Science fiction giveaway part-ay: part two

Welcome, weekend blog readers, to part two of Erica's sci-fi giveaway! I'm celebrating the release of my first ever sci-fi novel, DRAGONFLY. Remember: everyone who participates is in the running for the Grand Poobah Prize!! of a $50 bookstore gift card.

Last time, we had some smokin' hot erotic sci-fi prizes. Today it's the turn of sci-fi romance.

Carrie, my secret agent heroine in DRAGONFLY, has a few problems with romance. She's the kind of girl who always chooses the wrong guy. When she was just a rookie agent, she fell in love with her mentor at the spy agency, a glamorous agent named Malachite. Pity he turned out to be a pathological liar.

Then, she lost her heart to another fellow agent, who got himself murdered by terrorists on her watch. Since then she's been alone... and now she's finally got the chance for revenge against the rebels who murdered her fiance. All she has to do is keep her head...

Boy, do we torture our heroines :) it's a wonder there's any romance left in them! If you like you can download the first few chapters of DRAGONFLY (for free!) on Kindle.



Anyhoo, on with the giveway! And what better sci-fi romance prize than this fab recent release by Sharon Lynn Fisher, GHOST PLANET. Isn't the cover cool and spooky?

I'm only halfway through GHOST PLANET, but I recommend it. It's got a melancholy, soulful kind of futuristic atmosphere, but with plenty of action to keep you busy. And a ghostly, reincarnated, kind of poltergeist heroine. It's hard to describe. You'll have to read it!

Want one? Of course you do. For a chance to win a paperback of GHOST PLANET, just leave a comment and answer this question: if you were a ghost, who would you haunt?

Bonus entry if you follow this blog, via Blogger or Networked Blogs -- just let me know in the comments. Please leave your email addy, too. This giveaway ends Monday night. And don't forget, you'll be in the running for the Grand Poobah Prize!! of a $50 bookstore gift card at the end of the giveaway part-ay next week.

After which, I'll stop yelling 'Grand Poobah!'. I promise.

Sci-fi book giveaway winner #1...

...and the winner of GALACTIC INFERNO and WINTER FUSION is...

emmad!

Here are the covers of the lovely books you've won:

 

Thanks to everyone for playing, and remember: everyone who participates is in the running for the Grand Poobah Prize!!! of a $50 bookstore gift card.

Another round of the Science Fiction Giveaway Part-ay kicks off this afternoon (Thursday) -- hope you can be there!

Science fiction giveaway party: day one

In honour of my first sci-fi book release (did I mention that?) I'm giving away some brilliant SF books on my blog this week. And everyone who enters one of the giveaways will have a chance to win the Grand Poobah Prize!! That is, a $50 bookstore gift card! I'll be giving that away when we're good and finished, so get your entries in!

But before we get to the Grand Poobah Prize!! , let me bask in reader adulation for just one moment :) I came home today to a lovely 4-bird review of DRAGONFLY (that's like 4 stars, only cooler!) from Sheila at Dark Faerie Tales!

Sheila says: "A wonderful start to what appears to be the next big story to hit the sci-fi genre. There is love. There is fighting. There is gambling. There is betrayal and redemption. What more could a reader ask for?"

What more, indeed! You know you want one, right?


To celebrate (yay! someone likes my book!! We authors are pathetic that way) here's a quick excerpt, before we get to the Grand Poobah Prize!! part! Our secret agent heroine, Carrie, is working undercover as a cyber-thief stealing data from a living neuro-computer, and her quarry is about to fall into her trap... or is he...?



“Well, if it isn’t the delectable Lady Curious.”

My heart thudded, and my head whipped around before I could stop it.

Dragonfly slouched against the open hatchway, his hands shoved in his pockets, a sweet little smile turning his lips. He wore a grey silk suit, cufflinks glinting, dark hair tumbling about his shoulders, his tie loose like he’d wandered in from the bar.

