Edward Hoornaert's Blog, page 89
March 24, 2013
Rites of Spring Winners
(Cue background music)
(The primal rhythms of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring pound from my speakers)
Oregon Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Anne Mueller and Company Artist Lucas Threefoot in The Rite of Spring.
Thanks to all the kind folks who dropped by during the Rites of Spring Blog hop. Your copies of The Midas Rush are either on their way to you, or will be soon.
It is, obviously, difficult to top The Midas Rush as a wonderful prize. 
However, the winners of the Grand Prize draws have also been announced. Here they are:
1st Place: Kindle Fire
Entry #4 – Karl
2nd Place: $50 Amazon gift certificate
Entry #187 – Chum B.
My special thanks to the organizers of the Hop, authors Jessica Subject and Heather Long!
Quotations about Winning
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
- Michael Jordan
Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?
Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.
Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
Winners never quit, and quitters never win.
- all by Vince Lombardi (the man must have been a tad competitive)
Do you have any quotes to add to this list?
March 19, 2013
Rites of Spring blog hop
First Times are the Best Times
Starting March 20, 2013, visit participating authors and bloggers to learn more about current titles and upcoming releases, and for your chance to WIN print books, ebooks, gift certificates, book swag–or one of two awesome Grand Prizes, including a Kindle Fire!
To enter the contest, just post a comment with your e-mail address about one of your first times. Every commenter gets a free ebook copy of Mr. Valentine’s newest science fiction romance, The Midas Rush.
But that’s not all. For more information, see the ‘Prizes, Prizes, Prizes’ section at the end of this article.
The Midas Rush
Rites of Spring is all about first times: first kisses, first intimacy, etc. The following selection from The Midas Rush is about an important first time for two of the main characters:
Tresky
This young, naive shepherd of the Gasparre tribe becomes the first human on the planet Jones turned into a mind reader by inscrutable but powerful aliens. Oh yeah, he also saves everyone on the planet.
Griganna
A world-weary policewoman, Griganna has led the fight that Tresky wins. Now she, too, has become a mind reader.
How does reading minds affect their delicate first time? Read on to find out!
“About that little problem of yours. I want to take care of it for you.”
“Problem?” Tresky frowned innocently, even though he glimpsed in her mind part of what she was going to say. “What problem?”
Griganna glanced around, then leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Your virginity.”
Tresky grinned, but then shook his head. “I’m still a Gasparre. A one-woman man forever. No brief affairs.”
“Oh. I … I’m sorry.” She turned away, though only for a moment. Her mouth rounded in disappointment, but her eyes burned with determination. “Surely you’re allowed a night’s happiness. Just one night, Tresky. Please!”
“Being Gasparre…” He swallowed dusty saliva, suddenly shy. “Being Gasparre means that when … if … we sleep together … after a suitable wait, of course … that we’ll have to—”
“I accept!” She threw herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She felt as light as a stubwing’s feather. As light as love everlasting.
But Tresky heaved a melodramatic sigh. “Does mind reading mean no man will get to finish a marriage proposal, ever again?”
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes!”
To purchase The Midas Rush
The Midas Rush is available wherever fine ebooks are sold. Here are a couple of links:
Amazon or
Smashwords
Reviews are wildly appreciated. In this era of online word-of-mouth, they’re the lifeblood of an author’s existence!
Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!
Over 75 authors have giveaways and posts about important first times in their books. Everyone who posts a comment below wins a free ebook copy of The Midas Rush.
But that’s not all. We have TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and enter to WIN multiple prizes. Yep, you can WIN up to 75 times!
Now what are those grand prizes in the Rafflecopter giveaway?
1st Place: Kindle Fire
2nd Place: $50 Amazon gift certificate
Worth entering, eh? So post your comment now, and then click the icon below to visit other blogs and enter again!
March 15, 2013
Lunch with David Brin
At various times in my life, I’ve had occasion to deal with people famous in their fields, either writers or musicians, and I’ve been struck by how down-to-earth, helpful, and friendly they are. They’re the sort of people, interesting and interested, whom you want to know better.
Science fiction author David Brin
I’ve written elsewhere in this blog about the writer who inspired my Mr. Valentine nickname–Vicki Lewis Thompson, the author of a gazillion romance novels, many of which have made the NY times bestsellers list. In science fiction, Robert J. Sawyer and Connie Willis are both fascinating non-prima donnas. And now I’ll add another SF writer: David Brin.
TFOB
David attended the recent Tucson Festival of Books. When he was done signing books, I went up to introduce myself and, on learning I was a science fiction writer and a fellow member of SFWA, he invited me to join him for lunch.
