SFR Brigade

These sites must drive the legal division of publishers up the wall - here's another to bring to your editors attention or send your take down notices to:

www.epubbud.com

They have a browse function to search for particular authors or books and there are many, many authors listed from RWAustralia, RWAmerica, RWNZ - single title, category & e-pubbed.

Again, forward this on to any writing groups you belong to.

*FORWARD ON*

This is a HUGE pirate site...sorry guys, it isn't pretty....go to basic search and type in your details...

Pauline Baird Jones, Linnea Sinclair, Sara Creasy, Laurann Dohner, Barbara Elsborg, Darynda Jones, Erica Hayes, Jodi Redford, Kylie Griffin, Katherine Allred, Marcella Burnard, Tracey O'Hara...these are just a few of our members with works being pirated...

RWNZ/RWAustralia - Nalini Singh, Tessa Radley, Robyn Donald, Abby Gaines, Karina Bliss, Fiona Brand, Natalie Anderson, Sandra Hyatt, Yvonne Lindsay, Paula Roe, Keri Arthur, Denise Rossetti, Kylie Griffin, Valerie Parv, Anna Campbell, Annie West, Stephanie Laurens, Sharon Archer, Marion Lennox...

RWA - Heather Snow, Jennifer Jakes, Darynda Jones, Angi Morgan, Erica O'Rourke...list goes on and on...

http://www.binsearch.info/?max=250&g=alt.binaries.e-book&a=nerdsproject%40gmail.com+%28N.E.R.Ds%29

Posts by author nerdsproject@gmail.com (N.E.R.Ds) in alt.binaries.e-book

From Erin Grace: This is going to be a tough battle as this site is basically a third-party host to 'group postings'..these groups/individuals are holding the files which you have you follow in order to download. In their FAQ file, they claim no responsibility for post content, but will remove links that violate legal copyright, but you have to send an official take down notice for each post....*sigh*

Forward this link/info onto your publishers and get their legal dept. to send out the take down notices.

...but we need your help!

We've started to list a few of the new upcoming SFR releases, but we'd like to include ALL Brigaders' SFR releases, SFR events, contests, etc.

What we need from authors:

• Your title, pen name, release date, link to a sales page/s. A brief blurb is also welcome but optional.
• A coordinator who would field emails and post to the calendar (it's easy!)

The calendar page lists the events by date and title and notices pop up on the web site sidebar over yonder > >

Brigaders are also encouraged to post 'attagirl' comments on the calendar postings to show your support for your fellow SFR writers and authors.

Until a Calendar Coordinator steps forward (hint, hint, hint) you can email me at: Lgreen2162 [at] aol [dot] com (in the usual email format) and I'll try to get your info posted to the calendar asap.

Check the Photo Gallery under "Brigaders" to see the new pics added from 2011 RWA Nationals in New York City. 

Obviously, a good time was had by all at this amazing, high-energy event.

We've already set up a Facebook fanpage here. Like the page and you are free to post covers and links for anything sci fi romance. The page is intended for readers and authors alike.

Also, we are working on making the brigade group more user friendly. The original brigade group was set up under the old facebook group status and is scheduled to be archived. What this means is, all the posts will still be available but we lose all the current members.

Paula has sent out this messages to all current brigade group members.

Paula Dooley July 7 Hi - I'm mailing you because you are a member of the SFR Brigade - a group that has not been as active as it could be. The aim of the group is to spread the good word about what many think will be the Next Big Thing in romance publishing - science fiction romance.

Jennifer Hart and myself have volunteered to revamp the group. We need to switch the group over to the new facebook format and, in doing so, we will lose all the current members. Many of you are friends with either myself or Jennifer. If you no longer wish to be a member of this group please reply so that we do not add you. If you are not friends with either myself or Jennifer, please send one of us a friend request and a reminder to re-add you to the group.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Paula Dooley

We will be setting up the new group this week but we can not bring you in unless you are on the friends list with one of us! Plans for the new group are more active discussions on how/ where to promote SFR, contest announcements, setting up SFR blog tours and all sorts of other good stuff.

