Be my sci-fi Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

Science fiction has been a part of my life from a very early age, and no doubt played in a role in shaping my early concepts about romance and the types of men I would eventually love. So I thought for Valentine’s Day, I’d reflect on some of the sci-fi couples from my childhood…

Luke and Leia in Star Wars (1977) and Splinter of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster (1978). I don’t care what George Lucas says, my Luke and Leia dolls were NEVER brother and sister, and Han Solo was ALWAYS a stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder.

H.G. Wells and Amy Robbins in Time After Time (1979). I had a huge crush on Malcolm McDowell, even though he was also the psychopathic delinquent in A Clockwork Orange and the titular pervert emperor in Caligula. Luckily for my nascent geek love, I didn’t see those movies until a decade later.

Mary Steenburgen (Amy) went on to portray half of another favorite sci-fi couple, Doc Brown and Clara Clayton in Back to the Future III (1990). Doc was intelligent and wacky, had epic steampunk modding skills, and saved Clara’s life. What’s not to love?

Richard Collier and Elise McKenna in Somewhere in Time (1980). Classic science fiction romance about love and time travel. No robots, no computers, no lasers, but still awesome.

Tron and Yori in Tron (1982). Some girls may have had the hots for the user Flynn and his roguish, devil-may-care attitude, but I liked the nerd/hero with his digital lady love. Bruce Boxleitner also served as half of a later sci-fi couple, John Sheridan and Delenn from Babylon 5 (1996).

Jherek Carnelian and Amelia Underwood in The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock. More time travel romance, by the “grandfather of steampunk.” Amelia is from Victorian England, Jherek is from a future so far flung that the universe has begun to collapse back in on itself and the few remaining humans are immortal.

Who are some of your favorite science fiction couples?

~ J.L. Hilton

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Get thee to a book editor

Posted on February 2, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

STELLARNET REBEL would not exist without Linda Cashdan. She is one half of The Word Process, a partnership of two published novelists and veteran journalists who provide developmental editing, manuscript editing, ghostwriting, and assistance with book proposals and query letters.

“Writing a book is an intense, personal undertaking, fraught with self-doubt. You may find yourself wondering whether your characters are as interesting to others as they are to you, whether your prose flows smoothly, whether your plot works, or whether you are getting your message out. Since a book is a big investment of time and emotion, it is well worth getting a second opinion.” – The Word Process

This is exactly why I turned to Linda. Before I invested time and money searching for agents and querying publishers, I first and foremost wanted to know if STELLARNET REBEL was something worth reading. Because, if friends and family like you, they will lie. I needed an insider who could give me a clear, unbiased opinion.

Linda understood the story better than I did, zeroing in on the parts that troubled me and loving the parts I loved. Her recommendations helped me develop a stronger plot, better characters, and good query letters. Her encouragement and advice helped me through the long lonely periods when I almost gave up. I can’t thank her enough.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Can’t Stop the Serenity since 2006

Posted on January 26, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

In 2006, I joined a global movement to hold fan-run charity screenings of Joss Whedon’s sci-fi movie SERENITY to benefit Equality Now. At the time, I had no idea if I’d sell a single ticket or if anyone would dress up for the costume contest. I was willing to pay the $300 or so in fees and sit in an almost-empty theater and watch the movie with my friends and family, if that’s how it went.

But, as the saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.” The Browncoats didn’t let me down. With nothing but word of mouth, the little 200-seat Raleigh shindig sold out a few days in advance. And we did have quite a costume contest, with 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention awards.

I coordinated another “Can’t Stop the Serenity” screening the next year, then another in 2008. I stepped down as coordinator in 2009, and was instead a global sponsor in my artistic incarnation JLHjewelry. (That was also the year I began writing Stellarnet Rebel.) In 2010 and 2011, I was on the local event committee.

Since 2006, Raleigh-NC screenings have raised more than $21,500.00 for Equality Now and $2,800.00 for Kids Need to Read. Worldwide, CSTS events have raised more than $600,000 for charity.

This year, I will again be a global sponsor. But instead of designing and donating 60 pairs of handmade Browncoat earrings, my publisher Carina Press and I are donating 60 prize bags with free downloads of Stellarnet Rebel, stickers, autographed cards, and nagyx necklaces based on the Glinnish “soul stones” in the novel.

I never imagined in my wildest dreams, when I coordinated the first screening in my city, that I would someday have a sci-fi novel of my own and be featured on the same global sponsorship page with Joss Whedon. It’s pretty amazing.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Screen shot with STELLARNET REBEL at #2

Posted on January 21, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

My recently-released cyberpunk novel STELLARNET REBEL reached #2 today on my publisher’s “Most Popular” list. Here’s a screen shot of my laptop. If you look closely in the bottom left corner, you’ll see that I’m working on a file called “Stellarnet Prince.” Hm…

~ J.L. Hilton

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Noobs and noodles at Illogicon

Posted on January 17, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

ILLOGICON was a small, first-year, fan-run science fiction convention in my home town this past weekend, with an attendance of about 200. I went to sell my handmade jewelry, promote Stellarnet Rebel and have fun!

