Susan Grant's Blog, page 3
October 10, 2017
The Pets Are Back! Embrace the Romance is out now!
Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 is finally here! As a vet, the daughter of a vet, and the mom of an active duty servicemember, I enjoy writing stories about those who serve. Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 is very special to me because it supports an organization that does so much good for vets–Hero-Dogs.
10% of all preorders and the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
The creative minds of today’s leading SFR authors have joined forces to bring readers 12 amazing, never before released original Science Fiction Romance stories all in one place – Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
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My contribution to the anthology!
The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy
(“Star Puppy”) A Novella in The Star Series
A talented starfighter pilot and a handsome prince rescue a starving puppy only to discover they are the ones that need saving.
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10% of all preorders and the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Download your copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 today!
Amazon Paperback | Kindle | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play
Senses of Wonder
Today we meet one of the Embrace the Romance authors, Alexis Glynn Latner, who writes and flies like I do! Be sure to read to the end to learn more about her story, Mascot.
Senses of Wonder
When I started college at Rice University, I majored in space physics. For a variety of reasons, that major didn’t last—I ended up with a B.A. in Linguistics. My fascination with astrophysics did last. I went on to write science fiction. After reading my first novel, Hurricane Moon, a Rice space physics professor remarked that he’d only had one scientific bone to pick—and it wasn’t a big one. He also noted the Rice space physicist grads I’d gratefully named in my Acknowledgements and concluded that on the basis of the scientifically accurate advice they’d given me for the book, he’d evidently done a lot right as their teacher and advisor!
My story Mascot in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology is set in an imaginary nebula loosely modeled on the Trifid Nebula (but with a few completely imaginary surprises inside.)
http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/trifid-nebula-a-summer-milky-way-treasure
What a wonderland of space physics such a nebula might be, with massive blue newborn stars, dim brown dwarf stars, emission and reflection nebulas, and for all we know, hidden suns with recondite worlds with all kinds of moons. I’ve been following the findings from space probes about the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This is strange and wonderful stuff.
One of the things that traditional science fiction often had, and that SF really should have, is a sense of wonder. Traditionally that was wonder at the physical universe. It dovetails neatly into the wonders of the human heart in love. To have both in one tale is wonderful indeed.
About Mascot by Alexis Glynn Latner, an Aeon’s Legacy novella
A space station manager and an interstellar auditor must work through their antagonism and attraction to each other while the station comes under attack. Then the station mascot enters the fray!
Alexis Glynn Latner writes science fiction and fantasy romantic adventure, teaches creative writing, and works at the Rice University Library in Houston, Texas. For fun and the romance of flight, she is a sailplane pilot. Her website is www.alexisglynnlatner.com
September 7, 2017
Star Hero is here!
Yay–finally! I’m excited to announce that Star Hero is here!
A Marine serving in the galactic frontier, Lieutenant Lukas Frank has a lot in common with a street dog named Bang-Bang; they both started off as scrappy orphans fighting to survive—and beat the odds. Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Captain Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender—his heart. When Carlynn goes missing on a mission, the rugged, emotionally scarred Marine and his K-9 partner must find Carlynn and bring her home, or risk losing everything he has finally found worth fighting for.
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This action-packed, stand-alone, military sci-fi romance novella in the Star Series world is also the companion story to my contribution for the upcoming Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology (that benefits the wonderful charity Hero-Dogs.org) The other contributing authors and I will be donating a generous portion of our first month’s profits directly to Hero-dogs.org as we did last year. We are hoping to double that amount!
Download your copy today!
ONLY 99 CENTS! (Paperback also available for $5.99)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
September 4, 2017
Authored by a Vet in Support of Vets
As a vet, the daughter of a vet, and the mom of an active duty servicemember, I enjoy writing stories about those who serve. My latest release is special to me because I wrote it in support of a project I feel very strongly about (Hero-Dogs). Star Hero is a story about how the struggles of PTSD affect not only the vet but the people around them. Because I want to bring attention to this topic, Star Hero is on sale for only 99 cents at these retailers (paperback $5.99) If you’re able to do so, I hope you’ll also preorder Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2. Here are the links to learn more about Star Hero:
August 13, 2017
Instafreebie sampler for Embrace the Romance–available now!
The sneak peek at one of my upcoming releases is out! It’s a wonderful project too, supporting the Hero-Dogs organization that pairs vets with dogs. I’m so proud to be part of this.
I loved writing this novella. Please enjoy and I’d love to know what you think. Instafreebie sampler of first chapters is now available to share with readers.
Instafreebie Sampler: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/EZz5p
Please share far and wide if you would like to!
