The Geeky Dice & Debauchery celebrates loving geeks

 Geek girl problem #86: Your boyfriend can't give you what you want for Valentine's Day because no one makes dice shaped as hearts.

Getting in the mood for some romance, I'm over at the awesome Chrys Fey's today talking about whey geeks make better girlfriends and boyfriends. Click on over and read my reasons. Then tell us one or two of your own!

Do you have your copy of Loose Corset yet?

Ellora's Cave * Amazon * B&N * Kobo

And don't forget about this month's geeky giveaway.

Enter to win a treat for the nerd you love.

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#LungLeavingDay 2015

I recently came across an incredibly inspirational post on a fellow blogger's site. She shared a story about Heather Von St. James, an asbestos cancer survivor. It was so moving, I wanted to share a little with you and help raise awareness of this horrible disease.

In 2005, at the age of 36 and only three months after giving birth to her daughter, Heather was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. She was given fifteen months to live. Determined to get the best treatment possible, Heather and her husband's search brought them to Boston and Dr. David Sugarbaker. Today she is an eight year survivor and is striving to help raise awareness of mesothelioma around the world.

Heather shares her fears during and after her battle on her blog. (Find out more about her story here.) Her treatment included the removal of her left lung. From that, LungLeavin' Day was born! (February 2nd was the official anniversary, but the celebration is going on for the whole month.)

Each year, Heather and her family gather in the backyard, write their biggest fears down, and throw them into a fire. Check out this fun and interactive page to learn more about LungLeavin' Day.

Learn more about mesothelioma and its treatment.

Heather today!

As part of the celebration, she has asked everyone to share their fears about a health scare you or someone you love had. Any fear will do to throw into the fire!

My fear: When I turned 40, I had my first mammogram. It was not at all the squishy and painful experience I expected. They found a lump in my left breast. My son was two at the time. My first thought was that I didn't want to leave him without a mother. I had gone to the appointment alone, and I was left by myself for almost 30 minutes after they told me while I waited on a doctor to come talk with me. You can imagine the fear and the panic. I had a biopsy done the next week, and thankfully, it turned out to be harmless.

Join in! Share with us a fear that you want to toss into the fire.

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only three months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter Lily Rose, I was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Upon learning of this life-altering diagnosis, my husband Cameron and I embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Our search eventually led us to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston based Brigham and Women's hospital.
Today, I am a eight-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and have made it my mission to help other mesothelioma victims around the globe. I share my personal story to help spread hope and awareness for others going through this, in hopes that one day no one else will have to.
- See more at: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.VNOTES6znnF

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only three months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter Lily Rose, I was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Upon learning of this life-altering diagnosis, my husband Cameron and I embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Our search eventually led us to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston based Brigham and Women's hospital.
Today, I am a eight-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and have made it my mission to help other mesothelioma victims around the globe. I share my personal story to help spread hope and awareness for others going through this, in hopes that one day no one else will have to.
- See more at: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.VNOTES6znnF

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only three months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter Lily Rose, I was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Upon learning of this life-altering diagnosis, my husband Cameron and I embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Our search eventually led us to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston based Brigham and Women's hospital.
Today, I am a eight-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and have made it my mission to help other mesothelioma victims around the globe. I share my personal story to help spread hope and awareness for others going through this, in hopes that one day no one else will have to.
- See more at: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.VNOTES6znnF

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only three months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter Lily Rose, I was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. Upon learning of this life-altering diagnosis, my husband Cameron and I embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Our search eventually led us to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston based Brigham and Women's hospital.
Today, I am a eight-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and have made it my mission to help other mesothelioma victims around the globe. I share my personal story to help spread hope and awareness for others going through this, in hopes that one day no one else will have to.
- See more at: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.VNOTES6znnF

The Geek meets the Ninja and welcome to Susan Gourley

Get your geek on!

I'm over at the Ninja Captain's blog talking about nerdy TV shows today.

While I'm away, I have some good company for you.

I'm so pleased to welcome on my blog today the very talented Susan Gourley.

