SFRSS: Welcome to Signals from the Edge, Dena! We can’t wait to learn about your contribution to the new SFRSS anthology, Cosmic Cabaret. Thanks for stopping by to chat. So what’s the title of your story in the collection?
Dena Garson: Vordol’s Vow
SFRSS: What was the inspiration for Vordal’s Vow?
Dena Garson: Vordol’s Vow is a follow up novella to my first sci-fi romance, Rege’s Rescue. Vordol is one of Rege’s “brothers.” As soon as I saw the descriptions for Quantum and the burlesque show, I thought of my old writing mentor, Peggy Fielding. She was a spunky old broad who would have had a field day aboard Quantum. So, naturally, I put her in my story. She’s the basis for Ruby – Vordol’s client and family friend that he must guard. The rest of the story spun out from there.
SFRSS: A story inspired by a strong real world woman? We love strong women here at SFRSS, so we’re immediately interested.
Here’s the teaser blurb for Vordal’s Vow:
A long time ago Vordol Silveira learned that if he wanted to become the best bodyguard in the galaxy he needed to keep everyone except his brothers at arm’s length. That vow serves him well until he runs into the now grown-up daughter of his former mentor while working a security job aboard the LS Quantum.
Pitannah Lorento is a Quantum waitress who dreams of winning this year’s intergalactic burlesque competition in order to pay for her mother’s expensive medical treatment. Seeing Vordol again brings back years of unfulfilled desires – a distraction she doesn’t need. Yet, she’s no longer an awkward teenager and he is sexier than ever.
Vordol’s client’s safety has always come first but when Pitannah is threatened, his heart demands he make her his priority. If he somehow manages to keep them both safe through the competition, his vow may become obsolete.
SFRSS: You mention that this story comes from a world you built for Rege’s Rescue. Can you tell us a bit more about that world?
Dena Garson: Rege, from my first sci-fi, and Vordol, from this book, are brothers by choice not blood. They grew up together with six other boys in the roughest star port in four galaxies. Rege’s mother fostered them all. Each of them has become successful in various capacities and are active in the ongoing freedom fight but they always watch each other’s backs. Now they have reached an age and a place where they are finding special women to complete their lives.
SFRSS: It’s nice to see the concept of brotherhood and alpha security figures exist in futuristic settings too! Speculative fiction has grown in popularity. What do you think makes it so appealing.
Dena Garson: I think it’s that degree of possibility. People might not believe in vampires or mythical creatures but it’s easy to believe that one day we’ll have advanced technology and explore the outer reaches of space. More than once we’ve seen inventions and tools in speculative fiction that have made it to our real lives (wireless communication devices).
SFRSS: Is that why you are attracted to writing SFR?
Dena Garson: Yes. For me it’s the wide open possibilities. We don’t KNOW what the future holds and we don’t KNOW what’s out there beyond the borders of space. As authors, we can just about make it whatever we want. As a reader, I love to see what others have come up with too.
SFRSS: What’s your favorite speculative* book or series by another publishing author? Why?
Dena Garson: OMG – narrowing down a favorite is impossible. I read multiple genres because my mood varies greatly. If I recall correctly, Angela Knight’s Warlord/Warfem Series was my first dip into sci-fi romance. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series is an auto-buy for me. It’s the romance – the emotion – between the hero and heroine that draws me, but secondly I love the extraordinary within the settings that both authors bring to their books.
SFRSS: Wow. Angela Knight’s Jane’s Warlord was a gateway SFR book for another author in the anthology too, Selene. Must be a classic. Since you read across several genres, who are your authorial influences?
Dena Garson: I read a lot of Julia Quinn, Stephanie Laurens, and Sherrilyn Kenyon.
SFRSS: It looks like you’re a fan of historical romance too. What do you think the two sub-categories share in their appeal? Just thinking about how one is set in the past, and the other far in the future.
Dena Garson: I love reading historical. I love reading SFR. I think it’s the idea of being in a different time period, of escaping the present.
