Merry Christmas

The DarkSiders would like to wish you all a safe and happy festive season!

Merry Christmas!!

Source: Bigstock photo

What We Are Reading

Welcome to the last What We Are Reading for the year!

This month we have Janni Nell, Eleni Konstantine and Shona Husk

Janni Nell
I’ve been longing to publicly rave about Raven Talks Back by Beth Anderson. At $2.99 (Kindle) it has to be the bargain of the year. 

Raven Talks Back is a mystery with paranormal elements set in Alaska. What sets this apart from other mysteries is that the characters are so darn likeable. I loved hanging out with them. Raven Morressey is a mother of three, whose youngest, Timmy, is so traumatised after seeing a headless body on their lawn, that he becomes mute. Well, except when he’s talking in the voice of Raven’s dead father. Then there’s Jack O’Banion, the cop investigating the murder. He’s a genuine guy, but he makes mistakes not just with the investigation but with his choice of women. He’d be perfect for Raven if only she didn’t have a husband. So, does Jack catch the murderer? Does Timmy learn to speak in his own voice again? Does Raven’s husband get what he deserves? I’m not telling. Go buy the book.

I’m hoping this won’t be the last story featuring Raven Morressy.

Eleni Konstantine
Shadowglass by Erica Hayes
Really enjoyed - graphic, descriptive (Hayes has a very descriptive way), and liked the POVs.

What I love about the books is that the characters are very flawed but they make do with what they have. I mean two thieves as the protagonists - not what you call 'white hat' characters but they are both loveable because of their flaws, and you have to take their world into consideration when you hear the word 'thief'.




A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
What can I say? This book did not disappoint. Though I had seen the TV series, season 2, there are differences, which there always are.

I love the descriptions, and the complexity of the plot. I love the characters and you have to remember that most are kids (definitely a different world for them). Of course, there's new characters; others who are killed - that is not surprising in this world.

One thing that jarred me was referring to the ages as the same. Robb had a birthday, but everyone else seemed to stay the same despite the passage of time.

I'll definitely be continuing the series.

Shona Husk
I’ve been on a quest to empty my ereader before the end of the year. Some of the books have been there for 3 years…

The Pirate’s Lady by Julia Knight

This is the sequel to Ten Ruby Trick. Full of scheming racks and double crosses watching Van and Josie chase each other while trying not to admit how they feel was great fun.

Hotter on the Edge by Erin Kellison, KC Klein and Jessa Slade

This is a scifi romance anthology. Each of the stories is quite different, set on very different worlds. Because they aren’t linking in any way it was like reading three separate novellas. Which I didn’t mind as I like novellas.

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine

I loved the first book in the Weather Warden series, bought book two and then got distracted. I’m hoping I enjoy book 2 as much as I did the first one.

Magic Thursday: The importance of festivals

It’s all Tansy Rayner Roberts’ fault (and by the way if you’ve not read her Creature Court trilogy, get onto it – fabulous read).

Anyway, Tansy’s trilogy is full of festivals and events, because it was in part based on Ancient Rome and they were mad keen on an excuse to party. In a blog post, she talked about the fact that so often in fantasy, there’s very little in the way of festival, holidays, celebrations and yet it’s such a momentous part of our own lives.

I realised that I was guilty of that very thing. I’d created this full, intense, detailed world with my secret magical race, the gadda, but I hadn’t considered what their major celebrations would be.

So I created The Festival of the Star. Each year on July 18, the gadda celebration the codification of the rules and principles which guide their life, protect their power and help ensure their secrecy.

There’s a big festival in the headquarter town of Sclossin, with stalls and food and drink and laughter and fun. At night, there’s a mass concert. The bardria (the ruling council) spend a large part of the day sending gifts to those gadda who aren’t able to make it to Sclossin that year.

Kinda a combined Federation Day/Cinco de Mayo/Christmas thing.

The interesting thing was that once I created the Festival, supposedly as a backdrop to the story, it forced it’s way in. The final moments of the trilogy occur at the festival and in fact, the sequel novella is set there, as is evidenced by its name – The Festival. I even self-published The Festival on July 18.