This event had a very welcoming community. I enjoyed seeing the amazing costumes, meeting some really nice people, and talking about my one-of-a-kind steampunk jewelry and gnome terrariums. Big shout out to my con-minion, Lilith, for keeping me company and making a Bojangles run.

I also had the opportunity to appear on the Triangle Area Authors panel with Sam Montgomery-Blinn, Richard Dansky, M. David Blake, and Jeremy Whitley.

And, of course, I talked about my novel all weekend. What I didn’t expect was how often I was asked about my publisher, Carina Press, who became somewhat of a hot topic at this small con because of a bag of lanyards.

When Carina Press first sent me a large mass of bright pink doohickeys, I was a bit, “Uh… why?” I never knew lanyards were so popular, but many people wanted them for their Illogicon ID badges. It was exciting to be able to spread the word about this great publisher and all of their awesome titles.

Can’t wait to do ILLOGICON 2013!

~ J. L. Hilton

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Stellarnet Rebel featured in Carina Press newsletter

Posted on January 9, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

STELLARNET REBEL is the featured book in my publisher’s newsletter!

It’s also in the “Our Staff Loves…” section, where my editor Alison Janssen has this to say:

“Stellarnet Rebel is such a smart, vivid and perfect imagining of space colonization and first contact with new species. The worldbuilding feels like a natural extension of what we have today—internet culture, LOL-speak and MMORPG slang, body mods and constant connectivity through personal devices—all of it is there, just amplified and extrapolated a half century or so into the future.

“And living in that fully-realized world, a cast of incredible characters, who are striving to make a measurable, positive impact on the universe. Genny, the blogger who gives voice to the overlooked members of society; Duin, the leader of a resistance on his home world, who struggles every day to get humanity to listen and help his people; and Belloc, the fiercely loyal, private, and sexily sullen alien who will do anything to protect the people he loves.

“I absolutely loved how easily I was swept into the world of Stellarnet Rebel, and how believable J.L.’s version of the future felt. I am so lucky to have worked with her on this title!”

~ J. L. Hilton

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Release party at “Aileen’s Pub” (Tir na nOg)

Posted on January 6, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

We held a STELLARNET REBEL release party January 5 at Tir na nOg Irish Pub, the inspiration for Aileen’s Pub in my novel. Kilcarragh performed some of the traditional Irish songs mentioned in the book, and I gave away promotional swag — goodies from Carina Press, nagyx “soul stone” necklaces based on the book, stickers, chocolates, and autographed book cover cards. Annie Nice (the inspiration for Aileen herself) presented me with a really cool and terribly delicious cake.

This is a replica of the nagyx “soul stone” that belongs to Duin in STELLARNET REBEL. It is labradorite tied to a cord of recycled sari silk.

Many of my friends and family were there, in person or in spirit, and even some people I didn’t know! That’s always nice. I hope they enjoyed my first time reading a part of my own book in public.

It wasn’t easy. I’ve taught classes, given oral reports in school and presentations at work, led workshops, emceed events, acted, sang, chaired meetings, and even read other people’s books during storytimes for children, without a bit of stage fright, but this was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever had to do.

Almost as difficult as the reading itself was deciding what part of the book to read. I considered several excerpts. Some exciting, some funny, some set in Aileen’s Pub… but I couldn’t make up my mind. Being a thriller, it seemed like too many of the excerpts contained spoilers or involved some piece of information the reader would need to know from a previous chapter. Or the excerpts involved too many expletives. Granted, it was an Irish pub, so what word hasn’t been said there before? But it’s also a restaurant, and I didn’t want to offend any casual diners who might be within earshot.

I settled on the prologue, which was sufficiently short, dramatic, intriguing, and self-contained. And no questionable language.

I’m happy to report that I survived, and so did the audience, best I could tell. I love listening to other people do readings. It thrills me to hear a story, whether it’s from a published author or just a chatty friend (if you ever say to me, “I can’t stand that person, because they go on and on…” I’ll probably say, “Next time, send them my way…”). I’m a sucker for author readings. If I attend one, I’ll buy the book. So, I know how important a reading can be. But I don’t have to like doing my own. Do I?

I do, on the other hand, like cake.

Happy birthday, Andrew.

~ J. L. Hilton

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STELLARNET REBEL release day!

Posted on January 3, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

STELLARNET REBEL is now available for all digital reading devices, wherever eBooks are sold. It is also available as an audio book from AUDIBLE. My publisher is offering an extended excerpt via Facebook.

ORDER on AMAZON U.S. / AMAZON U.K.

ORDER on B&N

ORDER on Google Books

ORDER at SONY eBooks

ORDER the ePub file from the publisher CARINA PRESS

AUDIO BOOK from Audible.com

For those who like to shop local and support small businesses: Many independently-owned book sellers now partner with Google Books to sell eBooks through their websites. Check with your local bookstore.

