Carol Van Natta's Blog, page 27
June 16, 2016
Solstice SFR Sale, June 17-20
Solstice SFR SaleThe upcoming solstice — summer for the northern hemisphere, winter for the southern — is a good reason to read science fiction romance. Actually, any day is a good day to read science fiction romance, but here’s your chance to get seven great SFR books for 99¢ (USD or equivalent) or free!
What better way to start the change in seasons than reading a good science fiction book? Even planets in the flung future have axial tilts and longest/shortest days of the year. Don’t miss out—get your books today!
Overload Flux (an SFR Galaxy Award winner) by Carol Van Natta
Amazon Kindle – 99¢
Love Like No other by USA Today bestselling author Michele Howard
Amazon Kindle – 99¢
Beyond Galaxy’s Edge by NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Anna Hackett
Amazon Kindle – 99¢
The Gaia Gambit by Christine Pope
Amazon Kindle The Power of Three by Kate Pearce
Amazon Kindle – 99¢
Trial and Temptation by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Lionsdrake
Amazon Kindle – FREE!
Prophecy by Lea Kirk
Amazon Kindle – 99¢
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June 6, 2016
I’m a Fan of Fan Fiction
Hi, my name is Carol, and even though I’m a professional science fiction and fantasy author, I’m a big fan of fan fiction. There; I’ve said it.
Fan fiction is, according to Wikipedia, “fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator.” The article says it started in the U.S. in the late 1960’s, driven heavily by the cultural phenomenon that was the original TV show Star Trek (1966-1968). The internet made it much easier to share the stories with anonymous strangers, via forums, websites, etc., and to comment on them.
U.S. copyright law protects fan fiction, up to a point. I suspect that if Paramount’s lawyers had known how much Star Trek fan fiction was being written and shared, they’d have worked much harder to quash it, but they didn’t, so here we are. SIDE NOTE: Maybe they were smart. Paramount’s lawyers would’ve had to sue a lot of teenagers for copyright infringement, and that business model didn’t really work out for the music industry.
Let’s stipulate that very little fan fiction is golden. Until not too long ago, it was written by amateurs with ideas, but little story craft (or even grasp of basic sentence structure). But perfectly written, professional quality literature isn’t the point. Fan fiction is driven by inspiration—the desire to explore a fictional universe—and the deep human need to tell stories.
Fan Fiction Goes Pro
Fandom motivates some people to write, even people who detested writing in school, especially if they were forced into rigid methods that didn’t work for them. Sure, 99% of fan fiction writers don’t end up becoming authors, but 1% do. I love reading. I want more people writing books, so I can read them. If someone (who should probably have a nice lie-down until the impulse went away) wanted me to teach a fiction writing seminar, the first assignment would be to write fan fiction.
Two paragraphs ago, I said “written by amateurs…” because things change. The proof is in one book title: Fifty Shades of Grey. I don’t begrudge E.L. James a moment of her fame and fortune, because she clearly hit an untapped market at the right time and took home the prize. Here’s the thing: FSOG originated as fan fiction for the wildly popular Twilight series.
Amazon.com noticed. One year after FSOG took the world by storm, Amazon created Kindle Worlds, wherein they license the work/worlds of a given author and invite others to play. I got a crash course in how this all works starting in December, when NYT best-selling science fiction and fantasy author S.E. Smith invited me and eight others to be “seed” authors in the release of her Kindle Worlds project, Magic, New Mexico. I was flattered, because the other authors have sold many more books than I have, and terrified, because I’ve never written a paranormal romance (aka PNR) novella, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. As it turns out, writing PNR is a lot like writing science fiction, because it takes almost as much world-building, explaining how magic exists on the real world, and of course, people are always having feelings for each other. The result is IN GRAVES BELOW (Magic, New Mexico), which has gotten some nice reviews so far.
You, Too, Can Write Fan Fiction… And Get Paid
Here’s the point of this longish post: Anyone can pick a Kindle World project and write for it. You don’t have to be invited; you can just pick the world that interests you and write. There are rules, of course, and they vary by project (e.g., no using certain characters, no killing off anyone else’s characters, etc.), and by publishing, you give the rights to your story to the original author who created that world. Your manuscript must be edited, and you’ll need a cover design, and Amazon will reject it if you don’t meet their requirements. But if they do publish your story, you’ll get paid 35% royalties for each sale. Yes, they’ll pay you, and now, my friend, you are a professional, published author. How cool is that?
