Solar Flares and Science Fiction

A long-lasting solar flare erupted from our sun early February 9, triggering an intense CME eruption aimed squarely at Earth. The solar storm didn't endanger  satellites or astronauts in space, but amplified auroras on Earth, NASA said. The solar eruption occurred during a minor, but long-duration, flare. It hurled a wave of charged particles at Earth at speeds of about 1.8 million miles per hour...

Are we truly safe?

Recently I've resumed work on a SFR featuring a fascinating premise: Could a solar flare or CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) be big enough or dangerously strong enough to cause a planet wide cataclysm? Set in a different solar system where humanoid life exists, the beings in my story are on the cusp of discovering light speed space travel. Something is happening to their sun. Extreme CME activity is increasing way too rapidly and too often.

Coronal mass ejections are eruptions of charged solar material that fling solar particles out into space. Aimed at a near planet, they can cause geomagnetic storms when they interact with the planet's magnetic field. Solar flares produce high energy particles and radiation that are dangerous to living organisms.

Earth has a strong protective magnetic field. But what if the beings in my story were no longer protected by their planet's magnetic field? Or an unknown anomaly causes their sun to go haywire and set off a CME extinction level event? Planet wide cataclysm. How could they save their world? Maybe, just maybe help could come from an unexpected source... 

The most serious effects on human activity happen during major geomagnetic storms. These storms, induced by CME's, usually are associated with flares, but sometimes no flares are observed when they occur. By the time the dangerous flares are discovered by the beings in my story, it may be too late.

The next maximum phase for our own sun is expected to occur this year, 2013. So are we safe from a true disaster? At the surface of the Earth are we are well protected from the effects of solar flares and other solar activity by the Earth's strong magnetic field.  

Lucky for us, our recent CME activity only amplified the northern and southern lights display over the Earth's poles causing beautiful views like this. 

Yet is Earth truly safe from serious solar activity and disaster caused by solar flares in the future? CME's can knock out our communication and satellite grids. But our atmosphere, so our scientists tell us, is intact and our world is safe. 

What are your thoughts?

Kaye

Rites of Spring Winners!

Congratulation to the winners...

The Rights of Spring blog hop winners have been announced:

1st Place: Kindle Fire

Entry #4 – Karl

2nd Place: $50 Amazon gift certificate

Entry #187 – Chum B.

The winner of the $15.00 Starbucks gift card from my blog, chosen by randomnumbergenerator.com is:

comment #14 - Diannewp.

All winners have been notified.

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed this blog hop and thanks for stopping 

by my blog. Come back again soon! 

Kaye

Rites of Spring!

RITES OF SPRING BLOG HOP

There is a special place in my heart for spring. The Earth comes alive  and love blossoms. It is such a fitting time to fall in love. This blog hop, organized by Jessica E. Subject and Heather Long, is the perfect way for us to celebrate the Rites of Spring. 

In a minute I'll tell you how you could be a winner of some fabulous prizes. But now I'd like to share a falling for the first time scene between two characters from my time travel sci-fi romance, The Temporal Rift. 

Alisa Vonn is transported back in time to the 12th century and becomes the captive of Bryon, a knight from Castle Calimere. She is about to meet an unlikely hero. His name is Wyver. And he is a wizard, or so it would seem at first glance...  


...Her breath quickened as a shadowed figure emerged from nowhere. She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. 
     
A flash of fast lightning emitted from the stranger’s fingers and flared across Bryon's face. “Oh my freaking god!” She uttered under a muffled breath.
     
“You don’t have to fear me, Alisa,” the stranger said, his accent sounding more like an English scholar from her own time rather than a medieval thief in the night.
     
“What—what did you do to him?” She choked out.
     
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine in a few hours. Just a little increased REM sleep.”
      
He moved closer and she saw him clearly. More clearly than she should for such a dark night. His clothing, now quite visible, was that of a common castle servant, loose fitting breeches tucked into leather boots and a belted thigh-length tunic hugged his body. Sandy hair dangled over a boyishly handsome face. 

The oddity was the luminous amber radiance glowing around him. He bent down on one knee and smiled at her. Stretching out his hand he said, “Come with me. There is something you need to know.”
     
As quick as she could move, Alisa scooted away. Stunned, she realized the rope tethering her to Bryon had vanished. How did that happen? She stared at the stranger. “Just who the hell are you?”
     
