EG Manetti – Interstellar Top Guns and other Swashbucklers

 

In recent months both Laurie A. Green  and Veronica Scott  have discussed how Top Gun SFR (classic sci-fi action and adventure) runs counter to the current trend of alien abductions by warriors who may or may not resemble humans.  Depending on the author, ‘Top Gun’ SFR may or may not include steam with the romance. Mine do. 

As described by Laurie A Green, “Top Gun Science Fiction Romance centers on characters like Han Solo, Jim Kirk, Mal Reynolds, or Starbuck, and not necessarily just pilots, but also ship’s captains, fleet admirals, rogue privateers, crack navigators, or anyone who knows their way around a space vessel and how to use their skills and their ship to the fullest potential.”

Within The Twelve Systems Chronicles, several characters fit this brief, all supporting characters who will (someday) have standalone stories. Fletcher Detrenti first appears in Bright Star (The Apprentice, Volume 2) but demonstrates his Top Gun skills in Transgressions (The Apprentice, Volume 3) where he competes in the Third System’s annual moon races.

“Developed from fighter training, the race uses a serpentine course designed to test the reflexes, strategic analysis, and raw courage of the eighteen contenders. The only distinction between the current sport and the ancient training games is that the race flyers are not equipped with fireburst cannons.”

His sidekick, Nickolas starts the series as a bit of a jerk, but under Fletcher’s influence develops his own Top Gun capabilities which are pulled to the forefront in the same battle as Fletcher’s.

While Fletcher is the classic solo pilot Top Gun, the Nightingale’s captain, Raleigh, is more of the swashbuckler that inspired his name.  A free-trader with limited, if any, respect for authority and hierarchy, he has fought pirates and bootstrapped an inter-stellar shipping empire into a formidable enterprise. Through a twist of fortune, he is convinced to serve as captain of the first stellar exploration vessel in over two centuries. 

“Stellar transit among the Twelve Systems is dependent on passage markers known as beacons; beyond these boundaries, automated stellar discoverers routinely disappear without a trace. It has been two centuries since the last stellar explorer and its crew ventured from the Twelve Systems. To build a stellar exploration vessel is to accept almost unimaginable financial and physical risk.”

After successfully guiding the Nightingale to the Thirteenth System, Raleigh must turn and defend it from an invading fleet. With a tenth of the invaders’ firepower, he holds out for most of a day until the armada arrives.

 Nightingale’s bridge is at capacity, crowded with the command crew, alpha flyers, medical staff, and the militia captain. The junior officers are standing where they can remain out of the way of the duty stations.

The captain is a compelling figure, his height apparent when seated. His close-cropped black hair is as no-nonsense as the man. The black eyes above prominent cheekbones are filled with dagger-sharp intelligence. Raleigh shifts his gaze to the main reviewer, where fourteen glowing dots orbit Bright Star Prime. “Fletcher’s estimate was optimistic. Those freighters could easily transport five thousand. And they are heavily armored. If they land, the cannon fireburst needed to destroy them will scorch hundreds of miles. It would be decades before those wastes could regenerate.”

Jonathan’s justice. Twenty thousand, plus another seven hundred in the despoiler fleet. Three symbols correct Nickolas’ earlier coded alerts.

“Distraction,” Bran says. The navigator’s frown of concentration deepens the crow’s feet that bracket amber eyes filled with purpose.

Raleigh’s eyebrows rise.

Bran gestures at the reviewer. “They have slowed to orbiting velocity. We fly in at maximum velocity, target the six Spears, and get out before they can react.”

Raleigh’s eyes gleam. “We pick off the Spears, and the skirmishes will keep the freighters in orbit.”

The first officer scowls. “With the fourth planet on the other side of the sun, we have no cover. That Starburst will have us on monitors as soon as we clear the rings. It will hit us with all four cannons as soon as we are in range.”

Bran’s eyes meet Nickolas’. “We send the flyers at the Starburst to keep it occupied.”

The flyer cannons have but a fifth of the charge of a Starburst cannon, but as a group they can do damage. As can the six sting cannons, which none but Serengeti know exist. Having pored over Starburst schematics for two sevendays, Nickolas is certain he knows where to direct the disabling sting. With the Starburst’s redundant systems, the three Serengeti flyer pairs will require at least a half period to disable the transport without catching each other in a crossfire. With but moments to attack and the Matahorn flyers in play, conventional cannons will better serve.

