Launching Romance into the stars.
Showing posts with label Terms and Conditions Apply. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terms and Conditions Apply. Show all posts

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Highlighting Science Fiction Romance

Good day! On this blog, we highlight our own stories, but we also like to highlight other authors in science fiction romance and other genres. Today, I'm going to share some of the SFR titles that I've recently enjoyed.

Terms & Conditions Apply by Pippa Jay


“Welcome to Venus Ascendant, a Public Grade space station in the Andromedan Galaxy. With our open-to-all policy, any being in the universe can find their perfect R & R, romantic getaway or dangerous liaison at our purpose built resort. The on-board empathic AI Ganesa ensures that anyone coming to Venus Ascendant will find their heart’s desire, with suites that transform from luxurious boudoirs to sunset-lit beaches to dark BDSM dungeons. So come to Venus Ascendant and find exactly what you’re looking for!”

It was meant to be a romantic getaway for Marie and the love of her life Jaisen; a chance for him to get to know her better after months of her denying him more than a few stolen kisses. Instead, Marie finds herself dumped and alone on Venus Ascendant with no credit for a transmat and the next starship home not due for another hour.

But the all-seeing AI isn’t going to leave anyone aboard the space station with their dreams unfulfilled. Marie's boyfriend might not have made it to the station, but there are others willing and able to take on the role - even if they aren’t entirely human.

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis


Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher


Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world—a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these "ghosts." She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.


As a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy—creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone—oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love—Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.

But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man that she loves.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson


Everything is different

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma - so she's been told - and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.

What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?



Bio:


Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Building An Avatar - Guest Post by Pippa Jay


Say avatar to most people these days, and they either think of the little images we now use on social media sites such as Twitter, or perhaps the James Cameron film with the big blue aliens. But it has an older meaning...

[av-uh-tahr, av-uh-tahr] 
noun
1.Hindu Mythology - the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.
2.an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.



In Terms & Conditions Apply, the main avatar is Ganesa - the physical manifestation of the AI aboard space station Venus Ascendant. Ganesa considers herself the incarnation of Venus - the Roman Goddess of Love. Combined with her omniprescient abilities as the station’s AI and the principle that VA is actually meant as a place for lovers to fulfil their dreams, she comes close to matching the original definition. 

For my story I gave her some sub-avatars - artificial constructs just like Ganesa, but linked to her and working in a subsidiary fashion, helping to ensure the smooth running of the station and the happiness of her visiting clientele. They’re replicas of a real human, with that human's persona and memories imprinted into the copy. So my male MC - Soren - isn't a digital image or a human/alien hybrid powered by a genetically compatible human mind. He's a mechanical construct, designed to be as close to his human original as possible, and with all his memories of the human life he lived before. And while he's linked to the AI, he's still capable of autonomy. Despite being contracted to work on the space station and bound in return for his maintenance, he's allowed a certain freedom of choice. He chooses Marie - even if she isn't particularly flattered at the start. But being as close to his original humanity with all the emotions and complexities of human nature comes with a price.

Excerpt

“Look, no offence, but your only purpose on this station is to please the clients, and while you’re doing a pretty good job of making me feel a little better, I just got dumped by the love of my life and I’m not up for some construct trying to have sex with me.” The words spilled out in a torrent, and she bit her lip as she finished.

“I see.” The easy smile that had graced his perfect lips faded for the first time. “You are one of those who believe that the AI’s sub-avatars are no more than programmed pleasure machines, solely for sex. That we have no personality—no feelings.”

His comment sparked a sudden pang of guilt. “You mean you’re not just a machine?”

He gazed at her, as if considering the question. “We are artificial constructs, built to serve the AI, to be an extension of it and to ensure that everyone on Venus Ascendant is happy. But that doesn’t make us mere ciphers. Each of us carries memories from a real person, one who either chose this existence in preference to the many kinds of death they were facing, or as penance for a crime.”

“Some of you are criminals?” she squeaked. That wasn’t in the station’s blurb!

 “Oh, not the dangerous ones. We are incapable of harm.” A smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and he leaned forward to run a finger up the inside of her wrist. The tiny gesture sent tingles skittering over her skin and she caught her breath. “Unless harm is our client’s preference, of course.”

“What was your crime?”

He snatched his hand back. “I never said I was a criminal.”

“Then what were you?”

To find that out you’ll have to read the whole story. <evil grin>



Buy it in all digital formats from Smashwords.com
Also available from Amazon US, Amazon UK and Kobo
Coming soon to B&N

There’s also a chance to win a copy in the digital format of your choice, plus a super shiny star keyring, available internationally. Just enter the rafflecopter form for your chance to win.



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BIO:
A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 19 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:
Twitter:  @pippajaygreen