C.L. Wilson's Blog, page 14

Auction for a Great Cause

Mark your calendars!  It soon will be that time of year again – time for the Brenda Novak online auction for Diabetes Research!  This fabulous auction, widely supported by romance readers and authors, raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for diabetes research.

I participated for the first time ever last year with the C.L. Wilson Gift of Magic basket, and I'm participating again with a new C.L. Wilson Gift of Magic Basket.

This year's basket of magical and romantic delights contains

A complete, autographed set of C.L. Wilson's the NY Times Bestselling Tairen Soul series, including LORD OF THE FADING LANDS, LADY OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS, KING OF SWORD AND SKY, QUEEN OF SONG AND SOULS and CROWN OF CRYSTAL FLAME.
A Fading Lands T-shirt
A Steli-Chakai coffee cup
Three 8×10 full-color prints from wildlife artist Heather Carr's Tairen Soul inspired paintings
A shei'tanitsa bond plaque
A selection of magical treasures and trinkets guaranteed to make you smile. 

This is just one among hundreds of fabulous items, vacation packages, and more being auctioned off to support this great cause.

Mark your calendar – the Auction begins May 1st.

C.L. Wilson Welcomes Guest Blogger, Sci-Fi Romance author Lisa Paitz Spindler

Please join me in welcoming my friend and fellow author, Lisa Paitz Spindler, to the blog today.  Lisa is celebrating the release of her debut novella, THE SPIRAL PATH, a fabulous science-fiction romance ebook original available from Carina Press.
Recapturing A Sense of Wonder
I used to watch Star Trek with my grandma. An avid reader, if she were living today I think she would have loved genre

C.L. Wilson Welcomes Guest Blogger, Sci-Fi Romance author Lisa Paitz Spindler

Please join me in welcoming my friend and fellow author, Lisa Paitz Spindler, to the blog today.  Lisa is celebrating the release of her debut novella, THE SPIRAL PATH, a fabulous science-fiction romance ebook original available from Carina Press.

Recapturing A Sense of Wonder

I used to watch Star Trek with my grandma. An avid reader, if she were living today I think she would have loved genre fiction of all stripes.

I also remember watching the original Star Trek series with my dad. "Oh, I remember this one," he'd say — and I would be amazed that he could recall every single episode. We watched the show in re-runs, so of course he'd already seen all seventy-nine episodes when they had originally aired, but my ten-year-old self couldn't fathom remembering all of that information.

I vividly remember watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos series – of the "billions and billions" fame — and being fascinated with a world beyond the night sky that we were only beginning to understand. Then I read Isaac Asimov's Foundation series with my mom. Later I discovered Arthur C. Clarke, a man well known for his quote: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I was hooked.

All of these experiences (and more: Star Wars, Blade Runner, the list goes on) infused in me that "sense of wonder" science fiction readers crave. The universe was vast and wonderful and I devoured stories offering some explanation of that. When I sat down to write THE SPIRAL PATH, I wanted to create a story that captured those early and treasured experiences. I wanted to share that "sense of wonder." Of course, my favorite science fiction stories also offer some romance. Who can forget Star Wars' Princess Leia and Han Solo? The Terminator's Sarah Connor and Kyle Reece? The Matrix's Trinity and Neo?

THE SPIRAL PATH, however, twists the usual idea of space opera, where enormous spaceships travel faster than light across the vast distances of space. Instead, this story explores not planets in far off galaxies, but the possible worlds just under our noses — so close to us that our universes are separated by fractions of millimeters. In other words, parallel universes.

Scientists in my fictional world soon realized that people and objects didn't fare so well in the opposite dimension. In fact, after a short time, objects and even people began to fall apart. Turns out, at the Big Bang every dimension vibrated at its own frequency and never the twain shall meet. In the meantime, some travelers had developed relationships. Some had even conceived children.

This is the world Lara and Raphael Soto were born into, rare live births and even rarer twins. Children like them, called Chimerans, could live in both dimensions, but not their parents. So they grew up in fractured families, something many of us today — in our living rooms right here on planet Earth — can relate to.

Lara grew up and fell in love not with another Chimeran, but with a Star Union officer named Mitch Yoshida. Neither dimension knows just what to make of the Chimerans, but both also want to use them to their own advantage. The situation turned sour enough to force a mass Chimeran defection with Lara at the helm, but she had to leave Mitch behind. Not all Chimerans defected, however, and Raphael stayed on to serve with Mitch in the Star Union. When he goes missing on a dangerous mission, Lara and Mitch must team up to find him and dredge up their feelings for one another all over again.

