Author Interviews – Love Across the Universe
Today Authors’ Secrets has a special treat for you. Love Across the Universe, 12 Stories of Science Fiction Romance Set on an Intergalactic Shore.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about all 12 authors and their stories in this exciting Science Fiction Romance Set – Love Across the Universe!
#spacebeachlove
The protagonists are my favorite. ☺ They fight to make their small part of the world better.
M.T. DeSantis—“The Princess of Sands”
My hero, Prince Randroth, is my favorite because who doesn’t want their very own fairy tale prince? Idgmet, Randroth’s squire, is my least favorite. Aside from his role in the story, the man wears one-piece purple suits and has silver fingernails. Enough said.
Traci Douglass—“A Dream to Build a Kiss On”
I just love Adam, my android hero. He’s so innocent, yet brimming with all these facts and figures and technology. He’s been given a synthetic soul and feels emotions just as strongly as humans, sometimes more so. I think Doctor Jillian Lewis is the perfect heroine for him. She’s world-weary and reclusive, she’s seen too much and been hurt too badly. Sparks definitely fly when they too get together (no pun intended). Honestly, I love all my characters. ☺
A.E. Hayes—“Tristan’s Tryst”
Lynx is, by far, my favorite, as she was the most fun to construct. When she took on a life of her own, I was amused and pleased by what she did with it. But I don’t think I have a least favorite. I’m fond of all three characters in this work, no matter their flaws, concerns, and hang-ups.
Serena Jayne—“You Only Love Once”
Ivy is my favorite character. She’s damaged both physically and emotionally. I want to give her a big hug, but I did something even better. I gave her a happy ever after. My least favorite character is the evil lady from Human Resources. She’s an antagonist to Ivy. I imagine that she hates her job and takes it out on everyone she encounters. I didn’t give her a name on purpose. I wanted the reader to picture someone who always gives them a hard time.
L.J. Longo—“Breathless”
I love both my guys. Mott is very fun to write because he’s so scared of interacting with people, but such a bad-ass in every other way. Tainjin is bright and cheerful but hiding these really interesting dark places. I think my favorite character was probably the roaches. It’s been fun researching insect and proto-life behavior and running wild with my own floating psychic monsters.
Oriana Maret—“Renewal”
I love all my characters—even the antagonists. There are four primary characters in “Renewal,” and of course I adore Kestrel and Mercer. But I’m deeply interested in Theodosia because of her conflict. No problem is ever black and white, but sprinkled with nuances of gray, and her decisions are driven by these shades of gray.
Cara McKinnon—“The Pirates and the Pacifist”
Sameer is my favorite character. He’s the pirate captain, and an enigmatic but charismatic figure. Kai is drawn to him immediately despite being a captive, and when their roles are quickly reversed and Sam needs Kai’s help, it’s a chance for me to reveal some of the aching vulnerabilities beneath his dominant and forceful exterior. I don’t really have a least favorite character in this story. They were all fun to write.
Sheri Queen—“Red Sand”
I like all my characters. Each of them brings something different to the story. Coz is the analytical Android who brings Thayne and Bria together. I love his character.
Mary Rogers—“Breakfast on Pluto”
My fav is always the character in love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a fav.
Emmerite Sundberg—“Fluid”
So I write lonely fiction. Iyonne and Sissiasandra are my only characters. I love them both. My least favorite character, though not really appearing “on screen” are the people who messed up Sissiasandra’s life so much, even though it wasn’t intentional on their part.
K.W. Taylor—“Reprogramming”
I usually write novels, and writing a short story after a hiatus from the form was challenging, as I love slow-burn character development. Still, Jean was really fun to write, trying to decide how his AI worked and how he would react to things. Conversely, I find villains hard to write, so you don’t see a ton of my antagonist on the page. If I do write something longer in this world, perhaps I’ll try to make him a bit more three-dimensional.
Thank you ladies! Now tell us a little about your books!
Red Sand
Sheri Queen
A little about the book:
If she can only save one thing, which will it be—the red beaches of Mars or a love she can’t imagine living without?
Bria has just been fired from her job as an ecologist at Trans Life Corp, the global leader in virtual reality living, and she’s devastated that her life’s work has ended with nothing more than a pink chip severance package. She’s been deemed obsolete in a world where every aspect of life has been automated, and even relationships are carried out in virtual environments. Then Bria’s sister, Samira, enters her in a singles sweepstakes to an exclusive Mars resort to force Bria to have a little fun for once, and Bria is one of the lucky winners.
