Welcome to the Spectrum of Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, contest, and giveaway!
From March 8th to the 10th, you’ll have multiple opportunities to enjoy the wit, wisdom, and writing of a top-notch cadre of speculative fiction authors, including story engineers of everything from military science fiction, to fantasy, to science fiction horror, to science fantasy, and still more shining jewels that fit in the spaces between these genres. In other words, a cornucopia of speculative deliciousness for all palettes.
You’re probably asking yourself, isn’t all fiction, by definition, speculative? Oh dear readers, you are so right! That being said, I’ll merely comment that this group of writers has a coloring-outside-the-lines habit of speculating a bit more than some.
Who Are the Authors?
K. Scott Lewis ~ Inner Worlds Fiction
The Magical World of Peter Lukes
Isaac Hooke (my review of Isaac’s serial novel The Forever Gate – Part 1)
The Official Website of T.L. Smith
Falcon’s Fables, Nancy DiMauro
Martin Bolton and David Pilling
Clarissa Johal ~ Writing With Scissors
And, of course, yours truly |*salutes* | Tammy Salyer ~ Alternative Reality Engineer
What You’ll Get
My giveaway includes an ecopy of one of my three books, Contract of Defiance, its followup Contract of Betrayal, or a short story collection, On Hearts and Scorpions (winner’s choice). ALSO the winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card (to buy even MORE books).
How To Enter And Win
As mentioned in this recent blog post about Why I Write Science Fiction, one of my primary inspirations for writing SF has been the range of female characters in the media who you’d definitely want at your back in a knockdown dragout. I want to know, as SF&F readers and movie watchers, which women protagonists have really turned your knobs and why.
Leave a comment on this post by midnight March 10th and you’ll be entered to win. As a bonus, if you also share news of the blog hop with your social networking circles and let me know as part of your comment, you’ll be entered twice. And finally, if you sign up to follow my blog, you’ll be entered three times! The more entries you have, the better your chances.
All entries will be very non-scientifically tossed into a hat and the winner drawn at random on March 11th. I’ll announce the winner right here.
Happy reading and contest-entering all! Click here for another list of all participating authors.
I’m loving the idea of this contest and that the blog hop introduces me to other authors. I’ve also tweeted about this event/
Thanks for sharing, Kenya, and good luck in all the contests
hands down favorite female protagonist is lee-lu in the fifth element. her strength and vulnerability [and orange spandex mummy outfit] really made the character fun and believable. but more importantly, she was the savior of the human race, a strong, sexy, dystopian jesus-ina, if you will.
i tweeted the contest, too, but please don’t place my name in the hat for the drawing, as it will probably look bad if my son is the one picking from the hat, my manchester is keeping you warm at night and i win the contest.
I’ve read Contract of Defiance, Contract of Betrayal is on my to read list, and now you have the unmitigated GALL to introduce a plethora of yet MORE authors for me to read? Don’t you know that in addition to my love of reading speculative fiction, I have teenagers, a job and I like to run? Where am I going to find the time to work?
Problem solved with one brilliant stroke, Slang. Send your teenagers to work for you!
There’s no way this can possibly go wrong.
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Very cool idea here! I’m particularly fond of Buffy – she’s strong, she’s kickass, she quips and she’s vulnerable.
Absolutely agreed, Misty. Thanks for being part of the contest and good luck!
I know this one is pretty mainstream and all, but I love Starbuck from BSG SO MUCH. I love how she’s a total badass, but also wears her heart on her sleeve whether she’s pissed, happy, so sad, etc.
She totally rocks, Rosie. And what makes her even cooler is she’s from Portland! Thanks for sharing the contest
Kick-a** female heroes, you say? Sounds like AWESOME to me! I’d love to be in your contest. And I’m now *clicks Follow button* officially following your blog. Good luck with the contest!
Thanks, Michelle! Glad to have you, and good luck in the contests!
Very good. I think the contest idea is interesting. I appreciate such good writing.
Yisraela
Thanks for stopping by and I wish you the best of luck in finding some good reads
Retweeted hipster’s tweet. Hope it brings in some fresh faces.
