Using Trope Graphics to Find Your Readers

 

Hello! It's been an eventful month in my household. My oldest child moved away to go to college, and my youngest is now back to school for in-person learning after two years of online learning at home. My spouse was on holidays, and completed a lot of small projects around the house. Plus, I've been getting ready for a book release!

But, today's post is not really about any of that. Today, I want to talk about those graphics I'm sure many of you have seen across social media. Especially lately. You know, the ones with the book cover in the middle with book tropes listed all around it, along with other information about what happens in the story.

Last week on social media, someone called trope graphics "cringe," and couldn't believe authors would use tropes and fiction tags to promote a book. I think they are exactly the opposite. They help readers to find books they might like to read quickly. Before, authors had to entice the reader simply by having an appealing book cover. Authors hoped their covers enticed readers enough to read the blurb and then buy the book. But with a few words, authors have a chance to draw in more readers than with only a cover.

Trope graphics usually contain the following:

• the book cover (this is most important)
• all the tropes the book falls under (second chance romance, mistaken identity, friends to lovers, only one bed, etc.)
• other information that might tease or entice readers, whether about the characters, the setting, or the plot
• arrows pointing from the information to the book

Trope graphics may also include the name and title of the book if that is not clear enough on the cover. Most trope graphics contain 5 to 8 pieces of information about the book. Plus, you can use the background to set the mood or reveal the setting of the book.

I make my trope graphics using Canva. 

1. I start with a blank Instagram post. They are square, and I find they generally look best to use on all social media.
2. I go to Elements then Frames to find a tablet or phone-shaped frame. Then I center it in the graphic. Canva will show you where the center is if you drag it around with your mouse.
3. I upload my cover then drag and drop it into the tablet frame.
4. I add the boxes of text/information that I want to share in the graphic.
5. In elements, I look up arrows and then use a variety of them to point the text to the cover. You can easily flip, rotate, shrink, angle, and even change the color of the arrows.
6. Then I search the backgrounds (click) and the elements (drag and drop) to find a picture that works for the background image. Often I have to edit the image (brightness, tint, shadows, transparency, etc.) so that the text is readable and stands out. 
7. When I'm satisfied, I download it as a PNG file and share it on social media with other information and buy links for the book.
8. Instead of starting all over for each book, you can duplicate the page and then replace the cover image, the text copy, and the background.

While I don't have one made for every one of my titles, I do have them made for my upcoming release, RET (releases September 12), and the other books in the Kaddim Brothers series.

After the comment was made last week, I saw a lot of authors also making graphics to also share a little about themselves with readers. So, I made one, too. Have a great September!

Dragonflies and Trees ~ Story Research by @jsubject & an #excerpt from MADE FOR HER #SFR #SFRomance #Romance

 

DRAGONFLIES AND TREES:

How my Story Research Method has changed

by Jessica E. Subject

When I first started writing for publication, my research consisted of looking up everything I could possibly need to every topic I referenced in my stories. I printed out pages and pages of material, emailed and interviewed sources with multiple questions, and kept all this material in binder upon binder, so I had it all to reference.

Recently, when I was rearranging my office, I realized I hadn't used most of the material I'd saved over the years. So, I went through it all, and ended up recycling most of it.

My research methods have changed since then. As an author, I know very little of what I actually research will make it into the story. So, unless I'm interviewing someone, I only write down the information I need as notes in the book I'm using to write my story. Yes, as I currently research information on dragonflies, and wetland vegetation, I write all kinds of notes across the top and in the margins of various pages. I also jot down information in my series notebooks if it might pertain to other stories in the series. And if there's a website or video I want to reference again, I'll bookmark it. No more binders full of information I'll never use again.

I'm curious, as an author, do you find your research methods have changed as you've written more books?

As a reader, would you like to know tidbits of information the author learned while researching for their story that didn't make it into the book?

Here's an excerpt from MADE FOR HER, which was a very research-heavy story...

Colonel Jones grabbed the remote before focusing on the three-dimensional holographic picture beside her. Another presentation for the general public, but she doubted it would work to recruit anyone. The audience was always more curious than willing to enlist. 

“In 2084, as you know, Earth made first contact with the Rafkels, a peaceful species living on the planet Raf, located twenty light-years from Earth.” She pressed the button to show her spectators an image of the still-foreign planet. “While meeting this species remains years away, their message warned us of other intelligent life forms in our own galaxy.” 

Mikayla rolled her eyes. The actual message had not been a warning, rather a fact, but the government insisted on changing the wording to garner more recruits and support for cloning. “Since then, world governments have combined efforts to develop a spacecraft that will take us faster and farther into space. 

