BRYCE
Galactic Defenders #1
by Jessica E. Subject
Release date: June 28, 2016
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Action & Adventure
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9948431-9-7
Print ISBN: 978-1-988428-00-0
Editor: Kate Richards
Cover artist: Fantasia Frog Designs
Keywords: reunited lovers, rescue, aliens, romance, love, royalty, military
# of pages: 119 ebook, 185 print
# of words: 37,050
BLURB:
A dedicated Defender…
Bryce fell in love once, but after Lalia was ripped away from him, he locked his heart from feeling anything for anyone else. Instead, he devotes his life to the Galactic Alliance, killing every bloodthirsty Erebus he comes across.
A shunned princess…
Lalia Comosova fell in love with the wrong man. When her parents learned of her transgressions, they sent her to Earth to hide her error in judgment from the rest of the kingdom.
A second chance?
When these lovers are reunited after many years apart, they have a chance to find happiness together. But fate steps in and threatens to rip them apart as it did years ago.
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EXCERPT:
Bryce raised his crossbow, lining his sights on the creature standing amongst the bushes, its branch-like tentacles undulating in the gentle breeze. Focusing the crosshairs on the alien’s torso, he drew in a deep breath. He had one shot. If he missed, the Erebus would cry out and alert the natives of Terra to its existence, resulting in more casualties. At first glance, no one on the planet, also called Earth, would believe an Erebus anything more than an overgrown bush, but Bryce knew the truth. He’d trained to hunt the creatures from childhood.
Each step carefully placed, he advanced until he stood twenty feet from the Erebus, no chance to miss the shot. With a slight movement of his finger, he squeezed the trigger, sending a zuranium-tipped arrow racing toward the alien.
“Quinn, would you grab me another garbage bag?”
Fornax. The creature lunged toward the female voice, Bryce’s arrow stuck in one of its tentacles. A kill, but not instant.
He loaded another arrow. At the risk of being seen, he charged through the hedges. He had to cut the Erebus off before it had a chance to kill the Terran. He leaped over metal furniture and large urns, keeping his focus on the creature.
“What the hell? Get out of my yard!”
The woman rushed him, but Bryce darted around her. When the Erebus lumbered in front of him, he raised his weapon and fired. A clean shot to the middle. The creature dropped like a fallen log, crushing the furniture it landed on.
Bryce loaded the crossbow again. No time to celebrate the kill. He had to worry about the possibility of other Erebus in the area, along with the Terran woman who had seen him. Instead of running away screaming, as he’d expected her to do, she stared, wide-eyed in horror. Not at him, but the Erebus. Her body trembled as she shuffled backward, mumbling incomprehensible words.
An unexpected sense of familiarity washed over him. He couldn’t draw his attention away from her slim figure, the way her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Far more attractive than he’d pictured the Terrans when others talked about them. He took a closer glance. Lalia? How had she traveled so far from home without anyone knowing? She was no stranger, and definitely not Terran. Or, perhaps she was simply a doppelganger of the woman he’d once loved. He had the sudden urge to comfort her, relieve her worry. Hold her in his arms the way he had many years ago. But what if the missing princess had somehow made her way to a planet unaware life existed beyond their own? After she’d left Hemera and him behind without so much as a goodbye, he’d searched everywhere. Though not once had he thought to look on Terra.
A ground-shattering bellow pierced the night. Bryce spun around, finding himself face-to-face with another Erebus. It stared at him with beady red eyes. Thick black goop dripped from its mouth.
Bryce raised his bow, but the creature slammed him with one of its tentacles, flinging him back. The Erebus lunged at Lalia.
Rolling to his knees, Bryce aimed and fired. He hit the alien from behind, launching it forward. Onto his former lover. Slinging the bow over his shoulder, he raced toward her. The creature’s tentacles still pulsed, even though dead. Careful not to trip himself up, he shoved his hands under the creature’s torso and heaved it off her.
Lalia stood immediately and wiped the black goop from her clothes, as if she hadn’t been flattened by an alien. “They weren’t supposed to follow me. I was supposed to be safe here.”
BRYCE AUTHOR INTERVIEW
WITH
JESSICA SUBJECT
How did you come with the idea for this story?
