British SF Romance Author Pippa Jay

    Hi, my name is Pippa Jay and I'm an author. Y'know, it still feels a little odd saying that? My debut novel came out in May 2012, but it was a while before I felt brave enough to say it to a total stranger when they asked me what I do.

PIPPA JAY

Then she asked me, 

"What do you write?"

     "Science fiction romance."

"Oh, you mean like Twilight?"

Long pause.

     "Er, no, not like Twilight at all."

Moving swiftly on...

I write scifi, usually with romance woven through it. If you're wondering what science fiction romance is, think Star Wars (Han and Leia), Avatar and John Carter. Maybe even Farscape and the revamped Doctor Who? But I try to keep my stories tech light and avoid too many unpronounceable names, focusing mainly on my characters. I love to write tortured souls, and the more I can torture them, the happier I am! Bwah-ha-haaaa!

KEIR

I live in the glorious and historical town of Colchester in the UK - Britain's oldest recorded market town - with my husband of 20 years and our three little monsters. Colchester Zoo, the nearby coastline of East Anglia and the town's Roman and medieval past have all had their influence on my writing. My debut novel Keir starts in a setting probably more suited to a fantasy, based on my love for the medieval period and local landmarks like the Layer Marney Towers. But my characters are soon swept away to other worlds, including the tropical planet Metraxi, and the island paradise of Kasha-Asor (both based on hot, lazy days at the local beach). Yep, we do get hot days even in the UK! 

TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY

 For my most recent release, a hot scifi romance called Terms & Conditions Apply, the story takes place on a luxury space station that promises to fulfil all your dreams with holographic suites and an empathic AI capable of seeing and fulfilling your darkest, deepest desires. But even there, the meeting area at the opening of the story is based on a setting in my home town. Culver Square doesn't have the statue of Venus in the centre, but a collection of seashells and sea holly that once had a fountain - until it was repeatedly polluted with detergent that made the pool foam over. Pretty, but it meant the council was constantly having to flush it out, and it just became too much work. :(

GETHYON

For my upcoming release Gethyon, I took myself back to my teens, along with some angsty music by My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds to Mars, and modelled the younger version of my hero on my then six year old son. In part, Gethyon is a tribute to my first crush - a certain young hero by the name of Luke Skywalker, and the reason why I switched from writing elves and magic to aliens and spaceships. But even though Gethyon isn't strictly speaking a romance, a romantic element has still crept into this YA scifi novel. Does he get the girl? You'll have to read it to find out.

Bio and links –

A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 20 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:

Website

Email

Blog

Goodreads

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Escape with Author Heather Rodney-Diaz to the Beautiful Caribbean Islands

Escape with me … to the beautiful Caribbean Islands

Book lovers everywhere, readers around the globe love to read fiction for several different reasons. One of those reasons is for escapism. Well, at least that’s my main reason for reading! I much prefer to be transported to some enchanting or exotic place just by thumbing through my Kindle or turning the pages of a good book more than anything else. 

HEATHER RODNEY-DIAZ

Hello everyone, my name is Heather Rodney-Diaz and I write spicy, super-sexy and multi-cultural romantic island escapes. My debut release is entitled “Island Pursuits” and published with Crimson Romance. Indeed, it’s a great pleasure to guest blog and celebrate with Romancing the Genres on their second blog-o-versary! 

So you’re probably wondering why I write romantic island escapes, right? Well, it’s because I was born, raised and still live on the beautiful twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the southern Caribbean. Obviously, my main motivation for writing in this genre. You see, here on these fascinating islands of sun, sand and sea, there's no better place for dreaming up scorching hot heroes or falling in love!

So it’s two islands, but one country. Two sisters but so very different. Trinidad is the bigger, faster-paced one that buzzes with commercial activity. Tobago is the laid back, serene one with the gorgeous beaches. We may be just a dot on the world map but we have definitely left a big imprint. We are called “Trinbagonians or Trinis” for short. There are about 1.3 million of us. Our islands are steeped in British, Spanish and French history. The economy is fuelled by oil and natural gas production of which we are the world’s 7^th largest exporter of natural gas with the U.S. being our main buyer. And oh, the melodious steel drum musical instrument synonymous with the Caribbean was also invented in Trinidad and Tobago as a result of our oil production.

