’s ever going to happen. But, the Pendragon Legacy series of LUCAN, RION, and JORDAN entertained me for months while I wrote them. And I hope they will entertain you as you read them. For a free excerpt and a few video go to http://www.susankearney.com/.
PS. On my interview page, you can see me in space. :)
Thank you, Susan, for sharing with us today! We wish you all the best of luck with JORDAN, and whatever comes your way, in the future! :)
Want to see something nifty? How about some covers:
and would you like a few videos? The trailer for LUCAN:
And one for RION, starring Susan Kearney, herself. :)
And, if you'd like to leave a comment for Susan, a copy of JORDAN will be given away to one of the lucky ones. :) (I'll pick the winner tomorrow) So, read, view, comment, and we hope you enjoy all this, and of course, the whole Pendragon series! :)
On the giveaway, folks, there's a couple guidelines:
--if you have google connect, or a blogspot, please sign up to be a follower.
--if you have twitter, facebook, or a blogspot blog, or livejournal, please link to this post.
Other important guidelines (Hatchette's):
-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please.
And please leave me your email address so I can get in touch with you, for delivery details! Again, we hope you've enjoyed this little special presentation, enjoy the books, have a great day, and... good luck all!
The book of choice for this week's WW28 is: The Cougar Club by Susan McBride.
On page 28, the first sentence is a half-sentence from page 27, so the next full one following that is:
The 'do highlighted the square Maguire jaw and made Megan appear older than thirty-eight.
Been looking around for some new stuff to read, and found some great titles. I only wish I had more expendable cash! I particularly like the look of Eileen Rendahl's Don't Kill the Messenger.
Anywho, made up a little article about some of the new books out. It's up over at the Examiner if y'all care to take a look.
If you read Romantic Suspense at all, you know the name Roxanne St. Claire--or I hope you do! She is the author of the fabulous Bullet Catchers series. Well, recently I got to meet Ms. St. Claire and this very nice, busy lady, consented to do a Q and A with me, for the Examiner. *happy dance* She's written a ...ton of novels in that series and is now moving on to a new series, coming out in November, so, if you love her, if you're curious about here, feel free to read the full interview over at my Examiner page. Oh, and if you missed it, my review of her novel Hunt Her Down was posted last week, which (if I do this right!) you can read here. I hope you like them!
Yes, I realize it's Tuesday, but I had to be away from the computer yesterday....That said. :( I didn't get anything new in the mail, this week, or time to hit the bookstores. So, I've got nuffing in this regard. Oh, well...hopefully I will have something by this time next week.
YA author (and really nice gal) Rhonda Stapleton is chatting over at Bitten By Books, right now. Go here, to see it, and a chance to win her latest novel!
And if you love YA, my girl Eleni at La Femme Readers is running a contest for some great books (Maggie Stiefvater's Linger, Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead, and a few other really great ones): here. Good luck to all!
I totally missed the chat with Estevan Vega. But the result is still up at her twitter page if you want to go see it, and she's done a fine review of his novel, here.
For me, it's this one: The Native Star by M.K. Hobson
September 2010 from Bantam Spectra
Genre: Fantasy
Witches, trains, and danger....What's not to love? It'll be neat to see this, and I hope, Ms. Hobson does well. :)
Seven things about me.
1) I love to read (not surprising, is it?)
2) I'm an aspiring writer.
3) The first novel I ever wrote was a contemporary romance about a motherless girl and a Frenchman (And I hope very hard no one ever finds that manuscript! ;))
4) I once fell in a canal, and went down, curious and without batting an eye til a family friend yanked me out.
(which I don't know if I could ever do again!)
5) I wanted to be a rock star (ala Stevie Nicks and Heart), when I was younger.
6) I think Michael Shanks (the guy that plays Daniel Jackson on the series Stargate SG:1) is really cute
7) When I was a child, I tried to dig a hole to China.
Also, this weekend I received (Thank you, Martha!) a copy of Carol Berg's 2003 novel, Song of the Beast.
Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire (mass market copy from the author's collection)
and About That Night by Jeanie London (from the author's backlist for participating in workshop)
and The Irish Duke by Virginia Henley. (ARC from the author)
Thank you ladies for the copies! I'll get to them all asap. :)
