DARK SIDE DOWNUNDER: S.E.Gilchrist

The Dark Side DownUnder series continues! I invited you to get to know some paranormal romance authors from Australia & New Zealand, maybe find a couple of new-to-you-authors & reads!

These authors are part of a blog group I'm affiliated with, called the Dark Side DownUnder. The site is aimed at showcasing all things speculative fiction - articles, authors, books, spotlights on... and contests/giveaways. You can find out more about DSDU here.

Today, S.E.Gilchrist is the Dark Sider in the hot seat!

SE can't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Now she writes stories where her favorite words are ...'what if' and 'where'?

Her writing features stories in the romance genres of futuristic/sci-fi, fantasy, ancient history and post-apocalyptic. She has now added contemporary rural romance to this list. The heat level of her stories varies from scorching to sweet and everything in between.

SE is published by Momentum Moonlight and Escape Publishing and is an indie author.

Growing up, did you have an interest in the paranormal?
I've been an addict from a very young age ie devoured books on different countries' legends and mythology. Lost in Space and Dr Who were watched almost religiously.

What drew you to write in the paranormal romance genre?
Speaking from a sci-fi aspect, I love to invent worlds with different rules, cultures and politics. Places and people limited only by a person's imagination - who could resist?

In your books, what sorts of characters or themes do you like to write about?
My characters aren't superheroes. I like to draw them from every day life with normal hang ups, baggage and BIG problems which they have to deal with or overcome over the course of the story.

QUIZ
Fav. paranormal TV series: Stargate. No, Firefly. Wait! The Walking Dead...you get my drift.
Which paranormal romance author would you just love to meet in person? Karen Marie Moning
Most intriguing paranormal creature: A draptile.
Fav. paranormal movie: Wow, so many.... Serenity.
Keeper paranormal romance series/books: Ms Moning's Highlander Series & JD Robb's In Death series.
Which would you prefer - transporter, TARDIS or immortality: A TARDIS.

You can find out more about SE at her website, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook or you find her at the Hunter Romance Writers' blog.

AWAKENING THE WARRIORS
Set in the world of the bestselling title Legend Beyond the Stars, an erotic novella about two warriors who have lost the ability to desire, and the human woman who is about to wake them up.

 
Fran must have been crazy to leave her ordinary, safe life and volunteer as a colonist to terra-form a new earth. Now she is trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet a zillion miles from home and bound for a hideous death in notorious research chambers.

 She has one chance of escape: awaken the long dormant sexual urges of the Darkon Warriors shackled in the next cell.

It’s a desperate job, but someone has to do it.

DANCE IN THE OUTBACK
Years ago Melanie Black was rescued from a burning house by her best mate, a fellow foster child. When he begs for help to save his marriage, she can’t refuse and soon finds herself on a cattle station supervising his children.
There isn’t a mall in sight. It’s hot and swarms with flies – none more persistent than Dirk Tanner who apparently wants her and his brother-in-law out of his sister’s life for good.
Before too long, Melanie finds herself falling in love with both him and the red expanse of the Outback. But to achieve her childhood dream of love and belonging, she has to face her worst nightmare.

BOUND BY LIES
After trudging in the footsteps of the Fomorian army, Aileen longs to have a home of her own, far from the horrors of war. She will do anything to achieve her goal. Even lie to the kin of her newly deceased husband. But lies are nothing, compared with drugging a pixie king and stealing his memory … and his seed. Now Ioducus will teach her a lesson she won’t forget; and discovers, that here may be the one woman who can free him from his curse.

S.E.Gilchrist's backlist:

DARKON WARRIORS SERIES:
   Legend Beyond the Stars
   The Portal
   Awakening the Warriors
   Star Pirate’s Justice (coming February 2014)

EROTIC HISTORICAL/FANTASY SERIES:
    Bound by Love
    Bound by Lies

POST APOCALPYTIC / EROTIC:
    Paying the Forfeit   
    Storm of Fire (coming November 2013)

CONTEMPORARY RURAL
    Dance in the Outback: available approx. 31 Oct.2013

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: S.E.Gilchrist

Time for a new series, and what an exciting one it is - New Authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome S.E.Gilchrist.

S.E. juggles her writing around a full-time job and family duties. She writes in the romance genres of sci fi / futuristic, fantasy, post apocalyptic / dystopian, ancient history.