During lunch (we both had Greek food), we chatted about the importance of having fans read his work and provide feedback before publication. He has up to 50 pre-readers for his novels.
And then, instead of talking about his recent release, Existence, he asked numerous questions about my new release, The Midas Rush. A true gentleman. Thank you, David.
About David Brin
David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. For more information, see his website, Worlds of David Brin.
March 10, 2013
Tucson Festival of Books
Mr. Valentine at TFOB
Mr. Valentine was busy this last weekend at the Tucson Festival of Books, a mammoth event that combines a writer’s conference complete with workshops, a multitude of readers-meet-author events, and general festivities for all the family.
Last year, over 100,000 people attended the festival—more than 10% of Tucson’s population! Who says people don’t read these days?
I’m exhausted after traipsing around all day in the hot sun, so this may be a short post—and if it ends with a bunch of gobbbledegook, that’s my forehead hitting the keyboard.
I met scads of friendly authors, including the members of a panel consisting of male romance writers. Perhaps more pertinent to the main content of this website, I also was on a great panel about futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal romance entitled It’s Not All Death, Demons, and Destruction. Also on the panel:
Jennifer Greene also writes as Christine Cody and Crystal Green. She is the author of the dark fantasy/postapocalyptic supernatural Western series Bloodlands. She also writes the urban fantasy Vampire Babylon series and romances
Nancy Holder is the New York Times best-selling co-author of “Wicked,” “Crusade” and the Wolf Springs Chronicle series, and the author of “Teen Wolf On Fire” and “Buffy: The Making of a Slayer.”
Gini Koch is the author of the Alien series, which includes “Touched by an Alien,” “Alien Tango,” “Alien in the Family” and “Alien Proliferation
I met even greater scads of great readers. If any of you are out there, here’s a quick “Glad to have met you!”
All in all, TFOB (as it’s known to people who get tired of mouthing that whole thing, is a great family event. What are some of your favorite book-related gatherings?
I had lunch on Sunday with David Brin, a science-fiction legend, so this was one of my favorites. That lunch is worthy of a separate post, however, which I’ll get to in the next couple of days … hopefully before Wednesday, when I jet off to Toronto to visit family.
Family: that was such a big part of TFOB. If you didn’t attend this year, you really ought to … ought to try to … to … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
March 1, 2013
The SFR Brigade Presents III
The Science Fiction Romance Brigade presents… a collection of cool SFR snippets! Check out some favorite or new-to-you authors!
The Midas Rush
Today’s selection is from The Midas Rush, my upcoming science fiction novel with romantic elements. Two of the four main characters have been assigned to work together: MacKay Rullitch of the Interworld Security Force, and Griganna Hannu, a policewoman on the planet Jones.
Major Rullitch heaved an impatient sigh. “The other five colony planets remained civilized, but here on Jones you’ve been in a Dark Age since the first generation. You don’t care about aliens transformed into gold, and they’re a miracle. You don’t investigate, don’t dream.” The Offworlder policeman tipped the beer bottle to his lips, but it was empty. He tossed it to the floor, where it rolled until stopping against a table leg. “Golden miracles, but you people don’t care.”
His eyes, puffy and red, glistened in the electric light. Griganna leaned forward, hand outstretched. “Is everything all right, Major? Have you been crying?”
Mistake, mistake! Rullitch turned toward her, scowling. ”I’ve been ordered to investigate safety conditions for tourists,” he snarled. “You’re to escort me on the first caravan to the Midas Crater. Or is that too much for you to handle?”
Availability of The Midas Rush
The The Midas Rush will be available on Amazon.com on March 9 to coincide with the annual Tucson Festival of Books, one of the largest book festivals in the United States. Last year over 100,000 people and 450 authors attended. Mr. Valentine will be speaking on a couple of panels and also autographing books. I hope to see some of you there!
February 28, 2013
Cover Reveal for The Midas Rush
The Midas Rush is science fiction with strong romantic elements–it starts on a wedding night and ends with a marriage proposal. In between, all sorts of weird and threatening adventures befall our naive young hero, Tresky Buffrum. All Tresky wants is a taste of adventure before settling down to quiet life of a shepherd on the planet Jones. What he gets is quite different:
Marriage to an inscrutable young beauty who insists on remaining a virgin
A ancient village of autochthonous aliens miraculously turned to gold
A caravan journey across almost trackless reaches of an alien desert to reach the Midas crater
A mad policeman-turned-murderer stalking the caravan
A gallant but pessimistic policewoman who comes to appreciate Tresky’s true worth
Mute, mindreading aliens who treat humans as a form of reality television … and who are considering ‘cancelling’ the show and every human alive
And the only one who can save the humans on Jones is that unlikely hero, Tresky Buffrum
Click here to read a sample of The Midas Rush.