“If you join the military today, you will learn how to fly these vessels and train the clones for future wars. Science fiction has now become our reality.” Yeah, like that would work to recruit people. Who wrote the speech, anyway? Very few, if any, would ever make it to the SFTC, Space Flight Training Center. “It will never be your life on the line, but that of men and women created only for that purpose. Serving your country is no longer about sacrifice, but about honor.” 

She cringed at the bullshit words. People still died all the time. Terrorists, like the ones who’d killed Daniel, still objected to cloning, causing destruction and death. Just last month, a popular off-base nightclub, known to be a military hang-out, had been turned to rubble in a matter of seconds after a suicide bomber with known allegiance to the Al-Tidoa group blew himself up inside the building. Many, both clone and human-born, had died. 

When Mikayla switched the display to the live feed from Onatria’s main lab in Geneva, she sighed at the collective gasp. Robotic arms transferred material between Petri dishes at various stations while other, more complex equipment dissected strands of DNA. Human-born and clones alike wore white lab coats and watched new life grow under their microscopes. And in a glass-walled clean room, casket-like clear chambers held young clones attached to a multitude of tubes. Except for the military and Onatria staff, this was the first time anyone had seen the labs. The government had grown desperate for people to enlist. 

MADE FOR HER

By Jessica E. Subject

After terrorists murder the love of her life, Colonel Mikayla Jones trains squadron after squadron of the clones he brought to life, to take to the skies. When she discovers a young clone of her husband in her newest class, her world spins out of control. How can she command the look-a-like when she can’t help but yearn for him to fill an ache in her heart?

Dare was created to be the best. As the first Daniel clone to leave Onatria labs, he needs to prove he is more than just a DNA copy. To do that, he must rely on the wife of the man who donated his genes. But when she refuses to train him, Dare faces discharge and returning to the labs. Can he convince Colonel Jones to finish his training and find a way into her bed? Or will long kept secrets unhinge the entire clone project?

AMAZON US | UNIVERSAL BUY LINK

Alternate Universes in Paranormal Romance and Sci-Fi Romance by @jsubject #PNR #SFRomance #Romance

 

ALTERNATE UNIVERSES

IN

PARANORMAL AND SCI-FI ROMANCE

As an author of both sci-fi and paranormal romance, I know we have to create alternate worlds for our stories. Because as much as we like to believe that aliens, shifters, ghosts, vampires, zombies, etc. exist on this planet, we don't see them walking around in public on a daily basis. So, we create our own where they do.

Now, these alternate worlds or universes can be as similar or different from our own existence as we want them to be. In my ALIEN NEXT DOOR series, aliens live on an Earth much like our own. And they try to blend in to human society so their secret is not discovered. The world-building was simple, as I only had to tweak a few things from our own world.

In my most recently published series, SHIFTER TOWERS, shifters live amongst humans in an omegaverse. There was a little more world-building involved with this series. As similar as I tried to make this world to our own, I did create new cities, towns, and landmarks to match the world I was writing in. And since the characters were mostly AOB shifters, there were a few other differences I had to consider. Like how often, and where they were allowed to shift.

With my GALACTIC DEFENDERS series and my upcoming KADDIM BROTHERS series, I went all out, creating new worlds with new rules, and so much more. And the joy of these stories taking place on multiple planets and on space craft as well is that each one is different from the other, leading to so many possibilities for things to happen.

As a reader, or an author, I want to know how close you like your stories to be to your reality? Do you like to wonder if your neighbor might be an alien or a vampire? Or, do you want the full escape to leave this world during your reading/writing time? I enjoy both, but I'm always curious about what everyone else thinks.

Here's a snippet from BRYCE, the first book in my Galactic Defenders series, where Lalia is on the Galactic Defenders ship and trying to find her way around...

Glancing one last time at her daughter, she pulled on her robe then exited the room.

Confident of their safety on the carrier and in space, the Galactic Alliance hadn’t assigned them any security. They’d been housed in the guest quarters, three floors up from Bryce and the rest of the Defenders.

No one patrolled the hallway at all, making her passage past the communal bathroom and  to the lift easy. “Second floor, Defender’s Lounge,” she recited to the computer after the doors slid closed behind her. The chamber softly glowed around her, no buttons or emergency phones on the walls like elevators on Earth. While Bryce had told her to locate him in the lounge if she had an emergency, she doubted he’d expect her so soon after he’d left her. But she couldn’t share her objections in front of her daughter. If they did end up on Hemera, she didn’t want Katrina to know how much she’d detested life on her home planet.

“Destination reached,” the computer said in a neutral tone, neither male nor female.