The first officer nods. “That leaves the three Daggers, and the freighters may be slow, but their armor is formidable. It will take sustained fire to bring one down.”

He need not voice that they will not have the luxury of sustained fire.

Raleigh gathers the chamber with his gaze. “We go in at maximum velocity. Rain fireburst and retreat. We will destroy what we may, but our goal is distraction. Keep them in orbit until the armada arrives.”

With all this said, the series revolves around the ultimate ‘Top Gun,’ Lilian Thornraven. She can’t fly a spaceship.  She’s not even all that good with a gun. Her weapon of choice is a dagger—and she is deadly with it. In the first book, The Cartel (The Apprentice, Volume 1) she is one of the most insignificant members of society and the cartel that holds her contract.  Yet, chapter after chapter, book after book, she overcomes dangerous circumstances and even more dangerous enemies to initiate change that will alter the course of her galaxy for the better.

“Lilian, I am beginning to believe that your purpose in the universe is to make the unimaginable, imaginable.” ~ Fortuna (The Apprentice, Volume 4)

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The Twelve Systems Chronicles have won numerous awards: three Paranormal Guild Reviewers’ Choice Awards, five RONE Finalists, and Shield Bearer received the 2021 RONE for Science Fiction. All ten volumes are available in both e-book and paperback, with the e-book available on multiple platforms.  

Purchase links: https://egmanetti.com/the-twelve-systems-chronicles/

EG Manetti

Where duty and passion collide 

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Veronica Scott on Top Gun SFR - Guest Blog

Honored to be a guest here in the Spacefreighters Lounge and follow up a bit on the recent Pauline B. Jones’ post about “top gun scifi romance”. I agree the emphasis in SFR these days has moved away from this kind of action and adventure to a strong focus on alien abductions and steamy adventures with alien warriors who may or may not resemble humans. I also enthusiastically concur that there are those of us still writing what we refer to as more “space opera SFR” and finding our audience. We supply varying levels of steam and spice along the way but our emphasis is on the classic scifi action and adventure, as well as the romance.

My male main characters are almost always military men. I guess I was strongly imprinted with that model as a kid when I fell in love with the original Flash Gordon serials (on late night TV) and other older scifi fare in books and movies. I’ve written some heroines who are active duty or ex-military as well though. I gravitate to the Special Forces branch of the service primarily although I do have a couple of out and out “Top Gun” types in the Badari Warriors series. I was always fascinated by fighter pilots and in fact one of my prized possessions is a photo of three of the famous Flying Tiger aces from World War II high in the air over China, which was signed by each of the gentlemen.

I also had two nephews by marriage who were fighter pilots in the Air Force and one of them in fact flew with guys who worked with Tom Cruise on the original “Top Gun” movie so it was always fun to talk with him about the differences between what Hollywood depicts and real life.

Amazon

Getting back to the books, however, Gabe Carter (book 5 in the Badari Warriors Sectors New Allies Series) is the quintessential “Top Gun” who could fly wingtip to wingtip with Tom Cruise’s character in the movies and not be fazed by anything. He’s dashing, a skilled pilot, confident but not cocky because he can make good on any promise he utters, in the air or out of it, and he’s a confirmed bachelor.

Until of course he isn’t.

He meets his fated mate in the book and although they have to go through quite a few hardships and difficulties while fighting their way to freedom, it all works out in the end. He still flies the most dangerous combat missions for the Badari and is a continuing character in the series.

Here’s a short snippet of Gabe attempting to elude the enemy:

Gabe worked the controls to send the flyer diving as close to the ground as he dared to go at this speed. Proximity alarms blared, warning him of both the terrain underneath and the three flyers on his tail.

Three! Where the seven hells had the Khagrish gotten three armed flyers?

He zigged left as a bolt of energy sizzled past his wing. This was a new and unwelcome development in his people’s war against the alien enemy, the Khagrish, who’d kidnapped and imprisoned them. Making a dramatic move straight up before jinking to the left again, he did a tight loop and banked in the opposite direction. No way was he leading the enemy to the valley where his friends and allies were hidden. He wished he had weapons, but his stolen flyer wasn’t equipped for combat.

Good thing I’m a reckless pilot. He grinned as he executed another daring maneuver. A towering front of gray and black storm clouds loomed ahead, and if he could just get into the maelstrom, he could lose the Khagrish chasing him. The lightning playing across the tops of the anvil shaped clouds didn’t deter him.