Thayne is the owner of the exclusive Mars resort and has set his sights on expanding to a remote area on the other side of the planet. He is looking for the right person to lead his new venture when he comes across Bria. She’s exactly what he needs. His success is driven by his gift for acquiring rare talent, and he always gets what he wants—until now.
Bria refuses Thayne’s job offer. She’s not interested in helping destroy another ecosystem for corporate greed, and she’s definitely not interested in any kind of romantic entanglement—virtual or real. Yet despite her better judgment, she’s drawn to his zest for life and his creative nature. But finding a way to keep their clashing values from destroying their chance at love proves harder than Bria could have thought possible.
About the Author:
Sheri Queen received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She grew up in the Hudson Valley region of New York—an area she loves to depict as a backdrop for her stories—and enjoys traveling to new places where she is constantly discovering inspirations for her writing. She especially loves visiting old graveyards.
Website: https://sheriqueen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheriQueenAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SWQueenFlemming
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15964216.Sheri_Queen
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sheri-Queen/e/B01MEDJ1UP/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SheriQueenMFA/
Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SheriFlemming
A Dream to Build a Kiss On
Traci Douglass
A little about the book:
A Dreamworld Short Novella
Can passion bloom between a bookish botanist and an analytical android?
Adam has served as a devoted assistant since the day he was created twenty-six years ago. His ordered world centers on logic and logistics, until a strong solar flare causes a glitch in his synthe-soul circuits and his normal routines are thrown into chaos. In a flash, his universe is filled with wild, dark desires that until now Adam has only imagined.
Jillian Lewis has spent her entire career in search of the rare, elusive Shadow Moondrop Orchid. She’s forsaken any semblance of a normal life in pursuit of her goal and now has the ultimate prize within her reach. By securing a coveted invitation to the fabled Dreamworld Resort, she has just three days in which to locate and record her once-a-century flower before it disappears again.
With the clock ticking, will they surrender to the unpredictability of love or will their chance at forever disappear like stardust on the summer wind?
About the Author:
Traci is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and Paranormal Romance. Her stories feature sizzling heroes full of dark humor, quick wits and major attitudes and heroines who are smart, tenacious, and always give as good as they get. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and she loves animals, chocolate, coffee, hot British actors, and sarcasm—not necessarily in that order.
Website: http://www.tracidouglass.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraciDouglassAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Traci_Douglass
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tracisdouglass/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracidouglassauthor/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108287173566738444196/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6767293.Traci_Douglass
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/traci-douglass
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Traci-Douglass/e/B00AX4X9DS/
Newsletter Sign-Up: http://tracidouglass.net/author-newsletter/
Fluid
Emmerite Sundberg
A little about the book:
Iyonne has despaired of ever finding the right woman for her. But when she crash-lands on a seemingly uninhabited planet, she finds her. Sissiasandra has been alone for so long, the last of her kind. She believes that she will never again know love. Until Iyonne walks onto her beach. The two fall in love instantly, but there is one big hurdle to their happy ending. Iyonne cannot live in the ocean, and Sissiasandra cannot leave the sea to walk on land. Will they overcome their separation or are they doomed to live alone forever?
About the Author:
Sundberg is the friend of dragons and mother of chinchillas. She spends her time pairing people with good books. She lives in Pennsylvania with her two bunnies and five chinchillas.
Twitter: @writerchilla
https://www.facebook.com/writerchilla
You Only Love Once
Serena Jayne
A little about the book:
Carpe diem the hell out of love.
In the year 2222, venturing outdoors is dangerous. Exposure to the searing ultraviolet rays of the sun could turn anyone into a crispy critter. The ocean is a toxic stew of chemicals and home to a horror show of mutant monsters. When a three-eyed creature skulks out of the sea to nibble on Leo, his beautiful neighbor comes to the rescue.
Since the tragic accident that resulted in Ivy’s cybernetic limb, she’s embraced the mantra “you only live once,” but her dangerous plans might be more a death wish than a desire to carpe diem the hell out of life.
Can Leo convince Ivy that nothing makes a person feel more alive than taking a chance on love?