I’ll be featured on Manic Readers on January 3. And I’ll be doing a special giveaway on my publisher’s blog the morning of January 4. Follow Carina Press on Facebook and Twitter to see their posts and tweets about STELLARNET REBEL.

I’ll be at the Illogicon fan-run SF con in Raleigh, NC, on January 13-15, selling steampunk and spacepunk jewelry and handing out STELLARNET REBEL promo swag.

~ J.L. Hilton

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The roots of STELLARNET REBEL

Posted on January 2, 2012 by J.L. Hilton

Princess Leia, 1978

I grew up with science fiction and fantasy. As a kid, I saw Star Wars in theaters in 1977, wrote fan letters to Gil Gerard and memorized the Buck Rogers theme song. I played with Star Wars action figures and Battlestar Galactica toys when other girls played with Barbies.

As a teen, I read my dad’s Heinlein books, Dune novels, Omni and Twilight Zone magazines. At Thanksgiving, the annual Twilight Zone marathon held more interest for me than turkey. I bought the Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back CD by Brent Spiner when I was in college.

Now, I’m a Browncoat who started a Can’t Stop the Serenity charity screening in my hometown, I still think Data and Worf are mad sexy, and G’Kar is my favorite fictional character.

But before Stellarnet Rebel, I usually wrote fantasy. I played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, and published my first short story “The Visitor” in Dragon Magazine in 1989. Twenty years later, my novelette Wren & Wood: Oak Moon won the 2009 Andrew Britton short story competition. That’s a huge span of time in between, during which I worked as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist, and a professional jewelry designer.

I never felt motivated to write a novel, until one day in May 2009 when I woke up from an unusual dream about a news blogger and an alien rebel. That conversation appears in the novel almost exactly as it appeared in my head during that very first dream.

When I dreamed of Duin and Genny, a lot of things were going on in my life. I’d just finished re-watching Babylon 5 and started watching the BBC’s Robin Hood. I’d discovered a new favorite costume drama, North and South, based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell. I’d donated 60 pairs of handmade Browncoat earrings to the Can’t Stop the Serenity worldwide fundraiser. I’d been listening to a lot of traditional Irish music and the Les Miserables London cast album.

All of these tv shows, movies and music had three themes in common: Love, social commentary, and the struggle for freedom. Stellarnet Rebel has these same themes, as well.

Stellarnet Rebel also has a lot of technology — PDAs, non-lethal weapons, genetic modification, programmable clothing, recyclable materials, vertical gardening, ubiquitous internet and, of course, video games. Because…

1) The Internet.

2) I like video games.

3) Alex Steffen and Worldchanging.com, particularly the article “Science Fiction, Futurism and the Failure of the Will to Imagine.”

It was important to me that Stellarnet Rebel was neither utopian (like Star Trek) nor dystopian (like most cyberpunk), nor alternate reality (like steampunk). The future in Stellarnet Rebel is extrapolated from current trends as (I hope) a relatively plausible future both grand and distressing, and a realistic — not just futuristic — backdrop for a compelling, character-driven story.

Dreams, music, technology, history, visionaries, video games, and a lifetime of experiences all came together to become Stellarnet Rebel, my first published novel.

~ J. L. Hilton

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Sci-Fi holiday party

Posted on December 19, 2011 by J.L. Hilton

Bull Spec logo pendant acid-etched, hammered and made by me. See more of my jewelry at JLHjewelry.com.

I spent the evening with the Research Triangle Science Fiction Society at their annual holiday party. I got to see some familiar faces, meet a few new ones, and hang with Sam Montgomery-Blinn, editor of Bull Spec magazine and keeper of the Audible SF/F blog. I also thanked his lovely wife Kendra for sharing him with us. Everything he does to help local authors and readers means time away from his family, and I sincerely appreciate that.

I designed a pendant with the Bull Spec logo for the magazine’s kickstarter campaign, and I took them to the party so they could be sent to the lucky supporters. I spent several hours banging away at hammer and anvil to create their shiny goodness.

I also got to geek out (again) on Richard Dansky, the author of Firefly Rain. Every time I see him, my brain turns to fan-mush and all I can manage to say is some variant of “I loved your book” and he’s so nice, he just smiles and says “Thank you.”

I met Becca Gomez Farrell, the author of “Maya’s Vacation,” the Gourmez blog, and several other stories. We discussed Nathan Fillion’s early soap opera work, literary agents, open and closed door romances, feeling like imposters, ebooks and the future of the publishing industry with her husband Ben and author M. David Blake. I heard Mr. Blake read his story “Absinthe Fish” at the Bull Spec Fiction Night in April.

The next public event for me will be the release party for my debut novel “Stellarnet Rebel,” at Tir na nOg Irish Pub in Raleigh, NC, on Thursday January 5, 2012. More info to come.

~ J.L. Hilton

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