Cross winds and lightning arced as he entered the wall of clouds. His flyer was buffeted by downdrafts. In the vidscreens, he watched as two of the enemy craft on his tail veered off. The third continued its pursuit.

Pilot number three has guts. Or he’s slightly crazy like me. He fought the controls and tried not to think about how well constructed the alien craft might be. If he’d been flying a Sectors ship, he’d know how far he could push the design parameters, but it was all guesswork with his stolen ride. Another glance at the vids had him riveted as the Khagrish flyer rolled over and dove to the ground thousands of feet below, in what was obviously not a planned or controlled maneuver.

Alarms blared, recalling him to duty. If I don’t want to suffer the same fate, I’d better pay attention.

Time to exit the storm. Hopefully, the other two pursuit ships had broken off and gone home by now.

************************** 

Giving equal time to the ladies, I wrote Flo Michetti, also a hot pilot and all around badass, who works with Gabe and fights for the Badari cause. She meets her fated mate in book 10, DAEGAN, and really struggles with whether she’s ready to settle down and be in a relationship. Giving up her plans to return to the Sectors someday and resume her life as an elite mercenary requires a lot of thought but love wins out of course, in the middle of all the action and adventure going on.

Even the Top Gun pilots need their downtime!

Some other space opera romance authors I’d recommend are E. G. Manetti, Keary Taylor, Carol Van Natta and Jessie Mihalik. And of course my hostesses here at Spacefreighters Lounge!

Author Bio

USA Today Best Selling Author Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories. 

Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job, not her romances! 

She read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the official audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”

You can connect with Veronica Scott here:  

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ALPHA LEADER BEATS TOP GUN

Capt.Sam Murphy, alpha team leader

A recent blog post  here at Spacefreighters Lounge addressed something called “top gun SFR”. Author Pauline Baird Jones and my blog partner Laurie A. Green, both of whom write SFR focused on military-type space adventures, discussed the term, which they use to refer to not just pilots, “but also ship’s captains, fleet admirals, rogue privateers, crack navigators, or anyone who knows their way around a space vessel and how to use their skills and their ship to the fullest potential.” They named the obvious folks—Jim Kirk, Han Solo, Mal Reynolds or Starbuck—as examples.

The template for this “top gun” hero (or heroine) in their argument was, of course, a guy we’ve seen make a recent comeback on the big screen: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), the hot-shot Navy pilot first seen in 1986’s TOP GUN and now making a re-appearance in the hit sequel TOP GUN: MAVERICK. Of course, Maverick outflies and outguns any other pilot in the Navy’s elite Miramar Fighter School. And he has the attitude to match, going his own way in everything.

The Top Gun SFR theory says that folks like Kirk, Solo and Reynolds—and their counterparts in space opera novels written by us lesser folk (“pew-pew” SFR, as Pauline lovingly calls it) follow in Maverick’s brash footsteps, whether the foe is an alien warship or an ion storm. They find their own solutions, Starfleet, the Empire, the Alliance (or whoever) be damned.

To a certain extent that’s true. The Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon and Serenity are a long way from anywhere, and their captains can’t wait for someone to tell them what to do (not that Han Solo would listen, anyway!). But there is something else at work on at least two of those ships that the Top Gun SFR theory doesn’t take into account, something, indeed, that was at the heart of the original TOP GUN story.

The military, in fact, hates a genuine maverick. In the original movie, Pete Mitchell nearly screws the pooch several times by showing off and does get his partner “Goose” (Anthony Edwards) killed in an unnecessary hot-dogging maneuver during training. The point of the film is that Maverick must learn the hard way to work as a member of a team. Real fighter pilots have scads of group rituals—from barroom songs to games where everyone is forced to their backs on the floor whenever someone calls out “dead bug”—meant specifically to build team spirit. The military is all about teamwork, not individual performance. It values leadership within a structure, not independence.

We’ll leave out Han Solo, because he seldom worked within such a structure. But even Mal Reynolds was former military, and he insisted on a strict hierarchy on his ship. He was captain, his word was law, and he relied on his team to follow him. His team members had defined roles to play within that structure, and woe betide anyone who stepped outside the lines he’d drawn. (He almost sent Jayne out an airlock for betraying another member of the crew.)

