Eve Langlais' Top 10 Sci-Fi Heroes (Pirate book tour) + giveaway

I will admit, I love science fiction. The idea of life out there, strange new worlds, cultures, everything, totally gets me excited. The whole 'what if' premise is one of the reasons I love writing sci-fi romance. My passion for all things sci-fi started at a young age as I avidly watched Star Trek. Then along came Star Wars, and the various Star Trek rebirths. Battlestar Galactica, Guardians of the Galaxy, Stargate, and more... If it's got an alien, or futuristic theme (especially with cyborgs or gene manipulation) then chances are I'll watch it.

Over the years, some characters have left lasting impressions and helped formed my idea of the ultimate sci-fi hero. Here's my favorites. Who's yours?

My hottest heroes from Sci-Fi movies and shows.

1. The original Han Solo, Harrison Ford

2. Riddick played by hottie Vin Diesel

3. Jean Luc Picard with commanding actor Patrick Stewart

4. Star Lord of Guardians of the Galaxy played by the adorable Chris Pratt

5. Star Trek rebooted with Chris Pine as the young Captain Kirk

6. The cyborg in Almost human, Michael Ealy

7. Number 6/Caprica from Battlestar Galactica, Tricia Helfer (She was awesome!)

8. Villain Benedict Cumberbath as Kahn in Star trek into Darkness.

9. Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis (I hear he’s going to be Aquaman!)

10. Channing Tatum was yummy as the guard in Jupiter Ascending.

Pirate (Space Gypsy Chronicles Book 1)

by Eve Langlais

August 25, 2016

280 pages

A Galactic Adventure – with a sassy ship – and aliens! Earth: a space pirate’s dream when it comes to booty, but not a good place to Earth: a space pirate’s dream when it comes to booty, but not a good place to hide when bounty hunters come looking. Pulling up stakes means Rafe must leave his vintage trailer behind, but in the process, he acquires a passenger, a mouthy female who seems to think she’s calling the shots. She’ll soon learn who’s the captain. And it isn’t Annabelle, his bossy ship. Travel the galaxy with this gypsy pirate as he looks for treasure–and finds trouble instead. The universe might be out to get him, but he’s not giving in without a fight

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Hello, my name is Eve and I am a Canadian author who loves to write hot romance, usually with hot shifters, cyborgs or aliens. I should warn you that I possess a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. I love to write, and while I don't always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a happily ever after. Thanks so much for coming by and checking me out. If you'd like to know more, read some excerpts or find out what's coming next, then please visit me at http://www.EveLanglais.com

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Guest post: Top 10 All-time favorite, swoon-worthy, fticional heroes by Tenaya Jayne + giveaway

Hello everyone! This is my top ten list of all-time favorite, swoon-worthy, fictional heroes. 

#10. Zane from The Dream Thief by Shana Abe. This book is the second in her Drakon series. Zane is awesome because he’s shady, confident, and ruthless. He needs nothing and no one. He’s street smart and can survive in a world of dragon-shifters when he’s only a human. The fact that he has any goodness or love in his heart is a surprise to him, and of course it’s the heroine who brings it out. 

#9. Jakob Balston from The Abducted Heiress by Claire Thornton. This 2007 harlequin historical has the best ever marriage proposal. From the first page, Jakob is smart, sexy, self-sacrificing, and not at all superficial.

#8. Ink from Indelible by Dawn Metcalf. This book captivated me from the start because it’s so unusual. I wasn’t sold on Ink as a hero until the heroine is attacked. He doesn’t waste time with excuses or pseudo morality. He handles it with quick, vicious precision. The way he avenges her pain won me over.

#7. Lance from The Night Drifter by Susan Carroll. Lance has a reputation as a rakehell and black sheep and he intends to keep it that way. He has a magical ability to drift, separate his body and soul. Rosalind thinks he’s a ghost. The way he makes her fall in love with him, is hands down one of the most romantic ever!