About the Cover
In designing the cover, I wanted to build on the brand I established for The Trial of Tompa Lee–a space background, a short blurb, and a large, eye-catching central image. I chose the Sistine Chapel (how highfalutin can you get?), but instead of God’s arm stretching toward Adam to infuse him with life, it’s the arm of a golden alien.
I wanted a dynamic, well integrated image, so I used slanted text for the author and title to produce a tight, triangular composition that didn’t lead the eye off the image.
And here is the complete, final cover.
Availability of The Midas Rush
The The Midas Rush will be available on Amazon.com on March 9 to coincide with the annual Tucson Festival of Books, one of the largest book festivals in the country. Last year over 100,000 people and 450 authors attended. Mr. Valentine will be speaking on a couple of panels and also autographing books. See you there!
February 15, 2013
The SFR Brigade Presents II
Time for another SFR Brigade Presents snippet of the week! Here’s a brief section from the opening of my short story, Devil, Devil
, that includes strong elements of romance in a classic time travel adventure. So abandon all sanity, ye who enter here–for Devil, Devil is a tale told by a madman!
Devil, devil. I used to be a devil. That was my job, my calling, my pride.
Of course, no one thought of me as a devil, but as a Voice. I’m the only one — my secret! — who knows the difference. Devil, not Voice.
Why am I no longer one of the chosen few, the heroic time travellers, the Voices? I’ll tell you. Brought low by a woman. Oldest story in the world. Adam and Eve. Samson and Delilah.
Me and Laila.
Oh, Laila. My beloved Laila, who doesn’t even know I exist.
(Told you this snippet was short!)
About Devil, Devil
Devil, Devil was published a decade ago in On Spec, the Canadian Science Fiction magazine. Can you pick out the Canadian/British spelling in the excerpt above? Is a rather subtle difference from U.S. spelling, but it’s there.
Tell me your guess in the comments section, and I’ll tell you if you’re right. The first person to get it right wins (trumpet fanfare ) … an enlarged, signed hardcopy picture of Mr. Valentine drinking from his old “Kiss Me I’m Canadian” mug.
Or, if the very thought of owning such a picture is so overwhelming that you fear your heart might stop (From delight or horror? Hmm) you can have my undying admiration, instead.
What does The SFR Brigade Presents mean?
That’s a two-part answer:
The SFR Brigade is a world-wide, online community of science fiction romance authors, and Mr. Valentine is a proud member. Other members include Catherine Asaro, Eva Caye, Imogene Nix, Isabo Kelly, Jessica Subject, Linnea Sinclair, Lyla Bardan, and Sarah Shade. When you’re browsing for a good science fiction romance, check it out on the web or on Facebook.
The Presents part deals with a blog hop a bunch of us are taking part in by posting brief snippets from either a published work or a work in progress. Be sure to check out other writers’ snippets!
February 8, 2013
James DePreist and Fourth Place
Who was James DePreist and what does he have to do with science fiction or romance? The second question is easier, so I’ll answer it first.
Nothing. (Although as a writer, I find the ‘e before i’ in his name fascinating.)
James DePreist was one of the first Black conductors of a major symphony orchestra, and Mr. Valentine is an orchestral musician as well as a writer. Even though DePreist made his musical reputation in Portland, at the end he lived here in Arizona, up north in Scottsdale. Put this together, and he’s close enough to my heart to warrant a fond farewell.
Conducting an orchestra made up of 50 to 100 huge egos is no easy task. The intelligence required to keep all the musical threads in exactly the proper balance is … well, simply prodigious. It’s quite hard enough, thank you, to perform my oboe parts, count rests so I come in at the right place, and handle rhythms that can be quite tricky. But that’s just one instrument in a large orchestra, and conductors like DePreist have to know what ALL the instruments are doing. It requires more than a touch of genius.
Go with God, Jimmy; you touched a lot of us. (You can read about Mr. DePreist’s illustrious career in The Washington Post’s obituary.)
Did any of you have the honor of seeing him conduct in person, or hear any of his many recordings?
Alien Contact for Idiots Wins Fourth
What the heck color ribbon do you get for finishing fourth?
Transparent, I think. As in none.
However, fourth place is still an honor, considering that umpteen paranormal romances (which SFR is lumped into) were submitted to the Golden Gateway writing contest sponsored by the From the Heart Romance Writers. Only five manuscripts were chosen as finalists, including Mr. Valentine’s Alien Contact for Idiots.