Somehow, too, James T. Kirk has gotten a reputation as a maverick, but this, I think, is due more to J.J. Abrams’s reinterpretation of the character than Roddenberry’s original World War II-based concept. As William Shatner played the character, Kirk was a brilliant strategist, an intuitive tactician, capable of seeing options no one else could see in both diplomatic and battle situations. But he relied on his crew, and particularly on his senior officers McCoy and Spock, to give him the information he needed to make those decisions. The Enterprise operated like a well-oiled machine. Like a team, directed by a man who knew how to lead. Yes, there were instances where he ignored or defied Starfleet orders (mostly in the movies, when he was an admiral, or when a Starfleet bureaucrat was trying to insert himself where he didn’t belong onboard ship). But that was rare and justified.

In my own space opera novel, Fools Rush In: Interstellar Rescue Series Book 3, Captain Sam Murphy runs his own ship with military discipline, though he’s a pirate, with a reputation in the spacer bars for loving only profit, adventure and women. Like Kirk, he relies on his crew and his first officer for the data he needs to make his decisions. Also like Kirk, he’s a quick thinker, able to synthesize information from many sources to get his ship out of tight spots by either talking or fighting. That’s a good thing, because like Mal Reynolds, he doesn’t associate with the, uh, best elements in the galaxy. The authorities of the Consolidated Systems aren’t the only ones who’d like to get their hands on Murphy.

Still, he’s a man of principle and, like both Reynolds and Kirk, his crew will follow him anywhere. It’s no wonder Interstellar Rescue Agent Rayna Carver figures he’s the man to help her infiltrate an enemy arms factory to turn the tide in an alien civil war. And, of course, to be her own personal hero.

So, top gun? Maybe, but I prefer the alpha team leader, the one who has learned to rely on and command others with confidence.

Cheers, Donna

 

 

 

Top Gun SFR -- Still Flying

In 2014, I stumbled across an ad from fellow Science Fiction Romance/Space Adventure author Pauline Baird Jones, talking about two titles that she'd bundled and dubbed "Top Guns in Time and Space.”

Wait? What? That sounded amazing! I figured Pauline might have just defined the name of a new SFR category.

The stories she bundled were Out of Time, a time-travel/action adventure/romance centering on a World War II flying ace, and The Key, about a female Air Force pilot sent on a dangerous mission beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

I had to learn more, so I asked Pauline if she'd like to stop by Spacefreighters Lounge to talk about Top Gun SFR, and she graciously agreed. You can read that original discussion here: TOP GUN SFR: WHAT IS THIS NEW CATEGORY? 

When I asked her to explain the parameters of Top Gun SFR, Pauline said: “Anything that deals with military pilots seems like a good fit. Because who doesn’t love stories about military pilots? They are pretty amazing.” She also noted that the idea arose when she was talking to friend and fellow author, Cornelia Amiri, about how hard it is to market a stand alone book, so also gives credit to Cornelia for the idea.

So to put it in perspective, Top Gun Science Fiction Romance centers on characters like Han Solo, Jim Kirk, Mal Reynolds, or Starbuck, and not necessarily just pilots, but also ship’s captains, fleet admirals, rogue privateers, crack navigators, or anyone who knows their way around a space vessel and how to use their skills and their ship to the fullest potential.

Well, here we are in 2022 and the idea has come full circle with the release of the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, where we revisit Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell decades later, to learn if his rare talents translate to a new age of 5th generation craft and cutting-edge weaponry systems. We’ve been reminded of that spirit of daring-do once more, of those who fly by instinct and reflex, and have developed a keen intuition – coupled with experience – on how to achieve the impossible.

Top Gun SFR honors this rare and extraordinary vanishing breed. Heroes and heroines who "boldly go where no one has gone before" in spite of the perils and risks to them personally. It may not always be an enemy fleet they contend with – it could be an asteroid field, a massive nebula, the gravitational pull of an alien sun, a dangerous anomaly in the space-time continuum, or any number of hazards they might encounter out in the big, wide universe. This makes for an exciting, heart-pounding read and a wonderful reading adventure.

I thought it might be a good time to revisit the Top Gun SFR theme, so I reached out to Pauline again to see if she’d like to talk more on the subject.

Welcome, Pauline. So glad to have you back on Spacefreighters Lounge. I’d love to get your take on where you think SFR has gone, as a genre, in the last eight years and if you agree that the “Top Gun SFR” tag is still very relevant?

On some levels, the genre has moved away from the “pew-pew” science fiction romance, but for readers who love their “pew-pew,” their space opera and their top gun pilots of space ships, we’re still here. You just have to dig a little harder, drill a little further down.

I personally know the readers are still here for the “pew-pew” books and I’m also seeing some push back from the increasingly explicit content in SFR books. That’s why I created Blush Free Books. I wanted a place for authors and readers to find each other in that vast place between steamy, explicit books and the prim, sweet books.