The Festival became important to my characters (as these things do) and so it became important to me. Now, it feels like a very real thing – July 18 I kinda wonder what’s going on in Sclossin, even though the whole thing only lives in my head.

What about you? In your fantasy/sf/horror writing, what festivals/celebrations have you built into your world?

EDIT: Unfortunately there's a problem with the codes, and I can't guarantee that there will be copies of the trilogy available before Christmas. By way of apology, I'll send all commenters a copy of the sequel, The Festival. Don't worry - it makes sense without having read the trilogy :) Email nicole at nicolermurphy dot com for your copy.

Comment below and go in the draw to win one of THREE copies of the Dream of Asarlai trilogy in Apple format. You can keep for yourself or pass onto someone else as their Christmas present! Winner will be chosen and notified on Saturday.

A Bite Of... Dream Lover

This evening, better late than never (you can spank me later), I'm super happy to present C. T. Green with her novel Dream Lover.

Can you, in less than five words describe your story Dream Lover?
Sexy, Secrets, Bunyips, Summer, Love.

What inspired you to write it?
I had a glorious early morning experience while camping with my husband and children and I drew on the imagery of my surroundings and being with those I love best to write a love story that can overcome obstacles, including secrets that could change the way these lovers view each other.

And without waiting a single second longer, here's the snippet! 

Can I sleep with you? Am I sleeping with you? Will you let me sleep with you? Christ, there was no good way to ask without it sounding sexual. Perhaps I should just knock him over the head with my natural charm and be done with it.

Maybe Reece wouldn’t be willing to share the shelter with her, so it’d be a moot point. Besides, the way he made her skin tingle, being in such a confined space with him might not be the best idea.

Reece took the sleeping bag from her and spread it out next to his in the tent. Swatting at a mosquito intent on draining her dry, she decided it might not be such a good idea to remain out in the open.

“It’s too wet for a fire,” Reece said, “but I’ve got some dried fruit and nuts and a couple of other things.” Darkness had fallen and he stood in the glow of the battery-powered lantern he’d set up.

God, what’s he going for, some bushcraft award? 

She forced her gaze away from the full curve of his lower lip, shadowed cheekbones and the long dusky sweep of his lashes. “I … I’ve got a couple of chocolate bars and some dried beef strips.”

But I could be more than satisfied just licking your sexy, tanned skin. Cate shook her head. Where the hell did that thought come from? My inner tigress?

He nodded and turned away, sitting on the dry grass growing on the floor of the boulder cave, and after a moment she joined him. They shared the food from their packs, eating in silence.

Okay, mouth not occupied with chewing. Say something, anything. She shivered as his arm brushed hers and goose pimples popped up.

Her nipples tightened and she could feel herself getting wet. Her body’s reaction to him was so over the top. How could the simplest touch create such a powerful response?

Well...if you want to read more of C.T. Green's work...and who wouldn't? Here are the buy links and her web-hangouts!

Buy Links:

Amazon

iTunes

Webpage:

http://www.ctgreen-author.com/
Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/C.T.GreenAuthor
Google+

https://plus.google.com/u/0/107420955021680189535/posts

 

Have a lovely evening :)

Good News Day!

Welcome to this week's good news...

This is the last Good News Day until January 8th! If you're travelling for the holiday season, please keep safe, and enjoy your time away!

Until then, everyone from the Dark Side wish all our readers...

SALES

Sandy Harris has sold her book - Alien, Mine - to Soul Mate Publishing. Congratulations!

CONTESTS

C.T.Green has placed 3rd in the RWA Windy City Chapter’s Four Season’s Contest in the FFP section.

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

Nicole Hurley-Moore's new historical novella, Misrule's Mistress will be released on the 20th December by Pink Petal Books.

She’s refused him once but with a golden ring, a Christmas feast and a little cunning, Lord Barric Cranley intends to catch his bride.