Growing up, in speculative fiction, probably characters like the 3 Amanda Morgans, or maybe Darwi Odrade stand out. Currently, my favourite female book character in sci-fi/fantasy is probably Brangwen/Lyssa/Gweniver/Branoic(!)/Jill/Branna from the deverry epic, though I’m also hoping Lieutenant Murphy gets one of the swords someday soon.
But for media, how about the mysterious supergenius Clara Oswin Oswald. I can’t wait to find out her secrets this spring.
Cheers!
Thanks so much for the RT and for stopping by to share your picks, too. Good luck in the contests!
It is hard to narrow it down, but I could list three women that have greatly inspired me. Aeryn Sun from Farscape: quite frankly she is kick ass, an awesome pilot, great fighter, and eventually after many trials a loving wife and mother.
Samantha Carter from Stargate: brilliant, hot, and doesn’t take shit from anyone.
Zoe from Firefly: soldier, wife, second in command, and a damn good shot.
If and when I have a daughter I want to teach her to be like them.
A bunch of outstanding role models! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment and good luck in the contests
Hi Tammy, from fello blog hop hoster – just wanted to say love Aeryn in Farscape. She was a tough chick but also one you grew to love.
I have never seen Farscape. Can you believe it! Clearly, I need to fix that issue. Hope the hop has been fun, Eleni!
Yes, yes you do. Aeryn would be at home in the Spectras world.
Hmmm…do I see a future collaborative, cross-genre novel in the works.
Get thee to a DVD store now
Seriously, it’s a fun series but also embeds some serious issues into the episodes.
My favorite female protagonist in SF is Lilith Iyapo from Octavia Butler’s DAWN because she’s strong, adaptable, a good leader, and won’t allow anyone of any species to push her around. I also Tweeted this link.
Hi Anne, Absolutely! Octavia has written some pretty inspirational characters. Thanks for stopping in and good luck on the contests
I really enjoy thinking about your question of a strong female protagonist. I don’t think I have the best answer, but Margaritte from Robert Heinlein’s Job: A Comedy of Justice comes to mind. She is calm, cool, and collected all the way through, even when they are both sent to Hell (which turns out to be Texas).
Ooh, I haven’t read that one. Thanks for the comment and good luck in the contests, Wabbit
Great blog hop, Tammy! I already have your books (yep, I’m a fan) so exempt me from the giveaway so someone else can get the books and BECOME a fan – I love the Spectras Arise books – Aly kicks some serious butt.
hehe
Thanks, Susan!
Definitely Buffy – I’m rewatching at the moment. Loads of Doctor Who characters, but my favourites are Leela, the most kick-ass one from the 70s, and Ace, who attacked a Dalek with a baseball bat and lived to tell the tale.
Cool, Nyki! Glad you stopped by
Hope you’re having fun with the hop!
Ooh, some excellent choices in the comments so far. I love a good, strong female protagonist! Sam Carter from SG1, Buffy, Xena of course, and Zoe from Firefly are also among my favorites. And I saw a mention of Leeloo from Fifth Element, which makes me oh so happy (adore that movie!). <3 Sigourney Weaver in Aliens is another favorite. And any role ever that Michelle Rodriguez plays. Fiction wise, my current favorite might be Brienne in Game of Thrones. Not sci-fi, but hey, still awesome.
Love the blog hop, and your books sound very intriguing! I tweeted about the blog hop.
We are SO on the same page, Laura. Michelle Rodriguez is an incredible ass kicker, not to mention has the best snarl on a chick in flicks. Thanks for spreading the word and good luck in the contests
Followed, tweeted about it. Starbucks from BSG and Sam Carter from SG1 are currently influencing how I write my main female character in my first novel.
Hi Wayfarer. Starbuck is a truly popular heroine and I’ve always been a fan of hers to. Thanks for stopping by and helping to spread the word about the hop, and good luck in the contests!
Thank for the chance to win! I’m a big fan of the Alien movies and love watching Sigourney Weaver as the lead – she can kick some butt!
kacidesigns AT yahoo DOT com
Fantastic! Thanks for stopping by, Kaci, and good luck in the contests!
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