Thank you Delilah for inviting us to cause chaos on your blog today. This is a release day for three of us and we can’t think of a better place to spend it! We know you love SciFi erotic romances as much as we do!
We thought we’d start from… well… the start, talking about the very first words readers see – our titles. Names are so important and the name of a story is no exception.
Christine d’Abo – Lust Rebooted
My story is a mix of erotic sci-fi, adventure with a dash of comedy. The main challenge that the heroine Zoe is faced with is the arrival of a sexbot named Sam and the jealous reaction from her sentient computer, Rupert. One wants what it can’t have, and the other has what it can’t appreciate. Zoe is faced with the choice of having to save one over the other when their computer mainframe is infected with a virus. I wanted a title that would show both the erotic nature of the book, and still somehow capture the computer elements.
Ria Candro – Bonded
I came up with the title for Bonded once I discovered the plot of my story. The heroine, Inara, has a mission to complete, and discovering she’s meant to be mated to a pod of Spygians goes against everything she’s planned. Much as she’d love to indulge with these dreamy hunks, she can’t afford to be sidetracked.
Here’s a brief excerpt from the story highlighting her dilemma:
Ah, that was right. How could she forget about the Spygian mating ritual? She didn’t know much about it, other than that all pod members were to be present. The thought of what it might possibly entail sent a shiver of lust raging through her body. She almost wished she truly was his mate…
Forcing herself to stand straight and strong, she looked him in the eye. “I’m afraid we have a problem then, for I cannot promise anything more than a night of bliss.”
She barely had time to see his face fall in clear disappointment before the leaves crackled and Valeron appeared in the clearing, his arms full of dead branches. Reading the tension in the air, he stopped cold, his gaze going from her to Neichon and back again.
Finally he moved toward the center of the clearing and dropped the branches to the ground. “We’ll probably need another batch.”
“It’s already growing dark.” Neichon’s gaze lifted upward, to where the pink and purple fingers of dusk already crept across the sky. “I’ll get some more wood and check for sight of the Malucons while I’m at it.”
As Inara watched him leave the clearing, she fought the unaccountable feeling that she’d just let something magical go. That was a ridiculous notion. She had her own destiny, and it was not to be bonded to a pod of barbarians. No matter how sexy, delicious, and utterly f***able those barbarians might be.
Of course her Spygians are determined to convince her she’s right where she belongs.
A.M. Griffin – Dangerously Mine
Dangerously Mine was originally a self-pub called Taken: Eva. When I got picked up by Ellora’s Cave I had to change the name because they already had a book named Taken. Per their policy, they don’t publish books with the same title, which is a really good policy. I can’t be expected to compete against Jaid Black.
I have to admit, titling didn’t come easy for me. Many of my author friends actually have expressed joy with titling their works (which makes me want to hurt them).
Mine was easy to come up with. Eva Smith is taken from Earth and sold into slavery to an alien. She’s petite and feisty, so being anyone’s slave was not sitting well with her. Throughout the book she is constantly reminding Taio (her owner) that she is not his slave. Taio of course doesn’t believe a word of it. Regardless of what Eva thinks or says, Taio has claimed Eva for himself.
Dangerously took more work to come up with, but when it finally popped into my head it clicked. Eva is a martial arts expert and as I said before, doesn’t want to be owned or controlled by anyone. She finds herself in a couple of fight scenes, one of which she ends up killing one of Taio’s Royal Guards.
Hence, the title Dangerously Mine was born!
Cynthia Sax – Warlord’s Bounty
Khan, the hero of Warlord’s Bounty, is the Warlord of Chamele 2, the richest and, in Khan’s opinion, the best planet in the Chamele system. This has made Khan a target. He has a huge bounty on his head, placed there by his enemy. Zeta, the heroine, is a feisty bounty hunter, seeking to collect the bounty on Khan. Although she is aware of the saying “the bigger the bounty, the more dangerous the fugitive”, she needs the credits for a bounty-hunter school she supports. She’s determined to get her big, bad male, in more ways than one.
Warlord’s Bounty was the perfect title, a marriage between the careers of a strong heroine and an even stronger hero. It was also a nod to Delilah’s wonderful Warlord’s Destiny which I absolutely LOVED. Lord Tetrik was a yummy hero, very much a Warlord.
Writers, what are the stories behind your titles? Readers, what are some of the best titles you’ve read?
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Lust Rebooted
By: Christine d’Abo
Zoe is all alone on an outpost monitoring a lonely quadrant of space. It’s nearly Christmas and all she has for company is her computer AI, Rupert. She isn’t expecting a present from Xion Corporation to help pass the time, but when she opens the box to find a sex bot, a whole world of steamy entertainment possibilities come to mind.
When Zoe activates Sam she doesn’t realize the trouble she’s in for. Sam takes Zoe to sexy new heights and Rupert does a stellar impersonation of a jealous boyfriend. Zoe struggles to ground herself in reality despite her growing lust, but it’s becoming more and more obvious she’s falling in love. But with who—Sam or Rupert?
When a computer virus is unleashed on the outpost, Zoe must choose—or risk losing them both.
Buy Link:
http://www.ellorascave.com/lust-rebooted.html
Christine d’Abo’s Website:
http://christinedabo.com/
Bonded
By: Ria Candro
When Inara crash lands on a deserted planet, the last thing she expects is to run into two stunning men from the planet Spygia—who claim she is their mate. While she’d love nothing more than to indulge in a steamy encounter—or two or three—with these gorgeous hunks, she’s on the run from the barbaric Malucons who decimated her home planet of Chivea. And she’s on a mission to find her cousin, the only other Chivean survivor. Nothing, not even the promise of paradise to be found in the Spygians’ arms, is going to stop her.
When Inara refuses to be bonded to them, Neichon and Valeron strive to uncover what secrets she’s hiding before they unveil a few of their own. How will their reluctant mate react when she learns she’s destined for, not two, but four Spygian men?
Buy Link:
http://www.ellorascave.com/bonded.html
Ria Candro’s Website:
http://riacandro.wordpress.com/
Dangerously Mine
By: A. M. Griffin
After aliens invade and conquer Earth, Eva is transported to a distant slave trading planet. Escape and freedom are her only priority, but none of her martial arts training prepared her for what she faces. She finds herself enslaved to the warrior King Taio. Eva’s drawn to this sexy alien male who ignites her heart and body.
Taio is disgusted with the idea of owning a slave—until now. From the moment he sees her, he knows Eva is his for the taking. Torn between lust and duty, Taio knows nothing will stop him from protecting his little warrior.
Buy Link:
http://www.ellorascave.com/dangerously-mine.html
A.M. Griffin’s Website:
http://www.amgriffinbooks.com/
Warlord’s Bounty
By: Cynthia Sax
The bigger the bounty, the more dangerous the fugitive.
Khan, a Chamele warlord, has a huge bounty on his head. His enemy is willing to pay an outrageous amount to secure him. Khan wants to be apprehended, especially if the bounty hunter capturing him is a brown-eyed female with razor-sharp daggers and an even sharper tongue. He’ll allow her to subdue him sexually, his passion and prowess not inhibited by restraints, and when she collects her bounty, he’ll collect his revenge, killing his enemy and claiming his little bounty hunter forever.
Zeta doesn’t do forever. She captures the worst scum in the galaxy and trades them for credits. Khan is fierce and sexy and the most dominant male she has ever encountered, but he is also a fugitive, and once she sates herself with his body, she’ll betray him. It is her job.
Buy Link:
http://www.ellorascave.com/warlord-s-bounty.html
Cynthia Sax’s Website:
http://cynthiasax.com/