That special email...

I've told this story before, but I suppose in this case it bears repeating. I grew up a writer. From the time I knew how to spell (and even before) I was writing stories, poems, songs... whatever. I wrote a book when I was fifteen; a Christian Fantasy (which wasn't even a genre then!) and that book is still 'under the bed'. Then I grew up, got married, had a baby... and effectively stopped writing.

In 1995, my mother passed away after a long and difficult illness. In the weeks following her death I helped my father go through her records. We found a metal file box, and in that file box was everything I ever wrote. Every poem. Every scribble. Every version of every story. Every high school paper I appeared in. That discovery made me see what my mother always saw... I was an author. So, in January of 1996 I began writing. I finished a novel I called Gray Clouds (still unpublished), and began searching for an agent or publisher. I did have an agent for a few years, and he told me I had a lot of 'close calls' with publishing, but he never got me results, so I ultimately ended up going my own way. It was during the early 2000s ebook publishing really became the 'talk'. I was very leery. I mean, if my book was on a disk (which is how they were provided back then... mailed to you), was it really a book? I had a couple very good friends and critique partners who had already taken the plunge into ebooks, and had garnered contracts. So, I decided... why not?

At this point, I had finished my second novel Precious Things. It was a much better novel than Gray Clouds, so I did some research on the ebook publishers out there at the time and I submitted to a few. It was a Sunday morning when I received an email from Wings ePress, offering me a contract for Precious Things. I was thrilled! What a rush! I can remember breaking out in a cold sweat, but feeling my face burning at the same time. I ran back upstairs (I was downstairs making breakfast) and told my husband. I think I may have cried. :-) And so... my publishing journey began.

So very much has happened since then. Precious Things was published by Wings, as well as Tender Hearts. While I was busy promoting Precious Things, I was contacted by an editor for another house who had read my excerpts and liked my online presence. She wanted to know if I had anything else going on. At the time, I was just flirting with the concept of The Phoenix Rebellion, and I told her about it. My approach was different from most romance novels, so I wasn't holding my breath. But, she loved it... and my writing career bloomed!

Much has happened since then. I published, I ended contracts. I published others... the publisher went bankrupt. I opened my own publishing house. I suppose it all leads back to that one email on a Sunday morning. The seed that bloomed.

Precious Things has gone through a transformation since that first release. It's got a much better cover (don't even get me started on the horror stories of terrible cover art I've been given!) and the story has been revised just enough to make it better. And now, it's available again. I love Precious Things because it's the book I was told no one would read. I had several New York traditional publishing editors reject Precious Things, but their rejections inspired me. Every one of those editors said "I love your writing. It's clean and fresh, and the hero and heroine are great..." but, they always added in some way "No woman will ever want to read a romance novel with a handicapped hero. None."

I'm the type of person who better not be told what I can't do. Because I'll be the one looking over my shoulder saying "Watch me..."  Benjamin Prescott Roth is deaf, born deaf. And somehow these editors believed that fact would reduce his worth to a reader to such a degree they wouldn't read about him. I could make the heroine deaf... that was okay... but not him. Well, they were wrong. Readers love Benjamin. Not because he's deaf or not deaf... but because he is who he is. The book isn't about him being deaf, but that is a real part of him and helped mold him. I couldn't just switch it over to Jewell!

Okay, I've gotten a little off track here. :-) Anyway, that first release -- that first published work -- is now and still available. This blog's theme is the fantasmic, but hey... I am what I am. :-)

Here's an excerpt. This is a brand new scene I wrote for the revisions. I think it's a good example of how taking away a sense heightens the others. This is from Benjamin's point of view after a chance 'outside the office' lunch meeting. Just to make sure it's clear, since you're kind of jumping into the story, Benjamin is oral and reads lips with great proficiency. His communication with Jewell is a mix of speaking, reading lips, and sign. All sign language is in italics.

Benjamin had plenty to do in the office. His day was filled with reviewing reports, compiling data, and watching various markets as they closed, and opened, depending on the market. But he considered it a stroke of luck that on the one day he wandered outside of Bulwark he would run into Jewell, just sitting in a restaurant, all alone.

