Dear romance readers:

I want to take a moment to say thank you.

When GHOST PLANET released last October, it was categorized as science fiction. This was a tough call on the part of my publisher, Tor. The story is split fairly evenly down the middle between speculative fiction and romance ('cuz that's the way I roll). I'm a proud member of both Romance Writers of America and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

My editor/agent team had originally thought to position the book as romance (paranormal/futuristic), partly because the manuscript had done well in romance contests (including two RWA Golden Heart finals) and partly because romance sells better.

But then came the GHOST PLANET cover with all of its awesomeness. The designers came up with a wonderful concept, my editor and I worked with them on some final tweaks, and when it was finished we knew we had something special. But the sales team was worried the cover was too sci-fi for the romance shelves. We had to make a tough choice: Start over with the cover, or shelve the book in SF/F. We decided to stick with the cover.

I am incredibly grateful to my editor at Tor for involving me so much in this decision. I have heard plenty of stories of authors losing control of the marketing of their books once they sign a contract, but at every step of Tor's process, my opinion was sought and considered.

I still feel that given our options we did the right thing for the book. The downside of that decision was we made it a little tough for romance readers to find it. But never underestimate a romance reader -- we are tenacious, and we have no problem crossing genre lines to find what we like. Some of the most heart-warming feedback I've received has come from romance readers who stumbled upon the book by accident and were pleasantly surprised. I can't tell you how many time's I've read the words, "I don't usually read sci-fi, but ..."

In all honesty, what got me thinking about this topic was the SFWA "lady writers" kerfuffle, and a recent blog post about how sci-fi romance stories differ from traditional sci-fi (and the kerfuffle that followed that). I don't want to get into all that here (for a summary you can visit yesterday's Dear Author post), except to say I have rarely felt anything but respect from the romance fans who've read my book, even those who haven't liked it.

Romance readers who also enjoy sci-fi may be a rare breed (for now!), but I don't believe I've ever heard any of them say sci-fi and romance don't belong together, or propose that a sci-fi author is any less qualified to write romance. On the contrary, what I have typically encountered is unbridled enthusiasm for discovering romantic plots in unlikely places. Heck, the first-round of 2013 RWA RITA judging resulted in a "Best First Book" nomination for GHOST PLANET.

So thank you, romance readers. Thank you for being open-minded. For loving the stories you love for themselves, and not their marketing labels. For taking chances, and in some cases, for venturing outside your comfort zone. And thank you to Romance Writers of America and RT Book Reviews for embracing all flavors of the genre!

THE OPHELIA PROPHECY available for preorder

The print version of my second novel from TOR -- scheduled for release February 18, 2014 -- is available for preorder! THE OPHELIA PROPHECY is a post-apocalyptic biopunk romance.

The book is currently available for preorder at these locations:

Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
The Book Depository (worldwide, free shipping)

And one of my favorite indies:

Powell's Books

You'll notice this book is a little spendier than GHOST PLANET. That's because it's coming out in the fancier trade paperback format! I'll keep you updated on preorder options.

Should have a cover reveal for you guys before long, too!

Romance for geeks

Ha! I've tricked you into reading a boring housekeeping post.

Okay, only sort of. I've done some cleanup on the site, but also made one fun change -- my tagline. In reading all of the feedback from folks who've enjoyed GHOST PLANET, including the gals over at Geek & Sundry's Vaginal Fantasy Hangout, I've discovered my biggest fans are a little geeky at heart (just like me, go figure). I decided my tagline should better reflect that, and am trying this one on for size.

What do you think?

As for the less exciting changes . . .

• I have gathered up the links from my GHOST PLANET blog tour and co-blog posts and moved them to a new page (Appearances) in the menu under the banner. This allowed me to zap the long list in the right-hand sidebar. I still get a lot of clicks on those links so didn't want to zap without notifying. I'll also post live appearances there, like the upcoming RITA finalist chat. 
• I also killed the News page, as all news gets announced on the home page and I rarely remember to update the other page.

Thanks for listening, and as you were!

RITA finalist chat registration

This year Romance Writers of America (RWA) is holding online chat sessions with all the groups of RITA finalists. GHOST PLANET's category, Best First Book, is coming up June 13.

Here is some info about the event:

In an effort to share the excitement about its award-nominated romance writers with fans across the world, Romance Writers of America® (RWA) has launched an 11-week series of interactive video chat events highlighting the 2013 RITA Award finalist authors. Fans will have the unique opportunity to meet one another and ask their favorite authors questions face-to-face in an intimate online environment. (Read more)

Want to register for the chat? Click here. (Limited to 1,000 participants, so don't delay!) One participant will win a set of the finalist books. Full list of finalists here.

Other Best First Book finalists who plan to attend include:

Kristen Callihan, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Anna Lee Huber, Katie McGarry, and Simone St. James

Hope to see you there!

Author personalities: do they matter?

I'm blogging about this over on Spacefreighters Lounge today! I shared my own examples -- Neil Gaiman, Hugh Howey, and Stephenie Meyer -- and discussed how their public personas have (or haven't) influenced my reading habits.

You can read the post and share your thoughts here. 

Goodreads review roundup (take THAT, Monday the 13th!)

I am hard at work on revisions for THE OPHELIA PROPHECY, my second book from Tor, but I thought I'd take a break and post some cool snippets from recent Goodreads reviews. This is a sampling from roughly the last month -- there are TONS of new reviews since the RITA finalist announcements and the Vaginal Fantasy bookclub pick. You can see them all here.

The colored bits are parts I particularly enjoyed.

* * *

Well deserved RITA nominee for best first book. Great sci fi. A thinking woman's romance.

* * *

I thought I wouldn't like this book. I thought I wouldn't get into science fiction. I was wrong. 

* * *

. . . like the ghosts and their colonists I could not separate myself from this book until I had completed it.

* * *

I need to start by saying that I kind of pictured the whole novel like a movie. It would be a pretty good film! 

* * *

Fisher manages to find that perfect balance between romance and science fiction throughout this entire book. 

* * *

Interesting world building, relatable characters, good pacing . . .

* * *

Tightly plotted, enjoyable characters, self-contained . . .

* * *

At last: a sci-fi romance where the hero and heroine save each other. Repeatedly. This book was brilliant.

* * *

This book reminded me why I love reading so much. I had to force myself to put it down at the end of the night so that I could get some decent sleep!

* * *

I've read quite a bit of science fiction in my day, and this particular premise seemed very new and inventive to me.

* * *

Elizabeth is a great mary sue of a character that I find to be relatable because she's more science minded and not a total ditz. She's determined to find out why the ghosts exist instead of fading into the background like the others. I found myself trying to solve the mystery of the planet right along with Elizabeth.

* * *

I love how the author played with the human ability to ignore as a norm and the side effects of not existing that was created for the aliens and the world. I ate this book up.

* * *

As a scientist, I could relate to the research drive and policy problems. And the love story just tied it all together. (This one actually came via Twitter. Love it because it is one of two molecular biologists who have commented favorably on the science aspects of the story.)

* * *

Highly recommended for those of you who have been hungering for “sexytimes” … especially well done and plausible sexytimes… in your otherwise-hard sci-fi, but who may have despaired of finding it.

* * *

I felt captivated by it from the beginning and it was honestly a little shocking to discover that this was Sharon Fisher's first novel.

* * *

So I liked this book for a number of reasons, but let me just pause and thank Fisher for writing something clever . . . I thought the psychological and "racial" angles of this book were interesting and thought provoking. I actually found myself pausing to contemplate the nature of selfhood and psychology multiple times . . .

Vaginal Fantasy Book Club #16: GHOST PLANET

Thank you to the lovely ladies of Vaginal Fantasy for the entertaining book review/chat! They said lots of nice things about the book, with a little bit of critical discussion as well.

The most interesting part of the discussion, I thought, was regarding the differences between GHOST PLANET's heroine and the heroines in the books they usually read. Elizabeth being more of a brainy gal and less of the action hero (though as Felicia points out, she kills a couple people!). My take on that is Elizabeth is more survivor than action hero -- the events in the plot bring out strengths she's never used or needed before.

I also enjoyed the lighter discussion about sexy times and Irish heroes and such. Especially the bit where they chat about what kind of plant they would each get on Ardagh 1. Oh! And I love that they loved Ian, my favorite secondary character.

Finally, let's not forget Bonnie's beverage! It's the first time I've seen a wine glass big enough to hold an entire bottle.

Thanks again to Bonnie (and Bonnie's dog), Kiala, Felicia, and Veronica!

The Vaginal Fantasy review goes live April 30 at 8 PM!

The fabulous Heather Massey, author and The Galaxy Express blogger, created this wonderful press release for the event. (Thank you, Heather!) Please feel free to copy and share!

Felicia (top) along with Bonnie Burton, Kiala Kazebee, and Veronica Belmont

Mark your calendars, sci-fi romance fans! Sharon Lynn Fisher’s GHOST PLANET (Tor) is the April 2013 selection for Felicia Day’s Vaginal Fantasy Hangout book club.

Actress-producer-writer Felicia Day is a true geek and a reader of science fiction romance. In addition to her many credits, she runs the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout, a lively, entertaining, and no-holds-barred online book club. Members include Veronica Belmont, Kiala Kazebee and Bonnie Burton. The VFH team is sassy, outspoken, and passionate about books.

The GHOST PLANET video discussion will go live on April 30 at 8 PM PST.

Watch the video and join other VFH viewers at the GHOST PLANET Goodreads discussion thread.

Want to know more? Visit the main Vaginal Fantasy Hangout Goodreads page. You can access all of the Vaginal Fantasy videos here, including ones featuring science fiction romances by authors Linnea Sinclair, Nalini Singh, J.D. Robb, and Meljean Brook.

We hope the VFH team enjoys GHOST PLANET and would appreciate any support you can offer via tweets, posts, and any other way you like to spread SFR news!

GHOST PLANET

A world in peril. A bond deeper than love.

Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world - a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these “ghosts.” She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.

Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy - creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone - oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love - Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.

But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man she loves.

Visit Sharon Lynn Fisher’s Web site and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

**Permission to forward granted**

GHOST PLANET casting call

Irish actor and sci-fi veteran Cillian Murphy

Over on Goodreads a reader has started a casting thread for GHOST PLANET. Fun! It's super hard not to bounce over there and participate, but just like on review discussion threads, I'm thinking it could sort of put a damper on things if the author is lurking around. So head over there and participate for me!

The reader who started the thread hit the bullseye with Murphy, who was inspired by Irish actor Cillian Murphy. I guess that one is pretty obvious - besides the name you've got the blue eyes, dark hair, and charming accent. And he's a sci-fi veteran.

I struggled when searching for a face for Elizabeth's character profile. But then I came across a publicity photo of a young Kate Winslet that really captured her for me (though her hair is the wrong color in this particular photo).

Ian has always had the appearance of Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard, in my mind. And there's a trio from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Mitchell (Roslin), Lex (Boomer), Sarah (Starbuck). Yasmina was based on Indira Varma (KAMA SUTRA). And Clive Owen for Blake.

Ardagh's appearance was borrowed from a cosmologist and former NASA scientist who spoke at a lecture I attended at the University of Washington. Unfortunately I can't remember his name now.

A few characters were my own fabrication and not inspired by any particular face: Peter, Julia, and especially Garvey, who sprang fully formed - both face and personality - from my mind.

I really enjoy seeing what readers come up with on their own. Someone proposed James McAvoy for Murphy. He is a hottie for sure, and actually inspired the character Ross in my second novel, ECHO 8. I also like Diane Kruger for Elizabeth.

Have an idea for one of the GHOST PLANET characters? Let's hear it!

Goodreads review roundup

I am SO excited to share that GHOST PLANET has received a 5-star review from Veronica Belmont! (For more about Veronica, see my last post.)

"5 stars!" You exclaim. "For a Vaginal Fantasy pick!?"

Yes, and let me tell you why! Ghost Planet surprised me in a big way. I've read quite a bit of science fiction in my day, and this particular premise seemed very new and inventive to me. In fact, I feel like this book could have continued on to a more flesh-out series, since there's so much more we can learn about the planet and how it works.

Read the whole review, and the discussion thread, here (on Goodreads). I decided to take on the whole Mary Sue thing (mentioned in the review and discussion thread) in a blogpost on Spacefreighters Lounge. Sneak peak: I embrace it! Find out why in the post. 

Also on Goodreads, another reviewer (Ashley) posted some images that represented the characters for her. Fun! You can see that here. 

Last but not least, a review from a GUY (Louis) who enjoyed the book's relationships. I love this: 

At last: a sci-fi romance where the hero and heroine save each other. Repeatedly.

Read the full review here.

The Sword and Laser Podcast recommended read

Remember last month on my birthday GHOST PLANET was chosen as this month's main pick for the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout book club, created by actor and producer Felicia Day? (Review set to air April 30, here.) Well, this week one of her review co-hosts - tech-savvy, serial video host Veronica Belmont - recommended GHOST PLANET for The Sword & Laser book club and podcast.

Wait, it gets better! GHOST PLANET is recommended along with the book club's main pick for May, WOOL. Yes, frakking WOOL!, the awesome indie-published sci-fi sensation by Hugh Howey, and one of my favorite reads.

You can hear the nice things Veronica had to say about GP at 32:56 on the podcast.

You can find the discussion forum for The Sword & Laser on Goodreads (16,390 members!). Here's a bit more about the group from Wiki:

Belmont started co-hosting a podcast with Tom Merritt of CNET and TWIT's Tech News Today fame. As the name implies, it is strictly about science-fiction and fantasy books and debuted with Neuromancer by William Gibson. Prior to the creation of the podcast, it was a book club in forum form. This format lasted through the first 3 books, which were, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and American Gods by Neil Gaiman, with the subsequent creation of the podcast.

Review and giveaway of GHOST PLANET

There's a fun review of GHOST PLANET over at fellow Tor author Suzanne Johnson's blog, and she's giving away a copy! (Suzanne's debut, ROYAL STREET, also came out last year. It's the first book in an urban fantasy series set in New Orleans. I heart New Orleans! This one just got tossed onto my TBR.)

Now, I'm excited today to be bringing you a book that I'm really, really, really annoyed at having to stop after fifty pages. Because it's good. Really good. In fact, I wanted to hate it because it is a finalist for Best First Book in the RWA RITA competition this year and mine wasn't but, you know what? It deserves it! So, here we go, for a chance to win Sharon Lynn Fisher's Ghost Planet.

Shiny!

On iBook...

Time for another Goodreads giveaway!

In celebration of last week's 2013 RWA RITA Award nomination and book club pick!

April pick of the Geek & Sundry/VFH book club!

So, you guys are familiar with Felicia Day - Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Buffy actress, as well as producer of The Guild?

Felicia has a YouTube channel called Geek & Sundry. It's a great spot for jolly geekery, and I found out yesterday that her bookclub, Vaginal Fantasy Hangout, has chosen GHOST PLANET as the "main pick" for April! 

At the end of last year Felicia tweeted (to her 2 million+ fans) that she had bought GHOST PLANET along with some other new releases. Later she read it and rated it 4 stars on Goodreads. 

You can check out the club's forum and also find the GP discussion thread on Goodreads:

Vaginal Fantasy Hangout Forum

The group always picks an alternate title, I imagine in case folks have already read the other book (or don't want to). So GHOST PLANET is up with SONG OF SCARABAEUS, by Sara Creasy, which I have been intending to read for AGES.