And the Blog Hop Winners Are...

Ola amigos and amigas!

Happy, happy, Wednesday the 26th. Oh, the 26th, you all know what that means... prize announcement time for the SFR Brigader's Midsummer Blog Hop!

*AR dancing under the imaginary disco globe like an idiot*

Okay first, because let's face it I'm super selfish, I'm going to announce the winners of my blog post. (Also to keep you all in suspense on the grand prize announcements... muawahahahaha *cough* *cough*)

All righty, here we go: Day 1 winners are...

Oh, who am I kidding, I am too much a sucker. All commenters who left an email will get an electronic copy of Case of the Senshi Pearl (IIA, #1). I'll be sending out an email to find out if you want mobi or epub format.

So, now onto the awesome grand prizes:

• First prize of a $150 gift card and a 30+ ebook bundle - Debra Guyette
• Second prize of a $50 gift card - Lucinda Copeland
• The four third prize winners of a $25 gift card - Jbst, Ashley Tucker, Ashfa Anwer and Corrine Alexander

HERE's the link to the official SFR Brigade announcement.

Okey, dokey, now I have to clean up the confetti, streamers, and plastic cups strewn all over my blog. Have a great day all!

Blog Hop Excerpt Teaser (Yes, another one)

Here's another excerpt from The Case of the Senshi Pearl (Interstellar Intelligence Agency, #1), which I'm giving away to commenters during the SFR Brigader's Midsummer Blog Hop.

21st Day, 13th Month, 3012 G-Year

Planet Nereus

City of Vodnik

Country of Rusalka

A small wind picked up and Kane eyed the vents. Still closed. The temperature of the air heated. Evaline grasped his forearm, and gasped as a small tornado formed in the center. It whirled, first in a wide loose swirl about three feet tall, then grew and tightened. The space around the phenomenon distorted, like a mirage when gazing through the desert.

Two tiny pale feet materialized on the ground, growing calves, knees, and petite thighs.

"Oh my gods, Kane," Evaline whispered in awe.

"It is magic," the emperor commented from the water area.

A chair nearby crackled and splintered. Kane gestured to one of his men and they reached out and jerked it away. The corner piece of the chair arm had disintegrated, leaving only a small splintered gap. Agent Tanuki's naked form slowly appeared. Her athletic hips, fit abdomen, and arms covering her small chest. Kane's mouth went dry.

Evaline excused the security team -- for obvious propriety's sake -- and grabbed the robe. She prepared to drape it over the small naked female.

Small was an understatement.

She barely came to Kane's chest. Slim shoulders held a long narrow neck and diamond-shaped face. The wide cheekbones accented her wide mouth. She had big blue eyes, the color of the night sky before full moonrise. A long thick scar etched from her right eye socket, down across her cheek, before disappearing behind her hairline.

Her pitch-black hair was in a short style, buzzed in the back and angling longer to a point towards the front. Bright blue streaks the color of her eyes highlighted her hair in thick chunks. Her skin was like the little porcelain dolls in the toyshops around town.

She let her arms drop, and turned to them in her full nudity. Kane blushed. She was obviously not shy. She smiled, and then bowed to the mistress and emperor. Evaline stood holding the robe, unsure what to do next.

Raina stepped forward and reached for the robe. She bowed again, and then said something in a foreign tongue. The mistress cast a confused look at Agent Tanuki. The agent searched the space behind them from her position.

The mistress's assistant stepped forward, holding an injection system of some sort. "I think this is what she is looking for, My Mistress."

Raina gave a broad smile, nodded, and took it. She pulled back the holster, and it clicked. Then she pressed it behind her right ear and squeezed the handle. On a small pop, the agent winced, and then closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Mistress," she said in a bold voice contrary to her small size, surprising him.

Evaline stammered for the first time in all the years he'd known her. "I-I thank you for coming, Agent Tanuki."

"That's the way to travel!" The emperor had a boisterous laugh. "Where'd you learn this skill?"

"It's not something you can learn to do unless your meta composite is designed for it from birth," Raina replied.

Her shoulders slumped after putting on the robe. Kane stepped forward. "Do you require rest, Agent?"

She met his stare with her own. Something akin to thunder slapped his chest, and his breath escaped him.

She nodded. "Yes, if there's time. The process can be taxing on the essence, and the newly formed protons require an adjustment period."

Essence? Newly formed protons? These terms zoomed right over Kane's head.

"Of course there is time, Agent." The mistress glanced at the emperor. "How about we meet first thing tomorrow morning to discuss our course of action." The emperor nodded, and slipped under the water. "Your things from IIA arrived via the ionic transport," Evaline crooked a finger for one of her attendants, who answered by slipping an arm under the agent to prop her upright. "Let's get you to a room to rest for now."

Kane followed, still trying to find his equilibrium. The agent wavered at the doorway, stumbling. The attendant struggled to keep her up. Kane cursed under his breath, and lifted her small form in his arms. Her legs were draped over one arm. Her shoulders were tucked against the other. He nudged his chin, and the group moved through the Rusalka House of Despot. Her head dropped against his chest.