She was flushed, bright color blooming in her pale cheeks, and tiny ringlets escaped the french braid that hugged her skull to sprinkle across her brow and along her cheeks. As warm as the day was, he hoped that perhaps he was responsible for the pretty blush and the nervous flitter of her hands. It was wrong, he knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help himself and didn't want to try.

"I feel like I'm holding you up, Benjamin," she said, poking her fork around in the remains of her pasta and chicken. "I peeked in your office before I left to see if you wanted to come with me--"

"You did?"

She nodded, looking at him through her lashes as she created a new bite. He noted how she made sure each bite had at least two pieces of pasta, a piece of chicken and either a tomato or an olive. Sometimes both, but she was running out of olives. Taking the bite, she set down her fork and wiped her lips with a napkin before signing. "Don't you go stir crazy eating at your desk every day?"

"I've never thought about it."

Jewell sat back, dropping her napkin on the remains of her lunch left in her plate. Her smile made his pulse jump, and he liked it. "I believe I'm going to need to get you out of the office more often, Mr. Roth," she signed, feigning a serious expression as she wagged a finger at him. "It's my duty as your executive assistant."

"I don't recall that in your job description."

"I'm taking the initiative."

He was saved from making a completely inappropriate comment, one that was sure to bring a new flush of color to her pale cheeks, by the return of the waitress. Benjamin didn't bother to look up, keeping his attention on Jewell. She looked at the waitress, shook her head and waved a hand at the empty plate. The waitress took it and set the bill on the counter. Jewell reached for it, but Benjamin was faster. He grinned at the shocked look on her face.

"Hey, now. You didn't even eat."

He just grinned and shifted to take his wallet from his back pocket. Leaving a bill on the table, he stood and offered his hand to help her stand. It pleased him in a way he couldn't qualify when she took it and came to her feet, retrieving her jacket from the back of her seat. He liked her bare arms. They were trim, but just as pale as her face and sprinkled with freckles.

They stepped back into the oppressive humidity of the afternoon, both slipping on their sunglasses against the bright sun. Walking in unison, they turned down Market Street toward the Financial District. The walk was short, but August in New England was as hot and humid as any southern bayou or Florida everglade, especially here in the city deep in the jungle of massive steel and glass buildings that blocked any cooling breeze that might drift in off the Atlantic Ocean. They reached the light at the corner, and joined the mass of people waiting to cross. Benjamin chanced a glance in her direction, catching her huff as she blew wisps of hair off her forehead.

"Perhaps we should save our next lunch outing for a slightly less smothering day."

She smiled and nodded. "Please."

The light changed and they all moved en masse. Benjamin cupped her elbow, not realizing until they stepped onto the other curb that he'd once again reached for her. It felt natural, instinctual. And once again, she hadn't moved away. It would be so easy to slide his fingers down the inside of her arm and take her hand, just to see if she'd let him shift his fingers between hers.

They crossed Market and headed down Friend Street toward the tower of steel and glass that housed Bulwark. He dropped his hand from her elbow as they neared the building, and caught the slight tip of her head as she looked down at her bare arm then up at the gleaming face of the tower. Benjamin stepped forward and pulled open the glass lobby doors.

A refreshing wave of cooler air washed over them. Jewell stopped inside the doors and tipped her head back, a slow smile on her lips. He put his hand against her back to move forward, and felt the purr of a groan vibrate through her ribcage.

The reaction in his gut was intense and nearly made him stumble.

She waved to the security guard at the front desk as they crossed the black marble floor to the bank of elevators. He noted that Jewell smiled at every person that passed them, and nearly every one of them returned the smile. She inspired the reaction; he understood that even for himself. When Jewell smiled at him, he couldn't help but smile back.

"This story will tug the reader's heartstrings with the powerful emotions of love, hate, fear, pain, and betrayal with the author's sensual descriptions. I enjoyed the writing style and loved the strong, deaf hero and heroine, the heartbeat of the novel... Never make the mistake of thinking that deaf heroes can't be strong, romantic, or capture a woman's heart. Mrs. Delaney proves otherwise with her five-star novel."