SFRSS: I’m thinking a lot of people, especially women, share in your urge to escape these days too. Do you remember what first work of science fiction turned you onto speculative fiction?
Dena Garson: I grew up on Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. My father watched them, so we did too. Hard to say which of the shows contributed the most.
SFRSS: Those stories have a lot of memorable male characters, both physical alphas and more cerebral betas. What’s your favorite kind of hero, alpha or beta, and why?
Dena Garson: Mostly Alpha. I respect a great deal of the alpha personality (perhaps because I’m a Libra and go back/forth before I make up my mind) but there are a few things about alphas that drive me nuts too.
SFRSS: Which literary hero (your own or another author’s) would you love to meet and why?
Dena Garson: Oooo – one literary hero I’d love to meet is Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Acheron. You know, if someone could convenience him to do it.
SFRSS: Most fiction has a moral underpinning. What do your stories say about the nature of humanity and science? About the nature of society? About relationships?
Dena Garson: Everyone wants and needs love. It’s universal. Even the most hardened warriors need connections – that may be through family (blood or otherwise) or romantic partners or both.
SFRSS: What’s your favorite SF/speculative fiction film or television series?
Dena Garson: Hands down, Doctor Who.
SFRSS: It sounds like you read a lot as a writer. What’s on your speculative fiction TBR list in the coming months?
Dena Garson: My TBR list is out of control and it is full of paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi romance. I have a couple of Cynthia Sax’s books queued up as well as Laurann Dohner’s VLG series. But a little birdie told me Lauren Smith and Rhenna Morgan will have new paranormal romances coming before long and *hopefully* I’ll be able to beta read for them.
SFRSS: We have some of those authors on our lists too! So what’s next for your writing? Other upcoming publications?
Dena Garson: I’m working on a steampunk romance novella that I hope will come out as part of an anthology early next year.
SFRSS: Crossing back into multimedia, what’s the last show or movie you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it?
Dena Garson: The last movie I watched was Wonder Woman. I wanted to watch it because 1) the trailer looked awesome, 2) I grew up watching the original TV show with Lynda Carter, 3) I love action/adventure movies, especially with strong female characters, and 4) I’d heard it was really good. Just so you know, it was beyond AWESOME. 
That was probably the best movie I have seen in years. I am a loyal Marvel Universe fan, but I admit that WW beat all of them.
SFRSS: Writers tend to love music too. Who are your favorite musicians? Do you have a play list that you listen to when you write?
Dena Garson: I am a rocker chick all the way. I still love my hair bands and classical rock but have moved on to heavier rock now. The most listed to bands on my mp3 are Five Finger Death Punch and Halestrom. 
I don’t have a playlist for writing but music does inspire my writing. It tends to be more of a mood-setting reaction to music though. Although – if you read the acknowledgement in Rege’s Rescue, you’ll see that FFDP’s remake of House of the Rising Sun was the inspiration for that book.
SFRSS: What’s your writing process like?
Dena Garson: I’m mostly a plotter. But I don’t plot until after I’ve started writing. Usually get a chapter or two down then outline most or all of the book. It’s kind of like I need to get to know my characters first. I also tend to hop around when I’m writing too. May write the ending then have to fill in the middle.
SFRSS: Thanks for stopping in to talk about SFR and your new story. We’ll let you get back to writing your new speculative steam punk story. One last question. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us to eat, if anything?
Dena Garson: LOL – Take out. I do not cook well. Just ask my kids. My 13-year-old will make me leave the kitchen and he just takes over whenever I do try. He’s a bit of a connoisseur.
SFRSS: So, I guess we’re not coming over for dinner, then, lol. At least leave us with a tantalizing taste of Vordal’s Vow!
Dena Garson: That, I can do.
Excerpt:
“Vordol! H-How are you?” Pitannah pushed a tuft of hair behind her ear. Her heart hammered against her chest so hard she thought it would burst out at any second. Seeing the object of your fantasies come to life after almost six years tended to do that to a girl. Especially when that fantasy had grown bigger, darker, and if possible, sexier.
