6th Annual SFR Galaxy Awards

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Christina Westcott, Pauline Baird Jones, SFR Galaxy Awards, Shari Elder, Tiffany Roberts, Vivien Jackson

Yesterday, the 6th Annual SFR Galaxy Awards were announced.  What a great day!  Not just for the winners, but for any fan of the SciFi Romance genre.  So many great books, not nearly enough time!

I am a judge for these awards, so today’s post will be my winners.  Click on the book cover if you want to purchase at Amazon.  Click on ‘My Review’ to get more details on what I thought about the book.

At the end of this post, I will include links to all the winners and I hope you will check everyone of them out!

Best Original Story
Dustwalker by Tiffany Roberts

When I was half way through Dustwalker, I knew it was going to be one of my 2017 favorites. This post-apocalyptic epic scores big with me in all my scoring categories: Complex characters, intricate plot, intense emotional situations, humanity being tested, slow-burning romance, interesting secondary characters and a really good villain. The story of human Lara and synth Ronin has all of this and more, including an epilogue that will make you cry.  My Review

Best High-Tech Love Making
Wanted and Wired by Viven Jackson

Technology, whether it is computers or programming or hackers or robots, is hard to make interesting to this reader. Vivien Jackson makes tech fascinating. She has a knack for stringing a bunch of words together to form a very readable sentence. Any subject is new and exciting in her hands. Even sex. I admit, I am the reader that just scans the sex passages in order to get to the good stuff. But Heron Farad, high-tech genius, puts a whole new spin on making love and I read every word when he and Mari got together. Mix the sizzling sex with a high voltage plot and you have one of my favorites of the year. Wanted and Wired was quickly followed by book 2 in the series, Perfect Gravity, which is also a feast of words!  My Review

Beyond Book 3 Award
Found Girl (Project Enterprise, #6) by Pauling Baird Jones

There are many series that I stop reading after 2 or 3 books because the plot becomes predicable or the book is formulaic. Not so with the Project Enterprise series. Each book in this series has been so very unique. Connecting characters and technology are what hold the series together, but each book stands on it’s own. Found Girl introduces some new aliens that are so not humanoid. Not even close. There is also a heroine, Arian, that gets more mysterious with each new thing you learn about her. Jones’ creativity astounds me and never ceases to entertain!  My Review

Favorite Cat Hero
Cypher (The Dragon’s Bidding, #2) by Christina Westcott

Cypher was actually published in 2016, but I did not get around to reading it until 2017. I love The Dragon’s Bidding series, and Jumper is the main reason why. Don’t get me wrong, Cypher has galactic politics, an evil villain, a kick-ass heroine, a split-personality hero that really mixes things up, and heart-breaking emotions. All great things in a novel. But Jumper, the talking cat, is one of my favorite cats of all time. With his spot-on ability to state the obvious, a line like “Oh shit, we are so screwed.” lets you know that things are not going as well as they could.  My Review

Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover Award
Race to Redemption (Green Rising, #1) by Shari Elder

We all do it. Get sucked in by a pretty book cover. Or put off by a cover because of preconceptions. Based on the cover of Race to Redemption (a lingerie-clad woman and a shirtless man), I would never have guessed the depth of the story that would be found within the pages. In addition to a slow-burning romance, you will find class conflict, a desert planet, flawed characters, sick kids and lots of high-flying action in this book. Shari Elder is a skilled, imaginative writer who wrote a thrilling book with a lot of twists and much less lingerie than you would think.  My Review

Links to the 6th Annual SFR Galaxy Awards

Intro and Tribute

Round 1 – Chris Stock

Round 2 – Heather Massey

Round 3 – Marlene Harris

Round 4 – Riley Moreland

Round 5 – Jo Jones

Round 6 – Eileen Koven

Round 7 – Anna McLain

 

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Laurie A. Green, Host of 2017 SFR Galaxy Awards – Interview

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interview, Laurie A. Green, SFR Galaxy Awards

Riley: Hi Laurie! I am really happy to have you here at Whiskey With My Book to talk about the SFR Galaxy Awards.

Laurie: I’m so happy to be your guest today. Thanks for inviting me.

Riley: First, please tell us a little about yourself.

Laurie: I’m a science fiction romance author who’s best known as the founder of the SFR Brigade community of science fiction romance writers and authors.

Riley: What is your involvement with the SFR Galaxy Awards?

Laurie: The SFR Galaxy Awards were the brainstorm of peer and fellow author Heather Massey, who has always been a terrific supporter of science fiction romance.

Early on, I assisted Heather in getting the awards rolling by creating the awards site, and also served for the first few years as a judge. After I published my first SFR books in 2015, I felt it was time to step down and let another reviewer or book blogger fill the niche.