About the Author:
Serena Jayne loves experimenting with different genres and mythologies. Anti-heroes and quirky characters are her favorites to write. While her first love is paranormal fiction, the mundane world provides plenty of plot bunnies. She studies Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University and is a member of Romance Writers of America.
https://www.facebook.com/SerenaJayneWriter/
Twitter: @SJ_Writer
Breakfast on Pluto
Mary Rogers
A little about the book:
A chance encounter with a man she could love causes Princess Kerrinda of Kerberos to make a choice – do what her people expect and need, or follow her heart. Prince Belloch may not be the one she chooses, but what happens if he is?
About the Author:
Mary Rogers is a Brooklyn native now living in Southern California with her husband, her kids, and too many rescue animals. Completely addicted to romance – she decided to write it. She is inspired by her swoon-worthy hubby, her children, her spoiled pets, and the best friends in the universe. They teach her daily the meaning of love. She also appreciates the wine.
https://www.facebook.com/Mary-Rogers-256729948133216/
Tristan’s Tryst
A.E. Hayes
A little about the book:
One mysterious being. Two lovers who find her. Can this threesome handle the heat of this scorching summer?
Tristan works for the American government, but rarely speaks about his job. Why? Because his job involves intergalactic travel. Despite the fact that the year is 2041 and human beings are now capable to travel at faster-than-light speeds, Tristan’s projects are often kept secret – hidden even from his girlfriend, Cassandra.
When Tristan reveals to Cassandra that they are going to take a special trip to Delmar, a planet located in a different solar system that is mostly comprised of beaches and oceans, Cassandra is ecstatic. The planet was recently discovered by Tristan and his team, and so far, very few people have used it as a vacation spot.
Cassandra and Tristan pack their bags and safely travel to Delmar, finding themselves surrounded by beautiful beaches with white sand, sparkling turquoise waters, and a strange line of trees lining the perimeter of the particular beach they have chosen to visit.
During some intense foreplay on the deserted beach, Cassandra and Tristan are startled to hear movement coming from the trees behind them. When they stop to look, they see a beautiful female emerge. She tells them that her name is Lynx, and that she is an inhabitant of the planet. Tristan is baffled, as he was unaware that the planet allowed for immigration and human habitation. And when Lynx expresses her fondness for Tristan’s body and Cassandra’s golden “star eyes,” Tristan and Cassandra find themselves attracted to her. But should they give in to this strange, beautiful inhabitant of Delmar? And if they do – what might possibly happen to them?
About the Author:
A.E. Hayes is a published author who has been writing since the age of four. She has been featured under various pseudonyms in myriad novels, anthologies, poetry collections, music magazines, and newspapers. Her memoir, “Shattered: Memoirs of an Amnesiac,” is set to be released on September 12th, 2017.
She is currently finishing her 6th fiction novel, “On Common Ground,” writing for the upcoming sci-fi romance anthology “Love Across the Universe,” (which will be released August 1st, 2017), as well as writing a paranormal sci-fi story for the upcoming graphic novel “The Eynes Anthology.”
She studied English and Writing at Hood College, where she earned her B.A., and later studied Fiction Writing at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. A.E. resides in Maryland with her husband and son, and when she isn’t writing or singing (or doing both at the same time), she spends her time drinking far too much coffee, logging miles by pacing around the living room floor in order to make her Fitbit happy, studying the violin, pretending to be a Cylon, and plotting ideas for several new projects (which usually happens during her living room pacing time).
Web: https://aehayes.com/
Blog: https://aehayes.com/blog/
Twitter: @AE_Hayes
FB: https://www.facebook.com/aehayesauthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/A.E.-Hayes/e/B071YXY8W3
Breathless
L. J. Longo
A little about the book:
A soldier and a café manager find themselves trapped beneath the surface of a resort by the deadly beasts native to the planet. As they fight to survive, they discover danger is a potent aphrodisiac.
As part of a hidden military outfit protecting rich civilians as they vacation on the resort planet Pangaea, Nathan Oyola planned to keep secrets, fight aliens, and maybe tan under the rays of an artificial sun. What he did not expect was to fall for his so-called boss, the manager of the café located directly above the aliens’ nest. When the native wildlife starts behaving more aggressive and strange than usual, how will Nathan keep them secret and keep his new-found love safe.
