Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Kick-butt heroines of Romantic Sci-Fi - by Vijaya Schartz
The wonderful thing about
writing science fiction heroines, is that they can truly be whatever I want
them to be. They don’t even need to be human. They take charge and operate
beyond petty gender discrimination, wielding the power of true freedom...
unless, of course, I blast an alien grenade into their sophisticated advanced
society. That’s always fun to do. After all, without conflict, there would be
no story.
But not all futuristic
societies are advanced. Sometimes civilization goes backward, my heroine is
whisked into a parallel universe (SNATCHED), alien intervention or human
warfare destroys dreams of freedom. Then my heroines must restore balance to
their world.
Sometimes they are hard core
military by choice, like Tia in Anaz-voohri or Zania in Snatched. Sometimes I
like to throw them into the fray against their will and watch them flounder and
cope, as I imagine the worst possible situations to defeat them. Of course,
among all these great qualities of strength and courage, they also have flaws
and weaknesses. They usually perform well under pressure... until I find their
breaking point. Even then, I still want to be them.
I love my kick-butt heroines.
Whether they wield a sword, a blaster, or a bazooka, like in the ANCIENT ENEMY
series, they confront their fears with courage, and after much suffering, they
usually save the day... or the man they love, like in ALIEN LOCKDOWN.
Fiction reveals the writer’s
soul. We usually write about what we know. Like my futuristic heroines, I’m a
meditator, a fighter, a former gymnast, a skydiver, and a Martial Arts black
belt (Aikido). I love Japanese swords and learned how to use them. I believe
that even in future warfare, there will be a place for sharp blades. If an EMP
(electromagnetic pulse) or a solar flare renders all electronics useless, say
goodbye to your fancy weaponry. My heroines can still rely on a length of good
steel.
No sniggering, erotica
readers. The blade is meant to slay whatever soldier, tiger, or alien demon
wants to ruin the day. Of course, there are sizzling love scenes in my books as
well. My heroines do deserve their rewards. But I prefer to avoid dubious
metaphors.
You can find all my titles in
eBooks mostly everywhere in most formats. I also have a few available in print.
Some are out of print and only available used. More print books are coming out
soon. Find my titles on: AMAZON - Barnes& Noble – Smashwords – All Romance eBooks
KICKING
BOTS - Ancient Enemy Book Three
Dr.
Melissa Campbell, head researcher at the San Francisco Center for Disease
Control, asks an eminent colleague for help to protect her precious vaccine,
one that could end the deadly alien plague. She didn't expect to get a crazy
renegade like Bennett Sevastian for a bodyguard. She hates military types, and this
genetically enhanced super-soldier is pure testosterone, hot-headed,
quick-tempered, impulsive, impatient, and downright impossible. But these are
dangerous times with riots in the streets, and rumors of alien invasion. In a
breathless race against time, experience the decisive battle for humankind, one
that will decide whether Earth belongs to humanity, or to a powerful alien
race...
“As
always, Ms. Schartz's dialogue is believable and authentic and her characters
hero-worthy. I loved Melissa's smarts, compassion, and daring... a veritable
thrill-ride, with some twists and turns... exciting, suspense… an unpredictable
path that so engrossed me, I found it hard to put the book down. Great ending
to a great series!" Two Lips Reviews.
Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance
with a Kick
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
I love my bed- Tricia McGill.
Buy here |
Winter is drawing in in my part of the world and as I snuggle
down beneath my nice warm sheets and blankets I appreciate, once again, how
lucky I am. There have only been a few nights in my life when I have not slept
in the comfort of my own bed. On a cold winter’s night when I am snug and warm
under my blankets I think of all the people out there in the world who do not
have a bed to climb into, but are forced to spend their nights huddled up on
cold footpaths or park benches. To my mind it is a roaring disgrace that in
countries like mine where we are supposed to be civilized and care for the less
fortunate in our society, that there are far too many homeless living on the
streets of the cities.
I’ve just been out to my letter box which contained a flyer
from The Salvation Army. It states that 44,000 young Australians are homeless
this year, and 53% have diagnosed mental health conditions. Thank God there are
charitable organisations doing their best to provide hot meals and a warm place
to sleep to these unfortunate folk.
What I find disgraceful is to hear that some of these
homeless people are Veterans of one war or another. Destitute and suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder most are unable to settle into normal lives
after the horrors they lived through while fighting for their country.
Beds have played a large part in most of our lives. I can
recall how I pulled the sheet over my head as a child knowing this rendered me
safe from ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night. I can
remember my first night of marriage as if it was yesterday. Full of the joys
and happiness of a young new bride, unaware of what life held. Then there was
the horror of waking up in the middle of the night in a hospital recovery ward
with a mask over my face as I came out of the anaesthetic induced sleep.