Flushing, I turned back and flicked away from the pictures so he wouldn’t see. I should shoot him right now, get his irritating face off my radar. Suited me. Only I wasn’t convinced Nikita would let me live if I defied my orders, and I had to admit Dragonfly’s murky plans intrigued me.

“Go away, I’m working.”

“As it happens, so am I. And on the same thing, judging by that set-up of yours.”

He sauntered up to peer over my shoulder, and I squirmed. Scented soap, whisky, a hint of spice. Damn.

He pulled a golden hyperchip from his pocket and flipped it over his knuckles. “You’re full of surprises, Lady Curious. I’m captivated. Now move over, you’re in the way.”

“Stop calling me that. It’s Lazuli, if you must know.”

“Enchanted, Lazuli. You’re still in the way.”

I split the display contacts, and the projection vanished. I stuffed the slim set away into my thigh pocket, but didn’t step aside. “Be my guest. I’ve got what I came for.”

“By grace of my icebreaker, if I’m not mistaken. Leaving now, are you?”

He leaned past me over the neurospace, running his fingers delicately over the bio-skin, probing for the right receptor for his chip. My own skin shivered warm in sympathy, and inwardly I cursed. This was no time to get distracted.

“Dragonfly, right? The insurrection’s favorite armed robber?” No way was I asking his real name. I didn’t care. Vermin didn’t have names. “Kinda thought you’d be taller.”

He grinned, careless, but color brightened his face in the green light. “You’ve heard of me. I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. They say it’s the vault you’re after, and that makes you either a genius or an idiot. I know which one I’m betting on.”



Cool, eh? Anyhoo... I believe I mentioned giving away some cool SF romance books?

Here's a couple I've enjoyed lately. Leave me a comment by Wednesday night (that's tomorrow!) for a chance to win an e-copy of GALACTIC INFERNO by Mel Teshco and WINTER FUSION by Anna Hackett! And of course, everyone who comments gets an entry for the Grand Poobah Prize!! of a $50 bookstore gift card.

(Shameless self-promo: You get a bonus entry if you pop over to Amazon right here and 'Like' DRAGONFLY. Just let me know in the comments. Thanks!)

GALACTIC INFERNO from Aussie author Mel Teshco.

After a killer virus, a woman thinks she's the last person left alive on earth... until the aliens arrive. Sexy aliens. With guns. Mel is a top erotic writer and I'd recommend any of her books for an intelligent hot read.

WINTER FUSION by Anna Hackett. This is a brand new release I only downloaded today!

A space trader must seduce a rival negotiator to win a new power source for his planet. The world in this one is pretty cool!

Giveaways!!

Sunday's giveaway winner is...

Maz Kane!!

Congratulations, Maz! You've won a Hot Down Under e-book short story. Let me know which one you want and 'll get it out to you real soon.

Ready for another giveaway? Course you are!

A little Amazon gift card is up for grabs at Romance Writers of the Apocalypse -- who knows? You could even buy your very own copy of DRAGONFLY :D

For a chance to win, come tell me how you'd destroy an evil Galactic Empire! Rebellion, a super-virus, alien invasion... the choices are endless.

Dragonfly release day!!

My new romantic sci-fi adventure, DRAGONFLY, is live! I'm excited. My first ever sci-fi novel! If you love space opera, secret agents, cool gadgets, adventure, tough heroines and a splash of hot romance, this one's for you. If you're a romance reader, and you like scienc-y beta heroes? I think you'll like this this guy :)

To celebrate, I'll be having a raucous sci-fi romance party on my blog this week. There'll be champagne and canapes and waiters named Sven... well, maybe not... but I'll be giving away some cool books by my fave sf-rom authors. If Sven doesn't show up, that's his loss.

So keep an eye out for some fab giveaways in the next few days -- and check the bottom of this post for today's little bonus prize!