Walking the Line

Thanks, Christine, for having me on your blog. Like you, I write speculative fiction, a very broad genre category. My romances are categorized as science fiction romance, and according to the reviews on Amazon, attract fans of science fiction and romance. I’m sure many of my readers are fans of both genres, but some are one or the other. The challenge is how to satisfy those readers and give them what they want when they read my books.

So how do I walk that line? Where is the line between too much real science, or fake science, and too much romance?

Romance readers don’t want a long explanation of the physics needed for my hero and heroine to travel between solar systems and galaxies at warp speed. And it is fiction, so the ability to travel beyond light speed is perfectly acceptable without a technical explanation. For one of my novel series, The Recon Marines, I invented a fuel source that explained how ships could stay in space indefinitely. But since all the characters in the novel already understood how the fuel and space travel worked, there was no reason to explain it to readers. It was accepted as part of that world.

Science fiction readers don’t mind a love story intertwined in a futuristic adventure as long as the romance isn’t too ‘hot and steamy’ and doesn’t overwhelm the external conflict of the novel. The best relationships in science fiction novels are forged in whatever battles the protagonists are fighting.

The science fiction parts of the story lend themselves to situations where an intense relationship can develop. Other worlds are likely to have severe climates, varying lengths of days and nights, as well as medical advances, and alien enemies that can make for great plot devices. I’ve used all four of those devices to put my characters into trouble or get them out of trouble.

Mixing the protagonists reactions to the plots devices with some actual and invented science will hopefully satisfy both genre lovers. Though in this business you can’t please everybody, the right balance of romance and science will make a lot of diverse readers happy.

How much science do you like in your romances? Do you know an author who balances romance with another genre perfectly for your tastes? Do you have a favorite science fiction plot device?

The Warrior and the Governor by Susan Kelley (Book #2 in Bestselling Warrior Series)

Gaviron warrior Liam has lost everything and lives only to take revenge on the monstrous raynid creatures and will risk his life without caution. Governor Siva will take any help she can get to save her desperate colony from the merciless invading species, even a suicidal fighter like Liam. As her understanding of the grim alien warrior grows, Siva tries to give Liam a reason to live. As Liam broken heart lets in Siva and her daughter, he finds he once again has someone worth dying for. Defeating their common enemy may cost them everything.

Susan Kelley is multi-published in science fiction romance and writes high fantasy as Susan Gourley. You can find her at Susan Says or on Twitter and Facebook.

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Have you entered to win Zombie Dice yet?

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Friday Five for February 6, 2015

1. Today my number one concern is my son. He's having surgery to correct an eye turn. It's a simple surgery which takes 20 minutes. He doesn't need to stay overnight or even have a bandage over his eye. It's a routine operation, and his doctor is very good at his job. Still, I'm freaking out a little. It's surgery on an eye! Think good thoughts for my little guy. With any luck, we'll be having ice cream before the afternoon is out.

2. I've been busy with touring, but I've also been doing some work. Last month, I rewrote a short story and resubmitted it to the editors who were interested in it. It was rejected, and so I submitted it to another venue. I also wrote a silly Easter story for my local critique group. I'm starting off the year good for short pieces this year.

3. I finished the last revisions for my urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow. It's currently being proofread and formatted. I'll be releasing it to the world on March 13th. Yay! You can add it to read on Goodreads. I'll be doing a character themed tour as the book has a large cast of characters. There are a few slots left open if you would like to host me the last few weeks of March. Please email me or leave a comment below if you're interested.

4. I'm working on a short story for the next Untethered Realms anthology. I'm playing around with sci-fi horror this time. Once I finish it, I'll be diving into my next paranormal romance novel. The characters have been nagging at me for months now. It's been a while since I started a big new project and I'm really excited about it.

5. My Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour will continue next week. Don't forget to enter to win Zombie Dice and my unique Christine Rains die. Good luck and have a great weekend!

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Polar Day is here!

