This is my post during the blog tour for Pets in Space 8. Blast off into adventure with the eighth installment of Pets in Space, a dynamic anthology of 11 never-before-seen science fiction romance stories!
This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 3 till 16 October. You can see the tour schedule here.
By R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, Gail Koger and Elva Birch
Genre: Science Fiction Romance Anthology
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 3 October 2023
Blurb:
Join the PETS IN SPACE crew!
Blast off into adventure with the eighth installment of PETS IN SPACE, a dynamic anthology of 11 never-before-seen science fiction romance stories! Rocket through the multi-verses brimming with heart-pounding escapades, swoon-worthy romances, and the best pet sidekicks ever!
Each story will pull you into the far-flung corners of the cosmos with intrepid heroes and heroines you’ll want to cheer for as they fight to save their world and find their happily ever afters. You’ll adore the furry, feathered, and scaly friends who have come to help their brave human companions on their quests.
This limited-edition anthology includes novellas by some of the biggest names in science fiction romance including USA TODAY bestselling authors R.J. Blain, Susan Hayes, Honey Phillips, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Carol Van Natta, Tana Stone, S.J. Pajonas, Carysa Locke, JC Hay, plus award-winning authors Gail Koger and Elva Birch.
The Pets in Space 8 authors continue their vital support of Hero-Dogs.org, the non-profit charity that provides trained service dogs for disabled U.S. veterans and first-responders.
So, grab your space helmet to discover adventure and love — buy Pets in Space 8 today!
Interview with the authors of Pets in Space 8
1) Tell us a bit about your story in Pets in Space
8?
- Tana Stone: When Tegan takes a job as a
midwife for the galaxy's only all-female bounty-hunting crew, she thinks the
job will be simple. Deliver some babies, earn some credits, repeat. She doesn't
expect to make an unscheduled stop on the deadly planet that's home to the Den
of Thieves. But she needs medical supplies, and she's assigned two brawny
Dothvek barbarians to protect her, not to mention the ship's shapeshifting pet
glurkin, Pog. What could go wrong?
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: The
Alien's Falconer is a sapphic (f/f) romance between space pirate Georgia and
spaceship captain Ellabee who she's trying to rob. Caught in the battle of
wills between the two strong women is Georgia's alien parrot who will do his
best to turn them from enemies into friends - and maybe more…
2) What was the inspiration for your story in Pets
in Space 8?
- Carol Van Natta: Earlier this year, I
went on three-week visit to Australia, and I fell in love with the Daintree
Rainforest, west of the Great Barrier Reef. I'd already been planning my story,
Stellar Drift, so I set all the action in a continent-sized rainforest on a
colonized planet in the far future. The rainforest is lush, mysterious, and
full of history, traits that are reflected the main character Sairy, a pilot
who has many secrets. Forest ranger Houyen, determined to find the source of a
fever that's spreading, was inspired by the indigenous elders in Daintree who
want to preserve the land and their way of life, while accepting that change is
inevitable.
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: This
book is part of the Aliens and Animals series, a sci-fi romance where each
standalone novel includes some sort of animal. Captain Ellabee has appeared as
a side character in the book 3, The Alien's Farmer, and Pets in Space
8 was the perfect opportunity for us to write an entire story about her.
Until now, most of the animals have been from Earth
(Highland cows, sheep, even a rhino) so we really wanted to come up with an
alien animal for this book. Since Georgia is a space pirate, giving her an
alien parrot seemed like the natural thing to do.
3) Introduce the main characters in your story
in Pets in Space 8, and describe them in one sentence each.
- Carol Van Natta: In Stellar Drift, my
story in Pets in Space 8, a forest ranger convinces a pilot to help
him look for the source of a deadly fever that is spreading. Exploration
pilot Sairy Sarvand has lived in the rainforest for the past three
years, hiding from her past, until kind and sexy Ranger Houyen Albasrey asks
for help only she can provide. Houyen can't resist mysteries, whether it's
figuring out what's causing a fever or wanting to get to know the elusive
Sairy better.
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: Abducted
from England by aliens as a teenager, Georgia has become a space pirate to
survive. She's accompanied by a parrot-like alien bird who echoes her words
back to her, somewhat making up for her lonely existence.
Ellabee is the blue-skinned captain of her spaceship and
commands her alien crew with ease. Don’t mistake her kindness for weakness
though, she’ll stop at nothing to protect what matters to her.
4) What does the pet in your Pets in Space 8
story look like and what part does the pet play in the plot?
- Tana Stone: My pet, Pog, is a
Lycithian shape-shifting glurkin. His natural form is a small, round puff
of bright-green fur with tiny feet and little black eyes tucked into the fluff
BUT he can shift into any form at will. This talent comes in handy when my
story's protagonists are running from dangerous mercenaries.
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: Aba, the
resident alien parrot with four beady eyes, four wings, and both scales and
feathers that change colour depending on his mood. He keeps our space pirate
company when she’s alone, repeats unhelpful phrases, and blurts out all sorts
of secrets.
5) What was the inspiration for the pet in your story
for Pets in Space 8?
