One Giant Leap

  By Misa | May 21, 2013 - 12:00 |
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For the past two and a half years, I’ve gone to the Job Centre and signed a slip of paper that declared me unemployed and looking for work. Last Friday I attended a self-employment interview where the guy got quite irate and said that, since I have a product and was making sales, I was effectively trading and should cut the cord.

Yesterday I did just that.

So now I am officially self-employed as an author. It’s a big step, a giant leap into the unknown. It’s scary as hell. But it’s also liberating, because I’m no longer having to jump through DWP’s hoops, and it’s exciting.

It’s also made me realise how little I thought of writing as a job. Partly, I think, because I’m fairly self-effacing anyway, but also because it’s what you hear from other people. And also because I don’t earn a living wage (this is not a dig at my publishers – just a bald statement of fact).

Now that I’ve taken the plunge, I’m determined to stop excusing what I do and embrace the title of author. This is not “just a thing” but the job I love. I’m also determined to actually write and to diversify: I’m currently writing a short story for an anthology, and I’m looking at writing interactive stories and scripts. The more I consider the possibilities, the more excited I get.

SFR Brigade Presents #5

  By Misa | May 17, 2013 - 09:10 | ,
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sfrbpresents

The Science Fiction Romance Brigade presents… a collection of cool SFR snippets!
Check out some favourite or new-to-you authors!

This week I’m sharing from BAYNE, my sci fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Silence fell like a blanket as everyone stopped what they were doing. All their attention was on the wide opening between the doors. In the center stood a man, unremarkable except that he exuded an aura of power that rose gooseflesh on Malia’s arms.

She shivered and he looked at her. His uniform was black edged in white, his dark hair loose around his sharply angled face. A neatly trimmed beard framed lips thinned in a taut line. On his left hip hung a scabbard, the handle of his sword banded red and black.

 

BAYNE coverMalia dreams of a life less ordinary but when her planet is visited by the Bayne, Destroyer of Worlds, she surrenders herself to him in order to give her people time to collect the tribute that the Overlord demands.
Despite Bayne being as much machine as man and having a violent temper, he rescues her from the unwanted attentions of his second-in-command and gives Malia a glimpse at the battered heart lying beneath the steel and scars.
As they start their relationship over, Malia discovers a man very different to the reputation that precedes him and probes deeper. However, her investigation uncovers a dark truth: a truth that someone wants to remain hidden no matter what the cost.

Champagne Books | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo | AllRomance

Patchwork Novelling

  By Misa | May 15, 2013 - 12:31 | ,
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patchwork

Browsing my WIP folder, I realised the number of unfinished work was rising again. So many ideas, so little time. Of course, time is something we only get so much of, meaning that to get the best out of it, you sometimes has to rethink your ideas.

I have two in-progress pieces that cover pretty much the same ground – a starship lost in space. Uncharted was meant to be the first in a series, but hasn’t gotten past 7,000 words. Halfway to Diamond has a lovely cover but little else.

Since I like the title and the shiny cover of the latter, I’m keeping that and incorporating Uncharted rather than writing it as a separate work. And it’s not the only hexagonal sewn into the patchwork – I’ve added a 25,000 word novella that never got around to being edited.

Names are having to be changed, roles reversed and plot holes filled, but I’m already looking at a substantial length of work. A novel, even. And that is rather exciting.

Make A Wish

  By Misa | May 8, 2013 - 10:25 |
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AnyOtherNameThese three wishes are part of a wish-making community organised by author Emma Newman to celebrate the release of the second Split Worlds novel “Any Other Name”. Can you make any of them come true? Come and see what other people are wishing for and find out how to join in at www.splitworlds.com/split-worlds-extra/three-wishes – who knows, perhaps someone could make one of your wishes come true.

 

I had to think long and hard about this. Three wishes is easy, coming up with ones that are concrete and fillable is less so. So what I did was think about the kind of wish I could fill and what is actually possible.

  1. I wish Big Finish would open up submissions – I would love to have my Steele Angel series offered as an audio drama.
  2. I wish agents would accept novellas.
  3. I wish to borrow Chuck Wendig’s brain and work on Truth Unwinding for a day. It needs to be edgier, and I’m rubbish at edgy.

Okay, so maybe the last one isn’t all that possible, but still. I’m desperate to get a novel written, if only to prove to myself that I can (though a book deal with Angry Robot would also be nice!)

 

BetweenTwoThornsSomething is wrong in Aquae Sulis, Bath’s secret mirror city.

The new season is starting and the Master of Ceremonies is missing. Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer.

There is a witness but his memories have been bound by magical chains only the enemy can break. A rebellious woman trying to escape her family may prove to be the ally Max needs.

But can she be trusted? And why does she want to give up eternal youth and the life of privilege she’s been born into?

Buy from: Forbidden Planet, Angry Robot, Kindle UK/US, Nook, iBooks, Amazon (paperback) UK/US, Waterstones (UK), WHSmiths, The Book Depository UK / US

Audio book: Brilliance Audio and Audible

Happy birthday KEIR!