S.E.Gilchrist's Legend Beyond the Stars comes out on 1st January 2013with Escape Publishers. 

Earth is struggling with disastrous climate changes and an exploding population. When the United Earth Corporation is offered a proposition from alien traders to transport the first wave of colonists to a new-earth in exchange for precious metals and minerals, they accept with few questions asked. But the traders have another agenda.
Alana Knight, a captain in the United Defence Force, whose only child was still-born, has focused on her career. She volunteers for this mission, seeking redemption from a disastrous mission where soldiers died under her command. On board the space ship, she learns of a war raging for supremacy of the Seven Galaxies and possession of a renewable energy source that powers intergalactic space travel. A power that can be transformed into a terrible weapon. The former Darkon Guardians are determined to fight to the death rather than reveal the secret of conversion.
When the colonists are betrayed and sold, her mission is re-defined. Nothing will stop her from keeping those in her care safe and from finding a passage home. But her new captor is nothing like she expects.
Embroiled in a cycles long war and the consequent unleashing of the retro virus, Commander Tarak El Rajan of the Darkon fleet, is human, male and equally determined to retain his payload. With his race on the brink of extinction he is under strict orders to transport all females to the planet Isla for research purposes. His duty is to ensure the continuation of his race and the defeat of his enemies, despite his weariness with war and death.
In a world of uncertainty, where the wrong decision could mean the death of an entire race, the last thing either of these two soldiers expects, or needs, is to fall in love.
A love that may be destroyed by a fanatical ruler and a dark, dirty secret.

REVIEWS

The Uncrowned Kin (Book #2 Chronicles of King Rolen's Kin) by Rowena Corey Daniells received and an awesome 9/10 review from Fantasy Book Review!

"I want to start off by emphasizing that The Uncrowned King reads just like its predecessor. Now, I do not know what Rowena Cory Daniells does with the words but the writing style feels natural and easy to follow and produces a book that you can read away in just a few hours. It is quite magical and the 400 pages that are in The Uncrowned King feel more like 150. On top of this is the fact that there are multiple story lines woven into it and it is just brilliantly put together."

Full review here.

OTHER

Shona Husk's Kissing Phoenix is free at the moment at Amazon, Ellora's Cave and All Romance E-books.

When Lilith fell into lust with musician Aidan, she never expected it to last. And she was right. Her doctor has given her months to live, and telling Aidan is the hardest thing she’s ever done.
Aidan has been keeping his own secret. He is a Vampire…but he can’t turn Lilith to save her. The solution he proposes is illegal and dangerous and breaks every rule set up to protect non-humans from humans. He doesn’t care. He will do anything to save the woman he loves.
Discovering the kiss of a Vampire and reveling in the erotic thrill, Lilith realizes her feelings are deeper than lust. But is giving up her humanity worth it?


Have a joyous New Year, in...

See you next year!



Animated graphics & New Year picture from VectorGab.com (a database of free original vector files offered under Creative Commons Attribution License).

Magic Thursday Winner

Thank you to everyone who commented on C.T.'s blog post on demons.

The winner of Dream Lover is:

Nicola E Sheridan.

Congrats, Nicola! Please contact C.T. using the contact form on her website.

Weekly Overview

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Mon 17 Dec - Winner of C.T.'s giveway announced

Tues 18 - GOOD NEWS DAY compiled by Kylie Griffin

Wed 19 - A BITE OF... with C.T. Green



Thur 20 - MAGIC THURSDAY - Nicole Murphy with giveaway, specially for people with Apple products

Fri 21 - WHAT WE ARE READING compiled by Shona Husk

DARKSIDER TREKKING

Other blogs our DarkSiders have visited (or are mentioned) this week

Nicola Sheridan -  Author Sound Relations

Jenny Schwartz - Romance Reader

Anna Hackett - Christina Phillips/Ashcroft
- Jenny Schwartz

Shona Husk and Jenny Schwartz - Here Be Magic

Dy Loveday - Coffee Time Romance

Carolyn Wren - Nicole Murphy

Raewyn McGill - Melbourne Romance Writers Guild



Blog hops


Annie Seaton is part of the Entangled under the Mistletoe Blog Hop - check out her post (other authors).