“Well. You look good. A lot more grown up than the last time I saw you.” He glanced at her name tag. “You work for Quantam now?”
“Yes.” She clung to her serving tray like a lifeline. “I’ve been with them for almost a year. What brings you aboard?” she asked in a rush.
“Work.” He glanced at Ms. Ruby who was watching their exchange with interest now that the Maître de had seated her.
“You’re here for the talent search then?” Pitannah guessed.
“She is, so I am too.” He gestured to the table. “Are you assigned to Ruby’s table?”
“Oh, no. I was just helping one of the other girls finish setting up for lunch. I usually rotate through a couple of the other sections.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Vordol, bring your little friend over and introduce her,” Ms. Ruby suggested.
Vordol’s lips twitched even as he waved her ahead of him. “Ruby, this is Pitannah Lorento. She’s Harec’s oldest daughter.” To Pitannah he added, “Pitannah, this is the incomparable, Ms. Ruby Rose.”
Ruby extended her hand to Pitannah. “It’s lovely to meet you my dear.”
Pitannah shook Ruby’s hand and tried to not gawk. “It’s wonderful to meet you too.”
Ruby shot a questioning look at Vordol. “Harec is the Security Engineer who trained you, isn’t he?”
Vordol nodded then faced Pitannah. “How is Harec? I haven’t heard from him in quite a while.”
She grimaced. “Papa died about six months ago.”
Vordol’s expression fell. “Damn. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Oh, my dear. I’m so sorry we brought up a sad topic for you.” Ms. Ruby patted Pitannah’s hand. “Your father was a huge influence on Vordol and I for one am very grateful for it.”
“Thank you.” Pitannah bit her lip. “I don’t mean to be forward, but are you two related somehow? You seem quite close.”
Ms. Ruby smiled. “I like to think so. I’ve know this handsome young man since he and those other hoodlums he calls brothers were chasing each other with sticks and mud.”
Vordol crossed his arms over his chest. “Who are you kidding? We still chase each other with sticks and mud.”
“Yes, dear, but now you call it training,” Ruby teased.
If you’re interested in reading more of Dena’s work, click on the links below:
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ABOUT DENA GARSON
Dena Garson is an award winning author of contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi romance. She holds a BBA and a MBA in Business and works in the wacky world of quality and process improvement. Making up her own reality on paper is what keeps her sane.
She is the mother of two rowdy boys, two rambunctious cats (AKA the fuzzy jerks), and a loving Labrador. When she isn’t writing you can find her at her at the sewing machine or stringing beads. She is also a devoted Whovian and Dallas Cowboys fan.
Her books have won or finaled in the Passionate Plume, Reader’s Choice Award, and International Digital Award
Follow Dena Garson on Social Media:
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Cailin Briste: I played a mental game when I was a kid where I imagined that Ben Franklin had time traveled forward and I was the one showing him the modern world. As an adult, the choice would be hard. Do I pick a giant of history like Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill? Or what about Elizabeth I? I’m pretty sure I’d want to meet some who really lived. Although certain characters from literature would be fun. Since I can’t, I’m going to do a Scarlet O’Hara and think about that tomorrow.
Cailin Briste: The planet Tallav is set in a cul-de-sac of the Federation, too far off the beaten trail for the L.S.Quantum to travel to. Master Trey takes a two-week hyper space flight to get to the Quantum. Tallav was purchased and settled by a group of wealthy women who wanted to create a matriarchal society. Men are restricted in many ways. The series explores how alpha males deal with growing up Tallavan. The male characters are all also involved in BDSM.
Cailin Briste: The Foreigner series by C.J. Cherryh is my all-time favorite speculative fiction series. The main character, Bren Cameron, is the only human allowed to interact with the Atevi. Humans landed on the Atevi planet after a disaster separated them from human space. He’s supposed to be writing a dictionary that will allow the two species to talk effectively to one another. A difficult task because the Atevi are wired completely differently from humans. In the first book someone tries to kill him, and the entire series (20 books) is set in motion. I love his struggle to communicate, to find the words that have meaning to both humans and Atevi, to keep the delicately balanced peace between the two species.