BJ Robinson -- True Hidden Treasures Blog
Rating = 5 Stars

Gail Delaney: Attack of the Interview

I know people doing interviews are supposed to slap their interviewee on the back and tell them how great they are. That's part and parcel for these things. This time the greatness is well deserved. Back in 2006, I was just becoming a published Romance author and basically was still learning the ropes. I'd read Historicals like forever and had just learned about paranormal romances. Then, somebody told me there was such thing as Science Fiction romance. I scratched my head and said, "I don't see it." Coming from a SciFi background, I didn't even want to sample this travesty. There was very little smooching in outer space. Han Solo was the only exception to that rule, thank you very much.

Then, because you knew it was coming, I met Gail Delaney. Well, met in a messenger window, but met nonetheless. After talking to her, I reluctantly rethought my stance. She had grown up on all the things I had. She talked the talk. Which talk? Geek, of course. So, I read the First Phoenix book and was floored. Sure there was some smooching, some angst and other things you'd expect from a romance novel. As I read on the smallest ebook reader ever made, believe me in 2006 you could go blind reading ebooks, I became a fan. Phoenix was everything I loved in Science Fiction. A little while down the road, I reread the newer version, and it held up to the test of time and rereading. No, it was better the second time around!

So, where's this interview? It's coming, just hold your jump drive and I'll get around to it. I've got a few more things to say first. If you've never read this series, you're missing out. I just hope by the end of this interview, you'll see why you're missing out and get off your keyboard and see why I'm not only a fan, but a fanatic when it comes to Science Fiction and Romance.

Gail, hope I didn't gush too much, but you were the one who turned me on…uh… I mean turned me onto SciFi Romance.

Jmo: I want to ask do you consider your books Science Fiction foremost, or Romance with SciFi elements?

Gail: Hmm, that's an interesting question. I actually see it as sci fi with strong romantic elements. I say that because there is much more going on in each book other than a story of a boy and a girl, although that is a primary storyline. There are deep friendships, there are familial relationships, there's danger and intrigue, mystery, deception, all kinds of stuff. And because the 'story' of any given couple doesn't always fully resolve in a single book (John and Jenifer in Janus being a good example), it's also not a typical romance in that aspect.

Jmo: Phoenix is more than a series. It's even more than anything I've ever read in a series before. The world building is amazing. When the idea for Phoenix came to you, was it this grand in scope? If not, how did it evolve to where it is now?

Gail: I would love to be able to say I imagined the entirety of the 'world' when I began Revolution, because then I could claim brilliance. But in truth, I had no idea when I began where Phoenix would lead. Sometimes, I was just as surprised when something was revealed as I hope the reader was. The entire Phoenix universe has become so real to me, I just feel like I'm relaying history, not writing fiction.

Jmo: The world isn't the only thing big. I'd have to say you have the largest cast of characters I've ever seen. How hard is it for you to keep all those voices under control? Under control! How do you keep them straight in your head? As long as we're on this subject, how do you decide which characters get to take center stage?

Gail: Man, you are just full of questions. I imagined the series from the beginning as a 'cast of characters' type of approach, much like a television series with a large cast. Each episode focuses on one or two people or storylines, but that doesn't mean the rest of the people in the series don't do anything.

As far as who takes center stage, that grows from the development of events. It's a natural flow from one book to the other, with little to no pause, just like in life. Keeping them straight hasn't felt like an issue for me because I feel I know them all so well. Now, sometimes I do have to remind myself "This book is about ___ and ____. You should get back to them".

Jmo: That brings us to Janus. We've talked about the origins of Phoenix. The evolution of Phoenix. The characters of Phoenix. So, what have you got in store for us in this new addition to the mythos that is Phoenix?

Gail: John Smith and Jenifer came from the original series, although they never knew each other. They do, however, have a connection neither realizes until different points in the book and it's a connection each of them reacts to differently (can't say more than that). So, just as I alluded to in the last question, their story has grown from the development of events. In the first series, John was introduced as an alien stranded on our world after the Sorracchi attacks and he proved himself to be a strong ally. So much so that in this new series he serves as ambassador between our worlds.