“In this century I’m known as Wyver.”
     
Her eyes widened. “You’re the bumbling wizard?”
     
He chuckled. “I’ve been called worse.” 
     
She stared at him through slanted eyes. “You’re much younger than I imagined you’d be.”  
     
He tilted his head in a slight angle. “You don’t say.” He grinned big. “Now will you come with me, please? We do need to talk, you and I.” Again he held out his hand.
     
“I don't think so. We can talk right here.”  She leaned back even farther from him. “You need to tell me why you’re glowing like an amber firefly from the inside out. How do you do that? Some sort of trick?”
     
He inhaled and then stood up. “It’s called technology, Alisa. Now let’s get out of here.”
     
“Hmph. I’ve never heard of such technology as to make a man glow in the dark. And I'm not going anywhere with you.”
     
“Just because you have yet to hear of it does not mean it won’t exist in the future.” 
     
“So you are from the future?”
     
“Look, I’m walking out of here. If you want answers about the temporal rift you’ll follow me.”
     
That did it. “I’m right behind you.” As she followed, she could see him just ahead as an illuminated subdued image. And then it dawned on her. The glow around him reminded her of the ambient temporal ribbon that had thrust her into the 12th century in the first place. 
     
“So, Wyver, tell me about time travel.”
     
She heard his quiet laugh. “Patience will always be virtuous no matter the century,” he said.

***

Now for the fun part.  To enter the grand prize Giveaway follow the link below:

Also for those who leave a comment on my post you could win a Starbucks gift card. Just include your contact info in your comment. And for this blog hop, no word verification will apply. Simply leave your comment!

For more prizes and great posts by many other authors be sure to continue on with the Rites of Spring blog hop by following the link Here

Thanks to all who stopped by. Have a wonderful blog hop!

Kaye

BEST SPACE IMAGES

As seen from space...

  EARTH THE BIG BLUE MARBLE

Spectacular photos of space can be captured more frequently these days due to the latest state of the art high powered telescopes and satellites that can now find fabulous images. Here are just a few of my favorites from 2012.

This is a composite of the discovered EXOPLANETS, the ones that could possibly be habitable. Now that's something to ponder. (More details in later posts)

SOLAR FLARES, big ones. We are having an increase in gigantic flare activity lately. Do we know why? (More on this subject in a later post)

Here is the CARINA NEBULA. Great name for a beauty like this. 
Can you tell what is actually going on here? (A good topic for later discussion.)

QUADRANTID METEOR SHOWER as seen from Earth. Did anyone else catch this spectacular happening? 
Images like this can lead to great SF story ideas, don't you think? 

I'll leave you with this startling view of Hurricane SANDY as she rolled inland. What a storm that was, lest we ever forget. Enough said.









Special credit and thanks to NASA, Space.com and The Weather Channel without which I would have no photos and certainly not enough inspiration as a SFR author! 

Kaye

PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!

May all your wishes come true this year.

See you in 2013.

Peace,

Kaye

Blog Hopping With Mistletoe Madness

If you like Mistletoe and can't escape the madness of the holiday season, then this blog hop is just right for you! Join in the fun and win wonderful prizes from many favorite authors. You could be the lucky one and win a Kindle Fire. You'll find the links to the other Mistletoe Madness blogs at the end of this post.

Keep on hopping! 

As for me, I have a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I love all the happy energy that seems to be everywhere, the parties, watching all those holiday movies, the special foods, and of course, Decking the Halls with Mistletoe! On the other hand, I don't like all the crowds, waiting in lines and the push-me-pull-you Madness in the malls and stores that is a big part of the holidays. 

Still I must admit this is a magical time of year for me. One of my favorite all time days of the year is Christmas Eve. We celebrate holiday fare such as festive foods with family and friends. And then just as the clock strikes midnight we open presents.

Leave a comment along with your email and tell me what you love or don't love about the holidays. You could win my short sweet holiday story,
A Medieval Yule 

Then continue on to the other blogs in the hop for more Mistletoe Madness and prizes by linking Here and then go Here to enter for a chance at the grand prize, that fantastic Kindle Fire.

Happy Hopping and have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Kaye Manro

Near Earth Asteroid

Earth's Close Encounter...