Blurb:

The midnight sun bakes Fairbanks, Alaska as residents gather for the annual summer solstice baseball game. Amidst the revelry and raucous shouts of “Play ball,” a spark alights and a jogger bursts into flames. Detective Danny Fitzpatrick, still reeling from his near death at the hands of vampire Aleksei Nechayev, watches in horror as the man burns alive.

Someone is burning Fairbanks and its residents and leaving nothing but smoldering embers behind. As the city sweats under a record-breaking heatwave and unexplained fires claim more victims, Danny and his colleagues struggle to find an arsonist who can conjure fire out of thin air.

To Danny’s horror, the only one who may be able to help him stop the arsonist is his nemesis Nechayev. Will the vampire help in the hunt for a witch? 

Buy it on Amazon

Author Bio:

Julie Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. She is also a television show addict with a particular fondness for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and a slightly obsessive sports fan who cheers for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Reds. Julie is an animal lover and animal rescue advocate who shares her home with her rescued dog and cat. She has written about the joys of pets for outlets such as Cat Fancy, Thrive in Life, and Best Friends Animal Society. Visit Julie at julieflanders.net.

Julie's Links:

Website: www.julieflanders.net

Blog: http://www.julieflanders.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulesFlanders

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieAFlanders

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912616.Julie_Flanders

IWSG for February 2015

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

It's a double IWSG day for me! I'm here today giving you some encouragement, and I'm also at the lovely Shah Wharton's blog for my Geeky Dice & Debauchery tour sharing some geeky writer problems.

Starting a new story, releasing your book to the world, speaking about your writing in front of an audience. With all these things and all the steps in between, we experience fear. But if we push through that fear, we can do great things.

You can do it.

This World Bites Blog Tour - Review and the next stop on the Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour

Blurb:
It's her first day on a new world and Cera's already found trouble. Michael, her guardian, has been bitten by a zombie and will soon join the undead ranks.

Everyone tells her there's no cure, but Cera isn't one to be deterred. She's willing to face off with zombie hordes, demon slavers, and black market informants if it means she'll find a cure for Michael. But she's not the only one hunting for something.

Something is hunting her.

My review:
Cera and her strange crew are searching for a cure for her comatose father. They've had their share of troubles, but none like that which faces them now on this new planet. Cera's guardian is bitten by a zombie, and as she searches for a way to save him, something is trying to capture her. Good thing she's a powerful elemental. Wait. Her powers don't work against demons? Oh oh.

What a wonderfully quirky and fun speculative fiction tale. It's over the top and it works so well. The reader is thrust right in to the story, joining a cast of odd characters with a colorful history. It's a new world with zombies and other supernaturals. It paints a fantastic urban fantasy-like setting where even the zombies have restaurants they can go to eat.

The plot is twisted with surprises ready to jump out at you, but for me, it's the characters that shine brightest. Cera has a powerful young voice, but she's been around for a while. She's a strong leader and I admire her dedication to her friends and purpose. I just want to pinch Michael's cute dimpled cheeks and hug him, but I suppose he'd like that a little too much. I'm also a big fan of Duke, a sexy vampire that owns a vegan restaurant. Each character has a rich history and will make you laugh. I laughed a lot while reading this book!

This World Bites is zany and unusual. Be prepared for a wild ride when you read it. And read it you must! I highly recommend it. Good thing this is the first in the series. That means there's more coming!

Buy the book now!

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

Loni Townsend
Wife. Mother. Writer. Ninja. Squirrel.

By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head.

People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don't let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human. That's part of being a ninja—blending in.

She makes her home in Idaho with her sadistically clever—yet often thwarted—husband, two frighteningly brilliant children, and three sneaky little shibas.

Find her on her blog or social media.

Contact info:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads

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The Geeky D&D Tour continues with new awesome hosts and another nerdy giveaway!

Today I'm explaining con slang over at my wonderfully geeky critique partner's site, T.F. Walsh!

This month's giveaway grand prize is Zombie Dice. It's an awesome dice game. I'm a big fan of Steve Jackson Games, especially Munchkin.
The second prize for 3 winners is a unique Christine Rains die and some swag.

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