So if you DO want to be part of the new group you need to send a friend request to either

Paula Dooley

Jenna McCormick

or

Jennifer L Hart

A quick message with" join SFR Brigade group" so we know you want to be added and then we are in business!

A letter from Brigader Kylie Griffin sheds more light on the flooding disaster in  Australia and even more sobering, what  may still be in store:

     Yes, there have been quite a few members of RWA affected, some have lost everything. Not sure of names or if we've had any deaths yet. Getting in contact with people is almost impossible because of downed communications, lack of power etc. but there have been some posting snippets of information on the e-loop about who has lost their house or livelihoods (ie. stock and crops) etc. All VERY devastating. Every day I read more news. I end up in tears.

.

     The biggest concern Australia-wide is the tropical cyclones (hurricanes) off the coasts of Western Australia and Queensland, both have massive amounts of rain and they're headed for land, pushing the rain with them. If they dump what they have the floods we've all been experiencing so far will be nothing compared to what's ahead. Every state and territory (there's 7 all up) is now experiencing flooding (bushfires still in WA but the rain isn't falling on them, just in the north near the cyclone).

.

     Not sure yet how much has been disaster declared but most of Queensland has been. This is being toted as the worst natural disaster in all Austalian history because of how widespread the damage is. Very, very few people have been left untouched in some way and I haven't yet heard if any one place that has been left unaffected by the rains we've had over the last couple of months. Some of the States had major flooding before Christmas - our area alone had 3 major floods of record heights, the farmers in our area lost their wheat crops, most were just beginning to harvest them. Best crops in over a decade (considering we'd been drought declared for a decade).

You can read more about the Australian Flood Disaster including maps and detailed news on Kylie's blog: 

http://kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com/2011/01/flooding-in-australia.html

A book donation is also being organized for affected communities.  You can read more on the SFR Brigade main blog.  Click here.

EDITED TO ADD Q&A:

*PERMISSION TO FORWARD*

RWA will not be accepting cash donations for the Flood appeal. Instead, we

direct everyone to the charities already in place: the Premier's Flood Appeal -

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html  or the RSPCA Queensland -

https://donate.rspcaqld.org.au/flood/

I have put up a page on the RWAus blog regarding the appeal which will updated

weekly with how the appeal is going.

At the bottom of the page, I have also listed some Q&A's which hopefully address

your questions. These are listed below.

Hope this helps!

Diane Curran

Romaus Moderator

Q&A

Q. I’m overseas and would like to donate but the cost of sending books is very

expensive?

If you are an author, send one copy of a book. This will keep your individual

costs down, but will also contribute to our book appeal.

Alternatively, consider buying a book from The Book Depository, which offers

free postage to Australia. The book can be sent directly to the appeal.

Cash donations can be made to the charities listed above.

Q. I’m in Australia and have many books to donate. What is the cheapest postage

option?

Australia Post offers a 3kg satchel anywhere in Australia for approximately

$10. Please ensure the books are wrapped in bubble wrap to miminise damage in

transit.  Band together with friends, your family, your writing group and send books

together to minimise postage costs.

Q. I’m in Brisbane. Can the books be dropped off?

We have a drop-off point in Carindale available. Please contact Jess Anastasia

Jess@jessanastasi.com for further information.

If any other RWA member in Qld can offer a drop off point, please contact Rachel

Bailey: rachel@rachelbailey.com.au

Recently, Heather Massey at The Galaxy Express posted a thought-provoking article titled Caught in the Cover Crossfire: ENEMY GAMES by Marcella Burnard where she raised the question if the cover implied the novel was SF or Urban Fantasy.

We've seen a lot of discussion over SFR-less SFR covers or the branding of SFRs with covers that effectively suggest ROMANCE or FANTASY more than SFR. This has inspired many questions.

"Shouldn't SFR look like SFR?"

"Are publishers afraid SFR elements on the cover will scare off potential readers?"

"Isn't a non-SFR cover on a decidedly SFR novel akin to bait and switch?"

Here's our chance to make a statement as a group devoted to SFR. Should we sponsor a SFR Brigade Inaugural Cover Art Contest to select the best SFR-themed cover in the universe? Your response to the poll on the main blog will tell us if this is an activity that Brigaders would be interested in.