A giant asteroid will fly by Earth during the next few days, and we can watch this event live via our computers.

This near Earth asteroid named 4179 Toutatis, is approximately 3 miles wide, and will pass close to 4.3 million miles of Earth Wednesday morning December, 12. Toutatis is too far away for any impact threat yet near enough to see through professional telescopes, which will track The asteroid trajectory. The online Slooh Space Camera and Virtual Telescope Project, will both stream live, free footage of the asteroid.

Slooh's webcast is from a telescope in the Canary Islands beginning at 3 p.m. EST today (Dec. 11). Another showing will follow at 10 p.m. EST tonight, with footage from Arizona. You can watch them at Slooh's website: http://www.slooh.com

Both will feature commentary from Slooh president Patrick Paolucci and Astronomy Magazine columnist Bob Berman. "The asteroid will appear as an obvious streak or a moving time-lapse dot across the as a tiny pointlike object, while Earth's spin makes the background stars whiz by as streaks," Berman added. "Both methods will make the asteroid's speedy orbital motion obvious as it passes us in space."

The Virtual Telescope Project — which is presented by Gianluca Masi of Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy — will offer a free webcast Thursday, December 13 at 3 p.m. EST, complete with commentary from astrophysicists.

Watch the video stream here: http://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/

Toutatis would cause catastrophic damage if it ever did hit into Earth. Scientists think a collision by anything 0.6 miles (1 km) wide could have global consequences, most likely by altering the world's climate for many years to come. For comparison, the asteroid thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was an estimated 6 miles (10 km) across.

Information provided by SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall and on Yahoo.com.

Exciting stuff! Go and watch. Then come back and tell me -- what your thoughts are on near miss objects that could possibly impact Earth? 

Kaye

Shadow of the Dark Rift

 

Here we are in December and it's getting closer to the winter solstice...

Isn't this the year the world ends? According to several alignment theories,

and also the Mayan calendar, it is predicted to be so.

Thick dust clouds block our night-time view of the Milky Way, creating what is sometimes called the Dark Rift. The fact that -- from the viewpoint of Earth -- the sun aligns with these clouds, or the galactic center, near the winter solstice.  

Here is what Francis Reddy from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has to say on this world ending idea: 

One of the most bizarre theories about 2012 has built up with very little attention to facts. This idea holds that a cosmic alignment of the sun, Earth, the center of our galaxy -- or perhaps the galaxy's thick dust clouds -- on the winter solstice could for some unknown reason lead to destruction. Such alignments can occur but these are a regular occurrence and can cause no harm and, indeed, will not even be at its closest alignment during the 2012 solstice.

The details are as follows: Viewed far from city lights, a glowing path called the Milky Way can be seen arching across the starry sky. This path is formed from the light of millions of stars we cannot see individually. It coincides with the mid plane of our galaxy, which is why our galaxy is also named the Milky Way.

Thick dust clouds also populate the galaxy. And while infrared telescopes can see them clearly, our eyes detect these dark clouds only as irregular patches where they dim or block the Milky Way's faint glow. The most prominent dark lane stretches from the constellations Cygnus to Sagittarius and is often called the Great Rift, sometimes the Dark Rift.

Another impressive feature of our galaxy lies unseen in Sagittarius: the galactic center, about 28,000 light-years away, which hosts a black hole weighing some four million times the sun's mass.

The claim for 2012 links these two pieces of astronomical fact with a third -- the position of the sun near the galactic center on Dec. 21, the winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere -- to produce something that makes no astronomical sense at all.

As Earth makes its way around the sun, the sun appears to move against the background stars, which is why the visible constellations slowly change with the seasons. On Dec. 21, 2012, the sun will pass about 6.6 degrees north of the galactic center -- that's a distance that looks to the eye to be about 13 times the full moon's apparent size -- and it's actually closer a couple of days earlier. There are different claims about why this bodes us ill, but they boil down to the coincidence of the solstice with the sun entering the Dark Rift somehow portending disaster or the mistaken notion that the sun and Earth becoming aligned with the black hole in the galactic center allows some kind of massive gravitational pull on Earth.

The first strike against this theory is that the solstice itself does not correlate to any movements of the stars or anything in the universe beyond Earth. It just happens to be the day that Earth's North Pole is tipped farthest from the sun.

