Anthology First #scifi #romance #SFRBrigade

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. I seem to have been unlucky when it comes to anthology calls. Of the several I've submitted to, most were cancelled due to too few submissions. In most cases, I've gone ahead and self published the short story I'd written anyway because why not? (They did get edited first - I never put something out without edits!).

A 2016 SFR Galaxy Award
winner

A Gulf Coast RWA 2013
Silken Sands Self-Published
Star Contest finalist

But in 2012, an author group I was part of (the Science Fiction Romance Brigade) decided to produce their own anthology - a collection of scifi romance shorts to promote the wide selection of stories that the still overlooked and under-appreciated genre had to offer. I really wanted to be a part of it...but I had no ideas. Despite an overflowing Plot Bunny Storage Facility, I wanted something really...well, that would be really something. I put out a call for help on Twitter, where I know several authors who sometimes look to rehome unwanted plot bunnies that they just don't have time to work on. A fellow author threw several ideas my way, and one stuck - a thief and a lawman. I hadn't really written any kind of anti-hero/reluctant hero before, so the idea of a reformed (or maybe not) thief appealed to me.

The second inspiration came from watching Mission Impossible 2. I'm not much of a Tom Cruise fan to be honest, but I loved the original series so I've watched the films. I'm not going to tell you what scene it was because it'll be kind of spoilery, but once I had that first line down, the rest seemed easy. Well, at least until the editor got hold of it anyway... :P

As you might have guessed, my story got chosen, along with seven others. Chuffed doesn't cover it! My assigned editor was a tough cookie (but that's the way I like 'em), and together we carved Imprint into shape. And then the shiny bonus - my story got picked to open the anthology! I was really proud, but also a little scared. What if my opening lines put readers off the whole collection? What if it put them off picking up the book at all?!

8 free SFR short stories in 1
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Available for FREE from...
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I needn't have worried. Since its release in 2013, Tales from the SFR Brigade has had almost 12000 downloads, AND was a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick, scoring 4.5 stars. It's currently 4.2 stars on Amazon US too. And it's completely free to download.

Experience love and adventure among the stars in TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE, a free digital anthology of eight Science Fiction Romance stories.

* A space captain discovers the cyborg she loves just might be her greatest enemy.

* A mind-wiped prostitute risks all when she recruits a dangerous stranger to help her escape a terrible fate.

* A prisoner-of-war confronts the comrade who loved her, then left her for dead.

* A space-obsessed physics teacher is kidnapped by a far-too-charming alien.

* An apocalypse survivor battles the biomech-enhanced hunter who seeks to capture her.

* A young artist must choose between her comfortable life on Earth or a war-torn space colony with her beloved.

* A daring thief is on the run from the alien law man who is determined to bring her to justice.

* A widowed rebel leader tries to save the last remnants of humanity, one stranger at a time.

From Earth to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, explore the worlds of Science Fiction Romance with stories from Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, Amy Laurens, and Kyndra Hatch.

Download TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE for free today.

Find out more HERE.

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Since the release of Tales, the Brigade has gone on to do seven volumes of first chapter samplers - the Portals - and another anthology - Romancing the Stars - to further showcase the very best that our genre has to offer, and all free (bar RtS). Romance boldly going forth...