In case you've somehow missed me going on about it for the last few weeks:

Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who’s planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza – an orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment’s personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she’s in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell—Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire’s most dangerous agent—can’t dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie’s expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly’s confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core … if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it.


Awesome, huh? Thanks to the folks at Momentum Books/Pan Macmillan for doing such a brilliant job!

You can buy or download free samples from Amazon US, Amazon UK, iBooks or Booki-sh. The iBooks sample is the longest.

There'll also be a PoD version (yay! paperback!) sometime soon. And DRAGONFLY is on Goodreads -- do check it out! Add it to your shelf! Shower it in love and anticipation!


Also, while I'm here: a few new shorts out today from the Hot Down Under series at my publisher, Momentum. If you're looking for some sexy shorts for $0.99 to while away a few minutes, check 'em out (and check out the cool covers -- nice, eh?)



Today's bonus prize? I'm giving away a Kindle copy of any one of these three hot little stories to one lucky commenter. For a chance to win: let's talk sci-fi romance! Do you like sci-fi romance? Why/why not? What's your favourite romantic sci-fi movie/book/tv show? 

I'll finish this giveaway on Sunday night, so jump in quick!

Kick-ass chicks in space!

I promised I'd tell you about my December release, DRAGONFLY.

Conveniently, I've been tagged for The Next Big Thing by Areteus, so here goes:

The Next Big Thing ~ kick-ass-chick space opera! (well, we can hope...)

What is the working title of your book? 
DRAGONFLY. It used to be called quite a few other things, including 'that sci-fi manuscript' and 'the short one' (it used to be a novella; now it's a full-length novel).

Where did the idea come from for the book? Space pirates!! Cool bad guys in spaceships. We need more of them, I thought. This book is what happened. It now has secret agents, super-intelligent terrorist geeks and space marines, too. And an evil empire. Yay!

What genre does your book fall under? Romantic sci-fi? Space opera? Spaceships and rayguns, anyhow, with a cool kick-ass heroine. That's her on the cover. Like, y'know, an urban fantasy heroine. Except in space. Geddit?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie? Oh, I hate this question :) Um. In my head, the heroine, Carrie, looks a bit like Jodie Foster, or maybe the actress who plays the futuristic cop in Continuum. For anyone who follows cricket, Lukas the space pirate looks sort of like Chris Gayle.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? This one kind of developed over a couple of years. It was shorter at first, and then I returned to it months later to make it novel-length.
 If it seems episodic, that's because it is :)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 
Er. It's a bit like a flip version of Anne Aguirre's Sirantha Jax books. Either that, or it's a female James Bond in space.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
 See above on space pirates.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It's awesome. You should read it. No joke. And my mum loves it!! (Actually that's not true. My mum hasn't read it. Sorry, Mum, you'll have to get an e-reader!)

How about a teaser? Well, soon you'll be able to read a big fat juicy excerpt, courtesy of the publisher, Momentum. For now, here's the cover copy:

Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who’s planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza – an orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.

And this assignment’s personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she’s in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell—Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire’s most dangerous agent—can’t dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie’s expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly’s confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core … if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it. 

Cool, eh? Release date is 1 December, in e-book for Kindle, iBooks and whatever else. There's also a paperback version, if you're really keen.

So there ya go. The Next Big Thing: kick-ass-chick space opera. With pirates, and math-geek terrorists. You heard it here first.

P.S. I'm supposed to tag some folks for this meme... I think I'll ping you folks on FB. Seems easier that way...

DSDU giveaway winner...

Thanks to everyone for joining in the Dark Side Down Under Halloween party. The winner of my little giveaway is...

Lilliana Rose!

Lilliana has won her choice of my ebooks HUNTER'S BLOOD or DRAGONFLY. Congrats!

Hope you all had a spooky Halloween!

P.S. Do you like cover reveals? Of course you do. I have the brand new fab cover art for DRAGONFLY from the peeps at Momentum Books. Almost. Just you wait...