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In Graves Below is available for Amazon Kindle. Find out if a disabled veteran and a magical dancer can stop a horde of demons from making Denver an all-you-can-eat buffet.
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Cross-posted with author J.C. Lynne’s blog. She writes medical thrillers, and you should check them out, starting with The Esau Emergence.
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May 1, 2016
New Release: In Graves Below + Big SF&F 99¢ Sale
New Release: In Graves Below (Magic, New Mexico)A disabled veteran and a dancer vs. a demon horde that wants to eat Denver. No pressure!
Buy In Graves Below today and find out if demons turn Denver into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
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Riya Sanobal, a mostly-human rarity in her magical family, hides her heritage and magical talent for doors in favor of her dance career. A rich arts patron likes her work, and a visiting star likes her, but she’s distracted by vivid dreams of a sexy, Native American warrior who defeats cheating demons and kisses like, well, a dream.
Time is running out for disabled veteran Idrián Odair, the last dreamwalk warrior of his hidden tribe, to protect his ancestral lands and find his partner. He met her once in the space between the demon worlds and Earth, and now his meddlesome grandfather’s ghost insists he must find her in real life before it’s too late.
Unless Riya and Idrián can find a way to trust each other and learn the secrets of dreamwalk, Denver will become an all-you-can-eat buffet for a ravenous demon horde. No pressure!
Welcome to S. E. Smith’s paranormal romance world of Magic, New Mexico, where the creatures of fairy tales, myth, and nightmares are free to be themselves and find their happily ever after.
If you believe that heart and character matter, that anyone can learn to dance, and that death is just another door, you’ll love In Graves Below.
❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥ ✭✭✭❥
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In Graves Below is a complete story in S.E. Smith’s Magic, New Mexico Kindle World. In Graves Below can be enjoyed without having read the other books in the Magic, New Mexico universe (but should read them, too, because they’re great stories by some great authors).
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Publication Date: 5 May 2016
ASIN: B01F6DO04M
Cover Art: Melody Simmons
Copy Editor: Shelley Holloway (Holloway House)
Length: Novella (48,000 words)
Series: Magic, New Mexico, in Kindle Worlds
Note from the Author on the New Release of In Graves Below
This is my first paranormal romance, but it won’t be my last, because it was such fun to write. If you like it, please post a review on Amazon or Goodreads to let me know, so I’ll know what to write next.
By the way, I have a space opera series you might enjoy. The Central Galactic Concordance series is now:
Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance 1)
Minder Rising (Central Galactic Concordance 2)
Zero Flux (Central Galactic Concordance 2.5) – Novella
Pico’s Crush (Central Galactic Concordance 3)
As a bonus, Overload Flux is on sale through this coming weekend for only $0.99 — get started on the adventure, mystery, and romance thrill ride today.
And as as a second bonus, a whole lot of other SF&F titles are on sale this weekend, too, all for 99 cents. Check out the very impressive list.
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Inventing History for IN GRAVES BELOW
You may have learned in school that St. Augustine is the oldest living city in the U.S., founded by the Spanish conquistadors in the late 1560s. When the Spanish sent scouts out to explore the west, they ran into Native Americans who’d been there for thousands of years, with cities of their own. The Zuni Pueblo, which is still alive and well, was built 1,000 years ago, which makes it considerably older. History, however, is written by the conquerors.
Consider that a prologue for a moment while I tell you about a Kindle Worlds project. Amazon created the Kindle Worlds platform to license works from established authors and invite others to essentially write fan fiction in that universe. Best-selling author S.E. Smith invited me and eight others to be a “seed authors” in the rollout of her Kindle Worlds project for her lighthearted Magic, New Mexico paranormal romance series. Even though I’ve never written a PNR, as it’s called in the romance industry, I happily joined Susan’s merry band. It’s not as much of a stretch as you might think to go from a sprawling space opera series to the invented world of magical creatures, because they both involve world building, and they both involve people having people feelings.