Her first release, Paying the Forfeit, a short erotic romance story set in a post-apocalyptic world, was published by Momentum Publishing in e-book format under the Hot Down Under series.

Legend Beyond the Stars, is her first single title (debut) release published by Escape Publishers in e-book format and is book 1 in the series, Legends of the Seven Galaxies. A hot short story set in the same world, The Portal, will be published by Escape Publishing on 1st March 2013.

S.E. has also indie published two books / novellas set in Dark Ages Britain and with fantasy elements, Bound by Love and Bound by Lies; available on most e-book sites.

She is currently working on more stories set in the sci fi / futuristic world and the fantasy / historical world.

Title - LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS
Release Date - 10th January 2013 
Publisher - Escape Publishing, a digital imprint of Harlequin Australia 

Call Story - My call story is a fairly simple one. I was impressed with the pitch Escape Publishing gave at the RWA Conference on the Gold Coast, August 2012, particularly how they were interested in Australian authors and prepared to look outside the box.

So on 10th September, I submitted a partial and a 100 word blurb on the New Harlequin Escape website. Kate Cuthbert requested the full on 21st September and on 12th October, I received that special email.

My reaction...similar to my brain imploding I think. Disbelief, heart pounding, a lot of squealing etc etc and I must have read that email a hundred times that night for I was certain I’d misunderstood.

About your book: 
Heroine - Alana Knight, captain in the United Earth Corporation forces and test pilot for shuttles from Earth to Moon / Mars. Alana has been married in the past and tragically, born a still born child and she now focuses on her career. She volunteers to assist oversee the colonists who intend to terra form a new earth-like planet. 
Hero - Tarak El Rajan, Commander of the Darkon Flight, son of ruler of the Darkos currently besieged and on the run from the Supreme Leader bent on obtaining control of their energy source which can be transformed into a powerful weapon.
Setting - The Seven Galaxies, space stations, space ships, alien planets.

Seeking redemption from a mission gone terribly wrong, Captain Alana Knight volunteers to aid a dangerous operation to transport colonists between Earth and alien traders.
But on board the spaceship, she learns of a galactic war raging for power. A power that can be transformed into a terrible weapon.
When the colonists are betrayed and sold, Alana’s mission is re-defined. Nothing will stop her from keeping those in her care safe and finding a passage home. But her new captor is nothing like she expects…
Commander Tarak El Rajan is human, male and equally determined to retain his payload. With his race on the brink of extinction he is under strict orders to transport all females to the planet Isla for research purposes.
In a world of uncertainty, where the wrong decision could mean the death of an entire race, the last thing either of these two soldiers expects or needs is to fall in love.

LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS excerpt
“Planning your escape, my slave?” His breath stirred the hairs at the nape of her neck, as he pushed her hair aside and trailed his mouth to the side of her neck just above the rim of her translator collar.
Alana swallowed over her dry throat. “Escape is a soldier’s first duty when captured by the enemy.”
He chuckled. “As you can see, Cerciron is not an easy planet. Note the cloud formation to your right, my Alana. Already the storm is gathering its momentum. In a bare one rone it will unleash its power onto the earth. At such times, it is best not to be above ground.” His grip tightened. “I will protect you if I have to chain you to my wall.”
“There’s no need to do anything so drastic. At the moment I have nowhere else to go.” She shuffled her booted feet and scowled.
The Commander spun her around to face him. He cupped her face with one hand and his dark eyes scorched into hers with the intensity of a furnace. “And you will go nowhere. Your place is here. By my side.”
“As your slave,” Alana challenged. She glared at his smug expression.
Tarak smiled and Alana could not stop her gaze dropping to follow the slow curve of his mouth. “Of course, what else?”
Her lashes swept down and she turned her face away but she had a sinking premonition he could read her far too well. Crap! His careless words hurt. She dug deep for pride and tried to push past.
“One moment, my slave,” Tarak ordered.
Alana stopped and stared as coolly as she could muster at him.
“It is my duty to also inform you Cerciron is also plagued by other natural elements.”
“Yes I know. Norman told me there are wind storms.”
“Aaaah, but did he mention the eruptions?”
Alana eyes narrowed as she stared at his innocent expression. She chewed her lower lip as she thought, then noticed how he now stared at her mouth. Clenching her fists, she fought the urge to drag him off to the side and run her hands over his taut muscles.
The man was a menace!
“Eruptions?” Alana queried and squirmed inwardly at her husky betraying tones.
Tarak folded his arms across his broad chest. Smirked. Unwillingly Alana met his eyes and her toes curled inside her heavy boots at the urgent hunger blazing in their melanic depths.
Surely he wasn’t referring to ...?
“The mountain range in the distance is subject to volcanic eruptions of lava.” He paused and waved a regal hand towards the horizon. “What other types of eruptions are there?”
Alana blushed to the roots of her hair and stomped off. She could hear him chuckling as he strode behind her. 