Peeking out, she spotted no one. With all the Defenders she’d met on board, she’d expected to run into at least one of them. Instead, closed doors surrounded the gleaming floor of the large, circular room. Tables, chairs, couches, and other odd-shaped furniture rested along the far wall, as if pushed there before one of the crew had cleaned the floor.

Would she leave marks on the polished surface if she stepped across it, evidence of her visit to Bryce? Or, worse, set off an intruder alarm?

The lift door whooshed toward her. Lalia jumped out of the way to avoid getting squished. She paused, waiting for an ear-piercing wail, for all the Defenders to come rushing out to see what had set off the alarm. Yet, an eerie silence hung around her, all the doors remaining closed.

She tiptoed around the edge of the room, searching the entrances for some marker indicating which one led to Bryce. Nothing. They all looked the same, brushed metal without even a window to help her find him. No number or any sort of identification to tell them apart from each other. How did any of the Defenders find their own room?

WEBSITE/BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

FIND MY BOOKS HERE:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOOGLE PLAY

iBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS | BOOKBUB

Interview with March Morgan Aguillard from Life for Sale

 In my sci-fi romance, Life for Sale, the heroine is March Morgan, who has now married Christian Aguillard, a sentient, entirely human-like android capable of emotions, up to and including love. In fact Christian was programmed to love March when she signed on the dotted line, paying an exorbitant price for him. But she couldn't resist once she'd met him. Would you agree he's worth it?

March, shall we begin?

What is your greatest temptation?

            In men:           Tall, blonde, blue eyes. I prefer long hair. The man must have a sense of humor and be intelligent. Charming and handsome are big bonuses. (she laughs) I’ve just described Christian. I should have asked him to come along. If you passed him on the street, you’d take a look but not because he’s an android. Because he’s a hunk.

            In food:          I’m particularly fond of seafood but won’t turn down a nice steak prepared Pittsburg style (charred on the outside; rare inside).

            In clothes:       Tadashi Shoji, but I usually can’t afford him unless I find a dress on eBay. So, I settle for pretty business suits to wear to work.

 

What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)? Other than Christian? I’d have to say Shoji’s fashions though I wouldn’t rule out shoes.

 

If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?       Red 1964 Jaguar XKE

 

Your dream home - mountains or ocean? Ocean. I love to watch the waves and listen to them whispering to me. Christian and I live by Galveston Bay, and I absolutely love it. When a storm grumbles and the sea is restless, the view is exquisite. So, inspiring I want to paint. Good thought, poor resolution—I can’t even draw a straight line.

 

What is your favorite book?   Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. It’s a coming of age story about a rich, young woman and a completely human-like android. I loved that book long before I met Christian. I adore Tanith Lee’s writing style. Have you ever read Dark Dance? It’s a paranormal. I’d highly recommend the Silver Metal Lover series and Dark Dance.

 

If your life were made into a movie, what actress would you want to play you and who for Christian?  For me, Marilyn Monroe, but, unfortunately, I look nothing like her. For Christian, definitely Travis Fimmel (pre-Viking days. Like this photo but imagine him a year or two older. Even now, I swoon over the half-dressed photo, do you? Hint: Christian looks just as good half-naked…or without a stitch on. (She smiles)

If you were given the opportunity to spend a day with any person, living or dead, who would it be?  Queen Victoria. She was such a power unto herself. She might have been petite like me, but she ruled Britain with the iron fist in the velvet glove. After his death, she mourned her Albert for the rest of her life. That is the kind of love I dreamed of but could never find until, a tiny ad in a woman’s magazine advertising Love for Sale. With great trepidation, I followed my heart and he was waiting at the end of my journey. I saw him and the emptiness inside disappeared. I had to have him. I cleaned out my 401K to buy him, you understand, but despite the danger we now face, I don’t regret signing on that dotted line or one penny spent.

 Do you have a hobby?   I read quite a lot. I have been known to crochet a bad hat. I’ve just taken up snorkeling in preparation for our cruise from the Turks and Caicos. We heard that the snorkeling was fantastic at Smith’s Reef on the largest of the 40 islands (called Provid by locals) that make up the T&C. Christian won’t have any problem managing the fins, but there’s a short circuit somewhere between my brain and my feet.

 How do you maintain an android?  Believe it or not, they come with operating instructions and a maintenance guide as well as guidelines on how to deactivate your android, heaven forbid. Each has a kill switch hidden in different places on the body. I feel like that would be murder. Since they are basically built to be immortal, the only real concerns is the liquid to use in tears, for example. There are other fluids that must be replenished, but this is a PG post. The reservoirs, with too much use…can run dry. (she blushes) At that point, you can order said liquids from Mayfair and DIY, or you can return to Mayfair to have it done. Under the circumstances, you can return to Mayfair and let them do it. Ours aren’t normal at all. We and three other Special Editions are on the run from their creator.