Jenny Schwartz is part of the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop here (Other authors)

Imogene Nix is part of the Purrrflectly Giftastic Christmas Blog Hop here.

Other group blogs with DarkSiders as members

Hot Down Under

Romance Writers of the Apocalypse

Hotter than Hades

Historical Hearts - members include Christina Phillips, Annie Seaton, Nicole Hurley-Moore



The last of the  Facebook links

Kylie Scott

Nicola E. Sheridan

Eden Summers

Mel Teshco

Adina West

Carolyn Wren

Khloe Wren

WHAT'S UP?

Welcome to our latest member, Rebekah Turner!


Annie Seaton, Imogene Nix, and Nicola E. Sheridan are panelists on the Meet The Authors session at AARC 2013. Check out the session info here.

Meanwhile Paula Roe will be on the Location, Location, Location panel.

Nicole Hurley-Moore has a book trailer for her book, Misrule's Mistress.


http://youtu.be/SVMS4wcQAxk


Amanda Ashby has an advanced copy of her book Demonosity on Goodreads to win. Enter here.

Imogene Nix has a giveaway on her blog as part of the Secret Cravings Publishing Authors Five Favourite Things giveaway.

Nicole Murphy has her story The Festival available for FREE at Smashwords for another day. Check it out. It’s the sequel to her trilogy, The Dream of Asarlai but you don’t need to have read the trilogy for this to make sense.

We will be taking a hiatus from regular programming from 23rd December to 6th January.

Have a safe and wonderful week!

Enchanted Orb - What Inspires A.P. Castell

Welcome, once again, to the Enchanted Orb. Today, we gaze into its depths to see what inspires AP Castell. One of the four writers to be found at The Romantic Muse, AP has kindly agreed to share some of the sources of her inspiration.

Take it away, AP Castell!

What Inspires AP Castell

A view, a dream, a look, a phrase…    Yes all of this and so much more.

Inspiration comes from many sources and usually when I least expect it. I often find the more effort I put into thinking of an idea, the more elusive it becomes.

I enjoy being outdoors and when in need of inspiration, that is where I turn. A drive in the country with the windows down, a walk on the beach whatever the season, hiking through the bush or even just a stroll in my garden, holds much wonder and appeal. Not only does it clear the mind and help consolidate thoughts, it is food for the soul.

With a background in art, I approach writing from this perspective, utilising the basic principles to unearth ideas. My love of colour and nature has a strong influence on my writing. I tend to include detailed descriptions of architecture and scenery in my stories. This would explain my love of the old classic movies with their epic scenes; ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Gone with the Wind’, all of which are another source of inspiration. 

Observation is just as important to the artist as it is for the writer. The artist is taught to look for basic visual elements.

·         Shape -       area defined by its external edge

·         Colour -       hues including their various values and intensities

·         Texture -    surface qualities/tactile pattern

·         Form -         three dimensional, length, width and depth

·         Value -        shading

The more accurately one can distinguish these individual elements, the more concisely it will be interpreted to the canvas. Once learned, it changes the way a person perceives the world around them. No longer is life a flat dull surface. Even the most mundane objects become interesting when you apply the visual elements. 

When out in search of inspiration I focus on the visual elements and my senses. The sight, the smell, the sound, the touch; I use all these to take in my surroundings. Concentrating on each sense individually, once I have reflected on one, I move on to the next. Then I make a conscious point of looking for shape, texture and so on. Leaving colour for last as it is the most obvious; I enjoy picking out the different hues and nuances. Really it is like a form of meditation for me and when I am done I feel revitalised and content which frees me to possibilities that usually morph into inspiration. 

Having rambled long enough, I will leave you with the wise words of Keats.

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."

