Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Finishing the manuscript




This must be my twelfth novel or so (I stopped counting after ten and not all of them are in print yet), but I still get a chill when I write the magic words "THE END." This week I finished my current manuscript, temporarily titled CAPTIVE. It doesn't mean that my job with this book is done, far from it. What I have now is a relatively polished story which went through my critique group chapter by chapter and was rewritten at least five or six times. But it will take me another month to polish it to the point where I am comfortable showing it to a publisher or an agent. A novel is never really finished. These are Zania and Svend, the heroes of this story. Arent't they gorgeous?

I had given myself a deadline, to complete the novel before the year was over, and I made it. I usually do. Self discipline is an important factor in a professional writer's life. The deadline is part of the motivation to write, and when I do not have a contracted work to deliver on a specific date, I still give myself limited time. I try to write a chapter a week, and that equals two novels a year. This forces me to make my writing a priority, to focus on my story and my characters. I work better on a deadline.

But I'm always a little sad when I leave my characters, and I tend to linger at the end, just to spend more time with them. This particular story involves characters from different parallel universes, collected by an alien race for pure profit. What if you woke up thirteen hundred years from now, in a parallel universe that treated you as a slave?

Wounded in an attack on her military convoy in the desert of her native Earth, Zania awakes in a sterile, non-violent world, where mating is prohibited and violence and passions have been bred out of the population. A clandestine fringe, however, pays royally to watch forbidden entertainment. A captive from an era where humans still mated, Zania is expected to perform for them. As a soldier, however, she will never submit. When, in the arena, she faces Svend, Viking warrior and sex champion, her first instinct is to fight. No matter how handsome or kind, she hates a man who doesn’t value his freedom. Svend understands her reaction. He also knows that unless they give a good show, imminent death awaits them both. And on this seemingly peaceful Earth, deep trouble is brewing, and no one is safe...

Read more about this upcoming novel at:

Read about other projects coming soon:

Check out my website at:

Thursday, November 15, 2007

The fate of Triskelion authors is decided


In the ongoing saga of the Triskelion Publishing Bankruptcy, all the author contracts were frozen by the court and offered as a lot on the auction block. At the auction I attended this morning, two publishers fought to buy those contracts: Loose Id and Siren. The winner was Siren Publishing, an electronic and print book company that publishes erotic romance. Siren only bought the contracts with the intention to release the rights back to the authors immediately, as per their recent press release. This is a great relief for the authors who have been fighting for the right to their intellectual property since July. Several of my titles were caught in this fiasco. One of these titles is SIEGE, the last book of the Operation Pleiades series, another is White Tiger, which was never released in print (only in e-book). My novella, Coyote Gorgeous was also frozen. I am now free to submit these stories for publication by other publishers.
I publicly thank Siren Publishing from the bottom of my heart. This is a very generous company. They never intended to keep the rights to these books, most of which, like my Sci-fi romance novels, do not conform to their guidelines. I wish this kind publisher all the exposure and good publicity this selfless gesture deserves. There still is nobility of heart in this industry, demonstrated by the small press, and It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you, Siren Publishing, for ending this awful situation for almost a hundred authors.


Vijaya Schartz
Sci-Fi and Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

UFOs, Aliens, Angels, Demons, Myth or Reality?


I love speaking at the Mesa Senior Center, a charming facility where I always feel welcome. Yesterday was my third talk in a series, and the topic promised and delivered a lively event. I have been researching these fields for many years, along with Secret Societies, Alchemy, Magic, and I incorporate that knowledge in my particular brand of fiction. Would you believe it, several people in the audience had actually seen UFOs. So, I guess I'm not the only one. But as I always say in my talks, almost everyone had experiences of an unusual nature, whether paranormal, foretelling the future, seeing auras, seeing ghosts, or any number of socially unacceptable phenomena. Maybe it's time to grow up and realize that these things are happening, and scientifically proven or not, they are part of our lives.


Vijaya Schartz

Science-Fiction & Romance with a Kick

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

My interview is up, check it out.


After months of waiting, my interview is up on the Nights and Weekends website and is the author spotlight for the month of October. The interviewer is Margaret Marr, who fell in love with The Garrison LOCKDOWN. How about that?


Margaret had interesting questions I enjoyed answering, and you might learn a few little known facts about me while enjoying the read. Le link is below.
In the meantime, my contest is still going on at:
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/ Click on CONTEST on the left.


I had fun doing the interview and hope you have fun reading it, too. Here is the link:

Wishing you all the very best.

Vijaya Schartz
Sci-fi and romance with a kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Win my book of your choice!

I just started a new contest on my personal website. Tell me which book of mine you would like to win. It's easy, anyone can win. If you already love my books and read most of them, you could go for an out of print title or an e-book no longer available, like White Tiger or This Magic Moment, or the MP3 audiobook of Archangel Crusader, or any paperback missing from your library.

And if you are new to my novels, it's the perfect opportunity to try one, but I have to warn you that they are addictive.
To participate in the contest, click on CONTEST on my main page at:


Good luck in the contest and keep reading.

Vijaya Schartz
Award-winning Sci-Fi and Romance with a Kick

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Introducing my fellow author Angela Verdenius

Something is coming…

Bad-tempered, bad-mouthed, tough-as-nails Head Peacekeeper, Desdemona keeps a tight grip on her settlement on the outskirts of the Outlaw Sector.

A rising body count, attacks, escalating outlaw activity, and clashes with the dangerously handsome Daamen trader, Simon, can only culminate in two things - one hotly intimate, the other so very deadly…

The Heart & Soul series is a sci-fi/futuristic series, where the heroines are often the 'tortured ones', rather than the usual tortured heroes:

...where the women are strong...
...the men are their match...
...and the universe is an exciting and dangerous place...

