I have the pleasure of seeing my
contemporary romance novella, GEEK MEETS GIRL, included in a new box set called
FALLING IN LOVE. In a few short weeks, the bundle has become a bestseller in a
few Amazon categories, and since it’s free to read with Kindle Unlimited,
Kindle readers can enjoy it anytime.
Purchase
Here: http://amzn.to/1FSmLxQ
I came up with the idea of writing
geek-themed romance after attending a number of fan and SFF conventions. I also
love finding cosplay photos in my social feeds, and am fascinated by the
variety of characters paid tribute in costume form. I also love reading
romance, and have enjoyed a spectrum of heroes, from Alphas to rakes to sensitive
gentlemen. I keep coming back to geeks, and it’s understandable. I married one,
and dated one prior to meeting him, so I have a bit of experience there. J
Why geek heroes? Why not? Everybody
deserves a happily ever after, and if your idea of a Saturday night involves a Firefly marathon and Funjuns, it’s even
better when you’re sharing it with somebody you love. Here are a few reasons
why a geek hero is good for romance:
1.
Geek heroes are versatile. One
can be a geek and be a cowboy, a police officer, a firefighter…anything. Geek
isn’t necessarily a job, but a state of mind. When you pick up any romance you
might find a hint of geekiness in the hero. He may obsess with favorite TV show
or video game, and still get the job done.
2.
Geek heroes are handsome. Yeah,
the pocket protector and taped glasses image is prevalent when you think of the
word, but it’s not fair to stereotype, is it? Geek is sexy and heroes wear it
well.
3.
Geek heroes are romantic. Ever
see that episode of Big Bang Theory
where Howard composes a song for his Bernadette? How about when Ross finds
Rachel a pin like the one that belonged to her grandmother, for her birthday?
Little gestures, and knowing they cherish your memories, will melt your heart.
Look around. Handsome geek heroes are all around, and I hope you
enjoy the one I wrote.
About the Book
A Time Lord, a Trekker, and a Ghostbuster walk into a science
fiction convention. One finds love, one finds trouble, one finds both.
Grace is excited to attend her first event, while con veteran Mick
enjoys tweaking her in a debate over whether or not Quantum Leap is superior to
Doctor Who. Meanwhile, Mick’s roommate has designs on Grace to win a bet which
has nothing to do fandoms.
Mick trades in his redshirt for shining armor, but can he win
Grace’s heart first?
~
Excerpt
Mick Wray savored her withering reaction. He’d attended enough
sci-fi cons to know how to push a fangirl’s buttons. The first time he attended
Liberty BellCon—a pimply thirteen, helping his older brother cart a boxful of Poul
Anderson novels for the author to sign—he saw maybe a handful of women. Yes,
there’d been a few die-hard, legitimate fans of the genre, but others had
merely come along with their significant others, sighing and glancing at their
watches. The surge of female attendance in recent years brought on by a
collective fondness for handsome British actors and sparkling vampires annoyed
him to no end. Mick felt their presence cheapened the spirit of an event he
loved, though he knew the organizers greatly appreciated the money these
giggling young girls spent.
He studied this woman, and the scarf obviously purchased from some
geek paraphernalia website, and wondered if she’d actually seen a Doctor Who
episode from the era represented by that particular article of clothing. He
supposed he could quiz her with some the questions he hoped would come up at
the panel—of course he had intended to go. The Quantum Leap remark served
entirely to irritate her.
Hey, if he was going to be stuck in this elevator for a while, he
might as well have some fun.
“What’s wrong with Quantum Leap?” he demanded. He thought to look
menacing, but he refused to frighten the young woman. Indeed, he found her
naturally disarming. She wore no makeup, and her soft blue eyes glared daggers
at him. He sensed the temperature rising already.
“Nothing, I like the show fine,” she said. “I wouldn’t rank it above
Doctor Who on a list of top sci-fi shows, specifically where time travel is the
focus.”
Mick folded his arms and settled in for a plausible explanation. The
most sparkling of the vampire fangirls probably knew enough to bluff through
such a discussion, and he couldn’t wait to hear the lady Doctor expound on her
viewing preferences.
“Fine, I’ll give you that the show only lasted a few seasons, but
compared to Doctor Who every friggin’ television series is short-lived. Judging
on what’s available for Quantum Leap, you can’t deny the high quality of
acting, or writing…”
“The narrow scope,” she added. “Exactly what is the science behind
the accelerator device that allowed Sam Beckett to leap physically into other
people’s bodies at different points in time? Wouldn’t it make more sense if he
traveled through time as himself, without the confines of another identity to
memorize?”