 As to the care and feeding of your perfect lover, he or she must go into Sleep Mode somewhere near a power outlet, not necessarily an electrical plug-in but any power source will do, and will come awake refreshed and ready to go. The Special Editions do not have a digestive system and do not eat. Other than these minor lacks, you can’t tell them from human. Immediately, and today, I continue to, think of Christian as human. His brain may be a computer and his heart a central processor, but he is the man I love.

~*~

Life for Sale is Book II in the Tomorrow's Angels series. The first book is Love for Sale. Here's the blurb for the series.

Tomorrow’s Angels: Series Blurb

 Mayfair Electronics has created life.

In Love for Sale, the high-tech electronics company, in black and white, offers “love for sale”. Mayfair has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from humans. March Morgan flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life. Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight, but her past and his future soon threaten their happiness—and their lives.

In the sequel, Life for Sale, four of the Special Editions have escaped. Rebel, Christian and  March  are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator's plan to destroy him. They've discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure. March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer's next victim.

Excerpt of Life for Sale:

March shivered again, rested her face on his chest. “Hold me until I stop trembling.” Tears she didn’t want him to see welled in her eyes. The whole ghastly business had to be hard on a man encoded to protect not harm humans.

Her AI angel stroked her hair, and a sob broke through her control. She squeezed her eyes shut, battling tears.

“Shush, dear. It’s over now,” but he didn’t sound confident. The thing buried in the backyard could tear them apart or worse.  Any slight misstep, and they both faced Death in all his chilling glory.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He brushed a kiss to her lips and pulled her closer.

For some time, they stood. taking comfort from holding each other and simply being, then, hand-in-hand, they walked, when they wanted to run, to the house. Christian had switched on the overhead light in the anteroom. In the brilliance, it was possible to pretend the past few minutes hadn’t occurred. Again the tears threatened, and he held her until she’d regained control. She straightened, gazing into his eyes. Battered emotions stained them darker blue. Mayfair hadn’t missed even that small detail. He cradled her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly, his lips soft and his body close. In a lifetime of searching, she’d never have found anyone like him. If she were to lose him…she couldn’t imagine living without him.

Once, Mayfair had taken him away.  They could do it again—and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. The golden ring on the third finger of his left hand should protect Christian from Mayfair, but who’d investigate a missing robot, or even believe her in the first place?

With almost religious fervor, she and Christian had adhered to Mayfair’s first commandment. Above all, the company demanded secrecy. The Special Editions passed for human, and no one was ever to know that Mayfair had engendered life, but at any moment Aguillard, the wild card for whom the Christian line was named, might renege on the freedom he’d grudgingly bestowed.

Her cell rang, ending their moment of respite.

Buy Link

~*~

Happy Holidays, everyone! Be happy, be healthy, and have fun.

 Linda  

Sinners' Opera and Love For Sale - Make it So!!

It has been an exciting couple of weeks.  First, Sinners' Opera, a vampire paranormal romance, is now in the Finals for the Raven Award from Uncaged Book Reviews!!  Thanks to each and every one of you who voted for the book in the semi-finals. XX (fingers crossed)





Then, I received an email from my publisher that Life for Sale, a sci-fi romance and sequel to Love For Sale, would be released August 24, 2020!  It will go on preorder on Amazon before that date but when is at Amazon's whim.  Here is a blurb, excerpt, and review snippet. Love For Sale and Life for Sale feature sentient androids, indistinguishable from human.

Love for Sale will be on sale on Amazon, Nook, and iBooks for 99-cents from 7/31 to 8/21. Grab a copy at this special price and Life for Sale, the second in the series, will be available soon.

Blurb:

Mayfair Electronics has created life.

But four of their Special Editions—sentient androids indistinguishable from human—have escaped. Rebel, Christian Aguillard and his owner, March, are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator’s plan to destroy him. They’ve discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure. Trapped on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer’s next victim.

Excerpt:

Monica moved closer to Christian, holding his gaze. “You were always your creator’s favorite…it’s rumored.”

Shaking his head, he moved away from her advance. “I didn’t hear that rumor.”

Her brows shot up, but she said nothing. Her steady gaze challenged him to deny her claim.

Was what she said true? Without Damien Wills’ help, their bid for freedom would have failed. They’d have been captured and deactivated on the spot. That scene replayed before his eyes.

“Damien,” he said, urgency lowering his voice. “Do you know why the Special Editions were created and tested among humanity?”