July 28, 2017
A Fairytale Tale of an Act of Kindness
RWA Day 3. Went to bed at 2, woke up at 7:30 when a calendar alarm informed me I had a breakfast date that actually wasn’t happening! But with one last brekkie of grits awaiting me, I’m up and dressed and ready to go. Today will mostly be working on the final edits for a couple of upcoming books and socializing with writer pals I rarely get to see, before I head back west to exchange the book biz for flying the Queen of the Skies to Asia for my other wonderful job. It’s been a fun conference, seeing new friends and friends from “back in the day”, the late 90s, early 2000s, many of them now very successful authors or senior editors at big publishers, when I knew them as new editorial assistants back in my years with the NY publishing houses. This month marks about 18 months since I dove into the non-traditional publishing world, quite unexpectedly, and I’m still drinking from the firehose of learning stuff. Seeing The Champion of Barésh final in the RITA awards was like a fairy tale. I wrote the book for all the readers who never stopped nagging me over the 5 years after I thought I had quit the writing biz. (I left publishing because I felt I couldn’t write the stories I wanted to write the way I wanted to write them, and in those days, being indie wasn’t a thing yet.) My fans wanted Klark’s story, the former bad guy in previous books. But then plucky, swearing, truck driver Jemm came bursting into my head with her entire dysfunctional family and the story was born. They were the best characters an author could want. So, if I had had the chance to give an acceptance speech last night it would have touched upon how a book that was a gift for my readers ended up being an even bigger gift to me. “What the hell are you so afraid of?!? WRITE THE DAMN BOOK ALREADY!!!” I got so angry with her…that I wrote the damn book!!! And here it is! So, thank you to Jill, and to Joan, and all the others who never forget about me and my stories. Never underestimate the power of kindness. Your kindness reignited my love of writing stories. Okay, off to start the day!
Champion of Barésh, now Star Champion
July 26, 2017
Champ’s Big Night
I’m attending the Romance Writers of America annual conference this year as I’ve been nominated for a prestigious RITA Award for The Champion of Barésh AKA Star Champion. This award is the “Oscar” or Academy Awards for romantic fiction. In my category Paranormal Romance, I’m up against some heavy hitters such as JR Ward and others so winning is a long shot. But I’m just excited and honored to have been nominated!!! And for my first indie published book–how cool is that? You can tune into a live streaming broadcast of the awards Thursday night July 27th. I’ll post the link or you can find it at www.rwa.org. Follow along for pictures and posts on my personal Facebook page. No need to friend me. I’ve made them public. Cross your fingers and toes for me!!
July 16, 2017
Meet My Pet
Embrace the Romance with the new Pets in Space 2 Anthology! Twelve original, never before published science fiction romance stories from 12 leading Sci-Fi Romance authors. Hot sexy aliens, heroines who know how to take care of themselves, and the pets who bring them together!
Introducing “Puppy”
“I’m little but I’m loud.” —Puppy
Meet Puppy, a little brown and black puff of fur featured in Star Puppy, AKA The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy, my story in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2. All twelve stories in Pets in Space feature a hero, heroine and their pet. To help visualize what the pets look like, Artist Nyssa Juneau created sketches of them all. Here’s Puppy:
Awww, right??
My story takes place on a space station 43 light years away from Earth. It’s the love story between two best friends who are fighter pilots who just need a little help to see that they are in love. With the help of Puppy, they cross from the “friend zone” to the “dating zone”. A little background: In the Pets in Space 1 Anthology, my story Stray (soon to be released in an expanded format as Star Hero) also featured a yipwag. Bang Bang took shelter under a wreck of a car where he met another street dog puppy. Even though he was starving, he shared a piece of meat with the hungry pup. Readers wanted to know what happened to the other puppy. And so I wrote her story…
I love dogs, especially super-smart dogs. I live with a very energetic and smart border collie named Skye, and I often model my fictional pets after her. Puppy shares so many of her characteristics, from annoying to endearing!
In Star Puppy, my alien hero, Prince Rornn B’lenne, call sign “Charming”, has a tough time convincing my Earthling heroine, Lt. Trysh Milton, call sign “Firefly”, that he’s the man for her. Now there’s a competitor for her affections, a man named Jack. But when a runaway stowaway (Puppy) shows up onboard the space station, Rornn gets some help he never expected:
Excerpt:
Jack lunged for the puppy. “Come to daddy.” He lifted it off the floor. Rornn felt a sense of impending loss when the puppy’s cries ceased in Jack’s grip and Trysh’s expression changed to one of rapture. He could feel her slipping away from him. But a second later, a dark stain appeared down the front of the man’s gray uniform and the puppy resumed its piercing yelping, its entire body convulsing with the effort.
Jack thrust the dripping puppy to arm’s length. “Great. Just great. It peed on me.”
Rornn smothered a laugh. The puppy’s huge panicked eyes shifted to him. Why did something in those expressive eyes hint that the act had been intentional? It seems we are on the same side.