Jenifer was a fleeting character in the first series, appearing only at the end of book two and the beginning of book three. She hadn't ever been intended as a main character. But, as their stories unfolded I realized there was much more to her than originally met the eye.

Our world is very different from the world first introduces in The Phoenix Rebellion, and so the stories are very different. We are now a world devastated by global war, a world that has learned we are far from alone or isolated in the universe.

Most of the characters readers came to know and care about in The Phoenix Rebellion are here again in Phoenix Rising, but their roles are different. Some will still be in the forefront, though their stories will not be the main driving forces of the books. Some will only appear as the supporting cast where they had once been in the spotlight. People readers met only in passing, or briefly, become the driving force. And some stories never had a solid enough ending to say they are done.

And there will be new characters. In Phoenix Rising you will meet a man from today (2011) who wakes up to a world so drastically different from the one he knew he can't quite absorb it. All he knew is gone. You will meet men created by, trained by, and exist only for the purpose of serving the Sorracchi. But the Sorracchi are gone, and where does that leave them? You will meet a woman trapped in a body stolen by an old enemy, an enemy still determined to find revenge. You will get to know better a brother once believed lost, and walk with him as he makes some terrible mistakes, and finds redemption again. And there will be more, but I haven't met them yet so I can't introduce them.

Jmo: The end of Rebellion had pretty much tied up the entire series while leaving us with bated breath on what came next. How hard was it to kickoff this new chapter in the series?

Gail: Very hard. Really really hard. It took me over three years to write this first book because I had to find my feet again. The world had changed, and I had to discover just how much before I could put myself into it. Janus picks up less than a year after the end of End Game in the first series, but a great deal happened in the final book and in that year in between.

Jmo: How far ranging are your plans for the series? Do you see it an ongoing and unfolding story with no end, or do you see it with a definite end point?

Gail: Right now, I see no end. I already have the idea to write another series titled Children of Phoenix, which will explore our future when the next generation takes control. These are the children who were young and lived through the war, children born from the ashes of a nearly-destroyed world. Children raised with the knowledge the war brought to us, whether we wanted it, or not. After that, who knows?

But, I also want to explore the roots of Phoenix. The mythos of the series talks of the birth of Phoenix in the years following first contact with the aliens who would eventually become our enemies. We know who founded Phoenix, we know who came into it. But, I'd like to write that story. Beverly Surimoto is a leader in The Phoenix Rebellion, and it is know she was raised within the embrace of the rebellion. She leads as Vice President in Phoenix Rising. Her parents were some of the early founders of Phoenix. I want to write Birth of Phoenix, telling the story of Cecelia Bennett and Kaemon Surimoto (Names subject to change, except the Surimoto part), how they came to be founders of the rebel group that would eventually save the world. And their story of love.

Jmo: Before I wrap this up with something insanely silly, what is the one thing you would like your readers to take away from the Phoenix books?

Gail: Hope, I think. There is a great deal of bad and wrong that happens in Phoenix. But, we as 'humanity' stand together in hope of survival, hope of the future, hope of justice prevailing. Remember always we are one creation under God, and in the end, the good guy wins. It's not always easy, but to be the good guy you've got to stand up and fight.

Jmo: Okay, because this is my interview and I can pretty much do what I want… Brahwahwahwahwa. If you were the copilot on a starship, who would be sitting in the chair next to you? Han Solo? James T. Kirk? Or, Captain Mal Reynolds? Answer honestly now and notice there are no Doctors in the house to make this easy.

Gail: Hmmm... those are my three choices, huh? Cuz, you know... Jack O'Neill was known to pilot a ship or two.

Okay... Well, in all truth, I rule out Kirk. Too much of a playboy. Solo or Reynolds. In truth, they are very similar men. Hmmm... Okay, I'm going to go with Mal Reynolds. I can't compete with Leia in a gold bikini anyway. But, Mal had a nobility I appreciated. He often "aimed to misbehave", and although Solo did what was right, I think Mal had a bit more conviction.