If you're new to science fiction romance, I hope THE SPIRAL PATH's other world draws you in with its "sense of wonder" and that the love story keeps you interested. We all want to be loved, whether we live on a mid-western farm at the turn of the century, solve crimes in a giant metropolis, or travel faster than light to start a colony on Mars – or even in another dimension.

What about you? What science fiction books, movies or TV have captured your attention? Who are some of your favorite couples from science fiction romance?

One lucky winner, chosen from today's commenters will receive a free download (Kindle, Nook, or epub version) of THE SPIRAL PATH.

Biography

Lisa Paitz Spindler is a science fiction author, web designer, blogger, and pop culture geek. Her debut space opera novella, THE SPIRAL PATH, was released March 28, 2011 from Carina Press. In addition to contributing book reviews and television recaps to SF Signal, she also maintains the Danger Gal Blog hosted by her alter ego, Danger Gal, whose stiletto heels are licensed weapons and whose ninja stars travel faster than light. Lisa, however, gets through each day on caffeine and science blogs. Lisa can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Buy THE SPIRAL PATH now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Carina Press

Crown of Crystal Flame Nominated for Best Fantasy Romance of 2010

I've just received word from the wonderful ladies at The Romance Reviews (TRR) that Crown of Crystal Flame has been nominated by TRR reviewers for Best in Fantasy Romance for 2010.

Although TRR's reviewers selected the nominees, readers will vote to choose the winner.

You can browse all the nominees in all categories and vote for your favorites here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/

Crown of Crystal Flame Nominated for Best Fantasy Romance of 2010

I've just received word from the wonderful ladies at The Romance Reviews (TRR) that Crown of Crystal Flame has been nominated by TRR reviewers for Best in Fantasy Romance for 2010.

Although TRR's reviewers selected the nominees, readers will vote to choose the winner.

You can browse all the nominees in all categories and vote for your favorites here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php

Only one winner will be chosen in each category.  Winners in all categories will be entered into a drawing for one of several TRR advertising packages.

Voting will end on March 31. Winners will be announced on April 2.

So please, take a moment to visit The Romance Reviews, check out this year's nominees and vote for your favorite reads of 2010!

Join CL Wilson and Marjorie Liu Dec 2 for a Virtual Signing

Join Avon authors and NY Times Bestsellers Marjorie Liu and C.L. Wilson this Thursday in a live-streaming "Virtual book signing" event (in person and online) from Joseph-Beth booksellers in Cincinnati, OH. Marjorie will be signing her newest Dirk & Steele release, In The Dark of Dreams, and C.L. will be signing the conclusion of her Tairen Soul series, Crown of Crystal Flame.
Both authors will

Adventures in Road Trips, Eating, and Anniversaries




Linnea Sinclair
 
I just got back from Traveling to Melbourne and Altamonte Springs, Florida for two book signings. 



Roxanne St. Claire
 
The first signing was held Friday Nov 5th, at the Barnes & Noble on W. New Haven, in West Melbourne, where I signed with Roxanne St. Claire, Linnea Sinclair, and Rachel Hauck to benefit the local libraries.



Rachel Hauck
 The second

Congrats to Christine Feehan, and Exclusive Deleted CL Wilson scenes

Congrats to my very dear friend Christine Feehan on the release of her trade paperback, SEA STORM, a compilation of two previously published Drake Sister stories (Magic in the Wind, and Oceans of Fire).   If you haven't already met the Drake sisters, I encourage you to give them a try!  Small town life in Sea Haven, a northern California community, is never dull!  And the Drake sisters are a

CL Wilson Countdown Day 26 and Grand Prize Winners

Thanks to everyone who came out this month to countdown the days to CROWN OF CRYSTAL FLAME's release. As I mentioned earlier, CROWN is the conclusion to a story that I have lived with, dreamed of, and been working on for more than a decade. Having so many of you come out to help me celebrate its release turned a milestone in my life into a truly special and wonderful event. So thank you. Thank

CL Wilson Countdown Day 25 and Week 4 Winners

The results for Day 25 and Week 4 of the C.L. Wilson CROWN OF CRYSTAL FLAME release countdown are as follows:

Riddle Solutions

Day 25 Riddle

Truthspoken by the Faering Mists

I saved the tairen at great risk
My truemate's death, greatest fear of all
A Song in the Dance, which Fey does call?


To see the answer to yesterday's riddle, highlight the white space below:

Ellysetta Baristani. AKA