Now back to the prologue. Susan Smith’s mythical town of Magic is set in southern New Mexico. The premise is that, in the 1700s, some magical people in the world set up a haven for themselves in the New World, protected it with magic, and invited other magical people to come live where “abnormal is the norm.” After enjoying Susan’s books, my first thought was to wonder what the Native Americans of the day thought about all this, which led me to research (one of my favorite things to do) the history of the various tribes and cultural traditions in the area. I knew I was going to build a parallel world for my story, but I wanted to base it on the Zuni, Navajo, and the historical tribes of the Southwest, without appropriating their culture for my purposes. So, I invented history for In Graves Below.
In the real world, the Spanish used greed, ruthlessness, and superior firepower to enslave the agrarian-based peoples to supply food and work silver mines. In my parallel world, magical people in the native tribes created and magically protected their own settlement. They may have been protected from the Spanish, but they couldn’t protect themselves from disease and internal strife, so in my world, the magical land is as endangered as the languages.
My story, In Graves Below, is more good natured than this all sounds, because the Magic, New Mexico universe is cheerful and fun, but to me, the best humor is grounded in real-life problems. My lead male character may be the last of his kind, but he has to put up with his irascible grandfather’s meddling in his love life. The grounding in reality drives the grandfather to push Idrián to marry and single-handedly repopulate the tribe. As a result, poor Idrián has a lot more on his shoulders than just producing grandchildren.
In Graves Below is out 5 May 2016, and available for Amazon Kindle.
NOTE: Originally posted at The Writing Bug, the blog for writers at Northern Colorado Writers, on 4/30/2016. “Zuni, Navajo, and Inventing History”
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April 25, 2016
Paranormal Romance: In Graves Below
Deep in the subterranean fortress* that is my office, I’ve been working on a secret side project (see my recent post) that can now be unveiled. While my muse’s home base is science fiction, it loves vacations in various other genres, such as fantasy, action, mystery, paranormal, romance, and adventure, any or all of which are likely to turn up in my books.
Before the author gods meddled took an interest in my fate, my plan was to write a few books in my flagship Central Galactic Concordance space opera series, then start a new series or two, to provide new catnip for my muse. An email in December changed my timetable.
At the 2015 Romance Convention in Denver, I fangirled with several science fiction and fantasy romance authors, including Eve Langlais, Michelle Howard, M. K. Eidem, Evelyn Lederman, Michele Callahan, Sylvia McDaniel, and more. Among them was USA Today and NY Times bestselling author S.E. Smith, who is prolific, smart, and charming. A bunch of us sat around one evening and tormented the hotel staff by ordering a succession of appetizers while monopolizing the lounge, and talked about everything in the galaxy, from writing, to families, to technology, to how to smuggle kittens onto airplanes. We’ve more or less kept in touch via Facebook (where a lot of SFR authors hang out, and you should totally check us out).
Can a disabled veteran and a magical dancer learn the secret of dreamwalk, or will demons turn Denver into an all-you-can-eat buffet?
Fast forward to December 2015, when THE Susan Smith asks if I’d be interested in writing a paranormal or science fiction romance novella in her “Magic, New Mexico” universe, as one of the seed authors in a Kindle Worlds** project. Me? With only 2½ books out at the time? Yes, she really meant me.
I agreed, despite the fact that I’ve only written one short novella in my life. Then I found out I’m in the company of eight much-more-successful authors than me. Yay for me! So, here it is. My first paranormal romance, In Graves Below.
In Graves Below (A Paranormal Romance) Releases on May 5
Most people have trouble surviving one prophesy. Disabled veteran Idrián and dancer Riya have to survive two, and stop a demon horde from eating Denver. No pressure!
“Magic, New Mexico: Where being abnormal is the norm!”
If paranormal romance is your catnip, please check out all the books in the Magic, New Mexico Kindle World launch.
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*It’s my basement; I get to call it whatever I like.
**Apparently, I’d been living in a cave, because Kindle Worlds was new to me. Briefly, Amazon licenses books they think might generate some decent fan-fiction stories and gives them a home (not to mention, visibility). Fan fiction can be profitable—just ask E.L. James of 50 Shades of Gray—so it’s an innovative idea. Love or hate Amazon (I’m generally a fan, but not blind to their faults), but they do know how to pioneer ideas.