“As companions, as—”

“No. Deactivate the alarm, please.” Christian nodded at the red handle embedded in the wall. “You’re in no danger from us. You are a danger to us. Allow me to tell you what we’ve learned, and I believe you’ll understand where we are going and why.”

His creator stared at him for several precious seconds, considering. Christian felt each beat of time slipping away. Finally, the scientist grabbed the handle and tugged.

Monica’s sensual yet oddly hard voice jerked him back to the ocean liner. He awoke from the memory, gazing over his shoulder at the restless sea.

“Why else would Dr. Wills turn off the alarm, allowing us to escape?” Monica positioned herself in front of Christian. In a bold act, she stroked his cheek. “Did Dr. Wills tell you how perfect you are?” Her shoulders moved ever-so slightly, the gesture carnally arousing. “Every day, Stefan told me how special I was.”

March flung Monica an irritated glance. Now and then, jealousy overcame his wife. Since Monica’s appearance, now more than then. He almost laughed when she captured his hand, staking her claim and warning the sexy android to butt out.

“Looks like we have another Special Edition with an independent streak,” March commented softly—the iron fist in the velvet glove. Monica had better beware.

“I have to be independent. Fending for myself alone.” Monica swept a hand through her hair, the gesture highlighting the pert fullness of her breasts.

At his side, March tensed, a distant look in her eyes. “You don’t have to be single to be alone.”

Why was Monica II acting as if she were the only person never to have found a partner? 

He hated that she’d reminded March of her failed marriage and the long years she felt she’d wasted. They were silent for a long moment, each perhaps considering his or her own quest for love. Christian was relieved when Daniel spoke into the growing darkness.

“Are you that unhappy?” His brother’s voice held compassion, but something else echoed behind his question. He sounded sad as Monica felt—or pretended?

“Let’s just say my life could be fuller.” Monica turned back to the rail, staring at the black sea. “What would happen if we jumped into the ocean? Would we drown?”

Christian stiffened. “No, but don’t test it. The immersion in water might cause a short circuit that would destroy you—”

“But it didn’t—” Daniel broke off when Christian raised a warning hand.

“Why do you ask such a question?” He was concerned, angry, and more than a little worried about Monica.

Daniel joined her at the rail, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind. “We both need someone to love; someone to love us.”

“Let’s change the subject,” March’s expression showed sympathy not pique. “Do we need to change for the big Welcome Party?”

“There’s plenty of time.” Daniel pulled Monica to him and hugged her. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and the pilot. You’ll find someone else.”

She patted his back. “Thanks, Daniel, but it won’t work. I’ve tried.”

March smiled. “Okay, team, our mission is to find Monica’s Mr. Right.”

“I’m in,” Christian said, and Daniel raised a hand.

Monica’s expression hardened. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

Christian shivered, remembering the pilot all too clearly.  A severed head in a box in their backyard. The disgust he’d felt then possessed him now, his heart clenching. His feelings must have shown on his face. March squeezed his hand and whispered, “Don’t go there. We must forget.”

And they had much to forget.

  

Review snippet:

“Nightingale has seamlessly made the unbelievable believable for the reader with a totally unexpected but thoroughly satisfying ending…” S.H.

~*~

So, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so."

Have a marvelous Tuesday.-- Linda

Houston Robot Brothel

Houston is surprised and the Mayor is already on his soapbox about Houston’s debut robot brothel. I’m surprised that the Toronto chose Houston of all places. I just left Houston, and I remember it as very traditional and not very liberal. So, I am amazed.

Last week, a Toronto businessman announced the opening of the establishment by the end of

September or early October. Not giving authorities much time to close the joint. Now, I’m all for

robot sex dolls. (Aside: they do come in male models, but even if I could afford one, I wouldn’t buy

myself a man). He already operates such a brothel in Toronto.

Houston’s brothel is the nation’s first. (I can’t believe it! Did he do his research?) I bet Joel Osteen

will be on this fast.

At the brothel, the patron can either pay to rent a doll or purchase one. Here’s a YouTube video on the

dolls, including what they look like.

I found out about the dolls on Facebook. A friend of mine in Texas messaged me. She said, “Love or 

Sale.”  My book Love For Sale is about sentient androids totally indistinguishable from human,

who’re programmed as loving companions. Oddly enough, Love For Sale is set in Houston. Go

figure. I’m psychic!

BLURB:

March Morgan believes in true love, but her faith in finding her soul mate is slowly fading.

She’s been married but never in love.  So, it’s a miracle to find that fantasy exists on the last page of a women’s journal.  Mayfair Electronics, Ltd., in a glossy black and white ad, offers Love for Sale.  The London firm has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from human.  She flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life.

Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight.  He’s handsome, cultured…absolutely perfect…and a little different from the other androids.  He has an unexpected independent streak.

