Veronica Scott for AMAZING STORIES: Welcome to my periodic series of author profiles. Today I’ve chosen Tana Stone, author of over 100 steamy science fiction romance novels full of action and adventure.
VS for ASM.: What was the first scifi romance book you ever read and what did you like about it?
TS: The first sci-fi romance I read was Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians, which I stumbled across on Amazon in 2016. Before then, I didn’t know the genre of sci-fi romance existed! As a Gen-Xer who’d grown up on Star Wars and Star Trek, I loved taking my beloved space adventures and adding more steam.
ASM.: What was the first scifi romance book you wrote, when, give us the 2-3 sentence logline.
TS: My first sci-fi romance book was Tamed, which was the first book in the Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors series. It released in July of 2019, but I’d been writing it slowly between releasing other books in an established mystery pen name. It all evolved from a series of “what ifs?” What if there was an agreement between aliens and Earth that the majority of the population didn’t know about to provide mates for them, and what if they’d created a fantasy space station based on their (sometimes off base and outdated) perception of Earth’s pop culture?
She’s been promised a dream wedding. The catch? She was abducted from Earth and her groom is a hot alien warrior with a bad attitude.
ASM.: Which of your SFR books is the bestselling?
TS: My book Possessed, book 1 of the Raider Warlords of the Vandar series has remained my bestselling title. Readers love that series (which is now up to nine books with number ten coming this July) and they’ve fallen hard for bad boy alien heroes with tails and kilts. I love writing it because the Vandar have a visceral feel to me when I write them. I can hear them pounding around in their dark, cavernous ships and growling.
I sacrificed myself to save my sister’s ship. Now the raider warlord owns me.
ASM.: I love your feeling about writing the Vandar! And tails and kilts are a pretty unbeatable combination. None of us can ever pick a favorite book or character but if you had to go live in one of your own books, which would you choose and why?
TS: My first series, the Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors, features a high-tech space station with holographic technology far beyond what exists now. The fantasy suites that the alien brides are given can be anything you can imagine from a South Pacific overwater bungalow to a cozy Swiss chalet, so I wouldn’t mind one of those. Hanging out in a Drexian fantasy suite while having all my food delivered sounds pretty great some days!
ASM.: It does sound great. You don’t just build one world, you create many at once! What was your most recent book and what was the story spark or inspiration for that story?
TS: The book that just released was Protector, book 9 in the raider warlords of the Vandar series. This book is part of the return of the series after the original six book arc ended in 2021. I’d always wanted to return to the world, and I knew readers wanted more Vandar, so when I got an idea for a lost group of exiled Vandar warriors returning after a generation, I had to write about these new guys who are looking for revenge and their place in the universe.
ASM.: Your own favorite tropes? Least favorite tropes?
TS: I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, which works well with sci-fi romance and alien abduction, but I’m not into bully romance or anything with dubious or nonexistent consent. No hate to those tropes/genres. They just aren’t my jam.
ASM.: Do you also write other genres? Which ones? How does writing a book in that genre compare to writing an SFR?
TS: I actually started my author journey as a traditionally published mystery author in 2005 with one of the big NY publishers. I still write those mysteries under a different pen name, and I also have a few paranormal romances under a third pen name. Writing mystery is very different from writing romance, but each make me better at the other. I enjoy the plotting that mystery requires, as well as the long character arcs I have with my 18+ book mystery series. I try to bring some of that characterization, especially when it comes to beloved side characters, to my sci-fi.
ASM.: Do you have a ‘writing buddy’ pet?
TS: One of our cats, Leo, loves to be held, so I often have to hold him to my chest with one hand while I write and type with the other. I’m seriously considering getting a baby sling to wear so I can free up my hands!
ASM.: What’s next for you?
TS: This year (2023) I’m focusing on adding books to my fan-favorite series along with partnering with some of my favorite sci-fi authors for anthologies and shared world series, but I’ll be introducing a new Drexian spin-off series at the end of the year that has me excited. I’ll also be appearing at RARE London in July and Readers Take Denver next spring so I can meet more readers in person!
ASM.: Always fun to meet the readers in person. What’s on your To Be Read List?
TS: Like most authors, my TBR pile is long and varied. I’m catching up on Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock mystery series (she’s a romance author who moved to mystery), eagerly awaiting Zoey Draven’s next release, and always have the next Louise Penny book on preorder. I love Jayne Castel’s Scottish historical romances, and there is always room on my shelf for a new book from contemporary romance author Amy Daws.
ASM.: Give us your short author bio and where you can be found on social media.
Tana Stone is a USA Today bestselling sci-fi romance author who loves sexy aliens and independent heroines. Her favorite superhero is Thor (with Aquaman a very close second because, well, Jason Momoa), her favorite dessert is key lime pie (okay, fine, all pie), and she loves Star Wars and Star Trek equally. She was a loyal watcher of Battlestar Galactica and still laments the loss of Firefly.
She has one husband, two teenagers, three neurotic cats, and two excitable dogs. She lives in the Southeast of the United States where everything but the pollen moves slow. She sometimes wishes she could teleport to a holographic space station like the one in her tribute brides series (sign her up for a fantasy suite now)!
Website: www.tanastone.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanastoneauthor/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tanastonestributes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanastoneauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tanastoneauthor
PROTECTOR (RAIDER WARLORDS OF THE VANDAR BOOK NINE)
The Vandar raiders who roam the sky are deadly and fierce. The mercenary hunting me is terrifying–and will stop at nothing to claim me.
I thought the cocky Vandar raiders I had to work alongside were my biggest problem. That was before the deranged leader of a ruthless band of mercenaries decided I belonged to him.
As a member of the underground Valox resistance, there are few things I fear. The terrifying alien outlaw who’s obsessed with me is one of them.
But now my biggest problem isn’t the alien searching for me, it’s the Vandar battle chief assigned to take me to safety. To say that Kaiven and I don’t get along would be an understatement. The Vandar might be huge and ripped, but he’s also arrogant and expects me to obey him.
At least I know that nothing will happen between us as he secrets me to the Valox base—unless it’s possible for us to annoy each other to death. Then the mercenaries find us and take us both captive. Can Kaiven save me from the alien outlaw who’s determined to make me his queen? Or will his promise to protect me destroy us both?
Protector is a full-length sci-fi romance novel with a HEA and no cheating. It features steamy scenes on an alien spaceship, thrilling space battles, and some serious heat.
If you like dominant alien warriors, alien abduction to seduction romance, and fated mates with a happily ever after, you’ll love Protector, the ninth book in Tana Stone’s sci-fi romance Raider Warlords of the Vandar series.