Second, Earth is not within range of strong gravitational effects from the black hole at the center of the galaxy since gravitational effects decrease exponentially the farther away one gets. Earth is 93 million miles from the sun and 165 quadrillion miles from the Milky Way's black hole. The sun and the moon (a smaller mass, but much closer) are by far the most dominant gravitational forces on Earth. Throughout the course of the year, our distance from the Milky Way's black hole changes by about one part in 900 million – not nearly enough to cause a real change in gravity's pull. Moreover, we're actually nearest to the galactic center in the summer, not at the winter solstice.

Third, the sun appears to enter the part of the sky occupied by the Dark Rift every year at the same time, and its arrival there in Dec. 2012 portends precisely nothing.

Enjoy the solstice, by all means, and don't let the Dark Rift, alignments, solar flares, magnetic field reversals, potential impacts or alleged Maya end-of-the-world predictions get in the way.

And please let me know your thoughts on this!

Kaye

Alien Planets We Can Love

Wouldn't it be great if we could actually travel to other habitable planets? One of the reasons I like to read and also write science fiction is this amazing possibility. So as promised in my last post on rogue planets, here is the low down astronomers are finding out now. The Kepler space telescope actually hunts for planets and it has enabled scientists to see much farther than ever before. Here's the scoop:

The Top 5 Potentially Habitable Alien Planets

Astronomers have found more than 700 planets beyond our solar system, and thousands more await confirmation by follow-up observations. Many of these alien worlds are too hot or too cold to support life as we know it, but researchers have found a few that appear to be much more hospitable. Here's a brief rundown of the PHL's best candidates:

1. Gliese 581g, this rocky world has been controversial with some researchers casting doubt on its existence and its discoverers remaining firmly behind their find. This planet, which is located just 20 light-years away, is likely two to three times as massive as Earth and zips around its parent star every 30 days or so. This orbit places the planet squarely in its star's "habitable zone" — that just-right range of distances where liquid water, and perhaps life as we know it, could exist.

2. Gliese 667CcG, which orbits a red dwarf 22 light-years away, in the constellation Scorpius. The alien world is a so-called "super Earth" that's at least 4.5 times as massive as our planet, and it completes an orbit every 28 days. At least one other planet circles the star with Gliese 667C, which is part of a triple-star system.

3. Kepler-22b was spotted by NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope in December 2011. It's a super Earth about 2.4 times as wide as our planet. If the greenhouse effect operates on Kepler-22b like it does on Earth, the alien world would have an average surface temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), researchers have said. Kepler-22b is found about 600 light-years away, and it orbits a star very much like our own sun

4. HD 85512bHD 85512b is another super Earth, one that's thought to be 3.6 times as massive as our planet. The alien world is found about 35 light-years from us, in the direction of the constellation Vela (The Sail). Astronomers announced the discovery of HD 85512b in September 2011. The planet's estimated surface temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius

5. Gliese 581d, This world, which is about seven times as massive as Earth, orbits a bit farther out than its planetary sibling Gliese 581g. When 581d was first discovered, many scientists regarded it as too cold to be potentially habitable. In the years since, however, atmospheric-modeling studies have suggested that the planet may indeed be able to support life as we know it — provided 581d is warmed by a greenhouse effect.

So there you have it. It is exciting to me to know about all this discovery and space research that is taking place right now. What do you think? How do you feel about fining potential planets that could harbor life, even intelligent life, and maybe life as we know it.

Kaye

Catching Up On Space

A  burst of interesting space observations have come to light lately. So for the next several postings, I'd like to share a few things I've learned. One of  the discoveries that caught my attention as an author was those colorful sexy rogues. Who doesn't love a rogue anyway? The wandering bad boy hero who makes our heart speed up? Well, there is another type of rogue, and the astronomers can tell us all about it.   

'Orphan' Alien Planet Found Nearby Without Parent Star

Astronomers have discovered a potential "rogue" alien planet wandering alone just 100 light-years from Earth, suggesting that such starless worlds may be extremely common across the galaxy.

The free-floating object, called CFBDSIR2149, is likely a gas giant planet four to seven times more  massive than Jupiter, scientists say in a new study. The planet cruises unbound through space relatively close to Earth (in astronomical terms the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light-years wide), perhaps after being booted from its own solar system

How cool is that? I think it's fantastic! I'm sure that rogue planet is an extremely frigid place. I have a bluish icy planet story in my future so this is exciting news to me. 