#6. Bo Novikov from Beast Behaving Badly by Shelley Laurenston. Bo is great. He scares everyone. Vicious, shifter hybrid, and single-minded hockey player. But if you get to know him, he’s protective, goofy, and heartwarmingly nerdy.

#5. Eli from Liberty Awakened by Alicia Dean. Eli is more of a classic vampire in terms of his abilities and weaknesses but he totally rocks! Despite the fact he is hundreds of years old, he responds to the heroine like a schoolboy. Not a jerk, but not a push over either. He really got under my skin.

#4. Aelius from Gargoyle by Shelley Martin. You probably haven’t heard of this book and that is a travesty! Aelius is a gargoyle but he’s kind of a shifter because he’s also a man. A really, lovely, hot man, you all should get to know!

#3. Vayhawk from The Heldan by Deborah T. Bickmore. This is another book you probably don’t know and you should! Vayhawk was damn near close to perfection for me. At least my idea of perfect book boyfriend material.

#2. Acheron from Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I don’t think I have to say more. Acheron. You know what I mean.

#1. Syrus from Forbidden Forest by me. This is one area where it is cool to be an author. I imagined my ideal hero, and then I brought him to life. He’s flawed, kind, laid back, powerful, and hot, of course. He wants a strong woman to fight alongside him. Forest’s strength doesn’t threaten or emasculate him. He’s fun and he’s loyal. You should get to know him. 

Thanks for being here with me today! I wonder, who’s on your list? 

Forbidden Forest (The Legends of Regia Book One)
by Tenaya Jayne
Genre: YA Fantasy romance, PNR
Publisher: Cold Fire Publishing LLC
Date of Publication: 2012
ISBN: 0988275716
ASIN: B009JVTLA6
Number of pages: 264
Word Count: 77,000
Cover Artist: Erika Doucesse
Born in shame. Cast from society. Shape Shifter/Elf hybrid, Forest must fight for any respect she can get. Targeted in her youth by a vampire noble who placed an illegal slave mark on her, she is forced to obey him, no matter what.

Slipping the grip of her master and abandoning the prejudice of Regia, her native world, Forest takes a job on Earth, guarding the portal, using her skills as a warrior to enforce Regia's laws. Now, called home for a black ops mission, Forest must put aside her own prejudice to transport the vampire prince, Syrus, through enemy territory in a time of war.

Prince Syrus, mage and master of the Blood Kata, wants Forest more than he's ever wanted anything. In spite of their mutual mistrust, their attraction cannot be denied. Through the danger of their mission, and the secrets they both keep, it doesn't matter what they feel. Forest is forbidden.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Y2FtqAk64VA

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Excerpt:
Forest pressed her back against the cool concrete wall, wanting to remain aloof from the entity of the crowd. She chose her position in the shadows, out of the paths of the roving, multi-colored spotlights. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the undulating human pheromones flying around on the air. At the beginning of every shift, she allowed herself a few minutes of this alien/human experience, though she didn't fully comprehend the combination of dancing, drinking, and ear-breaking sound waves. They loved it, however, and never seemed to deviate from the recipe.

These were the people she was sworn to protect. She had developed a light affection for the human race and considered them a benign, if not slightly silly, bunch of creatures. Her religious passion for her job was rooted in hatred of that which harmed the humans, not a superhero tendency to protect the weak.

Forest opened her eyes and focused all her senses to sniff out the illegal suckers that tried to sneak through the portal. She was in the zone tonight, and not for the first time did she feel that hers was the best job in existence. It was a shame she couldn’t legally kill suckers in her native world.

Over the next two hours, Forest didn’t move from the wall. She monitored the light traffic through the portal: two shifters and one elf, each of which nodded to her respectfully as they passed. Yawn. The shifters left the club to enjoy the delights of Austin’s nightlife elsewhere.

The elf would have been breaking Regia’s law had he left the club, but he dutifully seated himself at the bar and ordered a fuzzy navel. He wore a plaid, porkpie hat, pulled down over the tops of his pointed ears. Forest didn’t know him personally, but she had seen him in here before. The bartender surveyed him with narrowed eyes as the elf nervously tugged his hat down further and ordered a few more girly cocktails.