And he totally rocked those pants! Humina!

Thank you for this awesome interview, Jmo. And for the ego boost.

First Kisses, and Kisses that Count

"There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. ... (before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy...Well, this one left them all behind." ~ The Princess Bride

So, we're talking kisses… the good, the bad, the most memorable.

Call me old fashioned, but I can't confess to having a whole lot of experience with different kisses with different people. I fell in love young, fell in love quick, and fell in love completely. I didn't have to keep trying. But, for the sake of conversation, I'm going to talk about three 'first kisses' for me.

My first 'kiss' from a boy was in second grade, and Brent Mack stole a kiss on the playground. I got mad at him, pushed him, and took back my big blue marble and walked away. (We were playing marbles). That was the extent of it. Barely memorable other than I managed to save my marbles. Sorry, Brent. (Since there's a chance he might read this... I'm just putting that out there. )

My second 'kiss' was when I was sixteen, and a boy at church whom I'd been spending time with asked for a kiss. It was sloppy, poorly executed, and the last one he got from me.

My third 'kiss' was the only one that matters.

I was in college, and had been spending a lot of time with this boy named Patrick Delaney I met in Algebra class. We'd spent time in groups, we'd studied together, and we'd spent a lot of time talking. We'd even graduated to holding hands. In truth, I'd seen him the first day of school and even pointed him out to my mother. She and I had this game we called "Beep". If one of us saw a cutie, we would say "beep" and the other would have to find him. I "beeped" Patrick to my mother. Months later, after we started seeing each other, that's how I told my mother who he was. "Mama, remember that boy I beeped to you?"

The first kiss with Patrick wasn't the first one he tried, but it seemed he was thwarted with each effort. You know how in the romance novels, the couple looks into each other's eyes and there's that "click"? They lean in… lips almost touch… and they're interrupted JUST before that magical moment? Yeah… that was us.

Kind of made it fun… would he succeed this time?

A bunch of us had gone to the movies… Friday the 13th Part Gazillion or something… and after the movies we all went to Clarendon Gorge near the campus. This is a beautiful park you have to reach by crossing a suspension bridge. NOT easy for me. I was always terrified. Still would be if asked to cross that bridge again. Patrick usually had to coax me across, because I seriously was petrified. (Look at that view... seriously... if you're not scared, you're dead) But, on the other side was a gorgeous wooded area, and down the path you reached a river. Once we got there everyone kind of disbursed. I have very poor vision, even when I was nineteen, and seeing at night is an exceptional challenge for me, so I didn't want to walk around in the dark even though the moon was bright. Just not bright enough for me.

So, Patrick and I made our way to sit on this large, flat rock on the edge of the water. It was gorgeous. The sky was bright. The moon was big. It was cool but not cold (early October in Vermont). Just right for sitting close. The water was trickling by. We sat on the rock talking and holding hands for a long time… and then he kissed me.

And that was it. I was done. Call it overly-romantic (Hello! I'm a romance author!), call it naïve youth, call it whatever you want, but at that moment I knew he was the last person I would need to kiss. I'd found the right one.

We will celebrate our 20th year of marriage next month. So, I guess I was right.

First Kiss: Michael and Jacqueline

For my contribution to the 'first kiss' contest, I bring you Michael Tanner and Jacqueline Anderson of The Phoenix Rebellion Book Four: End Game. Michael takes everything slow, for reasons you won't understand without reading, but you should also know Jackie isn't quite so slow moving. :-) They met in Book Two: Outcasts, so it took awhile to get here. Enjoy...

"Michael, am I alone here?" Her voice was rough and whispered near his ear.

He scowled, pulling back to study her face. "I'm here."

She shifted her hands across the back of his neck and shoulders to rest above his elbows. He let his palms slide naturally to her back again, splaying over her warm skin. A voice in the back of his mind told him he should take his hands away. To touch her skin-to-skin -- as her caregiver -- was acceptable. But, at this moment, he felt as far from her doctor as he could be.