The biggest female hip hop artist in the world right now, Nicki Minaj was born here. R&B songstress Heather Headley also. And for those of you who could remember Billy Ocean, well he’s a “Trini” too. Previous Project Runway winner, Anya Ayoung Chee is also from here. We hold the world cricket record for the most test runs scored by one of the most talented cricketers the world has ever seen, Brian Lara. Trinidad and Tobago was also the smallest nation to ever qualify for the Football World Cup in Germany, 2006. Our very own Keshorn Walcott won the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal in the sport of Javelin. We have also won the Miss Universe Pageant, not once but twice, and the Miss World Pageant once. 

CARNIVAL

 Besides beauty, sports, fashion and music, we have the greatest show on earth. Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is our biggest tourist attraction and one of the most amazing street parties filled with sexy costumed masqueraders, beautiful people, soca music and fun in the sun!

We are Trinis, we have a distinctive walk and talk. We love to fete or party, love to wine (a dance we do that involves an erotic gyration of the hips) and we love to lime or hang out. So when you download  and read my debut romance novel Island Pursuits, you will not only discover an exotic romantic setting. But trust me, you’ll definitely escape. So escape to my beautiful islands in the sun, escape to love and adventure, the scorching heat, Carnival, soca music, feting and wining. Even U.S. President Barack Obama paid us a visit once. See you soon!

(Island Pursuits is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes and most ebook stores.)
 
                                                       You Can Find me on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HeatherRodneyDiazAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherRodneyDi

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/heatherrodneydi/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9271374-heather-rodney-diaz

What’s New?

By Opal Carew

It’s a new year and that’s always a good time to try something new.    I’m jumping right in on that one.  First up, I have a serial novel, called His To Command, coming out starting on January 8th—one of the newest trends.  (Yeah, I know they were popular years ago, but they’re back.)

A serial novel is a book that comes out in pieces.  His To Command is coming out in six parts.  Part 1 and 2, The Chase and The Capture, both come out on January 8th (today!) then the other parts come out a week at a time.  Each part is equivalent to about 2-3 chapters.  (I write short chapters, so for mine it would be three chapters.)

People tend to love them or hate them.  I’ve watched the reviews on some of the other novels that have come out in serial form over the past few months and many readers seem unhappy about the format.  I find it funny, though, that many readers still complain about the format on later parts.  You’d think they would have stopped buying them once they realized the nature of the serialization.  (At least that must mean that they are enjoying the story!

For any of my readers who feel they may not like a serial novel, the entire novel will be released in book form in April, in both print and eBook.  I wish it could be sooner, but the publisher can produce an ebook much faster than a full length book that is going to print.

The other new thing I’m trying with respect to publishing is being acquiring editor of an anthology.  I’m a Canadian author and I was asked by a Canadian literary publisher if I would be interested in working on an anthology of Canadian erotic romance.  I’ve never been an editor before, but I love trying new things, and I really liked the idea of being involved in a project working with other Canadians.  I love the fact that a literary publisher—who has worked with authors like Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro—wants to feature Canadian genre authors.

The anthology is called Northern Heat and you’ll probably recognize many of the authors, even though you probably didn’t realize (why would you even think about it?) that they are Canadian.  Authors like Sharon Page and Kayla Perrin.  And me!  The publisher wanted me to include a story, too!

The anthology will be coming out in time for Valentine’s Day, so I hope you’ll watch for it!

The publisher asked me to suggest some images for the cover and I did a couple of mockups and they chose one of them for the book.  They had their artist streamline it and make it more artistic, but it’s fun that they used my idea.  Doing cover art isn’t brand new for me, since I’ve done several of the covers for my self-published works, but it was inspiring that a publisher and their art department felt my idea was good enough to use!

Well, I’m not all work and no play—though I have to work at that (lol).  In my private life, I’ve launched a blog about nail polish.  “What’s so interesting about nail polish?” you might ask.  I just love combining colours and textures and nails are such easy little canvases on which to express myself.  Also, the special nail polishes available today are awe inspiring (to me, anyway).

I am obsessive about my hobbies and I’ve had to put them all on hold because writing consumes most of my time, but with nail polish, I can do a quick coat, write a bit, put on another coat, write, etc.  Sometimes I take an hour out to do something special, like water marbling or stamping, but in general, I can indulge without losing much writing time, thus it’s a guilt-free hobby.  Also, I find I love the flash of a duochrome polish (shows multiple colours) or of a fabulous glitter while I’m typing.  It feeds my artistic soul!