Intent on making sure that not one sucker was able to sneak past her, Forest was blindsided by the drunk bubba who had been trying to catch her eye for the last twenty minutes. He had finally decided to stagger over to hit on her.

“Hey babe, you’re too beautiful to look so lonely. How’s ‘bout I buy you a drink?”

“How’s ‘bout I call you a cab instead?” Forest mimicked his drawl.

“Only if you share it with me, Darlin.” He leaned in closer, and Forest’s throat began to sting from the noxious fume of booze mixed with his natural musk.

“While I appreciate the offer, Jethro, it seems only right to inform you that I’m not actually attractive at all. If you leaned in a little closer, you’d see that you’ve fallen victim to the effect of beer goggles. A hag like me can’t take advantage of a stud like you.”

As he leaned in, Forest instantly enlarged her nose, pockmarked her skin, evaporated her front teeth, and added a large black mole with a long hair sprouting from it for good measure.

“You’re no hag, baby! You’re the sexiest little thing in…I…uh…" He stumbled backward. “Good grief! Sorry, sorry…” he stammered, retreating. “I’ve gotta quit drinking,” he mumbled as he turned away.

Forest chuckled to herself once he absorbed back into the crowd. Being a shape shifter sometimes had unusual perks.

About the Author:
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Nationally Bestselling author Tenaya Jayne has always walked a shaky line between reality and fantasy. A nomad by nature, she's lived all over the US, and now resides happily in the Midwest, with her husband and sons. She's an advocate for Autism awareness and women trapped in abusive relationships, and feels everyone has too much pain to not enjoy an escape into a fictional fantasy world. Her passions include reading, independent and foreign films, cooking, and moody music. For more about Tenaya and her books, visit www.tenayajayne.com

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Guest Post: I'm Tired of Being Robbed of My Heroes + giveaway!

I’m Tired of being Robbed of my Heroes

By: Jason M Waltz

We hate our heroes. We hate them because we hate ourselves and we do all we can to bring them down to our level.

Oh, we cry for heroes. We insist we’re looking for heroes. We even applaud those few we find. Then we turn on them. Instead of using their triumphs and their examples to motivate us, to lift us up and raise us higher, we despise them, tear and scratch and claw at them until we drag them down to us. No, even lower; we drag them down and shove them beneath us, where we trample them in our sneering superiority. Why? Well because it offers us a brief respite from our personal despair and self-loathing, allows us to momentarily blind ourselves with thoughts of our own pre-eminence. Our aspirations to be more than we think we can be. Mostly though, because we can.

Unfortunately, it never lasts. That respite and pre-eminence bit. The superiority complex and hatred does. As does our frantic search for the next ‘hero’ we can devour. Like a drug addict, we’re jonesin’, jonesin’ bad, and we need a fix. We’ll settle for anything, no matter the cost, no matter the quality, just give us a hit man! Each time we consume another one we feel better about ourselves…temporarily. The self-pleasure vanishes more quickly and tastes less sweet after every gorging so we rush after the next one until we’re in a vicious cycle of ruination.

Sad thing is, ruination works both ways. Heroes develop out of the society they’re born and bred in. As the society goes, so goes its heroes. Each generation of heroes is less than the one before, less hero and more us. Once upon a time us tried to become more than we were, looked up more often than not, rose up and became more. Not everyone became a hero, perhaps very few did. Idea is, we used to try. We used to point and say, “Look! Up in the sky!” We used to try.

Now we only try to bring those upstart wanna-be heroes back down to earth, back down among us mortals. Look! S/he’s attempting to be more—how dare s/he be more than us! We cheer them on with wide smiles while we sink our fangs into them. We raise our hands in raucous praise only to pin their legs and yank them back and wrap our thick-fingered hatred around their throats. We look for their next awe-inspiring act simultaneously as we avidly search for their darkest secrets, their bared mistakes, their weakest moments in order to condemn them. We work hard—not at using their inspiration, not at bettering ourselves and following their shining examples—we work hard at staying right where we are, remaining in the muck and grime and acting like we enjoy it. Telling ourselves we enjoy it and so should they, so should everyone. We mock them and destroy them and in the process destroy the potential hopes and dreams of thousands of others all because it makes us feel better. Shame on us.