Cailin Briste: My adventure with speculative fiction began with the original Star Trek series which I watched in re-runs. In high school, my future husband introduced me to fantasy. By the time I went to college, I was devouring Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kurtz, and Roger Zelazny.
Ideas for the second book in the A Thief in Love suspense romance series are bubbling in the back of my mind as are possibilities for a contemporary romance that plays off a real-life love story.
Cailin Briste is an emerging author of science fiction romances. She likes to flip convention on its head, creating a universe in which each planet is a study in different what ifs. What would happen to alpha men on a matriarchal planet where the women are not Dommes in the strictest sense but certainly have the attitude down pat? How would society handle it if girls born on their new planet developed empathic senses? Cailin throws her characters into these settings, heroes and heroines whose kink is a major defining attribute of their personality.
S.E. Smith: What attracts me to the different genres is the possibilities! I live for the action, adventure, suspense, and romance. Each new world opens up another and the possibilities are limited only by my imagination. Science fiction romance takes this to a new level and opens the door to countless worlds, species, and situations.
Cara Bristol: I also love the creative possibilities that science fiction romance offers. It’s a liberating experience to write “outside the box,” and to explore new ideas and concepts. People who say they don’t read science fiction just haven’t found the right subgenre because the genre is incredibly broad and diverse.
Veronica Scott: I love the endless possibilities for adventure inherent in science fiction romance too. I’m not constrained by current science or technology, and I can mix in a bit of mysticism and fantasy if the plot calls for it. I also write a paranormal series set in ancient Egypt, which has always been a fascination of mine and I’ve also begun a fantasy series.
Susan Grant: I love writing speculative fiction, especially science fiction romance, because of the almost total lack of boundaries. Anything goes. I love the adventure, the “Wild West” type of frontier feel, the fantasy aspect, the strong, independent characters, even quirky characters—again, reminiscent of the frontier days of 19th century America. I travel the world in my other career as an airline pilot and am fortunate to visit “new worlds” and experience exotic and different foods and peoples. I love to bring my feelings of wonder and excitement and curiosity to the science fiction worlds I write.
Laurie A. Green: From the time I was very small, I’ve always been fascinated with space and the stars, so it’s probably no great surprise that Science Fiction Romance became my genre of choice. I love having the freedom to write stories set in the distant cosmos, on alien worlds or in other times or dimensions. Even the few Paranormal Romance stories I’ve penned have a definite slant toward science fiction.
M.K. Eidem: I like to write Sci-Fi because I get to create my own world and decide what can and can’t happen there.
Sabine Priestley: SFR is my first true love. The engineer in me gets off on all the tech elements, throw in space and I’m a goner. Now is an amazing time to be alive and an even more brilliant one for writers of any kind of Science Fiction. We are standing on a precipice of explosive growth and technology is what is taking us there. What could be more fun than building on a framework that exists here and now?
Jessica L. Subject: I love the idea of learning about new cultures, not only on our own planet, but also on distant planets. That is common in most speculative fiction. When it comes to the romance aspect, I enjoy the idea that love transcends all boundaries.
Pauline Baird Jones: I stumbled into writing speculative romantic fiction. No really. I thought I was writing an action adventure romance that just happened to take place in space. When readers started calling it “science fiction romance” and “space opera romance,” I was kind of freaked out. Then I realized that I’d been “writing” science fiction since high school—something my high school science teacher would heartily agree with! I don’t even pretend my science is “real.” It’s way too fun to make things up. I mean, I am a fiction author, after all.
Carol Van Natta: I was warp…er, influenced very early on by my parents, who gave me science fiction to read one summer to keep me busy. The joke was on them, because from then on, I kept begging for more science fiction and fantasy books to read. I came to romance a little later, but it’s an important part of my space opera, adventure, and romance series. Science fiction is inherently hopeful — it assumes we’ve overcome any problems we have now and are out in the galaxy — and gives me the chance to explore huge “what ifs” in storytelling. Romance is equally hopeful, on a more personal level, and affirms that love is as constant as the stars.