Note that this book isn’t yet available, despite the logo at right saying ‘Published Division.’ That refers to the fact that Mr. Valentine has published several other books.
I think we need a better color for fourth place ribbons. Any suggestions?
Read more about Alien Contact for Idiots, and about the upcoming release, The Midas Rush.
February 1, 2013
The SFR Brigade Presents
What the heck does ”The SFR Brigade Presents” mean?
There’s a two-part answer:
The SFR Brigade is a world-wide, online community of science fiction romance authors, and Mr. Valentine is a proud member. Other members include Catherine Asaro, Eva Caye, Imogene Nix, Isabo Kelly, Jessica Subject, Linnea Sinclair, Lyla Bardan, and Sarah Shade. When you’re browsing for a good science fiction romance, check it out on the web or on Facebook.
The Presents part deals with a blog hop a bunch of us are taking part in by posting brief snippets from either a published work or a work in progress. Be sure to check out other writers’ snippets!
Snippet from The Midas Rush
Without further ado, here is a snippet from The Midas Rush, my upcoming science fiction novel with romantic elements. Poor Tresky, a hick from the sticks of the planet Jones, has gone to the big city and found himself a wife, Ebbril, who married him only for his money. As you can read below, the marriage ain’t going so well:
“Tresky, no.”
“But Ebbril–”
“Keep your hands to yourself and go to sleep.”
“But we’ve been married two days already!”
“There’s only a curtain between us and the hall. Everyone in the Happy Louse would gather
around to listen. Maybe they’d pull back the curtain to watch. Are you trying to
humiliate me? Don’t you respect me at all?”
“Of course, but–”
“Then good night, Tresky. No, I mean it! Turn around and go to sleep.”
“Tomorrow, then? We have a whole day before the caravan leaves.”
“We’ll be busy packing and getting ready.”
“When, Ebbril?”
Tresky waited, but she didn’t answer. Blood hammered in his temples, yet his mood
softened as he looked at her. Dim light filtered through the curtain and muffled her face
in muted beauty. Straw surrounded her and clung to the coarse blanket pulled to her
neck–yet she was perfect.
He had to look away before lust overwhelmed innocent delight. After a long silence filled
by muted shouts and laughter from the barroom, he sighed and rolled away from her.
“I won’t be able to sleep,” he complained.
Ebbril was awake; she must have heard; but she said nothing.
——————————————————–
The Midas Rush will be available from Amazon later in February. For more information, see The Midas Rush – Excerpt.
And remember-check out more excerpts from the SFR Brigade!
January 26, 2013
Science Fiction Jokes, part 2
And today, just what you’ve been waiting for–more nerdy sci-fi humor. Like last time, let’s start with some groaners:
Why is an astronaut like a quarterback? They both want touchdowns.
Martian 1: Garble schnarff werbble schnip?
Martian 2: Bettettechnip.
Venusian Tourist: Bettettechnip? Dargle pufpuf Betenschdidd!
All: *Laughter*
Next, the obligatory science fiction writer joke:
How many science fiction writers does it take to change a light bulb?
Two, but it’s actually the same person doing it. He went back in time and met himself in the doorway and then the first one sat on the other one’s shoulder so that they were able to reach it. Then a major time paradox occurred and the entire room, light bulb, changer and all was blown out of existence
Jokes for the science-minded nerds amongst us:
Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar.
One says, “I think I lost an electron!”
The other asks, “Are you sure?”
The first replies, “Yes, I’m positive.”
Heisenberg was speeding down the highway before a police officer pulled him over and
asked, “Do you know how fast you were going?”
Heisenberg replied, “No, but I know exactly where I am!”
Several cartoonists have a great sense of science fiction humor. One that I particularly like is T. McCracken’s McHumor.com. Here are a couple of his beauties, just to give you a taste–starting with what is perhaps my all-time favorite science fiction cartoon. Goes to show what strange tastes I have, eh?
========================
For men only beyond this point. All earthlings of the female persuasion, please stop reading now. You’ve been warned!
Some science fiction pick-up lines–some of which are guaranteed to elicit a slap in the
face, or perhaps a kick to an even more painful place:
I’ve been told I have the cool sexual prowess of a Romulan.
“Urkuk lu Stalga.” That’s Klingon for “I love you baby.”
Once you make love to a man with Vulcan ears on you never go back.
Nice buns, Princess! On your head, that is.
Not only can I beam you aboard, I can beam you a woody.
Someone must have shot you with a phaser set on ‘stunning’.
Tell me of this thing you humans call (pause) love.
Forgive my Kirk-like boldness, but you wanna go back to my mom’s place and watch ‘Dr. Who’?
Earth woman, prepare to be probed!
