Guest Blogger Lauren Dane

I’ve made it pretty clear (unless you live under a rock) that I’m a huge Lauren Dane fan. She pretty much introduced me to Erotic Romance as a reader and since we’re now friends, I consider myself pretty darn lucky. So she’s back with her newest release, a futuristic menage story called CAPTIVATED. First off, check out this cover! STEAMY doesn’t really cover it. I’ve read it … and I can highly recommend this story. OK enough gushing … Here’s Lauren on Futuristic Romance:

WHY FUTURISTICS?

The first thing that came to me was the opening scene in Undercover (which at the time was called Battlefront). A very angry woman making her way through a military style building to confront her superior about a decision that had been made.

For me, that scene had always been in a futuristic setting. I wanted to write this headstrong woman, a warrior who’d overcome many things to achieve what she had. And I wanted to write her in a context where she’d come back into the hero’s life—a man whom she’d loved and left when he couldn’t be what she needed. But there’s another hero so how would that work?

The backdrop of any book will give a certain feeling. All books need worlds built, even contemporary ones. So for me the question is how can I relate the feel, how can I tell the story I want to all while being true not only to the characters but the setting?

This war couldn’t have worked in a contemporary context, nor could the larger issues of rank v unranked (though I do take things about class and caste from our own history and put my own spin on it for these rank systems in the book). I also wanted a big, sweeping backdrop that would read as anachronistic. It’s got a big social and economic system that is somewhat historical in nature. I wanted to use that language when the characters spoke about it and sometimes to each other. I wanted a sense of old school chivalry and loyalty and obeisance to their house.

Writing futuristics enables me to create a world, much like I can with a paranormal. But most of my paranormals are set in a contemporary setting. A futuristic allows me to sweep all preconceived notions off the table and make my own. To take bits and pieces of history and world and rebuild them in an entirely new time and place that is purely my own. To a control freak like me, it’s awesome to have that control (though of course the blame is solely mine if I mess up as well).

I’ve loved this world of my Federation Chronicles. There are so many ‘Verses with so many settings and stories to be told. Captivated is the last in the Phantom Corps mini series but hopefully not the last set in my Federation Chronicles series!

I hope you all enjoy it!

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LAUREN IS GIVING AWAY a winner’s choice of one of her backlist books! Comment for a chance to win!

Check back Sunday for the winner (along w/Carly’s winners from Tuesday!)

You can find Lauren on the web:

www.laurendane.com

Twitter

Blog

Facebook

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And I’m over at LAUREN DANE’S Blog Today talking about What Makes a Hero! Serendipity Backlist giveaway too!

I have a fabulously fun interview (if I do say so myself – at least I loved doing it!) over at Romantic Crush Junkies today! With giveaway!