  By Misa | May 7, 2013 - 06:00 |
9 Comments

Blue Star Biscuits (Cookies)

Blue Star CookiesThe basic sweet biscuit recipe in this has been in my family since before I was born, but I’ve added a twist to create the colored centers. You will need:

4oz. butter
4oz. caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
8oz. plain flour
Boiled sweets

Oven temperature: 350°F

Lightly grease three baking trays. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the egg gradually and beat well. Sift the flour and fold into the creamed mixture. Knead lightly and roll out to the required thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters – for mine I used two different sizes of star and kept the middles too, but you could use any shape. Place on the trays and put a boiled sweet in the hole in the middle – you can crush these to make them melt quicker in the oven so the biscuit part doesn’t overcook. Bake toward the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale brown (the sweet should melt and spread out in the center of the biscuit). Allow to cool before removing from the trays to allow the melted sweet to reset.

You could also make different shapes and use different colored sweets to vary the design, even using them to make edible Christmas tree decorations if you make a hole in the biscuit before cooking to thread ribbon. You can also flavor the biscuit (because of the sweets I didn’t add any flavoring to these) by using the following:

2 level tsps. grated lemon rind
2 level tsps. mixed spice or cinnamon
2 tsps. Vanilla essence
2oz. dried fruit
2oz. glace cherries, chopped
Grated rind of one orange.

To celebrate Keir’s book birthday, there are TWO giveaways. One for a print copy of Keir via Goodreads (open until the end of May), and one for a blue crystal star pendant via rafflecopter (open until the 14th May), available internationally.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Keir by Pippa Jay

Keir

by Pippa Jay

Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Necklace

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And my fellow party hosts –
Backward Momentum
Liana Brooks
Misa Buckley
Karen Y Bynum
Chantal Halpin
Jessica E Subject

Keir by Pippa Jay

KEIR:

A 2012 Readers Favorite Award Finalist and 2012 SFR Galaxy Award Winner.

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi–the legendary ‘Blue Demon’ of Adalucien–death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She’s spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends’ counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin’s home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?

AVAILABLE IN PRINT AND IN ALL DIGITAL FORMATS

BUY LINKS:
Lyrical Press Inc.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
The Book Depository

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF HERE

MY LINKS:
Website
Email
Blog
Goodreads
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Announcing SUNBURST PRESS

  By Misa | May 1, 2013 - 13:11 | ,
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SUNBURST PRESS is an e-publisher specialising in science fiction romance and opened its doors on May 1st, 2013 with a submission call for Close Encounter stories, as well as general submissions.

Sunburst has four imprints:
• SUNBURST: single-title science fiction romance novels of 60,000 – 100,000 words.
• FLARE: novellas of 15,000 – 60,000 words.
• ECLIPSE: dark science fiction romance with no happily-ever-afters/happy-for-nows required.
• CORONA: erotic sci fi romance with hot sex scenes (including BDSM) and multiple partners.

All stories should include well-rounded characters and plenty of action. Open door sex scenes are preferable, but not mandatory, and should be part of a growing or an established relationship. SUNBURST includes novels with LGBT characters across all imprints.

The science fiction sub-genres Sunburst is looking for includes Apocalyptic, Cyberpunk, Dystopian, Future Earth (Apocalyptic, Dystopian or other), Space Opera, Space Western and Time Travel. Fantasy elements can be included if there is a scientific reason for them.

How to Submit:

Submissions are by email only.

In the body of your email, please include your book’s blurb, genre and word count, as well as a short bio of yourself, including any previous publications. Please attach your work – emails with novels pasted in the body will be deleted.

Attachments should include a synopsis up to three pages and the entire manuscript. Please label your attachments as TITLE-SURNAME-MS and TITLE-SURNAME-SYNOPSIS.

All attachments need to be .doc or .rtf. Format must be Times New Roman set to 12-point, 1.5 line spacing with no return between paragraphs and one inch margins.

When you are ready to submit, please email: submissions@sunburstpress.com ensuring that the subject of your email reads as QUERY: TITLE–SURNAME

Please allow 4-8 weeks for a reply. If you do not receive any reply by that time, please feel free to email for a status update.

SFR Brigade Presents #4

  By Misa | April 26, 2013 - 08:00 | ,
2 Comments

sfrbpresents

The Science Fiction Romance Brigade presents… a collection of cool SFR snippets!
Check out some favourite or new-to-you authors!

Another snippet from my sci fi romance WIP, now entitled UNDER THE GOLDEN SKY:

Perry looked at Malena. Though the silver collar limited her Castian abilities, she could be nothing else. Not with the purplish black skin that always reminded him of a ripe aubergine and her fall of silver-white hair. Very alien. Very beautiful as well, but that was hardly an appropriate thought.

