HAVEN 6 blog tour and giveaway - what makes for great sci-fi romance guest post by Aubrie Dionne

Please welcome the wonderfully talented Aubrie Dionne to my site!

Her newest release is book 3 in the fantastic New Dawn series, HAVEN 6.

She's stopping by today with a post on writing science-fiction romance.

Take it away, Aubrie!

Elements of Great Sci Fi Romance

I’m so excited to talk about one of my all-time favorite genres today! I’ve seen lists of what makes great science fiction, but today I’m talking about what makes great science fiction romance. (The best kind in my opinion!)

I’ve always loved Star Wars and Star Trek because they had it all: adventure, science fiction, romance, action. (Although Star Trek could use a little more romance here and there for my tastes! I loved the relationship between Jean Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, and who can forget Riker and Deanna Troi? Even Data had a bit of romance here and there.)

To write a great sci fi romance you need it all, and the blend has to be just right. I’ve come up with a list of what I feel makes a great sci fi romance story. In the comments section, I’d love to hear your own ideas.

1.      Must have romance. The romance should drive the plot forward, but also somehow be linked to the science fiction aspect. In Haven 6, conditions aboard the Heritage dictate all romantic encounters (The colonists are there to preserve human DNA without genetic mutations or inbreeding). Eri is a result of an illegal pairing, so the computer doesn't think she's adequate to be matched, which is why she finds love on Haven 6 instead! I’ve linked the romance to the science, and made it all drive the plot forward from the very beginning.

2.      Must have adventure in cool settings. The best part about science fiction is that you can write it anywhere; aboard a space ship, on an alien planet, or on Earth. Setting is very important, and traveling to different backdrops increases the adventure by tenfold. In Haven 6, I made sure to have scenes aboard the deep space transport ship, and on their colony planet. This planet was one of the most involved settings I've ever had to write. Haven 6 is mostly jungle, but it also has swamps, villages, mountains, and a mysterious golden liquid that seeps up from the planet's core.

3.      Must have high stakes action. Another awesome part of science fiction romance is all of the various technological weapons you can create: lasers, blasters, subsonic tranquilizer rays.  In Haven 6, there are a few laser fights, with a big one at the end. The lasers are crucial to the plot, and I can't tell you much more without spoilers! The stakes are high: they are battling for who will have rights to live on the planet.

4.      Must have science. The story must have some basis in reality with fantastical scientific ideas linked to today’s science. In Haven 6, I posed certain questions: What if people could live their entire lives on a space ship? What would people do when the Earth becomes uninhabitable? What if we reach a habitable planet, and there's already a civilization inhabiting it? Although these ideas seem far-fetched today as you drive to Dunkin’ Doughnuts to order your latte, reality is: the sun will burn out someday, and we may even pollute the Earth before that happens. People will have to find somewhere else to live if humanity is going to carry on. I took a scientific fact and ran with it, creating a fantastical scientific idea.

I’d love to hear your own ideas for what makes a great sci fi romance!

Thanks, Christine!!

You're welcome! It was a great pleasure to have you here. Please read on to enter in the awesome giveaway!


HAVEN 6 Blurb: A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears it's final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that's supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them.

When Eri's team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth's colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. While Striver battles with trusting Eri, Eri must decide whether to warn him and his people about the commander's intentions, or follow orders and complete her mission.

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 Aubrie Dionne grew up watching the original Star Wars movies over and over again until she could recite and reenact every single scene in her backyard. She also loved The Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation - favorite character was Data by far - and Indiana Jones. But, her all time favorite movie was The Last Unicorn. She still wonders why the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn in the end.

Aubrie wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be "A concert flutist" when she grew up. When she made that happen, she decided one career was not enough and embarked as a fantasy, sci fi author. Two careers seems to keep her busy. For now.

Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed, which will release in November 2012. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.

Please visit her website and pop on over to her blog!

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