If the space exploration subject is interesting to you as well, stop back by for my next post. It has to do with a subject that leaves many of us wondering  about... 

 Habitable Alien Planets

Kaye

Lost In Space Junk?

Oh boy, it has been a long time. Sorry I left you stranded in the dust, or debris or in that space junk wormhole maybe?

Honestly I didn't realize It was that long since I connected here. But alas, its been a forever. And so much can happen with writer buddies in a forever span. It seems strange that I was away for that long. 

The other day I told a friend that it was like I transported through a wormhole of space junk to another galaxy and onto a faraway planet where I lost all communication skill. It seems that way. I know, because I haven't been writing or connecting much at all. 

I really do want to get back to blogging and other things as well --  like writing and communing with old friends. I didn't intend to be gone so long but circumstances took a hard toll on my writing and other areas of life too. Okay, so enough of that. I want to be around more often. And I promise to make a big effort to do so.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of my life. And for all the stuff I've missed -- Congratulations to all of you who have continued to produce, promote and publish those stellar works of art. 

Maybe I can do a bit more writing too.

Kaye

WELCOME PIPPA JAY

My special guest today is the superbly gifted author Pippa Jay. She and I not only share a love  of all things Science Fiction Romance, but we both love Medieval history as well. Pippa is here to talk about her ideas on mixing SFR and Medieval. And she is also introducing her wonderful new book, Keir which released at Lyrical Press on May 7^th. In Keir, Pippa blends both of these genres in an intriguing way. You won’t want to miss reading this book!   

Science Fiction Romance with a Medieval Twist

I LOVE the medieval period. One of my earliest memories of reading is of an old and battered book translated from Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory. With stories such as the legend of King Arthur and Robin Hood being a big part of my early reading, and a love of castles, and films like  A Knight’s Tale and the recent BBC retelling of the Arthurian legend in Merlin, perhaps it’s not so surprising that an element of the medieval has snuck into my science fiction story.

But I’m not a historian or an expert on the era. It’s something I’d like to study when time and money are available. However, I did want an element of realism in my story, something more concrete from that time period to give depth to my version. The first major step had to be the palace of Adalucien - Keir’s birthplace and his eventual prison. I searched the internet for images that fitted with my original concept of the castle and found the best match in Italian Gothic.

Not only did it have the right outward appearance and basic layout, but I loved the descriptions of the plastered and decorated interiors which subsequently found their way into the bedchamber of a key character. I drew a (very) rough floor plan so I’d know what each character could see if they stood at a certain point…and where they’d be running if they had to!

Researching the castle took me into the structure of Italian medieval society, and so the ruling Matriarch of Adalucien was born. Catholicism and the Spanish Inquisition led me to the night of torture that Keir suffered as a child, and left him ashamed to show his face to anyone. So much of the early part of the story was influenced simply by the hunt for the perfect castle that I wonder what might have happened if I’d gone for a completely different style…

So, to find out more about how I’ve blended medieval elements into a science fiction romance, just comment below (with your email address) to win an ebook copy of Keir, and tell me your favourite historical era. You can also stop by the other blogs on the tour by checking them out Here and there’s also a special prize up for grabs on my blog Here to celebrate Keir’s release on the 7th May, available internationally. All prizes will be drawn after midnight BST (in the UK) on the 14th May. But if you can’t wait until then to find out if you’ve won, all new titles at Lyrical Press Inc are 30% off for the first week after release.

Keir - a science-fiction romance available 7th May 2012 from Lyrical Press Inc: 

Kier Blurb:

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?

Kier Book Trailer:

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 18 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:

Pippa's Blogsite

Twitter:  @pippajaygreen

Facebook:  Keir- Beyond Redemption (book page)

                    Pippa Jay (profile)

Pippa on Goodreads

Welcome Vijaya Schartz

My guest today is prolific author Vijaya Schartz. She’s here to share her fascinating perspective on the blending of science fiction and medieval in the same story. She also shares blurbs from several of her books. Her series Chronicles of Kassouk, released from Desert Breeze Publishing, sound absolutely fabulous. So read on. When you finish, leave a comment about what you think of the interesting idea Vijaya presents here. Since I’m also working on a series that blends SF and medieval I am truly captivated by this author. Thanks for guest blogging with me Vijaya.