LOL...my little catch-phrase for them. The heroines come in all types - outlaws, warriors, peacekeepers, bounty hunters, soldiers, traitors, thieves, assassins, smugglers, space pirates, security, part mutants, etc - they all walk and breathe and turn the worlds of men upside down. The men are traders, bounty hunters, soldiers, security, leaders...and they will stand beside the woman they love against everyone else.

Even though a series, each book is a stand alone story, featuring one particular couple. I have taken side characters from one story and given them their own, and it has continued thusly (don't you just love old fashioned words? ), so each book introduces you to a new couple, a couple you have met briefly in previous books, and to their story.

Some stories are dark, some funny, some sensual and sexy. It all depends on the couple and their story. All I know is that they are fun to write about! (We won't mention those times I and my characters have fought during their story).

More information is available from my website
including more books and blurbs on this series.

cheers!
Angela Verdenius

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Would you believe I wrote a fairytale?


My short story SLEEPING BEAUTY comes lives today on the ROMANTIC TIMES BOOK REVIEWS website. Although I write mainly Sci-Fi romance in novel length, I enjoy exploring other avenues with short stories, (some have even shocked some of my readers) and when Romantic Times asked me to write a modern adaptation of a classic fairytale, I jumped at the opportunity. This venture into classic romance was a lot of fun. No but-kicking, no aliens, no martial arts, no saving the planet, just an intriguing modern story based on a fairytale. I call is a story of greed, attempted murder, and live-saving love. It ends up with a kiss (spoiler alert), but do not expect the same old story.
To enjoy the free read, just click HERE.
or go to:
Wishing you all a fantastic summer.
Vijaya Schartz

Monday, June 25, 2007

There is life after Triskelion































It's all over the internet. Triskelion Publishing, my current publisher is closing its doors. There was no warning, although it seemed the company was experiencing financial difficulties. As a result, all my e-books and my latest print books will soon become unavailable. So if you wanted to get ANAZ-VOOHRI, RELICS, LOCKDOWN, WHITE TIGER, or the anthology THIS MAGIC MOMENT, now is the time to get them. As of July 2, 2007, these books will be officially defunct. I have more titles coming in the near future for other publishers, and I'll let you know when I have definite release dates, but in the meantime, get the disappearing titles fast, before they become collectors' items.

Contact me if you can't find the books. I have a few copies in store.

Friday, June 15, 2007

It's official, I will be at the 2008 Romantic Times Convention


The 2007 convention is barely over that we are already planning the 2008 Romantic Times annual event, which will take place in Pittsburgh, PA on April 15 to April 20. It was an easy decision. Not only will I participate, but I will be part of the Faery Court, a group of authors organizing the annual Faery Ball. We are speaking of themes and costumes, decorations, ideas, colors, and I can tell you already that it will be fabulous.


Fae, will you ask? Fantasy often mixes with Science Fiction and futuristic romance, and I don't mind mingling with other talented authors in the Fantasy genre. Sci-Fi was well represented this year, and this new genre promises to make an even bigger splash next year as more publishers are following this popular trend. I will be in good company with Cheyenne McCray, Eden Robins, Tina Gerow, Brit Blaise, and many other great authors, although I may be the only one with a sci-fi theme to my faery costume.


Just for fun, I posted the picture of my costume at the Faery Ball in May. It's a Genie costume. Genies are fairies, too, right? Watch out for next year. I plan to get noticed, but I haven't figure out how a gun toting amazon in black leather fits into a faery theme. I'm not losing faith. Creativity is my middle name.


In any case, it should be fun to se what happens next year. I'll keep you informed and plan on opening a new page on my personal website, just for that particular event.


Have a wonderful day.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Sci-Fi & Romance With a Kick - by Vijaya Schartz

I always thought pure Sci-Fi could benefit from a little more human (or alien) emotion, and pure romance lacked in action, adventure, and plot. For me, a good read should have all of the above, that's why I write Sci-Fi romance. The road has been difficult at best, but finally publishers are starting to realize that these two genres were meant to mix to make a new category, for which bookstores still have to find a slot on their shelves. Romantic Science Fiction, or as I call it, Sci-Fi & Romance with a kick, has a wide readership eager for more books.
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The first publisher to give me a chance was Triskelion Publishing. They started in 2004, mixing romance with other genres, like gothic, urban fantasy, and Science Fiction. From an e-book publisher they went on to trade paperbacks and now mass market paperbacks, carried by all major bookstores. You may visit them at http://www.triskelionpublishing.com/
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Since then, larger publishers realized the potential of sci-fi romance and you can find these books slowly filling the shelves, although the booksellers still do not know where to place them. So our fans have to look very hard for them. Often in romance, these books are called futuristic, but the definitions vary greatly among authors and publishers. Is the emphasis on the romance? Or is it on the futuristic plot? My opinion differs from most. I think there should be an equal amount of plot and emotion. When the perfect balance is achieved, the reader, male or female, will enjoy the story.
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Yes, I said male. My readers are equally male and female. When I talk to a male reader, I say there is sex in my books. When I talk to a female reader, I say there is romance in my books. The truth is, men don't mind romance as long as you don't call it that, if the story is exciting. And women don't mind a little techno talk, as long as there is a romantic thread and tension throughout and a happy ending. I call it the best of both worlds.
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Another trend in romantic sci-fi is that the heroine is strong and very often kicks butts. That's my girl! No damsel in distress here. She often saves the hero's sweet little butt. Right you are. Maybe it's because I'm a black belt in Aikido that I like strong heroines, but publishers like them, too. The modern women is no victim and takes control of her destiny, no matter how hard it gets.
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If you are looking for a good sci-fi kick butt romance, check out my titles at Amazon here:
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And if you want to know more about my books, just visit my website at:
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Have a wonderful day.
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Vijaya