While my new release, Redeeming Characters is technically a contemporary romance, I've done something sneaky. The premise of the book is a sci-fi romance author who runs into the man that helped her construct a world for her bestselling book. Issues of plagerism and many hijinx ensue.

This is my "missing link" book, designed to slowly introduce readers to the wonder that is sci fi romance, readers who normally would not, no way, no how, buy a book wit a spaceship on the cover.

So here's a snippet for you to enjoy.  Be sure to get the word out...we'll convert more of those reluctant folks yet!

Excerpt from Redeeming Characters by Jennifer L Hart Available now from Passion in Print

“Read it aloud,”Drue responded.

“The year is 2035. Disease, famine, and war have all been obliterated. Humankind has mastered theplanet, and several factions split off into space, striving to conquer theunknown. And the oldest profession known to man has not only beendecriminalized around the world, it has even become the latest form ofhomeotherapy and a hot new trend.” She snorted and answered her own question.“This is definitely crap”

“Keep going,” Drue prodded her, his focus trained elsewhere.

Dakota continued,“Our heroine, Genevieve, has lost her job, her cherished west-end apartment,and her louse of a husband just by taking a day off. A little frazzled andready for a big change, she agrees to an interview with the Illustra agency.Known for its edgy and ethereal therapists and exorbitant prices, Illustradoesn’t follow trends. It creates them. And the interview process involves sixstudly employees moving into her cabin in upstate New York for a week.” Heat burned hercheeks. “This is terrible! It’s like sci- fi porn.”

“No it isn’t!”Drue insisted. “Weren’t you just underscoring the differences between erotica and porn?”

“Our heroine is awanna-be whore!” Dakota wailed and then clapped a hand over her mouth, afraid her melodrama had disturbed Kim.

Drue stood behind  her and massaged her shoulders. “She isn’t a wanna-be anything. She’s a modern woman living in a disease-free, morally changed society. Didn’t we discuss thisearlier? This is an outline of our plot only.”

“It sounds like amovie synopsis ready for the do not resuscitate list.”

“Give it a chance.This is brainstorming time, remember?” His thumbs dug into a cluster ofbunched-up muscles, and she moaned.

“You read. I can’t stomach any more.”

He chuckled.“Coward.” His gaze flicked to the screen. “When the entourage arrives, fullyloaded with anti-grav tables and role playing costumes, our heroine prepares toembrace the dormant wildcat within. But while every sexy teacher gets herrevved like an old-fashioned diesel engine, they all seem reluctant to finishthe deal. Is it her thighs?”

Dakota barked outa laugh. He must have added that when she had put the boys to bed.

 “After another frustrating and fruitlesslesson, our heroine kicks the contingent out for a night of R&R and decidesto light a candle for a little mood alteration while taking matters into herown hands. Some things never change. But as she crests the peak, she notices anew face in her peripheral, a man who literally appeared out of the candlelight.”

“Maybe…” Dakota listened to the cadence of his voice. It didn’t sound quite so ridiculouscoming from Drue.

“Turns outIllustra captured him—a true empath— and harnessed his power to deliver justwhat the client wanted. He is a prisoner, a benevolent force now dependent onthe candle’s flame and in desperate need of human contact.

“The moment his hand strokes her skin, she seems to warm from the inside out. He’s beenwatching her through the eyes of the ‘therapists,’ and seeding their minds withthe anti-desire. But he is weak from his efforts, hurting for a tender touch.What’s a girl to do?

“What started out as a lark rebound attempt to regain a bit of perspective has ensnared ourheroine into a seedy underworld of next-generation slavery. But what can an offworld Va-Ca coordinator, who’s been given the ax, do to ease the suffering ofan entire race?”

Happy reading!

The All Romance Ebooks, Just One Bite contest opens for voting today.

My SFR short, Complicated Cargo, made the finals. Didn't see a lot of SFR, but hey,

we got at least one in there!

The contest page is:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/contest.html

Frances Pauli

check out the SFR Blog about media gender bias and more. 

Although the news has already broken, I wanted to shout it out a bit in capital letters. Sales are definitely something to celebrate!