Why science fiction authors also write medieval novels

As an author, I write romance in futuristic and medieval settings, and sometimes, I mix both into the same series, like in the Chronicles of Kassouk, where I pit a medieval society against an advanced technological race. And contrary to modern logic, medieval humans are smart, very resourceful and full of surprises... enough to outdo their betters. Everyone enjoys seeing the oppressed win in the end.

A number of new authors are now also writing medieval as well as science fiction novels, but this is not a new phenomenon. Marion Zimmer Bradley in the eighties and nineties wrote in both science fiction and medieval genres with her Mists of Avalon (Arthurian legends) series and her Darkover (speculative fiction) series, and she met with great success in both genres. Most of her readers did cross over the genres to read all her books.

Writing the past or the future is not so far apart. Research is still research. For the future, instead of researching historical facts, you research modern science in order to project where the next logical evolutionary step will lead, and what kind of future society it will likely engender. Creating an unfamiliar world and making it real to the reader, whether in the past or in the future, requires the same skills, the same kind of imagination that projects into a world with different sets of rules, a different political climate, different dress codes, eating habits, different laws and ethics, different religious beliefs, different taboos, etc.

The only thing that doesn’t change through the ages is people. Although we would like to believe that we evolved over the last millennia, we really haven’t. Despite our fancy laws, we still have serial killers and terrorists. Given the opportunity, any human being will behave in the same noble or despicable manner now as he or she would have centuries ago. And in the future, it will probably still be the case. Of course, in the future there also might be robots, cyborgs, and clones which might operate under a different set of rules. But is that so different from the rules controlling the slaves of ancient times?

The struggle for justice, however, like the need for love and freedom, are timeless and constant themes that keep repeating in the past, the present, and will most likely endure in the future. Because these needs are inherent to human nature.

In conclusion, whether a writer tackles the past or the future, what carries a story, beyond the action, adventure and plot, is human emotion.

CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK SERIES:

Set in a world where a human transport crashed centuries ago, the Chronicles of Kassouk relate the evolution of a human community kept at a level of medieval development to serve a technologically advanced race. Constantly battling to regain their rights, the human population struggles for freedom.

NOAH’S ARK - A Prequel

When Trixie's starfreighter, Noah's Ark, drops out of jump space in an uncharted part of the universe, she believes the M-class planet on her viewer represents hope and salvation for her motley crew and the ragtag settlers aboard her ship.

Kostas, ex Space Marine, the expert survivalist recruited for this expedition, doesn't believe in coincidences, and knows that when something looks too good to be true...

Everyone, on this voyage to seed a new planet, is fleeing something, and harbors dangerous secrets... including Trixie, who vowed to never let a man control her life again. As for Kostas, he would get lynched on the spot if anyone suspected who he really is.

But on this seemingly abandoned planet, others are watching, herding them for evil purposes... and when the truth emerges and secrets unravel, Trixie and Kostas will have to fight for survival, for freedom, and for the right to love...

WHITE TIGER - Book One (award-winning novel)

On the frozen plains of Kassouk, where a few aliens rule a medieval Human world, Tora, Human warrior trained by tigers, seeks her father’s murderer. But what she finds at the point of her sword confuses her. How dare Dragomir, the handsome Mutant, question her bloodline and her loyalties? And could a new enemy control the savage hordes of the fringe?

Dragomir offers to help, but Humans and Mutants are forbidden to fraternize under penalty of death... Should Tora trust her mind, her instincts, or her heart?

In the vortex of war, treason and intrigue, among blizzards, avalanches and ambushes, will Tora solve the mystery of her father’s death and unveil the secret of her birth? Can she and Dragomir escape persecutions long enough to save their planet from the invaders and fulfill their destiny?