The speculation comes in looking at a world or place or technology or creature that exists only in the imagination, being fascinated by it, and then asking some kind of “What if?” question, or maybe a “How could it be?” or “What would happen if?” If the answer is neat little surprise or a short sharp shock, there’s probably a short story there. But sometimes the answer leads to making a whole new world. In that case it’s probably going to be a novel or even a series. Depending on what kind of world it is, whether there are likeable characters, and what the characters do besides explore their world (falling in love or lust with each other is always an interesting development), reading a story set in an invented world is one of the most enjoyable activities there is!
M. K. Eidem: I love Laurann Dohner’s Zorn Warriors Series and Kelly Lucille’s Dragon Mage Series.
Cara Bristol: Eve Langlais’ More Than Machines cyborg series definitely inspired me. Cyborgs represent the perfect alpha hero: strong, smart, tough, but with a secret vulnerability. The sexual tension between her hero and heroine hooked me right at the start. After reading Eve’s series, I was inspired to create my own cyborg series: the Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance series.
Pauline Baird Jones: I have been in love with Veronica Scott’s Sectors series since she released the first book, The Wreck of the Nebula Dream. It has everything I love in a series. More books. Action. Adventure. Romance. And engaging characters.
Sabine Priestley: So many wonderful authors out there, but as with a number of my peers, I have a limited amount of time to read. I can give a shout out to G.S. Jennsen’s Aurora Rhapsody series. She’s brilliant in world building and I love her politics and science. In full disclosure, I’ve only read the 1st 2 books but can whole heartedly recommend them.
Carol Van Natta: What week is it? My answer tends to change based on my mood and what criteria I’m using. Any of Ruby Lionsdrake’s series—Mandrake, Star Guardians—are good for thrilling adventure and snarky humor, which is also what appeals to me about Eve Langlais’ Cyborgs More Than Machines series. Eve Silver’s Northern Wastes series offers strong characters and hope in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world. And if I’m feeling nostalgic, I re-read the Andre Norton classics, which are slowly being reissued in ebooks. Not all have romance, but enough do to keep me reading.
Alexis Glynn Latner: My favorite works of world-making speculative fiction include Dante’s Divine Comedy because the Italian Renaissance poet built a whole cosmos based on Aristotelian science, and populated it with all kinds of interesting people, many of them recognizable as famous or infamous contemporaries of Dante. I’ve loved Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings ever since I read it as a teenager – and promptly re-read the whole thing. Tolkien’s world isn’t just the trilogy and The Hobbit: he revealed a lot more world in The Silmarillion. And I really like Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series. This is science fiction with really strong elements of fantasy, populated by vivid and intriguing characters, quite a few of whom have colorful and endearing romances. Bujold is a terrific story-teller.
Jessica L. Subject: The Host by Stephanie Meyer remains one of my favorites. In this book, the aliens thought they were doing right by the planet, while the humans weren’t ready to give up Earth to the foreign invaders. By the end, they realized they could work together to save the planet, and that love went beyond a physical attraction.
Veronica Scott: Pick pretty much any series by Nalini Singh and I’m right there with my one-click. My favorite from her is the Psy Changeling series – I especially love the Arrows, who are super capable psychic soldiers. They believe they’ve eradicated their emotions but of course let them meet the right heroine and those emotions bubble right up. Shield of Winter is my absolute favorite. Nalini has done amazing world building and her characters feel ‘real’ to me, so I can lost myself in the stories and resurface hours later.
Susan Grant: I have so little time to read these days. I read only a few books last year. So sad! Because I love reading. I have lots of favorites. A new discovery is the Brides of the Kindred books because I admire craft as well as story and Evangeline Anderson is such a good writer. I love her prose. Another favorite is Hugh Howey’s Silo Series. Such a cool concept! If it becomes a movie I hope they don’t ruin it.