“That’s the thing: each episode is a challenge. It’s not so much he
has to solve a puzzle as a fish out of water, he is part of the puzzle and has
to figure out that piece before finding the rest. He discovers the self he is
in that time, acclimates to his environment, then he solves the mission.
Sometimes he doesn’t get the chance and has to do everything at once. That
makes for an interesting drama. What science is found in a flying blue box
manned by some goofball with weird fashion sense?” Mick posed.
She winced at that. Off came the metaphorical gloves. “The Doctor is
an alien, using alien technology, and at least he has better control over where
and when he travels. Quantum Leap was limited to a forty-year time span in the
twentieth century. Yeah, you could put Scott Bakula in a dress for one episode
and get some laughs while he pretends to be a woman, but eventually they were
going to run out of ideas. Doctor Who had all of time and space to work with.”
Mick snorted. “And yet, every other episode in the last few series
brought him back to present-day London. What a stretch.”
Her eyes narrowed. Oh, but she looked cute this highly annoyed.
“All of time and space,” she repeated. “How would your precious
Leaper and his hologram pal have handled the murderous Cybermen?”
“You realize there was an episode where Sam leaped into the body of
a Civil War-era soldier, right?”
“I don’t recall seeing Cybermen there.”
“The point it, Sam wasn’t restricted to leaping within his own
lifetime. So,” he smirked, “you know what I am talking about then.”
She nodded with a huff. “I saw that episode. He took over the body
of a direct ancestor, playing the DNA card on that one. They wouldn’t have been
able to do that more than once, though, since record keeping gets sketchy the
further you go back.”
Mick shrugged. “I disagree. Recorded history exists back to ancient
civilizations. Project Quantum Leap could access thousands and books and
documents, and research events as easily as you and I can.”
“Whatever. When they started doing shows where they interacted with
famous people, you knew they were grabbing for ratings and not concerned about
the core fan base.” Grace gave him a haughty smile.
“Yeah, Doctor Who never did that. No episodes featuring Charles
Dickens, Churchill, the Titanic…”
“That was a spaceship named for the original Titanic!”
Mick smiled. Thar she blows! This year’s Liberty BellCon just paid
for itself in terms of entertainment. He almost didn’t care if the elevator
remained sealed the whole weekend.
“You think they’ll do a Princess Diana storyline?” he teased.
“They could win an Emmy for one now, unlike the long-ago cancelled
Quantum Leap.” So, nyah, he expected to hear next.
At that, the floor shook. The lady Doctor grasped at the smooth
walls and let out a frightened squeal. Mick had to inhale to slow his spiked
heartbeat as well.
“I’m going to die in this outfit.” Her voice quivered.
“No, I think they’re fixing it.”
A low rumble followed by a hard shuddering noise alerted them to the
elevator’s resurrection.
“Thank you, God,” she muttered, getting to her feet.
Mick, however, remained still as his leg seized up with a painful
cramp. He stretched it out in an attempt to ease the ache, but the limb only
tingled underneath his skin. Damn it. He wouldn’t let this impede his
escape—he’d crawl out of this box if necessary.
“Hey, you think you could—” He didn’t get to finish his request, for
once the bell pinged their arrival at the fifth floor the doors opened and the
lady Doctor bolted from sight. A pair dressed in camouflage gave her a wide
berth before stepping closer to offer help.
“You forgot your—” He pointed at the coiled scarf, but saw no trace
of her in the throng drifting past the cleared space.
“Is this yours? I love it,” said the female half of the couple,
handing him the heavy knit garment that looked three times his height.
He said nothing beyond thank you and moved to make room. Just like a
geek-girl Cinderella, his lovely lady Doctor left behind a memento. “It is
nice, isn’t it?” He balled up the scarf in his arms. The doors closed again and
he breathed the same stale air, pondering his next move. He should return to
this floor and meet her at the Doctor Who panel. Scarves like this went for
about fifty to a hundred bucks, depending on where you shopped, and that seemed
a lot to simply leave behind.
The other man mashed the number twelve button on the panel, and the
elevator lurched. “Where’re you headed?” he asked Mick.
Mick sighed. His room was on twelve. The morning, mostly this short
time stuck here, left him exhausted. Missing the panel didn’t bother him. “Same
as you,” he said. He could wait, he decided. Doctor Cinderella wouldn’t get
far.
About the Author
Kathryn Lively is an award-winning writer and editor, Slytherin,
Whovian, and Rush (the band) fan. She loves chocolate and British crisps and is
still searching for a good US dealer of Japanese Kit Kat bars.
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