Blush Free books aren’t prim, they aren’t steamy, but they are romantic and exciting! And you can find some classic “pew-pew” fiction there, too. You can find Blush Free Books at blushfreebooks.com. If you write (or have read) books in the middle, please hop over and submit them for inclusion on the site.

I love this idea! I have to agree that I don’t read SFR just for the sexy times. In many stories, I’d like to see more of the space adventure in my reads, and though the romance is always important, I like the story to be about much more than just the steam.

Could you provide readers with a brief snippet from your work that involves a Top Gun SFR character or situation?

This is a snippet from The Key. Sara is going back into battle after having been shot down a few days earlier in the story.

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Sara wondered if she’d choke or hesitate, but she didn’t have time to think about anything as she dove into the dogfight. It was almost easy. There were so many enemy ships, it was like shooting fish in a barrel—well, probably like it, since she’d never shot fish in a barrel. Or out of one for that matter.

Her bird responded like a trooper, at times it seemed all she had to do was think and it danced out of the way of incoming fire. She cut a swathe through a section of ships, then did a bat turn and made some more of them go away. No question who had the faster ships or best fighter pukes. The gomers attacked in groups of five ships, close flying, which made it easy to take out more than one ship with each shot.

The formation of Dusan craft broke up and tried to reform. One of them took out one of his own guys. A ship tried to play chicken with her and lost.

As she dodged, rolled, spun and fired, her SA, “situational awareness” was so high, she knew where every friendly was and how they were doing. It was odd, but she was used to odd. More squadrons poured out the fighter bay of the Doolittle and the enemy began to fall back. Like dogs after sheep, they wanted to follow, but the Old Man whistled them home to mother. Sara reluctantly turned her nose toward the ship.

She was lined up in the hawk circle, waiting her turn to go in, when the autopilot abruptly engaged and her ship pulled out of formation.

___________________________________________

What a great example of pilot finesse! Have you penned other books that fit the Top Gun SFR tag since 2014 that you’d like to talk about?

My Project Enterprise series continues to grow. I released a new book in the series this year, but probably my most recent “pew-pew” book is COSMIC BOOM from last year. There are several top gun space pilots who get to show off their flying and fighting skills against a myriad of alien enemies.

I’ve always loved your series title – Project Enterprise. To me, that really suggests “top gun SFR.” I’ve read several books in your series, but haven’t caught up to COSMIC BOOM yet, which I hope to do soon. Could you explain a little more about what inspired your series to readers?

Project Enterprise began with The Key, and was meant to just be one book. But readers asked for more and I loved the military aspect of the series. I wanted them to be really out there, far from home and having to rely on their own wits to survive.

As for why the military? I come from men who fought (and some who died) for their country and I love honoring that heritage and legacy. You can find out more about me and my books at paulinebairdjones.com! I hope you’ll stop by and say hi!

Thanks for stopping by Spacefreighters Lounge today to do revisit this topic, Pauline. You always have such fun ideas!

Top Gun SFR - What is this New Category All About?

Recently I stumbled across an ad from fellow SFR-ist Pauline Baird Jones, talking about two of her titles that she'd bundled and dubbed "Top Guns in Time and Space."

Wait? What? That sounds amazing! I think Pauline may have just coined the name of an entire new SFR category.

The stories in the bundle are Out of Time, a time-travel/action adventure/romance centering on a World War II flying ace, and The Key, about a female Air Force pilot sent on a dangerous mission beyond the Milky Way.

I had to learn more, so I asked Pauline if she'd like to stop by Spacefreighters Lounge to talk about Top Gun SFR, and she graciously agreed. So Pauline, first of all, what sort of stories do you consider to be "Top Gun SFR" and how did you come up with this dynamite category name?

Pauline Baird Jones:  I spread my Top Gun umbrella pretty far, by including an ace pilot from WWII in my bundle, so for me, anything that deals with military pilots seems like a good fit. Because who doesn’t love stories about military pilots? They are pretty amazing. I wish I could take credit for the concept, but I was talking to my friend and fellow author, Cornelia Amiri about how hard it is to market a standalone book.

Out of Time is one of those books I wrote because I loved the idea, because I had to write it. Originally I had planned to write a follow-up, but lots of Life Happened. Lots. And Sara from The Key sauntered into my imagination, and well, it didn’t get written.