John Keats

Find more inspiring quotes here:     http://www.allgreatquotes.com/nature_quotes.shtml

Magic Thursday: Demons

by C.T. Green


Yes, we’ve probably had a Magic Thursday post on these bad boys – but I’m hoping for a different angle on these bad boys.



So, when you think ‘demons’ you tend to think of this… 

public domain image

Whereas, when I’m talking demons I’m thinkin’ something like this… 

Sourced from Dreamstime

Yes indeedy – I have a smutty mind. Okay, now onto serious stuff.

As understood by many people, Demons are supernatural malevolent beings, which feature heavily in religion, occultism, literature, folklore…Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Interestingly the original Classical Greek work daimon does not carry the same negative connotations as the more modern derivation of the word demon and can be understood to denote a spirit or divine power – a source of inspiration if you will (according to Socrates).

The religions of the Ancient Near East and ancient and medieval Christianity viewed demons as unclean spirits, evil angels and the cause of demonic possession. This usually called for an exorcism and possibly a sick bag. Have you seen the amount of puke that girl produces in The Exorcist?!

In occultism the demon is viewed as a spiritual entity that can be conjured and then controlled by the person who did the calling up. Great for those times when you want to get rid of unwanted guests or entertain the kids.

Demons are great fun to play with in world building as they come in so many shapes and sizes and can exist in water, air, earth and fire. There’s a massive amount written about them from various cultures. They are the all-purpose supernatural creature. You can even anthropomorphosis them. 

My favourite demons are Kresley Cole’s Rydestrom and his brother Cade – they’re great examples that demons don’t have to be bad…just slightly wicked.

So there is a snippet of demonology for Magic Thursday. I’ll leave you with the musings of psychologist Wilhelm Wundt who commented that, “among the activities attributed by myths all over the world to demons, the harmful predominate, so that in popular belief bad demons are clearly older than good ones.” 

Come on, Wil – you know it’s just that everyone loves a bad boy. Should you like a copy of Dream Lover – my short erotic story (no demons alas), please comment with the demon that’s most taken your fancy in film, TV or book.

Good News Day!

Welcome to this week's good news...

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

Jenny Schwartz is thrilled to be able share the news that her short story "The Pearl Flower Harvest" will be included in the forthcoming Dreaming of Djinn anthology, edited by Liz Grzyb from Ticonderoga Publications. It will be out early April 2013.


Kylie Scott has a cover for Skin, the sequel to her post-apocalyptic romance, Flesh. Skin comes out with Momentum 1st February, 2013.

Six months since the zombie plague struck, former librarian Roslyn Stewart has been holed up in a school with eight other survivors. But now the shelves in the school canteen are bare. The stranger at the gate has supplies that will ensure the group’s ongoing survival, but at a cost. He wants a woman.

Nick is a man with a plan. He’ll treat Roslyn like a Queen, devoting the rest of his life to protecting and providing for her. In exchange, of course, for sexual favours. It’s the deal of the century given the state of the world. But Roslyn doesn’t see it that way. The first chance she gets she attacks the ex-army man and attempts to escape, forcing Nick to contain her. And so begins his awkward courtship of the woman, with her chained to the bed for security reasons.
Chained like a dog and forced to spend her every waking moment with a creep, albeit a good looking one, Ros is determined to escape. When circumstances force them to band together against a common enemy their very survival depends on their ability to learn to trust each other. An uneasy partnership develops, but can a relationship with such a difficult beginning ever have a future?

REVIEWS

Dragonfly by Erica Hayes has received a 4 star review from Dark Faerie Tales blog! Congrats!

The really great part of Dragonfly, besides the awesome world building, is the cast of characters.  Each individual has both good and bad qualities that blur the lines between the two.  You can never tell if this one is an actual bad guy, or if he is just a self-centered jerk.  This adds a remarkable depth to both the character’s personalities as well as the story itself.  I love character driven books and I must say that this one gravitates toward the upper echelon of my list.

Click here for the full review.



Eleni Konstantine received a review from Julie's Book Review for Gateway to Hell, her novella released by Musa Publishing.

