January 22nd, 2010 — A-C, Alien, Guest Blogger, Science Fiction
by Cheryl Brooks guest blogger and author of Fugitive (The Cat Star Chronicles #5)
Hello! My name is Cheryl Brooks, author of the Cat Star Chronicles series of sci-fi romance. I’ve been asked many times what made me choose a feline gene to give my Zetithian heroes their sexual prowess, but the truth is, though I may have given them feline features and the ability to purr, I based the Zetithian male genitalia on that of a horse.
Let’s face it, when you start talking about a guy who is well-endowed, the horse analogy is one that usually comes up. After all, I’ve never heard a man boast of being hung like a cat (have you?) and if you’ve ever seen an aroused stallion, (and having had one here on my farm for a while, I can speak from experience) you will understand why men would prefer the equine as opposed to the feline comparison. The size has been scaled down to human proportions, but the scalloped edge on the corona came straight from the horse’s... well, you get the idea.
I wanted a hero who had it all; a quiet nature, one that could be as sweet as a pussycat, but at the same time was all male and could be a bit of an animal when it came to sex. The pointed ears and slanted eyebrows originally came from Mr. Spock
(one of my favorite characters of all time), and the feline eyes naturally followed that, with the purring not far behind.
The ability to move his equipment in any direction is also more horse-like than cat-like, but the orgasmic and euphoric nature of Zetithian body fluids came about as a result of something I’d once read about the prostaglandins present in human semen causing a sense of well-being in the female. I embellished on this a bit—okay, so it was more than just a bit!—and came up with semen (or snard as the Zetithians call it) that induces euphoria, plus a lubricating fluid that chemically triggers orgasms.
Since cats have multiple births, this led to the next step in Zetithian biology, which was that the offspring would be born in litters of three. I felt that since their world had been destroyed and there were so few of them left, the ability to reproduce at a higher than normal rate was essential to ensure their survival as a species. That being the case, I gave the Zetithians semen that acts like a fertility drug, thus causing the females of any compatible species to have triplets.
In my current release, The Cat Star Chronicles: Fugitive, I made use of another feline trait, that of stealth and concealment. Few animals are better at stalking their prey than cats, and these abilities are very handy for a man on the run. Manx can not only disappear into the jungle to elude his captors, but he can also provide for himself with the ability to catch small animals and birds by hand. His keen eyes make him an excellent archer as well as a crack-shot with a pulse pistol.
As for what made me choose to write about cat-like aliens as opposed to werewolves, I can only say that as one who, at last count, has six cats living in and around her house, I’m surrounded by them. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a cat lover—most of them have adopted me as opposed to the other way around—but few things are more soothing to the soul than having a purring cat in your lap. I took the purring in a different direction with my aliens in that, for a Zetithian, purring is their primary means of enticing females. I believe that a guy who could purr would have an advantage over most men, but what about you? If you could create your ultimate male, what animal characteristics would he have?
FUGITIVE BY CHERYL BROOKS—IN STORES JANUARY 2010
When a Zetithian fugitive meets a beautiful Earth woman, their passion may cost them both their lives...
Manx is a Zetithian fugitive with a feline gene that gives him remarkable sexual powers. He has been in hiding in the remote jungles of Barada Seven ever since being marked for extermination by the violent Nedwuts.
Artist Drusilla arrives on Barada Seven, enticed only by the promise of finding a nature paradise there. But she discovers a wildlife she wasn’t expecting when she encounters Manx. Reckless with desire for the beautiful Earth woman, Manx risks his life to win her as his mate.
It’s only a matter of time until the Nedwuts find them, but it will take all of Manx and Drusilla’s passion, skill, and ingenuity to survive.
Buy: Fugitive (The Cat Star Chronicles #5)
About the Author
Cheryl Brooks is an Intensive Care Unit nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previous books in The Cat Star Chronicles series include Slave
, Warrior
, Rogue
and Outcast
. Hero, book six, will be in stores August 2010. She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband and sons in Bloomfield, Indiana. For more information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/
Giveaway: 2 copies of Fugitive are up for grabs. That means 2 winners! Open to US and Canadian readers only (sorry international readers, you can still comment though). To enter leave a comment answering Cheryl's question. 1 entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: January 29, 2010. Good luck!