I haven’t totally give up on a sequel to Out of Time, but it’s on a long list. So there it is, all by itself. I was, okay, I was whining about it. LOL When you have a series, then the books in the series funnel sales to other books, but readers don’t always follow an author to their other books if they aren’t sure they’ll like the genre. If they have to step outside their comfort zone to read it.

When I first made the move from romantic suspense to science fiction romance, I contacted several of my core fans and offered them the book for free. A couple of them were quite dubious, but ended up loving the book. So it is challenging to get readers to try a new-to-them genre.

Then Cornelia had her genius moment. Which lit the bulb over my head. But…I wondered how on earth my designer would be able to bring such different-though-kind-of-the-same-books together on a cover. I think she did a great job and I’m eyeing the other pilots in my back list and wondering…

Laurie: I hope you do find other candidates for this new SFR category, Pauline. :)

I'm going to put on my reader hat for a minute and look at this from another perspective. Although your stories are set in different eras and might otherwise be in two different categories--Time Travel SFR and Space Opera SFR--at their core they have the two things that light up my sensor boards. Pilots!...in a SFR story! That's a big trigger for me to click the buy button, and I doubt I'm alone. I think it was a really cool idea to bring these two stories together and package them. That hooked me.

I also think that Top Gun SFR has the potential to bring some new crossover readers in from the Military Romance front. I read in both genres because I love the military culture and especially pilots (and ship captains, as an extension of that). They are brave and resourceful, often brilliant, make split second decisions and fly by the gut, but at the same time they must be responsible and dependable enough to trust with other lives and multi-million (or billion!) dollar aircraft or ships.

But they do very much have a mind of their own and that makes them rebels. And flawed. And totally fascinating. The name Top Gun SFR summons a visual of Maverick pushing the envelope in his F-14 Tomcat, and that has parallels to Han Solo, Mal Reynolds, and Starbuck.

Why are Top Gun personalities such a draw? Maybe because pilots (and/or ship captains) tend to be fearless and cocky and extreme risk-takers. Remember this great line from the movie Top Gun? "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash!" Another exciting thing is that female characters can qualify as Top Gun personalities just as naturally as males, as your pilot in The Key demonstrates.

Pauline: Well, I know that I LOVE pilots for just the reasons you outline. I had a lot of fun creating a cocky, writing checks your body can’t cash, female pilot. LOL I also think we need heroes more than ever these days. I recently did a blog post about the transport of the future (I was doing it for fun—there may be a riding lawn mower in my future lol—but it ended up being more poignant than I expected.) When I was young we dreamed SO big! Our heroes were the soldiers and pilots—especially those amazing test pilots and astronauts. What a risk they took being the first into space and they jockeyed for it.

We love our heroes, military, police, firemen—all of those who stand in the path of danger for us. It was such an amazing experience for me to interact with the Greatest Generation when I was working on Out of Time. Their generosity in sharing their stories and answering my questions—well, not a shock from the men who flew into danger and saved the world. But what an honor. Looking back, I can see that it was kind of a natural segue for me as an author to go from ace pilots of WWII to pilots heading into the vastness of space.

I was recently at a SF con and one of the topics that came up was who would go to Mars? What would the Mars mission look like? There were some interesting comments, but I left thinking they totally missed the reality mark.

The first mission to Mars will have to be manned by the same type of people who made it to the Moon. Only when the path has been blazed (and the blood spilled), will the rest of us follow. That is the reality of exploration of any kind. First there is blunt force (and brave), then the next level of risk-takers, then then the settlement builders.

Because our society doesn’t seem to dream as big, I think it is critical for authors and other creators to keep that dreaming alive. And its important for us to honor the real-life heroes who stand between us and the very real dangers of the world.

Laurie: Oh, so well said, Pauline! That gave me goosebumps. Books really can help keep this spirit alive by inspiring readers to dream big. Very big.

So now we've identified the essence of Top Gun SFR. It's about those who dare--pilots, astronauts, mission captains, pioneers on the edge of space or time. Top Gun SFR honors this rare and extraordinary vanishing breed through characters who push the envelope and live on the edge. Heroes and heroines who "boldly go where no one has gone before" in spite of the perils and risks to them personally. This makes for an exciting, heart-pounding read and a wonderful reading adventure.

Pauline, thanks so much for joining us today for the unveiling of Top Gun SFR. I do believe this new category will catch on in a big way.

Now we'd like to hear from our readers. Tell us what other stories you've loved that you think would fall into the Top Gun SFR category?

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