I’m tired of being robbed of my heroes. I want some real ones, and I want them now. I want them to be bigger than life, larger than anything I currently am yet someone I can definitely strive toward being. I want heroes that make me stretch. Like my favorite national landmark, Devil’s Tower, I want heroes that rear head-and-shoulders above the world—above all of us!— and dwarf us into a shocked and appreciative wonder that motivates us…to be. Just to be or to do. Whatever follows either is better; better for us, better for today, better for you and me, better for tomorrow—better for our children.

Hate is not a good thing. It is a destroyer: often of its target, always of its user, and nothing good comes of it. Nothing heroic can come from hate. If we continue hating, there will be no more heroes. We will have destroyed them. We will be all alone, stuck with each other. We will have destroyed ourselves. Let us be more than destroyers. Let us be the creators of heroes!

This is why I invited 15 of today’s greatest, most popular, and bestselling fantasy authors to tell us how and why they write heroes. I asked them to share what they believe makes a hero and what exactly it is that writers must know to create and readers to find their own. Then I asked them to put their money where their mouth was, as it were, and back up their advice with examples from their own work. Writing Fantasy Heroes is their answer.

Doesn’t everyone already know what makes a hero? No, I don’t think so, nor do I think it’s that simple. Writing Fantasy Heroes isn't so much about the writing (though sound advice is present); it’s not even all that very particular to fantasy (though the authors are well-known contributors to the genre and the examples they use come mostly from it). And though it is about the creation and writing of characters who are more often than not protagonists of their tales and usually the heroes, this book is really a conversation about us.

Which is where we begin to stop the hating and commence the creating.

Writing Fantasy Heroes: Powerful Advice from the Pros (Rogue Blades Presents)
Contributors consist of Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, Orson Scott Card, Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esslemont, Cecelia Holland, Howard Andrew Jones, Paul Kearney, Ari Marmell, Janet and Chris Morris, Cat Rambo, Brandon Sanderson, and C.L. Werner.

Where are your heroes? Are they trapped inside the stories in your head, eager to burst free? Are you ready to share them, to brag of them, to tell of their deeds and battles, their daring and sacrifice? Are you a storyteller ready to write the tales of your own heroes?

Fantasy heroes endure. They are embedded in our cultural fabric, dwarfing other literary figures and the mere men and women of history. Achilles and Odysseus, Gilgamesh and Beowulf. King Arthur and Robin Hood, Macbeth and Sherlock Holmes, Conan and Luke Skywalker. They dominate our legends, and tower over popular culture.

The stories we tell each other begin and end with fantasy heroes, and the 21st Century is as thoroughly captivated with them as ever. From Batman to Gandalf, Harry Potter to Tyrion Lannister, the heroes of fantasy speak to—and for—whole generations.

But what makes a fantasy hero? How do the best writers create them, and bring them to life on the page? In WRITING FANTASY HEROES some of the most successful fantasy writers of our time—including Steven Erikson, Brandon Sanderson, Janet Morris, Cecelia Holland, Orson Scott Card, and Glen Cook—pull back the curtain to reveal the secrets of creating heroes that live and breathe, and steal readers' hearts.

Whether you're an aspiring writer or simply a reader who loves great fantasy and strong characters, this book is for you.

About the Editor:

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Jason M Waltz took that picture of Devil’s Tower in 2007. He also hung a picture of the landmark in his office to remind him of his awe when he stood beneath it and to motivate him to always climb higher. Jason believes in heroes and in the need to believe in heroes. He believes everyone should be able to read a book and be inspired by heroic deeds. To that end, he helms Rogue Blades Entertainment under the byline of Putting the Hero back into Heroics!

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