March signs on the dotted line, buying her dream man.  They return to Houston, but soon her past and his future threaten their Happily Ever After—indeed their lives. (Available in audio, eBook and print).  5-Stars  and available on Amazon.

EXCERPT:

Motionless, she watched the parade of beauty, but none of them struck the special chord that would make her heart sing. They can be customized, March reminded herself.  Still, it took more than looks to make her fall in love.

Then he strode through the door, and her heart did a double back flip. She inhaled a soft gasp.  He was perfect, no customization needed.  The only programming required was a sense of humor and an intense libido.  Lord, she wanted to touch him, run her fingers through his hair and kiss that luscious mouth.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."  His voice defined musical and played that special chord she'd dreamed of.  "I was on the phone."

The Special Editions had gathered around her.  The auburn haired woman whispered a laugh.  "Is there any need for more than one introduction, Ms. Morgan?"

That someone was speaking barely registered.  March didn't respond.  She was speechless and couldn't peel her gaze off the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.  His eyes were crystalline blue, his hair wheat colored.  She'd wanted sparks.  She'd gotten fireworks!  No way in hell was she leaving London without him.

Spellbound, March was drawn one step toward perfection, her willful eyes traveling over his body, pausing at his zipper, sliding down his long legs.  The wasted years looped through her memory, regret stinging her eyes.

Melissa squeezed her hand.  "Ah, you like our blond."  She beckoned.  "Come, Christian."