For the upcoming award cycle, Heather anticipated a possible scheduling conflict with some real-life priorities, so asked if I would be willing to step in to host the 2017 awards. I was more than happy to help.

Riley: Why should people be interested in the SFR Galaxy Awards as opposed to any of the many other ‘Best Of’ opinions out there?

Laurie: The SFR Galaxy Awards are unique in that they strive not only to recognize standout books in the genre, but also to help readers find books that they might enjoy reading. That was the original premise for the awards, because SFR is a hard to find but diverse genre that often presents a challenge for readers in locating books that intrigue them. Our panel of judges are all prolific readers and several have review sites of their own, like Whiskey With My Book. 

The 2017 judges are (alphabetically):

Marlene Harris of Reading Reality review site
Jo Jones of Mixed Book Bag Blog
Lee Koven, who coordinates the SFR Recommends blogs
Heather Massey, blogger/founder
Anna McLain, reviewer and superfan
Riley Moreland — that would be you! 

And our new judge for the 2017 awards:
Chris Stock, an editor at the Roswell Daily Record, in charge of “Vision” magazine

Readers can learn more about the judges and see their site links or other contact information on the SFR Galaxy Awards Judges Page.

Riley: How did the awards get started?

Laurie: Heather Massey came up with the idea after reading something that legendary science fiction and fantasy novelist Ursula K. Le Guin said about wishing there could be multiple awards for multiple books, each highlighting a standout element of the story. In a 2011 blog for Book View Café titled Literary Bests, Ms. Le Guin wrote:

I wish that, instead of picking one and dumping all the rest, we celebrated our writers continually and in droves.

I wish we gave literary prizes freely, the way they used to give prizes at the Pet Show at Codornices Park in Berkeley when I was a kid. Every kid in the neighborhood brought their pet, and every pet got a prize, an ad hoc, unique prize: for Soulfulness — for Loud Meowing — for Unusual Spot Placement — for Being the Only Skink…. There was no Best of Breed …and certainly no Best of Show.

That gave Heather the spark that ignited the flame for the SFR Galaxy Awards. She ran the idea by me and I loved it. We collaborated to get the awards rolling, and cover artist Kanaxa was kind enough to create the SFR Galaxy Award icon for us, gratis. Danielle Fine, another cover artist and book editor, also designed several banners for the awards site, free of charge.

Riley: Not counting any that you have personally won, do you have a favorite award or two that you can mention?

Laurie: Books that I’ve personally written weren’t eligible for the awards in the years they were published because I was a judge. But there have been some fun and fabulous SFR Galaxy Awards presented over the years. Here are just three examples of imaginative award categories:

Best “Post-Apocalypse for Readers who don’t even like Post-Apocalypse”

The Backdraft Award
(A door can feel cool, but when you open it the heat explodes.)

Still Standing Award (Best Long Running Series)

Riley: Do you have a list of books in your head – books you would be giving awards to if you were a judge this year? (You don’t have to tell me what they are. I wouldn’t want me or any other judges to be unduly influenced!)

Laurie: I definitely have one SFR book in mind that I’d love to give an award but I’m not sure what I’d name the category. Maybe “Most Exciting New SFR Author” or “Most Imaginative Post-Apocalyptic Characters” or possibly even “Most Fabulously Original Voice.”

I get pretty excited when I find a book that checks all my boxes and this particular story was all that.

Riley: When will the 2018 SFR Galaxy Awards be handed out?

Laurie: The awards will be announced on January 31st on the site (link posted below). They will be presented in the traditional way, with one round being posted per hour beginning at 9AM (blog time). A “round” is comprised of at least one award–but usually multiple–presented by an individual judge, and in total there could be around thirty-five awards presented. It varies from year to year.

Riley: What is the best way for someone to make sure they don’t miss these fabulous awards?

Laurie: They can visit the awards site here: SFR Galaxy Awards

Links to the awards rounds will also be posted on the SFR Brigade FanPage on Facebook and tweeted with the hashtag #SFRGalaxyAwards.

Thanks so much for hosting me today to talk a little about the SFR Galaxy Awards. It’s always an exciting day for SFR authors, readers and fans.

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About the Author

Laurie A. Green is an award-winning, USA TODAY bestselling author, and a science fiction romance enthusiast who founded the SFR Brigade community of writers.

You can learn more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website:
Laurie A. Green

2016 SFR Galaxy Awards

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alien abduction, award winner, Bec McMaster, Catherine Cerveny, Donna S. Frelick, favorites, Jody Wallace, luck, pets, Pets in Space, post-apocalypse, scifi, scifi romance, SFR Galaxy Awards, zombies

If you follow this blog, you know that I enjoy a variety of genres.  But if you really follow this blog, you know that Scifi is my favorite.  And if romance is part of the story, so much the better.  That is why the SFR Galaxy Awards are one of my favorite awards.