“Allow me.” Rornn had never held a puppy in his life. As he reached for the frightened, barking, little creature, he glimpsed tiny, needlelike teeth, a small pink tongue. The peculiar and foul odor of the Barésh Colony wafted from its patchy coat as he cupped his hands around its body. There was no soft, rounded belly like those of the Earth puppies he had glimpsed in Texas. Sharp bones poked out from under loose skin. He could feel every internal organ. This tiny, impossibly fragile thing was near starvation. At first, his motivation had been to impress Trysh, to compete with Jack for her affections, but all that drained away upon feeling the yipwag’s terror. Gently, he cupped her little body against his chest, sensing she would want to feel the beating of another living thing’s heart. He knew he would. “You are safe with me. I will not let anything happen to you. You are home.” He knew not where that last sentiment came from, but, somehow, he felt it in his soul. The puppy trembled so hard he felt the vibrations go up his arms. Then, after a few seconds, the trembles eased.
Then there was silence.
A Marine asked, “Did it die?”
“That or my eardrums are permanently damaged,” growled an MP.
For a terrifying instant Rornn thought he had killed it. But Puppy made a few soft grunting sounds as she rooted around with her nose. Something inside him melted as she placed one impossibly small paw over his heart. Rornn grinned at the surprised people around him, skipping over Jack to wink at Trysh, who watched him with the kind of gaze he had waited to see since the day he first met her. His grin grew even wider. “They don’t call me Charming for nothing.”
I absolutely had a blast writing this story. I cannot wait for you to read the entire thing!
Here’s the full description:
The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy
AKA “Star Puppy” A Novella in the Star Series
Trysh joined the Space Forces with the secret hope that her absentee father might notice her accomplishments and acknowledge her. At the top of her game as a starfighter pilot, the last thing she needs is a way too charming prince to get in her way. Trysh had learned at a young age what happened when a person lost their heart to someone above their social class – it led to heartache.
Prince Rornn feels fortunate he can pursue his passion both in the air and on the ground. He decides being third in line for the throne definitely has its advantages – it allowed him to join the Space Forces as a top-gun starfighter pilot. What he doesn’t expect is to find a woman there who not only competes with him – she completes him!
Everything Rornn tries appears to push Trysh further away – that is until they rescue a tiny, starving yipwag pup from an alien world. It turns out that “Puppy” is as good at sniffing out terrorists as she is at helping her two clueless humans figure out that they need each other as much as they do her.
Can Rornn convince Trysh that he is nothing like her father and that she is just the right woman for him before the terrorists discover their furry little companion?
Here’s more about Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2:
The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back a to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
10% of the first month’s profits (including preorders!) go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Release date: October 10, 2017
Preorder your copy today!
FREE! A Pets in Space coloring book. Click here:
http://www.petsinspaceantho.com/giveaways/get-embrace-romance-coloring-book-now/
May 26, 2017
Magazine Interview: Susan Grant talks about defeating the power of “No”
The magazine SEARCH interviewed me, and I wanted to share it with you. As someone who’s heard the words “You can’t,” “You won’t,” and “No” many times in my life, I am glad to have the opportunity to chat about how to defeat the power of the naysayers, in hopes of inspiring women of any age that anything can be possible. Emerian was a wonderful interviewer.
May 22, 2017
Summer Reads Science Fiction Romance INVASION
Summer is coming, and it’s a great time to stock up on some awesome science fiction romances! Eight science fiction romances by eight authors are being offered to you FREE between May 22 – 26. There are no signups required–you won’t end up on anyone’s email list! Just go to one of the participating booksellers like Amazon and click! When it’s that easy and simple, you don’t need to pick and choose–you can get all eight books.
So, rev up your one-click finger and scroll down to download the best, easiest freebies of the summer!
Prepare for the Summer Reads Sci-fi Romance Invasion!
The Star Princess by Susan Grant
Ilana was more than happy to serve as an Earth tour guide for the stuffy alien crown prince–she just never planned on marrying him!
Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Googleplay
Reconstructed by Tasha Black
Some heroes aren’t born…they’re built.
Amazon | Nook: iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay:
Space Cowboys & Indians by Lisa Medley
How can the chance of a lifetime go so horribly wrong?
Amazon
Prophecy by Lea Kirk
A woman who’s lost everything, a man betrayed by his own, but together their destiny is greater than ever imagined.
Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Scribd
Alien Bond by Sabine Priestley
Fate laughed at Kara’s plans…and sent her psi-mate from the stars.
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo
Beyond Reach by Jessica Subject
Their people are at war with each other. But that doesn’t stop them from falling in love.
Amazon | B&N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo
Escape from Zulaire by Veronica Scott
The whole planet is a war zone and everyone is hunting her. Can he rescue her in time?
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play
Stranded with the Cyborg by Cara Bristol
Marooned on an alien planet with her nemesis. Can she trust him to protect her?
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA| Amazon AU
iBooks | Kobo | B&N
Happy Reading!
Please feel free to share the Summer Reads Sci-fi Romance Invasion with friends you think might be interested by forwarding/sharing this blog post. ~Susan