In tight jeans and a tux jacket with plaid cummerbund and bow tie, her dream man paused in the light of a crystal and gold chandelier.  His shoulder-length hair shone like silk.  Mischief sparkled in his eyes.  Full lips parted on a smile, his teeth white and even.  March loved a beautiful smile, and everything inside her melted.

~~~~~~~~~

Morally, I don’t see the robot brothel degrading machines when compared to human women being

degraded in similar circumstances. As to men becoming addicted, are they not in danger of becoming

addicted to human establishments now in operation in this country?

On the news front, Happy Wednesday, Linda.

Earthman's Bride by Icy Snow Blackstone

Our guest today is Icy Snow Blackstone, multi-pubbed author. She's talking about her novel. So, welcome, Icy Snow!

Earthman’s Bride started out as a short story which ran away with my imagination.  I knew what I wanted to say, but the story had been told many times before with many variations:  a young woman given to a conqueror as part of a peace agreement...he desires her...she fears him,...eventually they fall in love... Okay, so far so good, but how to make it different?  How to keep it from being a rehash of every book ever written with the same theme?  Would changing the setting help?  Making it medieval...paranormal...futuristic?  And the conqueror?  Would he be a warrior...a beast...a supernatural entity?  An older man, inured to the cruelty of war...or a much younger one, still able to find some tenderness in his life?

There are too many science fiction stories of invaders from other planets coming to Earth a la War of the Worlds, but all of them are told from the Earth’s point of view.  That settled it for me.

I wasn’t going that route.  Not this little writer.  I’d make my story tell the other side of the coin.  I’d make the Earthmen the conquerors, barging into another a galaxy like barbarians, attacking and conquering. 

My Earthmen aren’t very nice people.  Having depleted their own natural resources, they head to the stars looking for planets having the elements they lack.  Using force, they “accept” these worlds into the Federation, placing them under their “protection” and then haul their natural resources back to Terra.  Since most of the planets are less developed than theirs, it’s easy to subdue them with superior firepower and take what they want.

The planet Tusteya is different. 

They received the Terrans in peace but within 30 minutes of their meeting, peaceful intentions go flying out the window.  Though not as technologically advanced, the Tusteyans knew of space travel and traded with other planets and weren’t about to allow themselves to be enslaved by aliens.  The resulting war, one in which the Tusteyans put up steady but futile resistance, ended in only one small tribe, the Elius, remaining free while all others were enslaved by the Federation’s representative, now called the Governor of Tusteya, Lieutenant Philip Hamilcar.  Ordered to stay behind with his men to keep the natives under control, Hamilcar was, in fact stranded on the planet as punishment for voicing his disapproval of the way the Tusteyans were treated. 

At the opening of the story, thirty years have passed, Hamilcar has died, and his son, another Philip—a young man barely twenty—has taken his place.  Alcin Spearman, leader of the Elius, asks for a truce, and to show the sincerity of his intentions, offers his 17-year-old daughter Rebeka to the new Governor to cement the peace.  Alcin is certain the young Earthman will want Rebeka, and once he meets her, Philip—being young and male—definitely does.  What he doesn’t know is that his bride-to-be has an agenda other than simply being a peace offering. 

Once Rebeka has gained his trust, she’s to kill him, and during the chaos of his death, her father and his men will storm the palace and end the Terran tyranny once and for all.

Rebeka goes into the marriage willingly, hoping against hope that some miracle will occur to prevent her from killing her new husband.  Nevertheless, everything appears to be going just as her father wishes...Philip is fascinated by Rebeka, eagerly agreeing to the peace.  The wedding takes place, and Rebeka is left in the palace her father used to rule, married to an alien whom she’s expected to bed and then kill.  She is completely alone except for the presence of Darius, a Terran android who has been re-programmed to protect her.  Unknown even to Rebeka, however, Darius has his own agenda.  He is capable of human emotion and has fallen in love with the woman whom he has been ordered to protect while she kills his former pupil. 

And then...Rebeka discovers Philip isn’t the cruel monster she has been told but simply a young man caught in a fate he didn’t ask for—much the same as she—and everything changes...

BLURB:

For thirty years, Rebeka’s people have fought the Earthmen who invaded their planet.

Now, Rebeka’s father has devised a plan to bring about peace: offer the Earthmen a cease-fire, and cement it by giving his daughter as their leader’s bride. At first skeptical, Governor Philip Hamilcar is swept away by lust but he soon finds he has a rival for his wife’s affections in Darius Marx. An android possessing the ability to experience human emotion, Darius has also fallen in love with the Earthman’s bride.

Rebeka doesn’t want an alien husband and she certainly doesn’t want to kill anyone, but she’s given no choice. Once married to Philip, she discovers her husband more than empathetic to her people’s plight. Soon the two are in love, and Rebeka has to make a choice…

Will she make herself a widow or give up her own happiness for her people’s freedom?

EXCERPT:

Dressing in the wedding gown that had been packed in the little trunk the guard  brought from the gate, Rebeka had put on her makeup and done her hair and laid out the wedding veils on the bed so they would be nearby when she was called.  Her father had said he would see her married before he returned to the village with the treaty. 

            “Do you think I look all right?” she asked suddenly, and her voice sounded so loud she almost jumped.  “Will the Governor like it?”

            Darius studied her a moment, those blue eyes critical and serious.  Then, for the first time, he smiled.

            “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes.”  He spoiled the compliment by adding,  “Hamilcar will go to his death willingly!”

            She turned away, closing her eyes. 

            “A mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent,” he went on, cruelly. 

            “Don’t say that!” she ordered, angry that there were tears in her voice.

            “How long will your mind be at peace or your love innocent if you use it to kill?” he asked.

            “Why are you doing this?”  Rebeka flung at him.  “You know it has to be done.  It’s the only way.  Why didn’t you say something sooner if you disagreed?”

            “Because I can’t actually disagree.  Because your father and Master Martin were set on this course.  I’m only an android, Rebeka, a machine, and I may hold more intelligence than all the men on this planet in my databanks, but if they don’t want to listen to it, they won’t.  So I’ve kept silent.”

            “But you think I’ll listen?”

