The Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour finishes February with an interview

It's the last tour date of February. How can this be? We need more geeky stuff. Thankfully there's still one more month left of the Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour. Yup, I'm crazy, I know.

Today I'm going to be grilled by the marvelous Tara Tyler. Find out if I would ever do a vlog. Would you? Do you know what it is?

There are still a few days left to win a fantastic game called Zombie Dice. There will be a new giveaway next month, but it won't have brain-eating powers!

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The Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour wants braaaaiiins!

Writing geeky romance is tricky business. Click on over to the amazing TB Markinson's blog for some tips.

Today is the last day to get TB's book, Claudia Must Die for free! It's a fantastic thriller. Quirky characters in a dire situation.

Braaaiiiiiiiins! Enter for a chance to win Zombie Dice and a unique Christine Rains die.

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Friday Five for February 20, 2015

1. Most of my week was lost to several snow days in a row. I didn't get any writing done nor did I get a jump on my March tour posts. I was lucky I could remember what day it was! I know we don't have weather as bad as it is on the east coast, but I am officially done with winter. I just hope it's done with us!

2. My Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour is still rocking. January's giveaways got the biggest number of entries I've ever had, and this month's Zombie Dice giveaway is doing darn good too. That's right! If you haven't heard yet, you can not only win a unique Christine Rains die, but the cool game of Zombie Dice as well.

3. I finished my sci-fi horror short story for the next Untethered Realms anthology on Sunday. It came out a little longer than I expected. My characters got chatty on me! It will be edited down to tighten the tension, and hopefully the end will come as a surprise.

4. My local critique group meets tomorrow. I submitted my weird little Easter story this month. I'm curious to know whether I should go lighter/sillier or darker with it. It's a strange mix of both right now. I hope the weather cooperates and I can make it to the library!

5. Don't forget Untethered Realms' monthly #SpecFicChat today starting at 12:00 p.m. EST. This month's topic: What makes #fantasy believable? Use #SpecFicChat to join the conversation any time. The chat is ongoing.

The Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour teases you some more and Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Geek girl problem #432: All the new books you want to read come out on Tuesdays and you don't get paid until Fridays!

I'm over at the awesome Shannon Lawrence's blog today to hook you in with another excerpt.

 A BIG thank you to Jeff Chapman for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! He's a talented speculative fiction author, and I'm so happy that recently he became a part of Untethered Realms.

The rules for accepting this award are as follows:
1. Thank the person who nominated you, and link to their blog.
2. Display the award logo.
3. Nominate at least 15 other blogs (more or less) and provide a link where they may be found.
4. Then, go to their blog, leave a comment to let them know they have been nominated, and where to find the information they need to accept (rules).
5. Mention three things that inspired you the most during the past few weeks. 

Here are three things that inspired me:

1. My son's bravery. He recently had surgery on his eyes to correct an eye turn. A scary thing for a small child. Scary for anyone to have an operation on their eyes! But he didn't complain, whine, or cry. He was sweet, well-mannered, and incredibly brave even after two and a half hours of waiting at the surgery center before he was taken into the OR. What an amazing and wonderful person he's grown to be.

2. Heather Von St. James and her victory over asbestos cancer. Read my blog post here.

3. The tree in my front yard has little buds on it. I feel that excitement every year when I see it budding and know that it will soon be in full flower. It's a Cleveland Pear, and when the flowers are in full blossom, it's so pretty. My next novel will be set in early spring so I can have a tree just like it in it.

I'm not going to nominate anyone in particular. Every one of you is an inspiration. Do not doubt it.

Zombie Dice. You know you want them!

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The Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour Reverse Interview!

Today I'm sitting down with geek girl Clare Dugmore and interviewing her about Loose Corset. Yes, you read that correctly. Clare is not only one of my critique partners but a talented romance writer herself. We have dubbed this The Reverse Interview!

Roll the dice and enter for a chance to win dice!

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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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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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