"Trust me, there is no doubt in my mind just how here you are. What I mean is... am I alone with just how nuts it makes me to have you this close? Touching me?"

Michael swallowed, watching the small dimple that threatened to appear in her cheek each time her lips curled up in a smile. He compulsively tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer, and her eyelids slid heavily over her eyes.

"No," he finally managed to say through the desert in his throat.

"Are you planning on doing anything about it any time soon?"

He slid his hand along her spine, the hem of her sweater slipping up her stomach. Her muscles slowly rolled beneath his touch. She sighed, her head tipping back slightly and Michael watched, mesmerized. The arch of her neck was beautiful, and the flash of desire to press his mouth to her skin surprised and shook him. His blood hummed just beneath the surface of his skin, and the layers of clothing he wore in defense against the drafts and chill in the old building now smothered him.

Without making the conscious decision to do it, Michael leaned into to her, speaking close to her cheek. "What do you want me to do?"

Her breath skimmed his skin and her lips parted, dark eyes watching him. "That's a loaded question."

"Tell me."

"Kissing me might be a good start."

Michael pulled one hand free from its warm place beneath her sweater to lay his palm against her cheek. His lungs burned and he carefully schooled each breath, his heart pounding hard, rushing blood hot and thick through his veins. He touched her lower lip with the pad of his thumb, and she parted them, her breath warming his skin. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the glistening smoothness on the inside of her lip and the tip of her tongue as it moistened her skin, brushing his thumb.

The need to follow her tongue and taste her crashed into him, and he lowered his mouth to hers. Their lips brushed along each other, open and slick, and her soft moan whispered between them. Michael hovered over her, matching her movements as she tipped her chin, letting their breath mingle together. He still needed to taste her, to know the feel of her wet lips. Slowly, he slid his tongue against her lips, her teeth and finally her own tongue, and pure energy vibrated through him.

He pushed his fingers into her hair, the silken threads weaving around his hand, as he tilted her head and let the power of the jolt reverberate from head to toe. Her hands curled into his shirt and he pulled her harder against him, the need to be careful a persistent whisper in the back of his mind. The slow, learning kiss catapulted into a devouring need.

Only when the demand for oxygen overpowered the furor did Michael break the contact, pulling deep breaths of air into his burning lungs as he rested his forehead against hers. A small tremor shifted through her and he pulled her closer, once again sliding both hands beneath the sweater to touch her skin.

Her skin.

Silk and satin and heat.

Michael swallowed his groan.

"Damn," Jacqueline finally said, breaking the sound of their rasped and out-of-sync breathing. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?"

Michael shook his head, letting his forehead roll against hers. He couldn't form a thought, let alone an answer, and pulled her closer. He wanted to kiss her again, wanted it as much as he wanted to live, but didn't trust himself to do it. His body screamed for more. Screamed too loud and too hard to be ignored.

He pulled her closer and pressed his face into the fragrant curve of her throat.

Read more about The Phoenix Rebellion at my website.

Hello, I'm Gail R. Delaney and I'm a Sci Fi Geek

I have always been a fan of science fiction. I was only six when Star Wars: A New Hope was released, but I can remember watching it at school when I was in fourth grade on the last day of school, and I was completely hooked. Star Trek: TOS was in syndication when I was in elementary school, and I looked forward to four o'clock every day to watch. I discovered Doctor Who on PBS when I was in junior high, and Star Trek: TNG premiered around then, too. The seeds of sci fi were planted young.

I was also a writer from a young age. I wrote my first short story when I was in fourth grade. My best friend and I didn't get together to play, we got together to write. I wrote a novel (still buried deep under my bed) when I was fifteen (speculative Christian fiction before there was such a genre), and decided around twenty I wanted to write novels. But my interest then went toward contemporary romance. I never imagined myself as a sci fi author because twenty years ago sci fi was just sci fi, no romance involved, and I loved romance.

Thankfully, genres have expanded in the last few years. Nonetheless, I was actually a reluctant sci fi writer. I was urged (read that as urged with a virtual cattle prod) to try my hand at sci fi. A few years ago I was in a slump. I had just finished writing my first romantic suspense novel, having always written contemporary romance prior to that, and just couldn't find that next great storyline to sink my literary teeth into. I tried several ideas, got about three chapters in, and hit a brick wall. So, I'd try something else.

