Living and loving science fiction

So here we are, one month into the second half of the year. Here in Canberra, that means we're into the depths of winter. To give you an idea - last night, the temperature dipped to -2 degrees C (28.4 degrees F) and the top during the day was 15 degrees C (59 degrees F). A glorious winter's day, the sun was shining, no wind, and I went for my first ever Segway ride!

There's something about a Segway, despite the fact the technology is really quite simple, that is very science fictional to me. So it was fitting that I lived out my own little bit of science fiction, because on August 1 my first science fiction novel comes out!

While fantasy and romance have been the genres I've done most of my writing in, science fiction is the genre I was brought up in, thanks to my dad. My earliest television memories are of hiding behind Dad's beanbag, peering over his shoulder at which ever monster was the feature of that week's episodes of Dr Who. Movie wise, my most important moment at a movie ever was when I was seven and Dad took me and my younger brother to see Star Wars. I can still remember vividly walking out and feeling like my brain was somehow bigger than it had every been before. I was too young for Star Trek on the television, but Dad made sure we saw all the movies.

I'll admit, I've not kept up my science fiction cred - I've not watched enough, and I've not read nearly enough. But still, I can safely say that the cancellation of Firefly still upsets me. That I loved both versions of Battlestar Galactica but while I think Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck was inspired, Richard Hatch will ALWAYS be Apollo to me. Red Dwarf still makes me laugh and Inception fricken blew my mind.

But really, in my heart and soul, it's Star Wars - beating out the Doctor by a sonic screwdriver. And so, when I was 14 and it came into my mind that I wanted to write an epic, what I wrote was a homage to the greatest space princess who ever lived - Leia Organa.

Of course, one's childhood scribblings generally don't go any further than that, right? And the space princess I developed as a 14-year-old really didn't deserve to go any further than that. Princess Cassandra of Rica was so idealised, and perfect, and really was just me pretending I could be as kick arse as Leia.

Except for some reason - maybe because she came from a place of such pure love - Cassandra never left me. From time to time, I'd pull her out and have another go at writing her story. She developed, her world developed, but I could never find the perfect story.

Until last year. Last year, I got it. And thankfully, my publisher loved it and now, on August 1, Cassandra will finally live!

From Escape’s fresh, exhilarating science fiction romance catalogue comes a story of corporate espionage, betrayal, sex, and bodyguards. Just another day in the colonies.

Cassandra Wiltmore is the heir to the throne of Rica, but it’s unlikely she’ll be stepping up any time soon. So she spends her days managing and building the Rican Balcite Mining Company. The company has made her family wealthy beyond imagination, but that kind of power needs careful control, and Cassandra is just the Wiltmore to control it.

When a new bid for the mining license is announced, Cassandra is determined to squash it. Then the thefts and threats begin, and every step she takes seems to be wrong. Taking on a new protector seems like an indulgence Cass can’t afford, but she equally cannot afford to be caught off-guard. If only the best man for the job wasn’t also the best-looking man she’s ever seen.

Kernan Radaton has ambition, and as protector to Cassandra Wiltmore, he’s well placed to reach all his long-held goals. If only his new all-business boss didn’t make him think of only pleasure. With the company, the heir and the family under attack, the last thing anyone needs is a distraction. But once everything is safe again, Kernan is developing new ambitions — ones that involve a lot of very personal time spent getting to know his boss on a very personal level.

You can pre-order the book now from all good electronic bookstores. And it's just the beginning - Loving the Prince is one of three set on the planet Jorda. The second book, Winning the King will be out in December and the third, Saving Her Heart, will be out next year.

Want to win a copy of Loving the Prince? Tell me your favourite science fiction hero or heroine. I'll give five copies at random to those who comment.