SFR Brigade

...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.

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.

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!

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!

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 just received word via email notification that the RWA National Conference in Orlando next week is sold out.  RWA announced that due to this, no onsite registrations will be processed and no tickets sold for single events.

Hopefully everyone who was planning to attend has already registered and is good to go.

What a great turnout for a conference that had to be relocated last minute!  My hat's off to the RWA staff for all their hard work.

Laurie

For the second time in a week, Donna S. Frelick has finaled in a contest!  This time in the TARA Paranormal category. 

Congrats, Donna! 

(Love seeing those SFR Brigader finals come in.  More Buffy Award hopefuls!)

Don't miss Heather Massey's article on R in SF, or the many comments on Tor.com. 

Link:  http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/06/romance-and-science-fiction-sittin-in-a-tree#more

This follows nicely on the heels of the R in SF dicussion on SF Signal's Mind Meld series last week. 

You can't stop the signal.  Resistance is futile.  And all that jazz! 

Donna S. Frelick's SFR--Unchained Memory--has finaled in the Virginia Romance Writers Fool for Love Contest, Paranormal category!

Donna is quite new to the contest circuit and this is her first final!!!!!

BIG CONGRATS, Donna!   I just know we'll be awarding you a Buffy very soon. 

I participated in the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research and was the winning bidder on a breakfast with NYT Best Selling author Sharon Sala and RITA finalist Colleen Thompson.  We've been in touch and set the date, time and place during the RWA National conference in July.  So exciting!

I've been perusing their websites, reading their blurbs, and thinking about what I'll ask them.  If you have any burning questions for either of them, let me know.   

We have a Book Launch Party scheduled for Katherine Allred's much heralded Close Contact on Tuesdsay, June 8th.  Close Contact is a RT Book Reviews TOP PICK! earning the best rating of 4-1/2 stars.  Book two in the Alien Affairs series follows Close Encounters.

Katherine Allred will be offering an exciting book giveaway in connection with the book launch party.

Be sure to tune in to the main blog!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PERMISSION TO FORWARD

AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET LINDA HOWARD IN COLORADO

New York Times best-selling author Linda Howard will present a workshop in

Colorado Springs June 5th, 2010 from 8:00 AM to noon at Central United

Methodist Church (4373 Galley Road). This event is hosted by Pikes Peak

Romance Writers and is available to both readers and writers for a nominal

registration fee. Ms. Howard will present her legendary Twelve Steps of

Intimacy workshop, along with a lively discussion about integrating Romance

with Suspense. In addition, Howard will engage attendees in a personable

question and answer period.

Space is limited. Attendees must be at least 18 years old.

For further information, please go to pprw.org and download the brochure.

Sue Longsdorf

PPRW President

president@pprw.org

Thanks to Katherine Allred and The Galaxy Express for this information.

SFR Brigade has four finalists for the 2010 PRISM Awards.  Winners will be announced at the FF&P The Gathering event in Orlanda at RWA nationals in July.

Novella

Ella Drake - Firestorm on E'Terra

Futuristic

Kathy Allred - Close Encounters

Jess Granger - Beyond the Rain

Linnea Sinclair - Hope's Folly

Big congrats to all our finalists!

I am guest blogging at Romance That's Out of This World this week about why science fiction isn't just for geeks. I hope SFR members will stop by and share their experiences with SFR and their favorite reads. There's also a prize at the end of the week. 

The blog also mentions my latest SFR release, Girl Gone Nova. I haven't done a news release about it here, because I had a little trouble figuring out posting on the blog (thanks, Laurie for your patience with my lameness!) 

I hope I did this right, as it is my first news release in this forum! 

Perilously,

Pauline