As alien as she was, the Castiana were humanoid and while Perry couldn’t read minds, twenty years as a cop meant he could read body language and Malena’s did not tally with that of the anarchist the APB had claimed her to be. The reason he’d arrested her on sight, though even then there’d been something… off.

She hadn’t fought him off or claimed innocence, either of which had been what he’d expected. That was how every arrest went down. But not hers. She’d let him put the cuffs on, been careful not to touch him and even kept her emotions under tight control until the collar could be adjusted. It had been, he decided, as if she’d wanted to be caught.

SFR Brigade Presents #3

  By Misa | April 19, 2013 - 07:00 | ,
5 Comments

sfrbpresents

The Science Fiction Romance Brigade presents… a collection of cool SFR snippets!
Check out some favourite or new-to-you authors!

I’m back, and with an as-yet-untitled sci fi romance in progress. These are the opening paragraphs:

Perry Stewart did not like space travel. Watching the stars drift silently by, he wondered whether he should have considered the possibility he’d be forced to take the flight when he’d slapped the cuffs on Malena. He should have known that she’d be tried on Castiana and that, as the arresting officer, it would be his duty to escort her there. After all, the regulations were very specific on alien prisoners – they had to be tried on their homeworld, in front of a jury of… well, their peers. He’d just not really thought it through, had just reacted, and now he was stuck on a rattling transporter surrounded by a black void.

The nothingness beyond the tiny porthole both unsettled him and kept pulling his attention back, rather like the drop off a cliff would draw one to take a closer look. He couldn’t help but imagine the worse when he did.

An arm stretched past him and Malena pulled the shutter down, then settled back in her seat. She appearing more relaxed than he felt despite the prison-grey jumpsuit she wore. He glared at her. She arched one silver-white eyebrow, amusement dancing in the impossible lavender of her eyes.

Boston Marathon

  By Misa | April 16, 2013 - 14:30 |
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In light of the terrible incident during the Boston Marathon, I’ve decided that ALL royalties made during April will be donated to the American Red Cross.

If you haven’t got a book on my backlist, please buy now and make it count for more.

Thank you.

Archangel on Hold

  By Misa | April 11, 2013 - 21:14 |
1 Comment

During a line edit of ARCHANGEL I discovered that a large section of one chapter was missing, undoubtedly cut during one of the many edits the novella has undergone. I spoke to my editor and a couple of friends and then, with the missing piece failing to turn up, asked to be released from contract.

However, Ellen, my publisher, managed to grab me on Skype and we talked over the problem a little more. She was unwilling to release me, mostly because she was sure I wouldn’t resubmit. She had a point. ARCHANGEL would have been dropped into a drawer, never to re-emerge.

The upshot is that we’ve agreed to push production back six months, meaning ARCHANGEL will release early January. That gives me time to deal with BAYNE and STAR ATTRACTION, as well as work on the rest of the GRACE series, alongside a sorely-needed rewrite.

Because ARCHANGEL is my baby. I’m not willing to let it go without making sure it is the very best that I can manage. I love Gabe far too much to short-change him.

Guest Spot: Aubrie Dionne

  By Misa | April 9, 2013 - 16:51 |
1 Comment

playing-the-maestroTitle: Playing the Maestro
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 190 pages
Release Date: February 2013
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62266-872-4
Imprint: Bliss
 
  

 

 

Praise for Playing the Maestro:

Donne’s passion for music resonates through this lovely story. Brava.”
–Nikki Logan, author of How to Get Over Your Ex

 

Read an excerpt

Authorial Responsibility

  By Misa | March 26, 2013 - 07:00 |
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wormhole

Off the back of Does the Science in Science Fiction Matter? I want to talk about authorial responsibility. The general consensus of yesterday’s post is that science is an integral part of science fiction and that the author should be aware of the basics. I have to agree with that conclusion.

“But fiction is meant to entertain!” I hear you cry, and you’re absolutely right. However, I don’t believe that means basic facts should be ignored. While common advice given to new writers is “write what you know”, there’s nothing stopping a writer learning something new – and no excuse for not doing research.

I’m fortunate enough to be able-bodied and have little personal experience of disability. So when it came to writing  TIN CAT and my disabled main character Amber, I turned to the internet for research. And not just the mechanics of a disability, but also physical therapy and the mental implications. I found a website aimed at newly-disabled people and their carers that included video interviews of frank descriptions of adapting to a different way of life. I could have just hand waved and bodged my way through, but I felt that would be doing the disabled community a disservice.

Never underestimate your audience. They’re generally sensitive,
intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment.
~ Mitchell, 200, Stargate SG-1

Research is more than important – it’s a responsibility, and one that writers should take seriously. And when information is just a click away, there’s really no reason for not doing your homework. Winging the important stuff, or waving it off as unimportant, does a discredit to yourself and to your readers.

And you never know – by Googling that thing and following those links, you might find yourself learning a new thing that truly excites you… and sparks the next story idea.