"Good starter book. Looking forward to the next one, hopefully it will be longer!! Would have enjoyed to read it a while longer."

Full review here.

OTHER

Bec McMaster will be releasing a Christmas novella, Tarnished Knight, is set in the London Steampunk world and features Rip and Esme from Kiss of Steel.
Bec says: "It's set between Kiss of Steel and Heart of Iron and may offer a sneak peek at the hero and heroine of HOI. But that's not the best bit! I will be releasing it in serial form on the blog leading up until Christmas and also offering a giveaway of two signed copies of Kiss of Steel and some swag to two lucky commenters on the blog over the next month! Open Internationally! 
Please feel free to share as this is a special gift for all of my readers to thank them for their support. Want more details? Go to my blog."


Christina Ashcroft continues her Archangel of Mercy blog touring...
*Friday 14th December - The Romance Reviews - participating in the Year End Splash Party with a giveaway of one copy of Archangel of Mercy
*Sunday 16th December - Under the Covers chatting about end of year traditions

Weekly Overview

COMING UP THIS WEEK

Tues 11 Dec - GOOD NEWS DAY


Thur 13 - MAGIC THURSDAY with C.T. Green  and giveaway of Dream Lover

Sat 15 - ENCHANTED ORB... with A.P. Castell

DARKSIDER TREKKING

Other blogs our DarkSiders have visited (or are mentioned) this week

Christina Ashcroft - ARRA
- Shelley Munro
- Midnight Confessions (Anna Hackett)


Shona Husk - Bitten by Paranormal Romance


Cassandra L. Shaw - Kylie Griffin


Peta Crake - Romance Writers of Australia


S E Gilchrist - Authors Promoting Authors



Coming up this week

Nicola Sheridan -  http://www.authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com



Other group blogs with DarkSiders as members

Hot Down Under - DarkSider Angela Castle joins the fold

Romance Writers of the Apocalypse

Hotter than Hades



More cycling through the Facebook links

Imogene Nix

Tracey O'Hara

Christina Phillips

Paula Roe

Lilliana Rose

Cathleen Ross

Denise Rossetti

Jenny Schwartz

WHAT'S UP?

Congratulations to Nicola E. Sheridan, who is graduating with Distinction!!


Kylie Griffin's Light Blade series now available on Amazon - Vengeance Born and Alliance Forged


S E Gilchrist is taking part of the Snowy Reading Bloghop (S E's post, bloghop's main page)


Erica Hayes has some giveaways on her blog celebrating her latest release.

Have a fantastic week!

Real Life Paranormal

With J.L Addicoat

This happened in 1991/2. I was working as a Security Guard for a well known firm at the time. The buildings are in Spencer St. Melbourne.

Shortly after starting my job as Relief Guard, I was sent to a building for a night shift. I had already been through the onsite training and this was my second night going solo. There was another Guard on site. Patrols were staggered, and it was my turn to do the patrol of the floors.

            One particular floor had the hair rising on the back of my neck. I knew something was there, but not what. As I made my way through the floors and up the steps, the familiar feeling began. I walked through the door and saw a woman sitting at her desk. She looked up and nodded at me, as if to say hello, as I walked past.

            I don’t know what made me look around as I neared the rear door, but I did. My gaze was upon the door I had walked through to gain entry to the floor. As I watched, a well dressed young man, complete with top hat, materialized through the closed door, and walked toward the woman sitting at her desk. I called out, warning her she was about to feel extremely cold. She didn’t even look up.

            The gentleman turned toward me, tipped his hat, then turned again, walked through the woman and disappeared through the opposite wall. The woman hadn’t moved and continued reading documents at her desk.

            Leaving the floor, I completed my patrol and returned to the security room. I made myself a mug of coffee and sat down, stunned with what I had seen. The other guard asked me what had happened. I told him I had seen a ghost, walk through the door and out through the wall. He laughed.

            Yes, they all knew about the ghost but no one had seen her he told me. I assured him the ghost I saw wasn’t a woman, it was most definitely a man, wearing top hat and tails. He shook his head. The ghost he had been told about was a young woman who sat at a desk, always reading documents.