S.E. Smith: I fell in love with Escape to Witch Mountain as a kid and it grew with Dune along with a little known series called America 2040. For romance, I love many of Linnea Sinclair’s stories and Monette Michaels’ Prime Obsession.
Susan Grant: Mine is titled The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy. In last year’s Pets in Space 1 Anthology, my story Stray (now titled Star Hero) featured a frightened, starving yipwag—an alien street dog named Bang-Bang that took shelter under a wreck of a car where he met another puppy. Even though Bang-Bang was ravenous, he shared a piece of meat with the other weak and starving pup. Readers always wanted to know what happened to that puppy. Me too! And so I wrote her story—The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy. (Star Puppy).
Veronica Scott: My story comes from my Sectors series and is titled Star Cruise: Songbird. I always wanted to write a rock star romance because I love the genre, but anything I write skews Sci-Fi. Then I read an article about bands and singers here on Earth booking special cruises for their fans and doing performances aboard the ship. It was easy to translate the idea to my interstellar spaceliner the Nebula Zephyr. Once I knew my heroine was a rock star, the hero stepped up – ex-military, ship’s security officer, assigned as her temporary bodyguard. And he had been serving in a special military unit where they used super intelligent animals to assist in the fighting, so his telepathic eagle Valkyr became my pet for the story. And there is a songbird…
Sabine Priestley: Sensate, came from a desire to delve further into a phenomenon that occurred in one of my books, Rebellion. I don’t want to give it away, but it was a place I had to go, and one I’ll be delving into deeper in future. In short, what does it mean to be sentient?
S.E. Smith: In a series of events that came together, I had the beginning of Pearl’s Dragon. It started with Grandma Pearl being introduced in Choosing Riley. Readers got to know her better in Viper’s Mate, which lead to the Dragonlings’ Easter where Pearl was kidnapped by a sexy, older dragon warrior. I knew Pearl had to have her story and with the mysterious giant green eggs that were brought back in The Dragonlings’ Very Special Valentine, I knew I had her and Asim’s story – and an amazing new feathered army from Earth.
Cara Bristol: My novella is titled Rescued by the Cyborg and it’s set in my Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance Series. Cats are my go-to pet, and I like the idea of pairing opposites, so I created a big, tough secret agent cyborg who gets a little kitten as a pet.
M.K. Eidem: I always knew I was going to be a story about the Great Raptor, so this was the perfect opportunity to write A Grim Pet especially when it is for such a great cause.
Pauline Baird Jones: Time Trap is a novella set in my Project Enterprise Series. I always kind of smile when I’m asked what “inspired” me to write something. I basically commit random acts of writing that eventually turn into stories. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted the hero to be Briggs, who was a minor, but an important character, in The Key and Girl Gone Nova.
Carol Van Natta: Pet Trade comes out of my Central Galactic Concordance Series. I begged shamelessly to join the Pets in Space crew, in part because they support the Hero-Dogs.org charity. The charity raises, trains, and places service dogs with disabled veterans, free of charge, to improve their quality of life and help them regain independence. I guarantee you that when humans explore the galaxy, we’ll take our pets. They entertain us, love us, and sometimes, they save us. Both the main characters in my story end up rescuing pets, but they need the pets as much as the pets need them. I got carried away with the number of pets—17, and that doesn’t count the talking yaks and the guard geese—but I couldn’t pick just one.
Laurie A. Green: I’d honestly have to say what inspired Courting Disaster: StarDog 2 was my story in the original Pets in Space collection, StarDog. When I was asked back to write for the second anthology, I admit to being totally stumped at first. Did I have another pet-inspired story in me? Then I realized the little surprise at the end of the original story would work perfectly paired with an idea that had been brewing in my head for quite some time–and a premise was born! I’m really happy with how the StarDog tales have added new dimensions and new characters to my Inherited Stars Series.
Veronica Scott: Howard’s novella, Wired for Love, concerns a warrior, a heroine and a pet trying to survive an enemy.