When nothing original would feed my muse's need to create, I turned to writing fanfiction. For those who don't know what fanfiction is, this is a genre of writing in which a writer will enhance, expand upon, or create new storylines based on established characters usually from television or movies. I had written fanfiction in the past for an 80's television show I loved as a kid, but this time around I delved into the fanfic world of Stargate SG-1, my favorite sci fi show at the time( Partially because of Richard Dean Anderson, and partially because I loved the forbidden romance sub-story). In a year's time, when I couldn't find anything else to hold my attention, I probably wrote the equivalent of 250k words in Stargate fanfiction.

A good friend of mine, also a writer, kept asking me "Why don't you write sci fi?" I thought she was nuts. I couldn't just create this stuff! But, she kept asking and asking and poking and encouraging, until finally an idea began to form. The great thing was I saw how I could take some of the ideas I'd already tried in a contemporary setting and make them work in a futuristic setting. Characters began to form and plots began to unfold.

But, I didn't see these books as being a typical 'romance' outline where boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, gets her back and they live happily ever after in the course of 100k words or less. I saw a whole cast of people whose lives intertwined and fed into each other. I decided this was a whole new thing for me, so why not do it in a whole new way?

At the time, I was new published with an established ebook publisher, and was surprised when I was approached by the editor of another house. She told me she had seen my posts and was impressed with my online personality, my activeness, and most importantly my writing. She asked if I had any books in the works I might be interested in placing with her house. I told her about The Phoenix Rebellion, or at least, the ideas I had because I was only a few chapters into the first book. I also told her it wasn't a typically told romance.

She listened and she loved it. And she said to feel free and go with my 'cast of characters' concept. I wrote the entire four book series in about nine months, and then waited to see if people loved or hated my approach. I've never had anyone tell me they don't like the way I tell the stories. In fact, I've been told frequently they feel like they're reading a television show or movie.

And along the way, I discovered I really love writing futuristic romance, and I really like "living" in the world I've created. Which is one of the things I like about writing series. I don't have to leave anyone behind as quickly as with single titles. I'm currently working on a new series, Phoenix Rising, which is a sequel to The Phoenix Rebellion, with many of the main characters from Rebellion returning in a secondary status. I'm working out in my head details for another series, Children of Phoenix, which would take place twenty to thirty years after both The Phoenix Rebellion and Phoenix Rising. And I would like to write a prequel single novel titled Birth of Phoenix that tells the story of how Phoenix came to be.

I've dabbled in other story ideas by doing a short story in the Borealis series titled Forgive Us Our Debts, and I have a couple non-Phoenix related ideas I might work with down the road -- one a 'near-future' suspense and another far future/off world concept. I enjoy the freedom of living in a world not strictly defined by the present, and creating storylines and possibilities we have yet to see. I've always enjoyed playing "What if…" with my critique partners, and the answer to the "What if…" question is so much more interesting when it's asked with sci fi in mind.

Prior to writing sci fi, I never used 'models' for my characters. I just wrote from the nothing in which my characters were born. But, when I began Phoenix, I realized my main character Nick Tanner paralleled the character of Jack O'Neill on Stargate (played by Richard Dean Anderson). And as I move on through writing, I find I like keeping an actor in mind when writing. It helps me visualize expressions, motions, reactions with better detail. And my heroes are almost always actors from sci fi somewhere. Take my new series, Phoenix Rising, for example. My heroes are inspired by Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Ben Browder (Farscape and Stargate SG-1), Jonathan Lapaglia (Seven Days) and Christopher Pine (Star Trek: Reboot).

I've fully given into my geekdom now. I love it, I embrace it, and I share it. I hope you enjoy it.

You can see more about The Phoenix Rebellion and my other works at my website:

Gail Delaney Dot Com :-)

I'm most active at my Facebook page.

Or you can email me at gail@gaildelaney.com