All B+ut You
Elsa M. Carruthers
A little about the book:
In a world where looks are so important that Genetic Modification is standard procedure, how will those without Genetic Modification cope, let alone find love?
About the Author:
Elsa is a speculative fiction writer, academic, and poet. She lives in California with her family. In 2011, she earned her MFA in Creative Writing and English from Seton Hill University. Since graduating, Elsa’s work has been published in several anthologies, magazines, and e-zines.
Elsa is an active member of HWA, RWA, SFPA, IAFA, and the Poetry Foundation. She regularly attends writing conventions and loves meeting new people!
The Pirates and the Pacifist
Cara McKinnon
A little about the book:
Kai doesn’t believe in violence. Sam and Dek believe the ends justify the means. Will passion be enough to bridge the gap between the pacifist sent to broker galactic peace and the space pirates hired to keep him away at all costs?
Kaikoa met Sameer and Dek—leaders of a crew of sometimes space pirates—when they abducted Kai and kept him from attending an important peace summit. But when the pirates’ payment never appeared and a gunship showed up instead, Kai, Sam, and Dek found themselves on the same side of a galactic conflict–and tumbling headlong into a reckless passion.
Now they are searching for the truth about who hired the pirates to keep Kai from the summit—and whether the enemy wants one side to win, or simply chaos in the galaxy. But when the allies find the ones who double-crossed them on a terraformed resort moon, will Dek and Sam follow their new lover’s pacifist wishes, or will the pirate code of an eye for an eye tear their fragile threesome apart?
About the Author:
Cara McKinnon is the author of the Fay of Skye fantasy romance series. She is addicted to adding magic to other genres and creating fantasy hybrids. She earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University, where she found her writing tribe. She lives on the East Coast of the US with her husband, two kids, and an oversized lapdog named Jake.
Website: http://caramckinnon.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/caramckinnonauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cara_mckinnon
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15374059.Cara_McKinnon
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cara-McKinnon/e/B01EV9OPJC
BookBub: http://bookbub.com/authors/cara-mckinnon
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bY89o1
The Princess of Sands
M.T. DeSantis
A little about the book:
The solar panel that powers the Sand Palace Hotel on planet Andala is failing. The hotel’s tyrannical owner will go to any length to secure a new panel, including arranging a marriage for his only daughter, Eliara Desanthar. Unable to reconcile marrying to benefit her father, Eliara sneaks aboard a ship in the castle’s landing bay, ready to make her escape.
But this ship is no ordinary vessel. It carries Prince Randroth of Belmret, who is on a diplomatic mission to Andala. When Eliara accidentally tries to hide in the prince’s chambers, Randroth vows to protect the terrified but beautiful girl, even if it means destroying relations between the two planets.
Unaware Randroth is her betrothed, Eliara returns with him to Belmret, where fun-in-the-sun, deep passion, and trapping revelations await.
And the truth might not set them free.
About the Author:
M.T. DeSantis currently resides in a small city on the U.S. eastern seaboard. When not writing, she can be found practicing yoga, attempting to answer trivia questions at restaurants, or plotting her next adventure.
Blog: http://mtdesantis.blogspot.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M.-T.-DeSantis/e/B00T88WP6M/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desantismauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/desantismt
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16611979.M_T_DeSantis
Renewal
Oriana Maret
A little about the book:
She’ll brave the arms of destruction to shed the arms that betrayed.
When Kestrel discovers Mercer is alive and well, she embarks on a dangerous journey to escape the pain of his jilt. When Mercer turns the tables, Kestrel discovers the true meaning of betrayal, and the ultimate cost of love.
About the Author:
Oriana Maret is a science fiction writer whose careers include the military, corporate sales and management in cancer genetic diagnostics, and nonprofit brand management. She’ll earn an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2018.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16966284.Oriana_Maret
It was wonderful having you all with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Love Across the Universe!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A.E. Hayes, and Oriana Maret., Cara McKinnon, Elsa M. Carruthers, Emmerite Sundberg, K.W. Taylor, L.J. Longo, M.T. DeSantis, Mary Rogers, Science Fiction Romance, Serena Jayne, Sheri Queen, Traci Douglass by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Thanks so much for hosting Love Across the Universe on your blog today! 🙂
It’s my pleasure. Thanks for being here. Hope you all have great success with Love Across the Universe.