NOTE: Portions of this post are from the Archive…

I thought it would be fun today to talk about my first scifi rock star romance, STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD while STAR CRUISE STAR SONG, my second such story, is still a fairly new release

I’d always wanted to write a rock star romance because I LOVE the genre (and now I have two to my name – whee!) but if I sit down to write anything, it inevitably becomes science fiction. So when the second Pets In Space anthology was being put together (way back in 2017), I thought, here’s my chance to involve a rock star. Among my favorites are Nalini Singh’s Rock Kiss series, J T Geissinger, Liora Blake…plus movies such as “The Bodyguard” and “Beyond the Lights”.  I had also read that there are cruises where bands are featured and do concerts and fan events during the cruise. So that part of the story worked fine if I set this story on board my interstellar luxury cruise liner, the Nebula Dream.

The next question was who would the hero be? I love to write Sectors Special Forces heroes, or recently retired service members from that branch, so I decided Grant would fall into that category, and be a security officer on the ship. In that job assignment, it was logical that he’d cross paths with a high profile passenger like a rock star. I adore the bodyguard romance trope so it was a fun challenge to write one of my own.

As far as a pet, I didn’t want to write another cat or catlike animal. I decided to go with a bird for STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD.  (I did include a pet in STAR CRUISE STAR SONG, the new book, just for old times’ sake – an alien walking stick bug.) I was inspired by an actual parrot I met a long time ago, which had lived through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (as a young bird) and had been passed down through two generations of family members to the present time. But a parrot didn’t feel right for the story I wanted to tell. One of my favorite Andre Norton science fiction books was The Beastmaster, with a military hero who had a team of telepathic animals, one of which was an African eagle. I thought what if I made my hero a Special Forces officer who’d inherited a special telepathic warbird on his own planet?

Then the analogy of a certain scene for my novella involving songbirds came to mind (no spoilers here) and I had my two pets and my title.

I’ve been asked if the Diva Plavalaguna in the movie “Fifth Element” was an influence for STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD and I have to say while I love that movie, my singer Karissa was not really inspired by the Diva. Although they both sing on a fantastic cruise ship! My character is more rooted in our modern day culture on Earth, with a variety of strong female singers from Adele to Katy Perry to Rhianna to Lizzo to Taylor Swift and Kelly Pickler to name only a few. I also watched a lot of backstage documentaries, including ones on boy bands and country music group tours, to get the feel for some of the scenes I had in mind.

And then of course I weave in the scifi elements I have to have.

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The excerpt:

When Karissa emerged from the room where she’d been getting ready,Grante was astounded. She looked as if she’d stepped straight from a trideo, her sexy costume elaborate and glittering in the lights, her multicolored hair caught up in coils by all manner of elaborate, bejeweled accessories. Even he could tell her shoes were works of art, with heels designed to resemble stacked planets, standing six inches high. She smiled, obviously enjoying his reaction. “Well?”

Pirouetting on those absurd heels, she laughed and held out her hand. “Escort me,” she said like a queen.

He did so, surrounded by her team, including the backup singers and the six dancers, all of whom joined Karissa when she reached the backstage area. Gently she let go of Grant’s arm and stepped away, gathering her team around her for a pep talk. He stayed alert, watching everyone else in the area, ready to challenge anyone acting suspicious.

The show was already going on at full volume. Karissa’s was the final set of the evening and when she ran onstage, her dancers bouncing and doing acrobatics around her, the roar was astounding. Grant stood in the wings, as close to the stage as he could, and watched the performance. Karissa strutted, she danced, she teased, she brought a child on stage for a brief chat, she sang full throated. The crowd loved it all. He had a hard time keeping his eye on the audience, watching for problems, because she was so riveting.

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“First time at a show?” asked an older woman standing next to him. “This is nothing compared to what she’ll do at the big concert on Calillia next week. There’ll be multiple costume changes and aerial components. And maybe some new songs, although she’s been quiet about that. She doesn’t want Ted getting the rights to any more of her stuff if she can help it. Things are really sour between them now.” She laughed self-consciously and held out her hand. “I’m  Desdusan, by the way, her chief makeup artist. Chief busybody too. I try to look out for her as much as I can. Been with Karissa for nine years, ever since she hit the bigtime with ‘Twisted Comets’. She’ll probably sing that for the encore.”

“I hate to admit it but I’ve never heard her music before—it’s all new to me,” he said as they shook.

The woman did a double take. “Really? You’re probably the only person in the Sectors who hasn’t heard at least one Karissa song.”

“I have now,” he pointed out, annoyed to feel so defensive.

Blurb for Star Cruise: Songbird:

Grant Barton, a Security Officer on the Nebula Zephyr, is less than thrilled with his current assignment to guard an Interstellar singing sensation while she’s on board the ship. It doesn’t help that he and his military war bird Valkyr are dealing with their recent separation from the Sectors Special Forces and uncertainty over their future, with their own planet in ruins.

Karissa Dawnstar is on top of the charts and seemingly has it all – talent, fame, fortune and devoted fans, but behind her brave smile and upbeat lyrics she hides an aching heart. When a publicity stunt goes wrong, Karissa finds herself in the arms of the security officer assigned to protect her – and discovers a mutual attraction she can’t ignore.

Trouble continues to plague the pair, driving a wedge between them and leaving Grant certain that Karissa is in more danger than she realizes, from overzealous fans and her own management. Grant is determined to protect Karissa whether she wants his help or not. Can he discover the truth behind what’s going on before he loses Karissa or is there someone else plotting to keep them apart – permanently? Amazon   Apple Books     Kobo     B&N     Google Play

And my more recent scifi rockstar romance…

STAR CRUISE STAR SONG

Addy Tryndall is a fresh graduate from a highly respected engineering college in the Sectors, on her way to a plum job on the Nebula Zephyr cruise ship. She knows she’ll be on probation but she’s determined to succeed and nothing is going to distract her.

Ryder McRhodes is a has-been interstellar rock star, on his way to reunite with his fellow band members to see if the lightning of mega success will strike twice for them. He isn’t sure he wants to be in the spotlight again and he hasn’t been able to write music since the band broke up.

Addy has secrets. Ryder needs a muse to unblock the creative flow…could her tightly guarded past be the answer  to his problem?  When the two are thrown together in an attempt to avoid the interstellar paparazzi he’s intrigued. She’s wary.

And someone is sabotaging systems on the Nebula Zephyr. Addy unwittingly finds herself in the middle of the situation while juggling her increasing attraction to Ryder and her challenges on the new  job. Can she trust him with her secret? Or will he break her heart?

The danger on board comes ever closer to Addy as the cruise continues…

Amazon      Apple Books      Kobo      NOOK      GooglePlay

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