Saturday, December 10, 2011

World Building in a Contemporary Romance

Good Morning, Paranormal Romantics. Look who I found while out in cyberspace!
Today I have a guest blogger, someone you may be familar with for her science fiction to die for, but did you know she has a new contempory romance out? Today she's talking about the differences in world-building for science fiction, paranormal and the contemporary genres. Please help me give a warm welcome to Jessica Subject. And Yes, there's a giveaway. *Lets go of wrist lock she has on Jessica* It's all yours.

First of all, thank you to DL Jackson for allowing me to blog here today. If you have not read any of her books yet, get on over to Amazon, All Romance ebooks, or whatever ebook retailer you use and buy one. You will not be disappointed.


Now, you may not think world building is as difficult for a contemporary romance as it would be in a science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy, but I beg to differ. The setting for my upcoming release, Beneath the Starry Sky is Las Vegas (and surrounding area), Nevada. I have never been there, the furthest west I’ve travelled being West Lafayette, Indiana.

When writing my science fiction romances, I have always set my stories in cities I am familiar with or far away planets and space stations where I have had the freedom to create them the way I wanted. Such was not the case with this story.

So, besides using the internet for research as much as possible, I put a shout out to some of my fellow authors for information. And I received a wonderful response. One author went out of her way to help me, and for that I will be forever grateful. But if they had not, I would have had to contact other sources to find the info, because in existing settings, you cannot make stuff up.

While some of my stories take place on Earth and have involved a lot of research and contacting sources for even more info, I still prefer to create my own worlds.

What about you? Do you prefer to be whisked away to a brand new world or stay in familiar territory when you’re reading and/or writing?

Beneath the Starry Sky Blurb

Left at the altar with bald patches on her head and her self-confidence stripped away, Tamara Johnson must pick up the pieces of her life and face her Alopecia, the autoimmune disease causing her hair to fall out. She is convinced no man will date a bald woman and arranges a one-night stand through Madame Evangeline’s popular service, 1Night Stand. With her new wig held firmly in place, Tamara arrives at the Castillo Hotel in Las Vegas for a night of passion and pleasure. Anything more than one night would mean exposing her bald head, and she will never do that to any man again.

Running into the Castillo Hotel, away from the paparazzi constantly at his heels, Josh Summers wants to spend his next few days locked away from the flashing lights and screaming fans. When he finds an incredibly sexy woman lying on his hotel room bed in nothing but lingerie, he thinks management has made a mistake. Leaving her behind, he heads for the lobby to get the situation rectified. But an unexpected text from Madame Evangeline sends him back to his room. Though unsure whether the woman on the bed is really his perfect match or just another fan believing him to be like his character on television, he knows he must find out, even if it means he must risk telling her his own secrets. If Tamara can handle his imperfections, she just might be his ideal woman.
Coming to Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers December 16, 2011

For more info, click here: http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/?page_id=7250

To learn more about Alopecia Areata and to help find a cure, visit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation http://www.naaf.org/ and the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation http://canaaf.org/

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog: http://www.markofthestars.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jsubject

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-E-Subject-author/205759796126370

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4959083.Jessica_E_Subject

Google +: https://plus.google.com/100079570422204018357/posts

Giveaway

Leave a comment with your email for a chance to win an ecopy of Celestial Seduction and book swag from current and upcoming releases from Jessica E. Subject.

Thanks, Jessica for visiting Paranormal Romantics today and telling us a little about your newest release.
 
For all you Paranormal Romantics out there, don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some goodies and a copy of Jessica's science fiction 1NightStand story, Celestial Seduction.
 
Have a great weekend,
 
D L

18 comments:

Jessica E. Subject said...

Thanks for having me today, DL! :)

Joanne said...

Great post and blurb. Can't wait to read Celestial Seduction. Thanks for the giveaway.

Kaye Manro said...

Hi Jessica! I love the swept away feeling be it another world or a new city I haven't visited. Nice post!

Anne said...

I like both. I frequently find that when a book does take place in a location I know well, it seems different because the author uses places that I may not be as familiar with. I live in the Chicago area and have for 35 years. When I read Chloe neill or Sra Paretsky, I find references to places I hadn't heard about which I then ocassionally look up.

Alexa said...

I like both as well, although when writing I do prefer places I've been. Luckily I've lived in several cities and vacationed in several countries so I have a lot of first-hand knowledge.

Jessica E. Subject said...

@Joanne - Thanks for stopping by!

@Kaye - Yes! And often I want to visit those places after reading about them, even if they are fictitious. LOL

@Anne - If that were the case with me, I'd have to visit those places just to see if they were really like in the book. :)

@Alexa - First-hand knowledge is key.

Thanks! :)

Cathy M said...

I enjoy both, it depends on my mood. For a sci-fi or fantasy story,I can appreciate the creative world building, but sometimes the story can totally work when written in the here and now, and I can appreciate that too.

caity_mack at yahoo dot com

booklover0226 said...

I like both, too. It's fun to be taken to a new and unknown place with some exciting characters.

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

Shana Gray said...

Hi Jessica! Great to see you here.
Cristal

Jessica E. Subject said...

@Cathy M - I guess whether it works is the key. Thanks for stopping by! :)

@Tracey D - Yes, that makes the story that much more of an escape. Thanks!

@Cristal - Hey! *waving* Fancy seeing you here. ;)

Clarissa Yip said...

I love your book covers! Congrats on your new release!

Shana Gray said...

*waves back* I saw your post at TRW I'm over at two old farts with Lori Green today :) if you want to stop by.

elaing8 said...

Hi Jessica,
I enjoyed reading your post.

To answer your question...I would say both.I recently started reading scifi books.I enjoyed the ones I've read. As long as the storyline is good,I'll probably read it.
Beneath the Starry Sky sounds really good.
And thanks for the chance to win Celestial Seduction and swag.

elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

Anna said...

Great interview, Jessica!

I think, most of the time, I like to be swept away. I've been all over and so I like new places.

But then, it's sometimes fun to read about stories taking place in places I'm really familiar with. As an author, I imagine it would be really difficult to get the details right if you've never been there.

Have a terrfic weekend!
Anna
doxisrcool (at) aol (dot) com

Jessica E. Subject said...

@Cristal - Just stopped by to visit you. :)

@elaing - Thanks! I'm glad you've enjoyed the scifi you have read thus far. There are so many great stories out there. :)

@Anna - Yes, it can be difficult, but the internet and social networking make it much easier now. :)

Anonymous said...

Really nice blog. I'm very interested in seeing a story with a lead character who has to deal with alopecia.

Jana

http://jana-denardo.livejournal.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/JanaDenardo
janadenardo@yahoo.com

Jessica E. Subject said...

@Jana - Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy Beneath the Starry Sky. :)

Jessica E. Subject said...

Congratulations to Alexa! You have won a copy of Celestial Seduction and book swag! I will be in contact with you soon. :)

Thanks everyone for stopping by!