Guest post with Aubrie Dionne

Elements of Great Sci Fi Romance

I’m so excited to talk about one of my all-time favorite genres today! I’ve seen lists of what makes great science fiction, but today I’m talking about what makes great science fiction romance. (The best kind in my opinion!)

I’ve always loved Star Wars and Star Trek because they had it all: adventure, science fiction, romance, action. (Although Star Trek could use a little more romance here and there for my tastes! I loved the relationship between Jean Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher, and who can forget Riker and Deanna Troi? Even Datat had a bit of romance here and there.)

To write a great sci fi romance you need it all, and the blend has to be just right. I’ve come up with a list of what I feel makes a great sci fi romance story. In the comments section, I’d love to hear your own ideas.

1. Must have romance. The romance should drive the plot forward, but also somehow be
linked to the science fiction aspect. In Paradise 21, conditions aboard the New Dawn dictate all romantic encounters (The colonists are there to preserve human DNA without genetic mutations or inbreeding), and for this reason Aries escapes. I’ve linked the romance to the science, and made it all drive the plot forward from the very beginning.

2. Must have adventure in cool settings. The best part about science fiction is that you can write it anywhere; aboard a space ship, on an alien planet, or on Earth. Setting is very important, and traveling to different backdrops increases the adventure by tenfold. In Paradise 21, I made sure to have scenes aboard the deep space transport ship, on a desert planet, and even in an alien ship.

3. Must have action. Another awesome part of science fiction romance is all of the various technological weapons you can create: lasers, blasters, subsonic tranquilizer rays. In Paradise 21, I made sure to have at least a couple laser fights, some with people and others with monsters!

4. Must have science. The story must have some basis in reality with fantastical scientific ideas linked to today’s science. In Paradise 21, I posed certain questions: What if people could live their entire lives on a space ship? What would people do when the Earth becomes uninhabitable? Although these ideas seem far-fetched today as you drive to Dunkin’ Doughnuts to order your latte, reality is: the sun will burn out someday, and we may even pollute the Earth before that happens. People will have to find somewhere else to live if humanity is going to carry on. I took a scientific fact and ran with it, creating a fantastical scientific idea.

I’d love to hear your own ideas for what makes a great sci fi romance!

A New Dawn Book One by Aubrie Dionne

Title: Paradise 21
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Sci Fi Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: August 2011
ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-02-2
Mobi ISBN: Coming soon!
Print ISBN: 978-1-937044-03-9

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/paradise-21/

Book Blurb:

Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind’s last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where humanity can begin anew—a planet that won’t be reached in Aries’ lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries-long voyage.

But Aries has other plans.

When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers the rumors about pirates—humans who escaped Earth before its demise—are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possesses the freedom Aries envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet’s native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns her freedom will come at a hefty price.

The life of the man she loves.


My thanks to Aubrie Dionne for stopping by today, and to Roxanne from Entangled Publishing and Bewitching Book Tours for making all the arrangements.