Any upcoming releases?
A futuristic short story titled, The Portal, and set in the same world as Legend has been accepted by Escape Publishing and will be released on 1st March 2013.

When Janni, a young salvager, boards a space wreck, she is caught for daring to steal Darkon tech by a patroller and the one man she had thought never to see again.
Several months ago she had allowed him to slip past her defences for a brief and wonderful interlude. But with both of them on either sides of the law, they had walked away. Now they are trapped on a wreck and with an alien life-force hunting them. Will the patroller save her or abandon Janni to her fate?

I hope for a second futuristic short story, titled, Awakening the Warriors, to follow soon.

You can follow S.E.Gilchrist on Facebook or Twitter, or learn more about her on her website.

GUEST AUTHOR: S.E.Gilchrist

I first met S.E.Gilchrist at a Romance Writers of Australia conference many years ago, and it was then we discovered a shared love of all things paranormal, and that we liked to read many of the same authors.

Today it's a great pleasure to have her as my guest - please make her feel welcome!

S.E.Gilchrist Bio: My home is in the beautiful Hunter Valley of Australia with vineyards, rivers, tree studded countryside and the Pacific Ocean all at my doorstep. I grew up in a small coastal town in NSW, a fantastic place with the ocean, the lake, the Aussie bush, caves, old mines all offering different ‘worlds’ to explore.

I love traveling, meeting new people and exploring their cultures. I have visited Asia and the US and spent several years traveling around Australia, lived on a cattle station, on the gem fields, beside the ocean, camped beside mountain streams and under the stars in the outback – all truly magical experiences.

My dream is to earn a living from my writing and be in a position to travel once more.

My writing passion is in the romance genres of sci fi / futuristic, fantasy, paranormal, post apocalyptic/dystopian, ancient history and time travel. I love to combine adventure and romance and aspire to give my protagonists a goal worth fighting for. And I really enjoy giving them a hell of a lot of problems along the way! Adventure – exploring new worlds, battling aliens, dueling with medieval warriors, vanquishing demons, weathering the storms and embracing the joys of challenging relationships.

My other interests are : the environment, science/new technology, animal welfare, mythology, kayaking and bush walking.

I am a member of the RWA of Australia, Romance Writers of New Zealand,  Darksiders Down Under Blog, Hunter Romance Writers, Hot-Down Under anthology writers and RWAmerica, the SF Brigade, Savvy Authors.

Title - LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS 
Publisher - Escape Publishing 
Setting - The Seven Galaxies 
Hero - Commander Tarak el Rajan of the Darkon Battle Fleet 
Heroine - Captain Alana Knight of the United Earth Corporation 

LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS

Seeking redemption from a mission gone terribly wrong, Captain Alana Knight volunteers to aid a dangerous operation to transport colonists between Earth and alien traders. But on board the spaceship, she learns of a galactic war raging for power. A power that can be transformed into a terrible weapon. 
When the colonists are betrayed and sold, Alana’s mission is re-defined. Nothing will stop her from keeping those in her care safe and finding a passage home. But her new captor is nothing like she expects…

Commander Tarak El Rajan is human, male and equally determined to retain his payload. With his race on the brink of extinction he is under strict orders to transport all females to the planet Isla for research purposes. 
In a world of uncertainty, where the wrong decision could mean the death of an entire race, the last thing either of these two soldiers expects or needs is to fall in love.