These awards were created in 2012 in order to recognize standout SciFi Romance stories. But here is the best part.  It is not just one best story, but an abundance of really great stories!

You may wonder how a book is picked for a Galaxy Award.  I happen to be a judge, so I can tell you that.  Several judges, avid SciFi Romance readers and bloggers, pick them.  It’s a bit arbitrary, yes, but the judges have such a wide array of personal interests, that the awards end up including something for everyone that loves the genre.

The specific awards change from year to year, depending upon exactly what stood out to the judge who picked it.  For example, one of my picks won the award for Best Zombie Book for People Who Don’t Read Zombie Books.  In each case, the award is based on some element of the story that stood out to me, but, and this is important, each book is a remarkable work of fiction and one of my favorites reads of 2016.

It is really hard to narrow the list to only five books.  I’m not the type of person who can easily pick a favorite.  I have to have several favorites.

Here are the books that were my award winners. After this list, you will find links for the SFR Galaxy Awards. I hope you will visit all six rounds of the 2016 awards – there are so many great titles!

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2016 SFR Galaxy Awards

Best Zombie Book for People Who Don’t Read Zombie Books
Nobody’s Hero (The Burned Lands #1) by Bec McMaster

Okay, it’s not really a zombie book but there are zombies in it.

This post-apocalyptic tale of humans, wargs and zombies is such a great story that even someone who does not read zombie books (me) can really get into it. I even shy away from post-apocalyptic stories, but this is one well-imagined story. I sympathized with the heroine, Riley and cheered for the not quite human hero Luc as they fought their way through the wasteland and monsters. Bec McMaster is an awesome storyteller.

Nobody’s Hero also gets special recognition for the heroine’s most engaging character name.

Best New Series
The Rule of Luck (Felicia Sevigny #1) by Catherine Cerveny

The best thing about The Rule of Luck is Alexei. You can call him the hero, the Russian, a business tycoon or maybe even top ranking family member of an organized, er, crime family. Is he a good guy? Is he a bad guy? I don’t really know. He has many aspects, and I feel there is much more to him that was not laid out in the first book of this new series.

Also, there is that luck thing. Word is, that it is in the genes. Very interesting…..

Another cool thing about this series: Book 2, The Chaos of Luck, just came out.

Best Anthology
Pets in Space by Cara Bristol, Susan Grant, Laurie A. Green, Pauline Baird Jones, Lea Kirk, Alexis Glynn Latner, Carysa Locke, Veronica Scott, and S.E. Smith

Pets in Space would also qualify as the most highly anticipated book for me. From the moment I heard about it, I knew I would love it. Every story in the collection is a good one. Why? Well, scifi romance. Duh!

But really, the fact that every story also had a pet – cat, dog, robot, dragon, or otherworldly creature – is the true appeal to me and likely to anyone who is an animal lover. If you have had one or more of these special creatures in your life, Pets in Space will appeal to you. There may have been a pet-centric passage or two that caused my vision to blur.

Early proceeds from the sale of this book supported the charity Hero-Dogs.org, which provides service animals to veterans. Just another reason to put this book in the ‘remarkable’ category.

This Series Just Keeps Getting Better Award
Fools Rush In (Interstellar Rescue Series #3) by Donna S. Frelick

Aliens are abducting people of earth for slave labor. But luckily there are people who are working to save them. Rayna and Sam are great characters that showed up in the first two books of the series. Fools Rush In takes a step back and tells the story that brought them together.

There is something about this couple. They are two very different people, but they make a connection. And let me just say that connection is hot! Rayna and Sam also get my vote for best SFR couple!

Best Series Finale
Prodigal (Maelstrom #3) by Jody Wallace

Whew! That is the feeling I got when I finished reading Prodigal. Maelstrom is a great series and each book has a unique flavor to it. But the finale – well, think human that sometimes has super-powers (ala Marvel/DC) and takes on the biggest baddest monster out there to:

a) prove he is not a wimp,
b) impress the girl,
c) get the big bad out of the way so he can go to dinner or
d) save the world.

I decided to make this multiple choice to avoid spoilers. Multiple answers may be correct.

If you want to check out more award winners, follow the links that follow.  While you are there, I encourage you to check out the Judges page.  You might find some additional cool blogs to follow.  May you find many great books to read!

Round 1 is by me and you just read it.  So on to the rounds 2-6:

Round Two by Jo Jones

Round Three by Lee Koven

Round Four by Anna McClain

Round Five by Heather Massey

Round Six by Marlene Harris