Speaking of hobbies, now that I’ve opened the door to allow myself some, I’ve just started a new artistic endeavour: zentangle.  These are a meditative form of ink drawing done on a 3.5 inch square piece of paper with repetitive patterns.  It allows the mind to focus, thus the meditative aspect.

|I bought a book that teaches Zentangles and these are my first two exercises..

There are lots of other new things in my life, too.  Both my sons have moved out, so now it’s just me and my husband at home.  It’s taking a little time to adapt, but it does mean I’ll have more time to write (and do my new hobbies!)

What new things do you have going on in your life now, or do you plan to try soon?

---

His To Command, #1: The Chase
His To Command, #2: The Capture

Release Date: January 8, 2013

Strong, independent, smart, Kate is a modern business woman who knows exactly how to run her well organized world. But underneath her professional exterior lurks a secret she's been running from for years...a secret desire to be dominated that both exhilarates her and terrifies her. When an old lover, Matt Pearce, unexpectedly shows up, Kate is bombarded by sensual memories of their affair. Matt was the first and only man to give her a taste of domination, and she's never been able to forget. But though she's spent years trying to forget him, this time she may not be able to get away.

Northern Heat
Release date:  February 14, 2013

Ever since the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy started topping the bestseller charts, people have taken an interest in this new phenomenon of erotic romance books.  Only it’s not new.  There are many of us who have been writing in this genre for years.

Featuring some of the best examples of Canadian erotic romance, this anthology includes authors such as Sharon Page (USA Today bestselling author) and Kayla Perrin (USA Today and Essence bestselling author, and one of the inaugural authors of the Harlequin Spice line).

These delightful stories show the broad range of eroticism and romance in stories that publishers label as "erotic romance". Some focus on the burgeoning romance between a couple, whereas others focus more on the erotic situation that hints at a romance to build in the future. Yet others are simply a celebration of sexual intimacy. In all, however, the characters are challenged by some aspect of their sexual desire for each other.


http://www.OpalCarew.com

http://www.facebook.com/OpalCarewRomanceAuthor

Leaping for Love

I have to admit that I have a habit of leaping before I look.  When I was younger, I believed I could make anything happen and achieve any goal. Most ardently of all, I believed love would always triumph, no matter what circumstances stood in the way.  It's a great perspective for a romance writer to have, and I am still compelled to write my characters into a happy ending in all of my stories.  However, leaping before you look can also make for a life full of challenges.

One of the biggest leaps I've ever taken was to marry a man from another country. Don't get me wrong. It was a great decision, but it certainly didn't come without its difficulties.

Marrying a man from abroad may sound like a romantic prospect. I certainly thought so. I'd read books like Katie McAlister's Improper English or watch films like The Holiday and assume it was entirely reasonable, even simple, to find a beau from across the pond.  Indeed, between email, chat rooms, dating sites, and Skype, meeting and talking to people from around the world is a fairly simple prospect. As for falling in love and making a relationship work when you are separated by oceans, that is where things get a little tricky.

My husband is from Scotland and we talked, emailed, and visited many times before making the decision to marry.  Though we were in love and eager to enter into wedded bliss, the practical reality is that marriage is the only option for people from different countries who wish to be together - barring unlimited bank accounts or the ability to get a work visa. Visas are the bane of international love, though an understandable necessity in our bureaucratic world.  The normal US visitor visa period for a resident of the United Kingdom or European Union is 90 days.  At that point, whether they've found love or even married a US citizen, a UK visitor needs to return to Britain.

To us, the immigration process seemed interminably long.  We initially applied for our US fiance visa in July of 2010, final approval came in February 2011, and we married one month later. During eight months of waiting, we learned that international relationships require extraordinary commitment. My husband said at the time that he felt certain the process was so rigorous in order to weed out those couples who weren't really serious about being together.  I'm not sure bureaucracy works that way, but I know we both view our relationship differently because of the immigration experience. We appreciate togetherness more and feel grateful for a marriage that we spent so much time and effort to achieve. 

Leaping for love was the best decision I ever made, though it was also a difficult process that caused me to grow in unexpected ways.  I even learned a bit of patience - not one of my virtues.  These days, I usually take a little peek before I leap. I still leap, of course, but now I anticipate the challenges.