I sat back in disbelief. I hadn’t seen just one ghost that night, I’d seen two.

Jenny Addicoat writes as. J.L. Addicoat.

Living in a small country town, Jenny shares her home with her partner (Hubby) Kevin and two very spoilt felines.

She enjoys reading, writing of course, and gardening.

Magic Thursday: A Galactic Holiday

by Anna Hackett

Around this time of year it’s usual to see romance holiday anthologies. You know the ones, with a smiling, snowbound couple under the mistletoe. How about we add some spaceships and laser guns to that!

Science fiction and the holidays—not two things you see together very often. How did 3 romance authors come to mix science fiction and the holidays? It all started when Carina Press Executive Editor, Angela James, put out a call for sci-fi holiday novellas. It was a challenge too good to resist for myself, Sasha Summers and Stacy Gail.

A GALACTIC HOLIDAY is full of romance and holiday cheer, but there is also action, adventure, unique world-building and some pretty cool gadgets.

Anna: I was fascinated with the thought of how future generations spread across the galaxy would celebrate the holidays. In WINTER FUSION, I knew I wanted to explore a different version of the holidays and when I read about Scandinavian Yule, I instantly envisioned an ice world. Harsh, beautiful, with rich geothermal energy. I imagined the people tough enough to settle an ice world would be strong with an exceptional sense of community.

Of course my hero, Savan comes from a world the complete opposite of Perma. A high-tech, energy-dependent world covered by a megacity. On Rendar, families and holidays no longer exist and the pinnacle of Rendarian life is personal success. It was fun throwing Perman Brinn and Rendarian Savan together—then I snowed them in and set an assassin on their trail. Let’s just say, these two generate a lot of heat…in more ways than one.

Sasha: I was completely intrigued by the call for a SciFi Holiday novella. I started mulling over the concept and Riley just sort of popped up. It was the first scene, her hanging upside down working on her ship and arguing into her earpiece. She was a very different heroine for me, I don’t normally write overtly strong, self-reliant heroines. But Riley has to be all of those things. She was born in the black, lives on her ship – alone – and likes it that way. Or rather, that’s what she thinks she likes. She doesn’t ‘know’ any other life. So I stranded her to see what would happen.

And the world I envisioned her being stranded on? Well, it was brutal – similar to Hoth – almost uninhabitable. Ice, snow, and man-eating monsters/aliens. At this point the odds were stacked against Riley…

Enter Leo, our mysterious hero. He scoops her – rather – drags her to the safety of Galileo’s Station.  A seriously dreamy space cowboy (Han Solo meets Malcolm Reynolds), Leo takes his work very seriously, keeping his mission priority one. But finding Riley on the ice muddies things up a little and warms things up a bit. Okay, a lot.

Something about these two independent and stubborn characters coming together drove me to write their story.

Stacy: Reina Vedette and Edison Wicke have been bugging me to tell their story for a couple years now. Their basic background and a general plot involving androids have been in my brain just looking for the right time to get launched. Then, when Carina Press’s call for submissions went out, Reina and Edison INSISTED their launch time was now (they’re so pushy). 

This novella flowed out of me in a mere eighteen days—not that surprising, considering it’s been written and expanded upon in my head for so long.  The technology-dependent society in HOW THE GLITCH SAVED CHRISTMAS has lost touch with the simpler, more meaningful things in life, and it was a blast to reintroduce the timeless theme of home, family and love in such a setting.  Not to mention it was nice to shut Reina and Edison up, if only for a little while.

See spaceships and mistletoe do go together. So if you’re looking for something a little different to read these holidays, then A GALACTIC HOLIDAY might be for you!

Take a moment to enter our out-of-this-world giveaway!

Rafflecopter giveaway

A GALACTIC HOLIDAY – Carina Press | Amazon | B&N | All Romance

Anna Hackett – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Stacy Gail – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Sasha Summers – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads