The Science Fiction Romance Brigade Anthology

Tales From the SFR Brigade 

The Stranger by Kyndra Hatch

I am happy to announce my debut publication! It is a very late announcement since the publication came out in late June, but I was moving right as the book came out and things have only just now slowed down enough for me to blog about the good news. 

So much has happened since January that I don't know where to start, so I'll try starting at the beginning:

I am a member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade. It is a fantastic group of authors, readers, and SFR enthusiasts who help each other with writing questions, book promotion, and even book production. Late last year, sometime around November, a submission call was sent out for group members to send in short stories for an anthology. It was an experiment to get a free publication out for SFR awareness and promotion. 

But it wasn't just any 'ol experiment. They weren't looking for random half-hearted stories. They wanted good, professional, works and put together a stellar team of editors to decide which stories were publication worthy. 

Something about this submission call really spoke to me. I didn't have anything out at the time and the same self-doubt that kept me from writing before was trying to creep into my subconscious. They were asking for professional stories. They never straight up worded it that way, but I knew that's what they were looking for. I knew it had to be good. Was my work professional enough? Did I know the right formula for writing a SFR story? Was there a formula?

I already knew I could write, having gained that confidence through writing fan fiction. I just didn't know what it takes to write a publication worthy story. I'm still not entirely sure what it takes, but it's a learning process that I'm enjoying.

Writing a short story felt doable and I wanted to submit something so bad that I simply went for it. I spend a couple of weeks thinking about what I would write. Ideas are always bombarding my brain, but nothing was coming through that would be short enough. I started out with the thought that I could write a flash fiction, but quickly realized just how hard it is to write flash fiction. Seriously, sit down and try to write a story with only 1,000 words. Obviously, people can do it, but I think it might be more difficult than writing a full on novel.

I took numerous breaks, reading flash fiction to hopefully get the right frame of mind to write it. Unfortunately, I can't remember what I read since I was reading so much, but something about a couple being trapped in a cave sparked my imagination. I immediately stopped reading and started writing. I'm not even sure how that cave story ended because I haven't been able to find it again (I was perusing a lot of free sites on the web).

As Christmas holidays set in, I began to lose heart because it didn't look like I would make the beginning of January deadline. Then, the deadline date was moved to the end of January, so I continued the story with renewed vigor and was able to submit it on time. 

Then came the inevitable waiting game I hear so many authors talking about. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait as long as most of those discussions imply. I received an email in March. Knowing what it would be about, I put off opening it for a day, too nervous about the shortcomings I knew my story had. 

When I finally opened the email, I wasn't surprised that it was a rejection letter. I had researched and learned several things about points of view, voice, and showing versus telling after the story submission and I knew my story had all those issues.

However, with the rejection letter came a surprising second chance. It turned out that they really liked the story idea and gave me suggestions on how to bring it up to speed. If I was willing to revise it based on their suggestions, then I had another deadline. If I wasn't willing to revise, then they wished me luck in submitting the story elsewhere.

Now, I'm not proud and certainly not too proud to take direction. I'm an amateur and these folks were the professionals. Flattered that they liked the story idea and a more than willing student to improve my writing skills, I went through each suggestion with the enthusiasm of a preschooler with a new box of crayons. The best part about it was that I understood each and every issue they were addressing. All I needed was that little extra advice, because the story simply popped after that. 

Of course, the second chance wasn't a guarantee that the story would be accepted, but that part no longer mattered to me. What mattered was that I was getting help from proven authors. What mattered was that I was improving my writing skills. What mattered was that I would be more prepared for the next time I submitted a story for publication.

They said to submit the revised story to Diane Dooley, which make me even more excited because I had read and liked her works. She was also the person that helped me get more involved in the group and, therefore, indirectly responsible for all the stuff I had learned about writing through the group discussions. The thing I love about being a part of the SFR Brigade is how accessible and helpful all the authors are.

It wasn't two days after I submitted the revised edition that Ms. Diane Dooley forwarded it on for acceptance, that it was exactly what they were looking for. I was so excited, I couldn't stand it!

Naively, I thought that would be it, that the story would be published in the summer and that my job was done. I had no idea about the editing process...Since that is where I admit I am such a noob that I had no idea who the famous SFR authors were either, that is another story. 

For now, enjoy "Tales From the SFR Brigade" and my short story within, 'The Stranger,' as well as the fabulous short stories by Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, and Amy Laurens!

Smashwords: Tales From the SFR Brigade

Website: Tales from the SFR Brigade Anthology


Like the SFR Brigade Facebook Fanpage: Science-Fiction-Romance-Brigade-Fanpage

Overcoming Fears: Excerpt From Untitled Sci Fi WIP

I've noticed that authors give excerpts of their works in their blogs and then realized that I've never done that. I get a little antsy about sharing my work. Being super new at this, I never know what is too much to reveal, what is too little, or whether or not people would like what they read to begin with. Part of this author thing, I'm coming to realize, is overcoming our fears.

So, this post is me taking a step in overcoming my fears. I like to write about alien beings and what life could be like for beings not of our world. Being human, I can't really take the human element out of it (nor would I want to since my audience is, well, human), but the characters in the excerpt from this work in progress are metaloids, mechanoids, mechs...I'm still working on what to call them. Nothing about them is organic, but they aren't robots either. In fact, being called a robot by a human would be insulting to them.

The below excerpt is set in the Scrap Yards of Histerron, which is like a junk yard. Histerron is a Skellyd city (Skellyds are the 'bad guys' of the story, but being 'bad' or 'good' in the story is not really so black and white...I definitely explore the gray areas with each faction.).

Enjoy!

*****

Bazin saw them too late; two Skellyds. He jumped behind a pile of scrap metal, rolling out his arm-mounted cannon, waiting for the attack.

The attack never came.

He was beginning to think that, perhaps, they didn't see him. Bazin peeked out from his hiding place to see if they were still there; they were. They looked like they were lying low, waiting for something.

After a few more moments, it was clear that they hadn't seen him after all. He decided to sneak around them from behind to get the drop on them before they knew what hit them...

As Bazin came around them from behind, he stopped dead in his tracks. Dropping his arms down to his sides as he rolled his cannon back in its casing, he stood up, staring at them as he walked in front of them. His core sank at the horror before him.

They were two bonded Skellyds. They had been executed. They had probably been the only bonded Skellyds in the city, hiding it for as long as they could.

Bazin just stared at them, several emotions taking hold that twisted his core. He still hated them because they were Skells, but the single act that they would be frozen in forever gripped him...

They were holding hands.

The part of Bazin that was now buried deep within his being, but still existing, felt sad for them. They were all still Galtrons. If there was anything good about a Skellyd, it was eradicated now, reduced to nothing but the scrap the majority of the Skells thought it was. This is what bonded Galtrons in the Skellyd faction had to look forward to; to be unceremoniously killed and thrown out with the rest of the garbage.

Bazin reached out to Miaxa. He just had to feel her, to know she was there. She was still keeping him out about her true condition, but she was restless about something else he couldn't get a sense of. Even so, the minimal contact was comforting.

As Bazin stared at the clasping hands, he strangely thought of Zerra. This was her fate. Only monsters would turn on their own kind, leaving the ones they turned on to fend for themselves. As much as he despised her Skellyd ideals, he was forced to see her as a Galtron, as someone not much unlike himself. Zerra was mourning a loved one. He was mourning a loved one. They were suffering the same way, just a different situation for each of them. Bazin felt a tiny bit of sympathy for her.

"Appropriate to find you here," a sneering voice sounded from behind him.

The voice interrupted Bazin's thoughts and he cursed himself for lingering there too long, but he did not let on that he was utterly surprised at getting caught.

"You belong here with them," a Skellyd smaller than Bazin was saying as Bazin turned around. "You bonded piece of scrap metal."

Bazin saw that the mech was a scout. The scout kept talking, "There's a reward out for you. Deglan wants you dead or alive."

The Skell scout had, no doubt, contacted his comrades, but he was obviously too eager to collect the reward for himself rather than wait for them.

"So I've heard," Bazin finally spoke. This scout was going to be easy to take down, but Bazin knew not to let his guard down, nonetheless.

"Where's that pretty little coremate of yours?" The scout just didn't know when to shut up. "I'd love to make her acquaintance once you're out of the way."

Growling in disgust, Bazin didn't hesitate to roll out his cannon and shoot. The shot went right through the scout, the mech's image wavering as the energy was dispersed briefly, only to land its mark in a heap of scrap metal behind him.

The scout was making use of a hologram. No wonder he was so confident.

"A little trigger happy, aren't we?" the scout taunted.

Bazin knew how holograms worked. The real, solid, scout couldn't have been that far away. Bazin surveyed the area, taking note of every piece of scrap that could be large enough to hide a mech that size. Without hesitation, he began shooting everything that he had just scanned.

The scout was obviously tracking Bazin's progress as he blew up each and every single pile of scrap within visual range. The mech was forced to reveal himself, running out from underneath the next pile Bazin took aim at.

Bazin ran straight at him, grabbing the scout up by his arm, twisting it around until he had the mech bowing forward from the sudden pain in his hand. The Skell's CPU jack was easily accessible from this position and Bazin wordlessly went for it. The mech struggled harder as he realized Bazin's intentions, but it was all for nothing.

"You're nothing!" the Skellyd yelled helplessly as the connection was made.

Bazin wasted no time in plundering the mech's mind, recording what was useful, ignoring everything else. Bazin paused as one important piece of information presented itself. Leeda was at Histerron. He didn't question how the scout knew this. That was not important.

The scout tried to push him out as Bazin dug deeper along a line of code revealing something about the city of Histerron itself...and then he had it. Bazin was visibly startled when he found out that Histerron was actually a living mech. The scout was able to push him out then.

"Deglan will purge Galtron of your weakness!" he spat venomously, still trapped in Bazin's grip, but madder than ever.

The mech cried out when Bazin immediately crushed his hand. The scout may have been angry, but nothing could top the absolute loathing Bazin was feeling.

*****

Well, here I go, throwing this out for everyone to see. I haven't decided if this will be in the first book or the second. Things keep changing and evolving as I write and I find that Bazin's story may be better suited for a second book. I barely give a glimpse at Zerra, but her story may be the first book. Either way, I've certainly written enough for two books! LOL!

I'm also struggling a bit with what genre this would be in. It certainly is a science fiction and it certainly has romance in it, but I'm not certain if it would be categorized as a SFR (Science Fiction Romance). It mixes the two, but the more I read of science fiction and the more I read of romance, I get worried that it doesn't really follow the full expectations of either one. There is a happy ending, but the characters go through hell to get there. So maybe it does? I'm definitely confused by book categories and how one would know which category his/her book goes in.

This is definitely a learning process. :)

(Okay, I have no idea why the top part of this post is in small font and this last bit is normal font. Sorry for the small print, but I've been trying to get it all this normal size, but I can't seem to get it to work.)