A reader asked me the other day
how I came up with the ideas about the aliens I use in my novels. I have to
admit the question surprised me. Creating an alien is natural to me. They just
seem to pop up.
But that couldn’t be true… could
it?
Well, I confess my background helped
to “birth” these folks. I’ve been reading science fiction since I was in my
early teens. Not to mention all the comic books and being inundated with
various TV shows and movies with aliens all my life.
Nowadays there’s a glut of
strange, “alien” hunks in the SciFi Romance genre. In the Top 20 of SciFi
Romance in Amazon (as of the second week in August 2022) we have “Orcs”, “Minotaur”,
“Lizardman”, “Naga” (snakes) and “Spiders” (check out Ensnared by
Tiffany Roberts). I confess I like my aliens to be different, but to be honest,
I prefer them to have more human features than not.
With these characteristics in
mind, I created aliens that appeal to me (I know, selfish. But hey, I have to
fall in love with my heroes before anyone else can!). When I began creating my
first series, An Alien Exchange, I got to indulge in my fascination with
captivating, alien hunk-men (yep, that’s my term and I’m sticking to it). In
this first article, I’ll delve into a couple of those wonderful out-of-this
world guys. So, sit back, take a sip of your favorite libation, and enjoy the
ride of a crazy person creating a whole new species and the planets they come
from.
The Planet Zerin
When I came up with this idea, it
was in part because it seemed all the SciFi Romances I read had the same theme:
aliens were short of females and resorted to kidnapping Earth women to prevent
their species from becoming extinct. I fancied something different. Instead of snatching
unwilling women, I wanted women to have a choice. Stay on Earth in their lonely
life or take a chance to find a soulmate in space.
Thus, the planet Zerin was born. It’s
a democratic society with a ruling monarchy that has the final say on the laws
generated from their governing senate. This is the home planet for two of the
four main characters in this series. The main foundation of their society is
the family. All familial ties override everything and mean more to them than
anything.
Zerin’s population is a balanced
one with a healthy ratio of males to females, so they don’t have to kidnap
human women. In fact, it’s illegal for a Zerin to take a human as a mate. An
enterprising species, the Zerin’s set up an “Exchange” program with Earth women
to help the other populations in the Milky Way Galaxy that were short of
females.
For a small fee, of course.
A Zerin
Zerin’s live longer than humans,
around 200 to 300 Earth years old. This is primarily due to medical advancements
and the natural rotation of their planet.
The first hero is Commander
Qayyum E’et (kway-yum ee-ee-too).
Age: 75—Zerin
years, still considered quite young by his people, around 6’6” and 230 lbs.
Hair:
Straight, black as midnight that reflects a dark blue. A braid starts at the
right temple and crisscrosses on the top, framing his face and ends in a long
rope just at his crotch. The rest of his hair is pulled back into a tail
flowing down his spine.
Eyes: Dark midnight eyebrows rise up and down like
an upside down “v” over his almond-shaped eyes. Instead of black, his irises
were a dark iridescent green, slightly oval shaped and surrounded by a ring of
dual color. The first ring was a dark emerald, with the outer ring a
contrasting shade of lighter green.
Ears: A bit
larger than a human with a slight point on the top.
Mouth: He
has full lips when parted, showing his small incisors; fangs that protruded
where a human’s eye teeth would be in the upper and lower part of his mouth
Hands: He
only had three fingers on each hand with thumbs short, like a human.
Skin
Tone: His skin color is a light russet brown with an overlay of
iridescence, pearlescent sheen.
Sexual
“Extra”: When sexually excited, a Zerin male will excrete an oil from
his pours (especially the palms of his hands) much like a lubricant. It makes
the skin on human women extra sensitive to stimulation. I got this idea from an
old David Bowe Film “The Man Who Fell to Earth”.
TrueBond: A Zerin couple will instantly recognize their
TrueBond by scent, tactile experience, and appearance. Mating oils seep from
their palms and chests, which enhance and magnify their sexual pleasure with
each other. A TrueBond couple solidifies their union after being together
sexually… when the male ejaculates inside the female. After their first mating,
they will physically take on characteristics of each other, i.e., blended hair,
skin, and eye color. To complete the TrueBond, a tattoo call the MalDerVon scroll
appears with the heir crystal nestled in their temple. During the TrueBond
process, the two would have extra sensitivity if separated for any length of
time from each other. Then they suffer physical and psychological pain.
Along
with Qay in this series is his cousin, D’zia. D'zia is one of my favorites because he a bit of a smartass. If you look closely, you'll see a small spider-droid on his shoulder. That's JR10 (named after the author JR Ward), who gives D'zia a run for his money on being a snark-a-holic.
This is Ki. He claims his Zerin heritage, but unknown to others he is a hybrid. His Crart ancestry comes with a secret that even his closest friends aren't aware of - he's a dragon shifter.
I'm totally in love dragon shifters, so I was dying to make one of my heroes one.
The last
fellow in this series is not a Zerin. He is a Runihura male by the name of
Aylzrunth (Eye-laz-run-ith). His planet is a matricidal society where
males are second class and females’ rule.
Most Runihura
males are massive, well over eight feet tall. His skin is obsidian, black as
midnight, platinum hair, and neon blue eyes with silver blood. When they meet
their mates, they place a silver crown on their heads and the male transfers
his essence to the female until the both of them glow, binding them together.
The circlets they have on their foreheads absorbed into their skin, completing an
unbreakable union.
That It?
Nope. Not by a long shot. In my next article, I’ll introduce
you to the other aliens in my Exchange universe. After that, I’ll
highlight the aliens in my current series, Ancient Alien Descendants.
I’d love to hear any thoughts about my guys. Or, better yet,
I’d love any suggestions you have for an alien in my new series I’ll be creating
next year…
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