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August 13th, 2009 — Defining the Genre, Guest Blogger, Science Fiction
I don't know about you but I get very confused when it comes to Science Fiction Romance! What is it exactly and how do I find it? To help explain, I invited Heather Massey of Galaxy Express to Love Romance Passion to share her thoughts and perceptions of this very complicated (romance) genre. Please extend a warm welcome to her! Feel free to ask any questions you might have and she'll do her best to answer them!
Bio: Heather Massey is a blogger who travels the sea of stars searching for science fiction romance adventures aboard The Galaxy Express. Additionally, she pens a science fiction romance column for LoveLetter, Germany’s premier romance magazine.
Defining the Genre: Science Fiction Romance
by Heather Massey, guest blogger
Simply put, science fiction describes stories set in an alternative reality that are technology driven, (as opposed to fantasy, which is magic-driven). Romance, of course, is about the emotional journey of the hero and heroine as they discover true love.
Opposites attract, and science fiction (SF) and romance are no exception. And when they decided to get it on, they had not one baby, but triplets!
What do we know about these fine offspring? The answer: plenty. Below I’ve listed the most common labels for blends of romance and SF followed by a description of the stories frequently associated with them:
Romantic Science Fiction is SF with a romantic subplot. The speculative elements drive the plot. Take away the subplot and the story marches on just fine. Romantic SF falls under the SF umbrella since a Happily Ever After is not guaranteed.
Science Fiction Romance (or Sci-Fi Romance) tends to be a 50-50 split between the SF and the romance. Both interweave to drive the plot forward. Take away one or the other and you’re left with only half of a story. A Happily Ever After of some kind is guaranteed.
Futuristic Romance typically describes stories wherein the romance drives the plot. Romance with science fiction elements, as it were. Take away the speculative elements and the story survives just fine.
Basically, it comes down to this: How much of the speculative elements drive the story vs. how much of the romance drives the story?
Where It Gets Tricky
No wonder readers can become confused about blends of SF and romance. There are many terms floating about. Some are reader/author coined. Others were developed by publishers as marketing labels. The difference is important to note because marketing labels change for the same type of books. Publishers have described them on the spine as “Romance,” Futuristic Romance,” and “Paranormal Romance.”
It also gets tricky depending on the time period in which they were written. Historically, romance was a dirty word in the SF community (still is in some circles). So readers relied exclusively on word of mouth to learn which books contained romantic elements. The term “Futuristic Romance” gained a tarnished reputation in the eighties and nineties for some mangling of the science fictional elements. Frequently, the speculative elements were sometimes little more than backdrop. But it’s still the primary marketing label used by publishers today, and for very smart and sophisticated books.
But even if the speculative elements only take up 1% of the plot, the onus is on authors these days to execute them well. Either they should contain some degree of accuracy or they should be depicted in such a way that the reader can willingly suspend her disbelief despite the presence of elements that defy the laws of science. Otherwise, why bother setting the story in the future?
Science fiction romance is a reader/author generated term. It’s been used concurrently with futuristic romance and also as a way to describe stories blending SF and Romance that weren’t a rehash of archaic, MARS NEEDS WOMEN type plots and substandard worldbuilding. Regardless, readers tend to use all of the labels interchangeably.
Another factor that impacts definition of the genre is reader expectation. One’s reading experiences and preferences impact what one expects to gain from a story. In any given book, some will feel that the romance has enough development; others will crave far more. A few lines describing the means of interstellar travel might overwhelm some readers; others won’t even bat an eyelash.
Finally, there’s no umbrella term for *all* stories blending SF and romance, or at least one that covers “science fiction romance,” “futuristic romance,” and everything in between those two. If one catches on, terrific, but right now it’s a challenge to create the ideal term.
The relevancy of subdivisions based on content, as noted above, lets readers know what to expect from a story. But publishers aren’t going to alternate between labels just to suit our whims. Reader subjectivity alone will make that a nigh-impossible endeavor.
That’s why communities of readers are crucial for cross-genres like science fiction romance. We rely on word-of-mouth to ferret out which particular blend suits our individual tastes.
For the purposes of my blog, The Galaxy Express, I made “science fiction romance” an umbrella term for my blog. More than any other label, it clearly conveyed the content. Plus, I wanted to blog about everything from Romantic SF to stories that were heavily romance driven. When it comes to blends of science fiction and romance, I love it all.
Photo Credits: c@rljones
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