This could be trouble.

A Little Taste

Below is a random excerpt of the book I'll be giving away to a post commenter during tomorrow's SFR Brigade Blob Hop event.

*     *     *     *     *

Stepping out onto the garden patio, Kane halted and stared in horror. A large beast of some sort pinned down a still form about ten feet away. Realization brought dread. The tattered and bloodied clothing were Danican's.

Kane pulled out his weapon and aimed, then hesitated. Never had he seen anything like this animal. This monster.

"Raina?" he asked cautiously, his finger on the trigger, in case.

With a growl, it turned its head and snarled. Teeth and jaw dripped blood. The animal's eyes were a brilliant blue. Its pelt was of a darker shade, and shimmered in the night. A long black mane flowed from its head to its shoulder blades. A scar marred the side of its face.

Raina.

He lowered his weapon, and she paced back and forth twice on a low rumbling growl.

Only then did he spot Evaline laid out to their left. Clothes intact with no obvious wounds, she braced her chest and breathed shallowly. He took a step towards her but Raina growled and blocked him.

"Raina, it's me, Kane." He raised his hands.

This was different from the other changes. Raina lowered her head in a confrontational way and tensed her front legs, readying for attack. Raina as the beast didn't recognize him, and had taken on the predatory instinct of the animal.

What an irony he would die by the woman he loved, Kane thought on a huff.

"Raina," he asked again in a smooth, quiet voice. It jerked another foot closer, bloodied drool dripped onto the patio. Kane's heart lodged into his throat.

"Agent Tanuki," came the terse voice of Galleon from the side of them.

Raina growled and stalked the space between the bodies and Kane again, swiping at the dead form of Danican.

"Agent Tanuki, you change back now," Galleon ordered.

For a second, Kane wasn't sure Raina would listen, but finally she sat on her haunches and returned to her human form.

* * * * *

See you all tomorrow - or, er, chat you all up tomorrow. Whatever, you know what I mean.

Women in Fantasy

Today I'm excited to have a writer buddy,

Marion Sipe, on to talk about Women in Fantasy. She has a new release, A Sign in Blood, that contains some strong female characters. (More about this awesome new book and how you can win a copy below.)

All right...here we go!

*****

I've sat down to write this guest post no less than three times and each time my brain boggles. It's a huge topic to cover. There have been so many women in fantasy, and I tend to read fantasy with female leads. You probably haven't heard of at least some of my favorites. While that's often true because fantasy is really a huge genre, it's also true because I mostly read female writers. I just find they more often write female MCs that I love.

And maybe that's the problem. I've heard it said that, while women are willing to read stories with male MCs, men are less willing to read stories with female MCs. Now, that's "common wisdom" which means it may or may not be true. I haven't done any surveys.

But it's funny how many times I'll be wandering about in the SFF online community and come across some guy who is more than willing to explain to me why women never fought on a historical battlefield (untrue), why women shouldn't be portrayed as warriors (ridiculous), and why women are incapable of defending themselves if the opponent is male (somebody get me a clue bat, please?). And I have run into this attitude even up into this year. And it doesn't matter how you respond (your response probably won't be read, and your links won't change anyone's mind even if they are read) so there's little else to do but sigh and move on. Unless you're in a bad mood and then, well, go to town.

And then, of course, there are the people who will tell you, "Well, women don't play much part in the story." Maybe it's because the women are oppressed (makes them even better characters) or because the story is about knights (Joan of Arc, anyone?) or because the story's in a somewhat historical setting and women didn't play much of a role in history (Umm, excuse me, have you read any?). There are numerous excuses, but the point here is that, in writing worlds without any real female characters, you're cutting out half of a population.

I'm not saying every book has to have a female POV (after all, some books only have one), although I certainly wouldn't mind, or that there should be a 50/50 split and if there isn't you're sexist. But if you can't think of a single thing for the women of your world to do in a story, you're probably not really thinking about it. This is only more true if your culture treats men and women differently. That only gives the women more new and interesting things to say/think/experience, things their male contemporaries can't.

Now, some of you may say that we've come a long way from the days of the damsel in distress, that's not always true. If every woman needs to be saved by the hero, I'm not going to like your book. Because seriously, where are the rest of the women? Most the women I know would a) beat off the villain with a chair, but also b) freak the hell out after the villain was dead (or impaired enough to make running an option). And while that's not always the proper response for a battle-hardened what-have-you killer, it is human. Because humans are flawed, and I'm willing to bet that any other SFF race you want to name? Probably flawed, too. In different ways, perhaps, but flawed nonetheless.

Damsels in distress are boring, but you know what else is boring? Flawless women warriors who can kick six kinds of ass without breaking a nail (or a bone) or ruining their clothes, and usually wind up getting saved by the hero anyway. Now, don't get me wrong, I have a huge soft-spot for ass-kicking women, but too often that's all these characters are. They're shown to be top-notch at everything, from swordplay to drinking, gambling, sex, computers, languages... Whatever the plot calls for and whatever will turn the hero on.