- Carol Van Natta: Kayala is a
genetically engineered pet made to look like a big, scary gargoyle,
the kind you can find on top of gothic castles in Europe. She was inspired by
two rescued pitbulls owned by my friend. Despite the breed's bad press, they're
two of the sweetest, most loving dogs you'd ever want to meet. And as I once
knew a Great Dane that aspired to be a lapdog (only his head would actually
fit in anyone's lap), I gave that trait to Kayala as well.
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: We
wanted to give our lonely space pirate Georgia a nice companion and what better
than one that can talk back? Of course, since she’s in space, we needed
something a little more exotic than a regular parrot, so that’s how alien
parrot Aba was born.
6) If your story is part of a series, tell us how your
story in Pets in Space 8 relates to the rest of the series.
- Tana Stone: My story, RESCUE, is
part of my Barbarians of the Sand Planet series. Pog is a member of the
all-female bounty-hunting crew (and the personal pet of the Lycithian
shape-shifter and bounty hunter Bexli). He's integral to the women's
bounty-hunting enterprise and scampers around their ship at will. When the crew
takes on a midwife, Pog takes to her quickly, which is how he becomes
enmeshed in the adventure.
- Carol Van Natta: Stellar Drift is set in
my Central Galactic Concordance universe. There's a big damn story arc going on
in the main series that starts with Last Ship Off Polaris-G. It's about
evolution, rebellion, and romance, plus grand adventures and all sorts of space
opera goodness. Stellar Drift and the stories I've written for previous
Pets in Space anthologies are all standalone sidetrips (with
pets!) that can be read in any order, with a few Easter eggs for fans
of the main series.
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: The
Alien’s Falconer is part of the Aliens and Animals series and it links back
to the previous book in the series, The Alien’s Farmer. We don’t want to
give any spoilers, but our space captain Ellabee plays an important part in
bringing two people together and we spend a lot of time on her ship.
You can find out more about the series here: https://arizonatape.com/category/aliens-and-animals/
7) What do you like most about writing about pets?
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: We love
pets, they’re wonderful companions. Everyone deserves one, even fictional
people. Otherwise they get a bit lonely. And coming up with alien pets is so
much fun!
8) Do you have any pets yourself? If so, tell us about
them.
- Tana Stone: I have two dogs and three
cats--all rescues! Our two dogs are lab mixes--one black and one yellow--and
they are the first line of defense when it comes to deadly UPS and Amazon
delivery trucks. Two of our cats are tabbies--one brown and one orange--and we
got them as kittens less than a year ago. They love shredding
upholstery and stalking flies. Our other cat is a neurotic calico who
prefers to be seen and heard (and given treats) but not touched.
- Carol Van Natta: I adore cats, and have
been honored to share my home with quite a few over the years. My current
feline companions are Captain and the Fluffbot. They're rescued litter-mates,
brothers, and a bonded pair, meaning twice the silliness because they're still
teenagers. Captain is a short-haired black kitty who ever-so-politely steals
toys from my desk. Fluffbot is a medium-haired black kitty who likes
supervising all the action from the highest cat tower available. They have
informed me that my next Pets in Space story damn well better feature cats as
the heroes. 😺
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: Yes,
Arizona has a lovely cuddly dog called Fudgestick who snores loudly and keeps
her company while she writes. Skye has a hyperactive kitten called Valkyrie who
often can't decide whether she wants to cuddle or nibble on her human. They're
still working on the question on who owns the keyboard.
9) What was your favorite part of writing your story
for Pets in Space 8?
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: For
Arizona, her favourite bits are the ones with the alien parrot Aba. He’s such a
mischievous character and always causing trouble, which is right up her
wheelhouse.
Skye liked writing the dynamic between the two main
characters: they start as enemies, with both trying to outwit the other, but
slowly realise they're more similar than they thought and that what they feel
for each other might be more than just animosity…
10) What's next on your writing schedule? And what's
at the top of your to-be-read list?
- Arizona Tape and Skye MacKinnon: Skye is
writing the third book in her Starlight Monsters series, My Big Scaly Alien
Naga, an action-packed, spicy monster romance which is set to release early
next year. She's currently reading the latest releases in the Intergalactic
Dating Agency, preferably paired with a large mug of tea and some dark
chocolate.
Arizona is working on her paranormal romance series with
fated mates (Crescent Lake Shifters) There are animals there too (bears and
dragons), but they’re of the shifter variety!
Pets in Space links:
- Website
- Pets in Space® Facebook Readers Group
- Newsletter Signup
Hero Dogs Charity
Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space® authors have donated over $18,000 in the past seven years to help place specially trained dogs with disabled veterans and first responders. 10% of all pre-orders and the first month’s royalties of Pets in Space 8 will again go to Hero-Dogs.org. Open your hearts and grab your limited-release copy of Pets in Space 8 today and help this worthy charity! https://www.hero-dogs.org/
The Authors:
- R.J. Blain
- Susan Hayes
- Honey Phillips
- Skye MacKinnon
- Arizona Tape
- Carol Van Natta
- Tana Stone
- S.J. Pajonas
- Carysa Locke
- JC Hay
- Gail Koger
- Elva Birch
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