Buy Links
Escape Publishing     Amazon     Kobo


Scene you would never cut -
Alana swallowed hard on the bile which burned her throat. She was proud her voice did not quaver when she continued, “And Commander Tarak, does he know too?”
Surprise widened Atolo’s eyes. “Of course. Now we must hurry.” He waved the warrior away. “I am eager to begin. This section here, we have some interesting specimens of our earlier research. Up ahead we have preserved the results of our experiments in more recent years. As you can see, we had almost reached a stage of achieving an actual embryo. Almost but not quite.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Alana shook her head in violent denial, refusing to accept his words. She saw his mouth moving as he gesticulated with pride at the tiny vulnerable life forms curled up in the familiar foetal position in their lonely tube coffins.
Her body spasmed.
A shudder so profound it almost felled her to the ground wracked through her. The monster’s voice had receded to a thin drone in the background. Alana heard nothing through the roar in her ears. She could barely see as she stretched out a trembling hand and touched the uncaring metal. A bitter wave of revulsion shook her to her core and she struggled for air.
And Tarak knew of this?  Could this be the secret her lover had kept from her? That plus the knowledge her friends and herself were destined for these horrendous research chambers? She thought back over all the times she had sensed he had held something back, something of vital importance. She recalled the eerie atmosphere pervading the Darkons’ city, the grim almost despairing auras that clung to Tarak and his warriors. Deep inside amid the cauldron of horror, doubt and remembered grief, murderous thoughts poisoned her mind.
She jerked her hand from her jailor, lurched to the side and vomited.
Over and over until nothing remained but hollowness.
Emptiness.
She scrubbed at the tears on her face and retched again. She knew she would carry the image of a frail shrivelled body until the end of her days.
Her eyelids were as heavy if they were weighted with bricks and her body felt as if lead was in her veins. She shuddered and realised she huddled on the icy floor. The faint sounds of whimpering were coming from her own throat.
So cold, she was sure she would never be warm again. Her movements slow and jerky her hands scrubbed at her face. She wiped her sleeve under her dripping nose. Only one thing mattered now. Her mouth hardened into a thin line as her brain kicked back into gear.
I’ll kill them.
All of them.
Every last Darkon.
And she would save Commander Tarak for last.

Something your heroine would never do or say – Alana would never turn her back on anyone who needed her. She’d also never sing, as she sounds like a drowning cat.

What do you think the readers will like about LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS?
The love story. I hope readers will find emotionally fulfilling Alana and Tarak’s romance. Both Alana and Tarak have to wrestle with duty, their responsibilities for others and the knowledge they need to sacrifice what they hold dear if they should reach out and take this chance at happiness.

There’s action and adventure in this story plus the underlining thread is a war raging in the background and a villain who has yet to be conquered.

What themes or tropes appear in the book?
Sacrifice, protection, responsibility for others. Greed and desperation. 

What's the most fascinating aspect about writing in the science fiction romance genre for you?
Definitely the ability to create entire worlds with new rules, laws, cultures and religions. Power! Give me more power!

Which authors have inspired you in your own writing?
Wow, too many: Elizabeth Peters, Denise Rosetti, Linnea Sinclair, Angela Knight, Karen Marie Moning, John Birmingham, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Matthew Reilly, JRR Tolkien, Betty Neels, Karen Hawkins, JD Robb, Johann Lindsey etc.

Is there anything else about LEGEND BEYOND THE STARS that you'd like to share?
*Legend has a quirky little side-kick, an alien called Norman who ends up a close and important friend to Alana.
*The need for the colonists to leave Earth for example is because climate change has wrecked havoc on our resources and war has erupted on all borders as people become desperate for the basic necessities of life.
*There’s also some gritty realism in this story. Just like in our reality, people make unpleasant decisions; some with terrible consequences. And not everyone gets their HEA.

*And I’d like to finish with a mention for a hot, short story called THE PORTAL. It's a tale set in the same world as Legend and was released on 1st March by Escape Publishing.

THE PORTAL
When Janni, a young salvager, boards a space wreck, she is caught for daring to steal Darkon tech by a patroller and the one man she had thought never to see again. Several months ago she had allowed him to slip past her defences for a brief and wonderful interlude. But with both of them on either sides of the law, they had walked away. Now they are trapped on a wreck and with an alien life-force hunting them. Will the patroller save her or abandon Janni to her fate?


Kylie, thank you so much for hosting me on your site today. Its been wonderful!

Thank you for visiting, SE, and congratulations on your latest releases!

You can find out more about S.E.Gilchrist at her website or Escape Publishing, or you might like to follow her on Facebook, Twitter or the Hunter Romance Writers blog.


Other books by S.E.Gilchrist:

Released Dec.28th, 2012 w/Smashwords & Amazon

Released Dec.1st, 2012, Momentum Books