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March 27, 2016
Super-Sekrit Writing Project
I’m working on a Super-Sekrit Writing Project. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you may have read that it’s a paranormal romance.
Why is it secret? Contracts, primarily, but also timing. You see, I’m not the only one working on this project. Other authors are playing in the same sand box, too, and we’re trying to be all organized about it. And yes, as you might have gathered from the photo, it is occasionally like herding cats. Besides, I like cat analogies. The internet was invented by cats so that the human race may praise them and post pictures of them everywhere; I’m merely doing my part.
In case you aren’t familiar with the paranormal romance genre, it’s bigger than science fiction romance, though there’s some crossover. The latter is newer as its own classification, but it’s not new—Andre Norton wrote science fiction and fantasy with romance, and so did Anne McCaffrey, Piers Anthony, and host of others, but it was all lumped under SF&F. Romance is a huge genre, with eight or ten major subgenres, and dozens if you break them down even further. Paranormal romance deals with, well, the paranormal, but that’s as wide as the sea. Magic, werewolves, vampires (sparkly or otherwise), creatures of myth and legend, gods, demons, and more can all find their happily ever after in paranormal romances. They tend to blend the contemporary with the extraordinary, but that can include historical and futuristic as well. As a matter of fact, science fiction romance is often lumped in with paranormal romance.
I’ve said before that my muse’s home planet is science fiction, but that it loves vacation trips to action, romance, mystery, paranormal, adventure, thriller, and even a little comedy, so it’s not that much of a stretch for me to wander into the paranormal world. They both involve world building, internal consistency, and demand relatable (yes, that’s a word, because I say so) characters and excellent plotting. Cross-genre stories need all the elements holding up their end of the book, or the author risks annoying fans of the “pure” genre.
I’ll let you know when I can tell you more. In the meantime, you could sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know when new releases come out, such as super-sekrit projects.
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March 2, 2016
Great Review for PICO’S CRUSH
“Read this book if you adore big space conspiracies and multi-faction machinations.” The delightfully named Psychotropek.net wrote a great review of Pico’s Crush, Book 3 in the Central Galactic Concordance series. She likes the characters, and the universe, and the bit with the… well, you should read it for yourself.
I know I said last time that authors like reviews because we like to know people are reading our books, and the reduced-pressure feedback. Authors can be a reticent lot, and we’re not inclined to ask perfect strangers what they thought of our work, or whether the plot resonated, or if they thought the scene with the kids was believable. Reviews give us that, and tell us what’s memorable to our readers.
From a practical standpoint, however, they’re validation to new readers who have just stumbled across a book that others enjoyed it. Sometimes, even negative reviews help, because the new reader may love the very thing the other reader complained about. If I want to advertise my books via the various email lists that offer discounted/sale books to readers, the list owners are much more likely to accept my book if it has at least 10 four- and five-star reviews. They don’t want to recommend books of unknown-quality to their customers, so good reviews tell them the book will be worth including. Rumor has it that the ebook retailers such as Kobo and Amazon have algorithms that will start showing your book to targeted buyers once the book reaches a certain threshold, e.g, fifty reviews. Their selection criteria are rightfully considered proprietary information, and they probably get tweaked monthly, because ebook retailers want to sell more books.
Which brings me to the plea you see in most books nowadays, especially the indie books. The vary from the shy and diffident passing request (“If it’s not too much trouble, could you post a review when you get a chance”) to a full-throated demand (“You! Post a review! NOW!”). We authors don’t know how to talk to readers about that, because you’ve already done us the honor of buying our book, but we really hope that you’ll take that extra step for the books you like. It encourages us to write more books in that series, or with those characters you like. It’s free, and only takes a few minutes of your time, but it makes a wonderful gift.
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February 20, 2016
Stellar Review of OVERLOAD FLUX
“This story grabs you and doesn’t let you go.” Overload Flux got a stellar review from the fabulous crew at the Paranormaly Yours blog. Read the rest to find out which TV series and movie they compared it to.