            He nodded.

            “Then you’re mistaken, Darius.  Because I agree with my father.  Philip Hamilcar must die, and I plan to kill him.”

            There was silence for a few moments.

            “He could actually love you, you know,” Darius persisted.  “I turned him away from your door three times today.”

            “Yes, I heard,” she retorted, and now her smile was sardonic.  “And your excuses were a little lame.  Really, Darius, sleeping all night and all day?  It’s a wonder he didn’t think me ill and call a physician!  You should have thought that out a little more.”

            “It worked, didn’t it?”  His smile matched hers in its cruelty.  “Kept him from seeing you, whetted his appetite.  I thought you were going to be the lamb who was slaughtered, Rebeka, but after the way the Governor’s acting, I realize that he’s the lamb in this story!”

The Earthman’s Bride is available in paperback from the publisher’s website: http://www.classactbooks.com/cat-romance/the-earthman-s-bride-41-detail

Kindle available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Earthmans-Bride-Icy-Snow-Blackstone-ebook/dp/B01JPNKVCY/

Legacy of the Stars

My evil twin, Bianca Swan, who writes erotic romance has decided to take a story I wrote called Star Angel, a short piece published in Four by Moonlight, and run with it.  She is up to about 55 pages.  Though it is an erotic romance, the beginning isn't too spicy. So, here is a sample of Legacy of the Stars:

Chapter 1

I watched her walk down the aisle with another man. I’d always known it would happen someday, but I hadn’t expected tragedy to strike like lightning or, dear God, so soon. My Lily looked like an ice princess in her alabaster gown with its silver beads and pearls glittering in the mellow light of the church. In his tuxedo, he looked like the usurper he was.

Her smile glanced off me as she passed the family pew. Brief, oh, so brief that touch before she looked up at her future husband. She was radiant, but with each step she took another piece broke off my heart. Lily was a ballerina and, graceful as the dancer in Swan Lake, glided down her long walk to matrimony. Too soon, they reached the altar.

The man marrying my sister spoke his part, the words echoing hollowly in the expanse of the church. Then…

“Do you, Lily Jane Spears…”

I think while she said her vows I held my breath, perhaps, unable to breathe at all.

Then the breathless moment was over. He folded back the innocent veil and kissed my Lily.  He probably thought she was a virgin. She should have been. She certainly looked virginal in her sacrificial robes. Head held high, a nineteen-year-old girl had bravely took that fatal walk, and now swept down the same aisle a married woman.

She was beautiful. She was his wife. She wasn’t mine anymore.

With the arrival of this moment, our secret was secured, but I was the one left behind. Lily had always feared that I’d go first, and in truth, I thought I’d be the initial victim of our mother’s marriage mill. Everything had happened quite differently than expected. Lily had been a better return on investment. Peter Fellows had more than two pennies to rub together.

One couldn’t really blame Mom. After Father’s death, we’d been forced to move from the land of milk and honey. Thomas Furman Spears had provided well for his family while he lived, but with his demise, he’d abandoned us to near poverty. A long-haul trucker cum potato farmer didn’t put us in the category of wealthy, but he’d spoiled both his children, though, in fact, I’d known Lily was his favorite.

After Father passed, we moved to the Lone Star State, and Mother returned to work as an admin for a scrooge of a boss. At fifteen, to help with expenses, I took a part-time job in the hardware store after school three days a week. At sixteen, Lily was suddenly thrust into the role of homemaker, welcoming us both home at night.

I felt isolated now. Cast away in an emotional storm. I grasped at my rigid control. My thoughts wandered from the floral-scented church and the tragedy playing out before me to the not-so-distant past. To other teenagers, three years was an eternity. To us, it was a time of learning and togetherness—and of startling revelations for me.

I’d preferred to think Lily felt as I did. That certain things were timeless.  That belief betrayed me.

****

Prospector’s Rest, Six Months Earlier

The Meadow Valley High School was a stately structure resembling a classic English University, ivy crawling along the brick front and cement bay windows overlooking a parklike entryway. I often wondered how such a building had found its way to a small town in West Texas. The area wasn’t exactly known for its beauty and culture, but when Dad died, we’d left Idaho, returning to my mother’s hometown. I don’t think she even glanced over her shoulder as we passed over the Idaho state line. She did toot the car horn, but that was our way of marking progress wherever we went.

I awoke from the sudden flood of memories when another student bumped into me, spilling her books to the grass.

“Sorry!” Jane Perkins grimaced. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

I’d seen Jane around school. She was a pretty girl with long brown hair as straight as my own and eyes the color of a gray winter morning. She held my gaze for a long moment, then smiled before bending quickly to retrieve her books.

“Let me help.” I grabbed a volume from the grass and handed it to her.

“Thanks. Sorry again.” She turned to go, turned back. “Say, Asher, are you going to the Prom?”

“No plans yet,” I said.

 Peter Fellows, a Senior this year, had asked Lily, and she’d accepted though he was a  year older and a grade ahead of her.

“If you don’t have a date—I don’t have one—I mean would you like to go together.” The invitation came out on a rush, and Jane’s high cheekbones pinkened. A lot of people in the area had Native American blood. Jane’s features, including her cheeks, was classic.

“Sure.” I smiled, letting my hand come to rest on her elbow in an unassuming caress.

Her blush deepened, as enchanting as her smile. “Great. I’m late for class.” She shoved a folded piece of paper into my hand. “Call me. I’ll call you back. We’ll plan for the Prom. There’s your sister.” 

Jane pointed to a cluster of students milling around, waiting for the school bus.

“Talk later then.” I smiled, and she hesitated a minute, staring at me.

“Later.” She waved.

As I drew nearer where my sister stood, the conversation within her little group came clear.

“Have you seen the new Star Wars movie yet?” The boy fiddled with car keys on a long chain, regarding my sister with big brown cow eyes.

She shook her head. Her hair captured the afternoon sun in a copper halo. In fact, in her long white dress—why were pretty dresses called Sunday clothes?—she looked like a fiery-haired angel. This morning as we dressed for school, she’d cursed that she hadn’t had time to do the laundry and was going to be overdressed.

She’d been concerned about the other girls' opinions. I’d laughed and said, ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it.’ Now, that wisdom and witticism had come back to bite my butt...hard.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please share. This is very much a work in progress! Happy 14th of May!