Bryce is the rewrite of a story I wrote at the beginning of my writing career, before I was published. It began as an alien living on Earth story, but after several edits, and a letter from a bestselling, well-respected author, who is also a friend, I decided to take the story from what it was, and make it better. Bryce went from being an alien who worked for the local police force to being an alien hunter sent to Earth to destroy the Erebus who had been spotted there. Lindsay was a woman who found out her father came from another planet in the first draft, but in the final version, she’s the long lost Princess of Hemera who escaped to Earth when her planet was invaded by the Erebus.
If you could spend a whole day with one of the characters from Bryce, where would you go and what would you do?
I love the majority of the characters in this story, so it’s so hard to pick. But, I think I would want to spend some time on the carrier in a training simulation with Bryce and his squad.
If Bryce was made into a movie, which stars would you want to play your Hero and Heroine?
I would have Tom Welling as Bryce, Angie Harmon as Lalia, and Priyanka Chopra as Katrina.
There are many alien species in Bryce. How did you come up with them, and how do you keep them distinct?
Yes, besides those from Earth, I have at least seven species from planets across the universe. I found the inspiration for some on Pinterest, and others from my own mind. I keep a record of each species and which characters are which in a notebook, on a spreadsheet in Excel, and on a board in Scrivener. I keep each up-to-date so I have all the information depending on where I’m writing. The characters who are part of the Galactic Alliance are mostly humanoid, but each has at least one or two characteristics that makes them distinctly different from us on Earth.
Do you have a playlist for Bryce?
I don’t have one for this book specifically, but I do have one for the Galactic Defenders series. It includes Dark Horse by Katy Perry, Won’t Turn Back by Our Lady Peace, All I Got by Chantal Kreviazuk, Breathe by The Prodigy, Breathe by Nickelback, Out of the Darkness by Republica, Superbeast by Rob Zombie, Cruel World by Econoline Crust, and Move Like a Soldier by Kristina Maria. I keep adding more songs all the time.
What is your go-to movie or TV show on Netflix?
I just finished watching all the seasons of Deadliest Catch and The Killjoys on Crave TV, and am now watching Orphan Black. I found a show called Dark Matter on Netflix, and have been watching that as well. As for movies, I love The Martian, The Host, Jurassic World, Pacific Rim... I could go on and on.
Where is one place you would like to travel for story research?
Space, where else? Though, I’d love to train with astronauts at the Johnson Space Center. Oh, and visiting an underground bunker would be cool, too.
What is the biggest thing that people think they know about sci-fi romance that readers think they know that just isn’t true?
Because this genre combines two different genres, there are many assumptions from both sides. Some Sci-Fi readers believe that SFR is sex with aliens, sex in space, or something similar, that no research was involved in creating the story at all. On the romance side, some readers believe that SFR is too technical, or has too much world building and becomes boring with all the unnecessary details. While some of those assumptions are true with some of the SFR books I’ve read, SFR ranges from one extreme to the other. My favorites always fit right in the middle with just the right amount of world-building and hot sex.
Since this genre is part science fiction, what cool gadgets do you have in this story?
I don’t just have cool gadgets, but also use some theoretical technology that we don’t know if it really exists, but it would be awesome if it does. I have the usual com units, which come in wrist units, tablets, and wall units. The Defenders use WHM technology which allows them to create a wormhole to jump from one part of a planet to another part. They cannot use them to jump beyond the planet they are on, though. And the carrier ship belonging to the Galactic Alliance jumps through portals in space to get from one galaxy to another.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on expanding a sci-fi romance story called Beyond Reach. It was previously published, but was changed to suit the line it was published under. I’ve changed it back to the darker story I originally wrote it as, and am expanding the ending. I’m also busy plotting the next book in the Galactic Defenders series, Jager (the J has a Y sound).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.
When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com.
AUTHOR LINKS:
GIVEAWAYS
Not only is Jessica E. Subject celebrating the release of BRYCE, the first book in her Galactic Defenders series, she is also celebrating FIVE years published. And she is offering three fabulous prize packages. Contests are open as stated, except where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter. Contest will close July 24, and winners will be notified by email. Good luck!
RTC Giveaway (Canada/US only) includes:
3013: Renegade by Susan Hayes (signed)
Reader Abduction by Eve Langlais (signed)
As Cold As Ice by Mandy Rosko (signed)
Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
other goodies from some of the authors who attended Romancing the Capital
My Favorite Things Giveaway (Canada/US only) includes:
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
The Martian by Andy Weir
Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
Bryce by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
International Only Giveaway includes:
Alien Next Door: The Complete Series by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
Cosmic Desires by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
Bryce by Jessica E. Subject (signed)