All things considered I have not really had many bad
experiences in my bed—well to be honest—practically none. My bed has always
been a place of warmth in winter, and comfort in times of sickness.
As a writer of historicals and time-travels, different types
of sleeping arrangements have played a large part in my stories.
In my Wild Heather series where they travel back to Scotland
in the 1050s I have them sleeping on a bed of straw covered by animal hides. Quite
primitive, but cosy enough beneath the sheepskins. In those times only the
Laird or his close family would have separate sleeping quarters. The rest of
his clan slept in the main hall, which didn’t leave a lot of room for privacy.
In my Settlers series set in Australia of the early 1800s
they weren’t so bad off and by then probably had proper beds to sleep on,
although these would still have been furnished roughly with animal hides and
rudimentary bedding. But imagine the plight of the convicts transported from
England. The conditions on those early sailing ships would have been
horrendous. It’s no wonder a lot of those transported didn’t make it, especially
the children
Viking beds were probably lined with straw. An
interpretation of an open bed at Eiríksstaðir is shown to the left. It's lined
with straw and covered with an animal skin.
On either side of the central corridor (between the roof
support columns and the walls) in the Viking longhouse, raised wooden benches
topped with wooden planks ran the length of the longhouse. They provided a
surface for sitting, eating, working, and sleeping.
Taken from this site:
The following information on medieval sleeping arrangements
is taken from this site:
In the 14th century the poorest people slept on a straw mattress on the floor with whatever warm covering they could get. The richest houses had large elaborate beds, with ornamented canopies, richly-embroidered hangings, and soft featherbeds under the fine linen sheets. They were among the most splendid pieces of furniture in a large house, and noblemen often had their emblems embroidered on the hangings. They were a comfortable place to meet for a chat, or receive guests, while displaying an abundance of fine textiles. They could be social gathering places at night too, as visitors of high status would be invited to sleep in a bed even if they had to share.
(Imagine inviting your guests to share your bed)
The picture from 14th or 15th century France shows a canopied, curtained bed with a head sheet laid over the pillow resting on a sheet-draped bolster. Head sheets were gradually replaced by pillowcases and are not usually mentioned after 1500. A pillowcase was always called a pillow bere (bearer) until about the 16th century, but this could mean various kinds of pillow cover, not necessarily a linen pillowcase matching the sheets.
So all in all, beds have played a large part in everyone’s life since the cavemen I guess. But I am so glad I have my nice cosy bed to climb into every night.
You can find information on all my books on my Books We Love page here:
click here |
I was born in London but moved to Australia with my husband many moons ago. I always had the urge to write full time but wasn't able to fulfill this dream until I retired early from the fashion industry. Most of my contemporary romances are set in Victoria where I live or Tasmania my second favourite state. I have always loved to read Time Travels so it was obvious that I would like to write them. I love the research entailed in writing them and also historicals. All my books are with publisher Books We Love, and I am proud to boast that I was no 1 on the BWL best sellers list 2015/2016 and in the top 10 best selling authors in 2017. My greatest achievement was winning the Australian Romance Writers Book of the Year award with my Traces of Dreams that is now re-titled Remnants of Dreams. I am a fervent animal lover and support various charities that do their best to help animals in need around the world. I also volunteer for a local community group helping disabled people with their computers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
Deadly Undertaking Click here to purchase ‘Tis the season of the year when the transformation occurs from the darkness of winter to th...
-
I tied my manuscript up in an electronic bow and sent the final version off to BWL Publishing. Let me tell you, there were days during...
-
Click here for purchase options for this award-winning series. https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/ In last month's blog, I told ...
-
Goodbye winter. Hello spring. Another round of setting clocks ahead is behind us as well as all the rant on social media about why we co...
-
The cover of the Ontario offering for the Canadian Historical Mysteries Collection from BWL Publishing to be released November 2024 To fin...
-
Sometimes I wonder how much one person’s voice can actually help when “fighting the good fight” against what seems like ...
-
AVAILABLE HERE I have a cousin in Australia who loves to travel. She and her husband are currently in Vietnam, and the photographs she share...
-
Happy Belated Birthday, Dear Wolfgang! 261 years young & still delighting audiences... http://www.bookswelove.net/autho...
-
Click here to purchase. Winner of Best Historical for 2023 How do I make a German officer during WWII sympathetic? I make him a real pers...
-
https://bookswelove.net/stover-karla/ BY THE SAME AUTHOR: Available through BWL Publishing Parlor Girls Wynter's Way Murder, When...