Buy Overload Flux from Amazon and other major retailers
Stellar Review of Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance, Book 1)
I’ve said it before, but authors love reviews. Of course we love them more if they’re positive, but even the so-so reviews are good, because they’re food for thought.
I’m grateful to the reviewers who have websites and blogs for their reviews, because 99.99% of them are doing it for the love of sharing book recommendations to other readers. They are inveterate networkers. These are the same types of people you go to if you need the name of a good veterinarian, or want to know where you can buy organic compost. The book review blogs are inundated with requests from publishers and the like to read and review their books whatever is sooner than immediately, and sometimes have to put up with unhappy authors who take the book review personally, and write to complain, or get rude in social media, or in a few cases, join the annals of Authors Behaving Badly and do crazy things. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn that not all authors are professional or nice.
I Wrote That?
I also like reading reviews of my books to discover what other people find in them, including things I wasn’t conscious of when I wrote it. It wasn’t until a review pointed it out that I came to associate Luka Foxe’s talents as a futuristic Sherlock Holmes, but with heart. Mairwen’s limited experience with social interactions gave me a way to introduce the future to readers without long, b-o-r-i-n-g sections of exposition (“As you know…”), but she became such a strong character that she steals the spotlight from time to time. It’s funny, because she’d be appalled. 
February 12, 2016
Sale on Minder Rising
Sale for Minder Rising (Holiday Gift to You)It’s a holiday this weekend, so here’s a little sale on MINDER RISING to celebrate. In the future world of the Central Galactic Concordance, with more than five hundred member planets, people celebrate dozens of local or planetary events, but the common ones across the galaxy are the solstices and equinoxes, and Founder’s Day, for the newer planets.
Here in the U.S., we’re celebrating President’s Day and Valentine’s Day. I don’t have any presidential books, but I do have some space opera romances, so a sale on MINDER RISING is my Valentine’s gift to you. It’s only US$0.99 (and the equivalent in other countries) from Feb. 12-15, 2016. If you already have copy, you could let your friends know about the great deal.
Available at: Available at: Amazon | Nook | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes
Sale: MINDER RISING (Central Galactic Concordance, Book 2)
The Citizen Protection Service tests all children for minder talents and recruits the strongest.
Agent Lièrén Sòng is recovering from a near-fatal crash. He should want to get back to interrogating criminals for his covert CPS field unit, but being sidelined gains new appeal when he makes friends with a woman and her son. Imara Sesay, road crew chief and part-time bartender, breaks her ironclad rule never to get close to customers when she asks Lièrén to teach her son how to control his growing minder talents.
Unexpected deaths in his field unit make Lièrén suspect he isn’t a lucky survivor, he’s a loose end. He should pull away from Imara and Derrit to keep them safe, but when the local CPS Testing Center is entirely too interested in Derrit’s talents, Lièrén must make an impossible choice. Can he stay alive long enough to save Imara and her prodigy son?
Come along for the ride in this standalone second book in the acclaimed science fiction series!
NOTE: Minder Rising is the second of the new Central Galactic Concordance series. They can be read in any order, though Minder Rising takes place after the events in Overload Flux. You’ll want to read both to enhance your enjoyment of reading Pico’s Crush.
Read the first two chapters free
P.S. Could I ask a favor? If you’ve read Minder Rising, would you writing a review upon Amazon or Goodreads? It really helps other people find the book. Thanks!
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February 8, 2016
Minder Rising wins SFR Galaxy Award
Minder Rising Wins SFR Galaxy AwardJust a short post to announce that Minder Rising (Central Galactic Concordance, Book 2) won an SFR Galaxy Award for “Best Slow Burning Romance.”
Minder Rising shares the spotlight with some great books, so I’m honored to be in such illustrious company.
If you love science fiction romance, plus adventure, science fiction, and space opera, check out the other winners. While you’re at it, check out the SFR Station website, where you can find lots more science fiction romance, broken down by keyword and category so you can find your next great read.
I’m honored to have won this award for a second year. Previously, my first book out, Overload Flux, won an SFR Galaxy Award for “Best Difficult Courtship.” And in case you didn’t know, Pico’s Crush, the third novel in the series came out just last week. It hasn’t had time to win any awards yet, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for next year.
