Are You Ready for Some Football?

Hi, there, I'm new Loose Id author, Jami Davenport, and I'm very happy to announce that I've contracted with Loose Id to publish my football hero romance, Fourth and Goal, the first book in my Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series.

While I don't personally believe in "books of my heart" (as every book should be the book of an author's heart if she's putting her soul into the book), but this book comes close to being that book. Fourth and Goal has been floating around in my head for close to fifteen, maybe twenty years. I've written and discarded pieces of it over the years, put it on a back burner when I found out NY pubs believe sports hero romances don't sell, and a few years ago decided to drag it out. To heck with what does or doesn't sell. After all, I also write equestrian romances, and those don't "sell" either.

I love football, and I know other women love football, too. According to statistics, an estimated 45 percent of NFL fans are female. So do NY publishers think these women don't read? And don't read romance novels? I beg to differ.

The few football hero romances currently published annoy me because the heroines usually hate football and/or know nothing about it. I wanted to write a romance novel series for women who love football, have a decent knowledge of the game, and want to read about a heroine who knows her football.

Rachel, my heroine, grew up in a football-crazed family with a coach dad and football player brothers. She has an uncanny eye for evaluating football talent and diagnosing a player's strengths and weaknesses. She aspires to be a pro football scout. The book follows Derek, an almost washed-up football player, through his and his team's journey from basement dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.

As part of my book research, last September I had the absolute thrill of attending the Seattle Seahawks Football 101 at the Seahawks headquarters (aka Virginia Mason Athletic Center) in Renton, WA. The proceeds from the workshop benefited breast cancer. The workshop was organized and ran by players' and coaches' wives and Seahawks staff.

The day started with a pep talk by head coach Pete Carroll, Q&A sessions with players and their wives, autograph sessions, an explanation of the game by former Seahawks, running through drills on the practice field, and appetizers in the players' dining room, along with raffles and door prizes. Oh, and we all left with a playbook and a gift bag FULL of Seahawks goodies which I shared with my husband.

Me in the auditorium at Seahawks headquarters

Almost all NFL teams have a similar workshop geared toward women, usually during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you're a football fan or if you've decided you need to learn more about the game, check out your local team's website next August or September to find out the date and time of their Football 101 workshop.

I highly recommend it even if you don't like football. The Seahawks' workshop was professionally done, and everyone who spoke was entertaining and funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.In fact, my hubbie's going with me next time. He was really jealous he missed it.

Me running a drill on the practice field

It was an incredible experience, and my neighbor and I are definitely going next year. I've posted several pictures on my Facebook page if you'd like to see what it was like.

In the meantime, I'm hoping there's a market for a book like mine. Time will tell, but I'm putting my faith in all those female NFL fans.

http://www.jamidavenport.com/
http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport

Space and Dragons Oh My

I write Science Fiction for the sheer joy of being able to explore new ideas. I love combining the genres of Science Fiction Fantasy and Romance into unique and exciting story ideas. I want it all. I want action adventure and the ability to boldly go where no one has gone before, including the bedroom.

My first novel with Loose Id, ON THE EDGE OF TIME,

http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=102 features bloodthirsty wyrmdragons that inhabit the twists and turns of wyrmhole space. Shapeshifting symbiotes partner with human warriors to fight the wyrmdragons. In return, the symbiotes are able to bond with the humans and leave wrymhole space as living snake tattoos on their host partners’ bodies.

Boris Vallejo’s Erotic SF painting http://vallejo.ural.net/1981/show.php?017
Tattoo inspired me to create ON THE EDGE OF TIME. For my book, the living symbiote tattoos are small serpents when they came into normal space. Only in wyrmhole space or Virtual Reality can they manifest in their reptilian humanoid shapes.

When the symbiotes reproduce, they deposit their egg in the male host partner’s body. Needless to say, when Cord, the hero in ON THE EDGE OF TIME learns he’s pregnant, he reacts with horror and dismay. Here’s a short excerpt showing that moment in Virtual Reality.

This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t real. A molten sun blazed down upon Cord. Onyx stood eye-to-eye to him. His black-scaled skin glittered with prismatic highlights of red and gold. He repeated his astonishing statements. “You’re the pregnant one. My daughter is inside you.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!” Cord pushed Onyx away and staggered five steps before sinking to the sand on his knees. He couldn’t be pregnant. It was impossible. He was a man, not a woman. How the hell could this be happening to him? His mind went totally blank. He felt like throwing up.

Onyx knelt and placed his hands on Cord’s shoulders. His voice was fierce and raspy. The tips of his claws pressed against Cord’s skin. “We need to find Helga and Silk. Our women must be inside the wyrmhole with us. They will protect us from the wyrmdragons when our daughter is born. Then we must protect them while she bonds with her mothers.”

Cord knew Onyx wasn’t lying. He felt the truth in his serpent brother’s touch. “How did this happen? How the hell did I get pregnant?”

Onyx stared at him with a very puzzled expression on his face. Finally he spoke as if he were speaking to a child. “It happened in the usual way when we made love to our women during the time we were together. My seed fertilized Silk’s egg the first night. The next night when you and Helga slept, I went into Helga’s body and stayed with Silk while she laid the fertilized egg.”

An expression of sheer wonder softened Onyx’s scaled features. Tears glittered at the corners of his eyes. “Our daughter’s egg is very beautiful. Delicate red and blue stripes vein her translucent shell. I assured Silk that you were a proper host, strong and healthy and in the prime of your life. She was worried. She wanted to make sure everything was all right so when I picked up our daughter’s egg in my mouth and went to you, Silk came with me. She helped me plant the egg in the best location for continued nourishment and growth inside you.”

Images from an ancient horror vid flashed in front of Cord’s eyes. Images of a scaled monster ripping apart and exploding out from a man’s belly. Images of blood and guts spraying in every direction while the man howled with pain, his body bowed and the tendons in his throat ruptured from his screams.

He turned to Onyx and grabbed his arms. “What the hell is going to happen to me? Am I going to lay this egg? Will my stomach explode?”

Onyx tightened his grip on Cord’s arms. Serious concern stilled Onyx’s face. “If you do not return to the wyrmhole at the proper time, then yes, your stomach will explode. You will die and so will our daughter.”

Cord pushed Onyx away and drew his sword. “And what happens in the wyrmhole when my stomach explodes? Will I die while your daughter lives?”

Onyx shook his head. “No. It’s not what you think. I won’t let it happen that way. In the wyrmhole, I will be able to help you. Your stomach won’t rupture. You won’t die and neither will our daughter.”

Cord sagged back onto his heels. “How? How will you help me?”


Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share the background of my Erotic SF novel ON THE EDGE OF TIME. http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=102


Barbara Karmazin selkiewife@verizon.net
www.sff.net/people/selkiewife
www.myspace.com/barbarakarmazin
groups.yahoo.com/group/TheSensuousAlien/