REVIEWS for WHITE TIGER:

"...an exceptional tale that belongs in a place of honor on keeper shelves everywhere." Johnna Flores - Coffee Time Romance - 5-cups rating

"...this is one futuristic that you do not want to miss!" Naomi - Fallen Angels Reviews - 5 angels - Recommended Read

"...kept me enthralled from the first page...a thrilling science fiction romance" Marlene Breakfield, Paranormal Romance Reviews

CURSE OF THE LOST ISLE SERIES:

From history shrouded in myths, emerges a family of immortal Celtic Ladies, who roam the medieval world in search of salvation from a curse. For centuries, imbued with hereditary gifts, they hide their deadly secret, stirring passions in their wake as they fight the Viking hordes, send the first knights to the Holy Land, give birth to kings and emperors... but if the Church ever suspects what they really are, they will be hunted, tortured, and burned at the stake.

PRINCESS OF BRETAGNE - Curse of the Lost Isle Book One

806 AD - Alba (Ancient Scotland) - As the Vikings raid the coast of Alba, Pressine of Bretagne sets out to seduce King Elinas of Dumfries, chosen by the Goddess to unite the tribes against the foreign invader. Elinas, still mourning his departed queen, has no intention to remarry. Head-strong and independent, Pressine does not expect to fall for the very attractive, wise and noble ruler... Furthermore, her Pagan nature clashes with the religious fanaticism of the king’s Christian heir, who suspects her unholy ancestry and will stop at nothing to get rid of her.

Find more of Vijaya Schartz' stories by following the links below:

Vijaya Schartz ~ Blasters, Guns, Swords, Romance with a kick 

 Vijaya's books at Amazon

 Vijaya's eBooks at ARe

 Vijaya's books at Nook

 Vijaya's books at Smashwords

Welcome Emma Lai

I’m so glad to welcome author Emma Lai as my guest today. I met Emma a few years ago and love her highly characterized style and intriguing plots. She’s here to talk about His Capture, Her Rescue, the third book in the Mates of the Guardians series which released April 11th from The Wild Rose Press. For those who like a good paranormal with futuristic SFR/aspects this series is a must read.

I’m excited because His Capture, Her Rescue the third book in the Mates of the Guardians series released Wednesday, April 11 from The Wild Rose Press.

Blurb:

Masquerading as an American, Eallair, a Guardian Steward from another world, is searching Victorian England for the kidnapped mate of a fellow Guardian. When he meets Miss Harriet Cartwright, he knows her for the spirited, intelligent mate he has longed to find.

Since the death of their parents, Harriet has used her intelligence and sharp tongue to guard her sister from fortune hunters, but now that Prudence is close to choosing a husband, Harriet can consider her own future—one hopefully filled with adventure. When she meets Eallair, an American rancher who likes to travel and isn’t put off by her outspokenness, she is intrigued.

But before Harriet and Eallair can explore their attraction, she and her sister are kidnapped. While Eallair scours the countryside for them, Harriet discovers Eallair’s off-world origins. Now she must decide: just how much adventure does she want in her future?

Excerpt:

Harriet squinted at the unknown man towering over her. The sun behind him deepened the shadows of an angular face. Hollows carved the area beneath prominent cheeks, and a sharp jawline led to a pointed chin. Where some men might have chosen to sport a beard to relieve the harshness, he did not. His lips were rather full and his nose a tad crooked, as if broken and never properly reset. Focusing on each individual feature, he was rather unattractive, but coupled with strange tawny eyes and golden hair, he was arresting, an American mountain lion among English lapdogs.

Her heart leaped though she told it he was probably seeking permission to speak with her sister. She sighed. After all, it was the usual reason strange men approached her.

He bowed. “Miss Cartwright, might I have the pleasure of your company for a stroll in the gardens?”

Her pulse raced at his accent—an American mountain lion in truth. If he was looking for an introduction to Prudence, surely he wouldn’t want to stroll in the gardens?

Her eyes narrowed. But, why would he be interested in her? Every other man of her acquaintance considered her difficult to manage at best, a termagant at worst. Perhaps he was another American in need of an heiress? She sniffed. She hated fortune hunters.

Sir, you are unknown to me.” Sudden silence descended, even the birds ceased singing, but she refused to apologize for the bite of disdain in her voice. What do I care what a stranger thinks?

Readers can find out more about the series and me at the following places:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

I’ll be giving away a copy of His Capture, Her Rescue to a commenter from today and at the end of the month will draw the winner of a $10 gift card to All Romance eBooks from all the people who have left comments on my Fool for Love blog spots as well as those who visit me at any of my guest spots for His Capture, Her Rescue release (see my blog for the full list of places I’m at.)

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Other books in the series.