These are not strong female characters; these are a different brand of cardboard. I want to read women who are characters. Cardboard doesn't always mean "damsel in distress," it can also mean "too 'perfect' to be real." So ask yourself, does So-and-so ever just plain mess up? Does she ever trust the wrong person? Does she ever turn her back on someone who's dangerous? Does she ever mistake a situation, or let pride drive her to the wrong actions? Does she ever get too caught up in the world inside her head to understand the world outside it? And does she pull herself up (or get help, I don't mind as long as she's an actual character) and keep going in spite of that?

If she does, point me toward her, because that's the woman I totally want to read! Hell, that's the character I want to read, regardless of their gender (or potential "lack" thereof).

With A Sign in Blood, I have three main female characters, all of whom have a POV. I liked how each one viewed their world differently, how each of them saw things through their own filter, and how each of them interpreted what they saw. I liked writing each of them for different reasons, and I hope that each of them holds their own.

Liral is a far cry from a kick-ass heroine, but that doesn't mean she won't take a stand and make it stick. Chadri gets knocked down time and again, but always stands back up. Nathias' pays a hefty price for her choices, but she doesn't let that kill her even when it would have been so easy to do so. They're all characters, and they all handle things in their own ways, and they all keep moving forward.

*****

Thank you so much, Marion! I loved your post and can't wait to read your book. (Added to TBR as we speak, uh, write, uh, type...well, you get what I mean.)


Okay, blogger buddies...leave a comment and enter in the chance to win a free copy of A Sign in Blood. If Marion's post hasn't excited you enough, well, besides being crazy bananas, here's more about the book:

Blurb:
While investigating her father's murder, Chadri never meant to get involved in politics. She arrives in Mesaceal with her mentor Nathias and a wild talent for blood magic, but soon finds it won't be enough to stop a brutal attack on her family home. After befriending a queen who is forced to fight to win her crown, and learning of rumors about the theft of a sleeping god, Chadri is caught up in a web of conflict spanning two nations. Trapped within the tightening threads, she must unravel the secrets surrounding her father's death, or die the same way he did.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0059HBT5O
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70743

Marion's Blog: http://marionsipe.blogspot.com/ (also part of my Blog Roll)

How I Met Desert Breeze

In celebration of Desert Breeze Publishing's 2nd Birthday...the DB authors are doing a huge blogfest. One author a day will be posting the story of how they found Desert Breeze from April 15 - April 30. Commenters will when daily prizes, but that's not all.

*Enter Bob Hope soundtrack*

The commenters from all the days and all the posts will be entered to win a grand prize on May 1st. Diane Craver kicked this off yesterday with me taking the torch today.

So here we go...stay tuned for the daily prize at the end of the post.

How I met Desert Breeze:

I'd been in limbo with Duty and Devotion for months, focusing on publishing my short stories while it went through the never ending submission and querying ride. It was during a search for a place to submit a short story that I spotted Desert Breeze on Duotrope as a featured publisher listing on the search page.

I went to their site and read about how they began. I loved the friendship and passion for books that drove the start up. It called to me. Of course, then I fell in love with the quality of book covers. I don't care what anyone says, the quality and time put into a book cover really is an indication of the quality and time put into selecting and publishing a book.

By that time I was determined to get Duty and Devotion onto the Desert Breeze roster. I sweated over the cover letter, the synopsis, and raked through the manuscript a hundred times. Then I panicked, calmed down, freaked out, lost my nerve, and finally created an email message. From there I sat on the email message for about two weeks, trying to find fault with the wording, went through the cover letter, synopsis and manuscript yet another half dozen times.

In a moment of complete madness, I hit send.

After I regained consciousness I forced myself to start working on my next project while obsessing over the email box. After a couple months I opened my email and found a message from Gail Delaney, Chief Editor and Co-Owner of Desert Breeze. I readied myself for the rejection letter and sat in stunned silence as my brain digested an acceptance letter instead.

I couldn't believe it. I'd gotten in. They'd believed I was good enough to have their name on my book. My book. It was crazy, insane...and TOTALLY FREAKIN' AWESOME!

...and that's how I met and fell in love with Desert Breeze...

Now if you comment on my blog today you'll be able to win my first ever prize giveaway. (Up until now only my guest posters have given prizes away.) Hmmm...what to give away, what to give away? Ah! I know!

If you win today I will send you a collection of things:

5x7 signed poster of my latests free read To the Meadow's Edge


Advanced Readers Copy of my June 2011 debut novel Duty and Devotion

You'll be the first non Desert Breeze to read it!

Now, to continue learning about Desert Breeze AND the chance to win more prizes, visit NIKE CHILEMI's blog, http://crimefictionandfaith.blogspot.com/ tomorrow and learn how she found Desert Breeze.