Congrats to Brigader Lisa Paitz Spindler on the sale of her SFR novel (which she describes as a space opera with a heroine who's a space pirate!), PHASE SHIFT (to be retitled).

Want a taste? Here's the blurb:

Starship Captain LARA SOTO left love-of-her-life Commodore MICHIO “MITCH” YOSHIDA eleven years ago when the Star Union forced all of her kind into mandatory military service — and he didn’t take her side. Lara’s kind are Chimerans, those born with a parent from each of the known parallel dimensions: Terra and Creed. When Terra’s S.U.S. Interlace goes missing with Lara’s brother on board, she must put aside the pain of betrayal and team up with Mitch to find him.

Sounds awesome, Lisa!

Look for it to be released in Spring 2011.

Editors Leah Hultenschmidt and Don D'Auria are out.  Chris Keeslar stays.

Details from Publishers Weekly: 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/44216-hultenschmidt-d-auria-out-at-dorchester.html

Rhobin Rambles Blog asked the question, "Why I write science fiction," and a bunch of authors responded. It's an interesting and varied blog post, as varied as the authors and their books. 

Read it here. 

You can view the schedule here or here. (I couldn't get the test to paste into the window!

Book Bloggers and Authors Online Conference

http://bbpcon.blogspot.com - for details and registration.

Goals of the Conference

Authors and Bloggers are both working together online to reach out to readers and spread the word about the books we read and love. We all face challenges with online promotion that can be alleviated by working together. By streamlining the process of co-operative work between Authors and Bloggers we can move forward using social media and online outlets to expose more readers to more books.

How it Works -

Never been to an online conference? - Well here is how ours works. It is hosted through a private Ning. The panels are audio using Blog Talk Radio and each has a corresponding chat room so listeners can discuss the topic together. Panels can be heard live and will accept callers and questions. After they can all be listened to in archive on the Ning till the end of the month. There is a $15 registration fee and spaces are limited. This 2+ day event is a great resource to network and meet fellow book lovers.

REGISTER AT http://bbpcon.blogspot.com

(Note: If you don't have time to do the conference this weekend, but want access to the information, it is being recorded and you can listen to it for up to a month after the conference.)

I received a message from Michelle De Rooy that she has finaled in two awards for RWA (Australia), results to be announced in a week and a half at the Awards Night Dinner on August 14, 2010. They are the Emerald Award and the Valerie Parv Award.

She also received news that the same manuscript which finaled in these two awards, a Fantasy Romance, 'Appleseed', has finaled in the 2010 RWNZ Clendon Award. The results will be announced at their Awards Night Dinner, August 21st.

Congratulations, Michelle, and best wishes for the awards!

Just had to add, my book, Close Encounters, won two Prism awards.  One for the futuristic category and one for Best of the Best.

Katherine Allred

I'm back from RWA and I'll have news and pics up later this week.  It was a whirlwind of fun, celebration and info absorbtion. 

Congrats to Brigader Kylie Griffen on her Golden Heart win!

Also congrats to a SFR Brigade sweep of the FF&P Steampunk costume contest!

1st Place -  Sarah Shade

2nd Place - Laurel Wanrow

3rd Place - Lizzie Newell

And yes, I have pics of these and other Brigaders who attended the event!

Special congrats also to Katherine Allred who won a PRISM Award and Best Book Award, and to Ella Drake for her placing in the Prisms.

Much more later!

I got an awesome review of Girl Gone Nova at Long and Short Romance review (and they give a nice boost to SFR). 

"Girl Gone Nova is an action-filled science fiction treat! Stuffed full of intrigue, time-traveling, wisecracks and every girl’s dream of love and happily-ever-after, it’s a sure-fire hit with any lover of the genre. Ms. Jones has a talent for bringing unusual characters forth and making them seem like ‘one of the guys’, it’s a talent you’re sure to remember for a long time to come, as is her amazing novel, Girl Gone Nova."

I received word that The Outer Planets has advanced to the second round of The Molly.  Since this contest has three rounds, I'm not sure this qualifies as a "final" or not, but it was great news, regardless. 

Laurie