Escapee: Repelling the Invasion - Edward... For the record, I hate doing reviews like this. Ones where I’ve positively reviewed one or two of the author’s other works in the past, but can’t do it again. Ed Hoornaert is a talented writer, and I absolutely loved his Alien Contact series. It was filled with laughter that contrasted nicely with the serious issues addressed. The raging hormones played very nicely alongside the great personalities, and the bickering constantly made me giggle. Escapee... didn’t….doesn’t do anything of the sort. Escapee is a completely different story, so that’s mostly to be expected. Still.

Part of the problem is that where the other books I’d read from him had their steamy moments, I felt like the books focused more on the developing relationships and kept it fairly real. With Escapee, I didn’t ever get that feeling. I felt like I was reading a bodice ripper right from the outset and it just didn’t do it for me. One that was almost a bit too crude, which knocked it down a few more points in my mind. The main character, Catt, set my teeth on edge because she was so typical. I know there’s basic formulaes for these types of books. This is one that doesn’t do it for me.

With that being said, I did enjoy the background the author set everything against. I love the little details, like the skoot, and the desolate landscapes. The ship (dirigible?) was awesome. You often read about state of the art stuff in science fiction, so to have their transportation be a little dingy of a ship was awesome. I loved Lance’s unceasing efforts to tell a joke. And the action once it got going? Wonderful. Basically, if it wasn’t for the overly rambunctious love story, I’d have loved Escapee.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author free in exchange for an honest review.

Alien Contact for Idiots is a laughter-inducing, heart-warming, and hormone-overloading read by Edward Hoornaert. Written with a deft touch, wonderful characters, and that handling of the cheese that some authors do so well, it’s the perfect read for when you just need a bit o’ fluff, but you can’t do without your science fiction.

I actually read the second book in this series, Alien Contact for Kid Sisters, first, and loved it because even though it had all the elements I look for in my fluff books, it also had a great story of personal growth going on. So, I was definitely happy to hop backwards and read the first book in the series for review. I’m honestly kind of torn on which book I like better. I feel like I preferred the slightly more serious tone and the emphasis on the characters’ mental states more in the second one, but this one is just so cheesy fun. Though, I will say, the author foreshadows the major issue dealt with in the second book quite well.

I read it late at night, laying in bed, and at one point cracked up laughing so hard I woke my partner up. The first time, he was fine with it. The second time, however, Mr. Hoornaert earned me some serious stink-eye. I love that the characters act believably for the most part. This is one area (among many) where the author excels. There’s definitely some serious exaggeration added in at times for comedic effect, but at the root of it – you believe in the characters. They’re intelligent (or idiots), they’re good, they’re insane, etc. They are what they are, and you buy it completely.

Alien Contact for Idiots is definitely worth buying and tucking away for when you need chocolate, quiet, and a fluff read to soothe your soul and make your heart have hope for happily ever afters again.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The African Queen in Outer Space?

A guest post by Edward Hoornaert:

 

My upcoming science fiction romance, Escapee, is coming out on April 19. What inspired me to write the book?

The 1951 movie, The African Queen. My version is set on an inhospitable moon, rather than the African Jungle, but in both tales the hero and heroine battle nature and, ultimately, the invading enemy.

How did I transform a movie into a science fiction romance?

Analyzing the movie

I rented the movie and looked for two things:

• Stages -- Charley and Rosie's relationship go through a number of stages.
• Turning points -- The events that caused their relationship to change from one stage to another.

I then devised analogous stages and turning points for Escapee. Here are a few of them, so you get the feel for how the analysis worked.

Stage 1:  Polite disconnect between hero and heroine.

• AQ -- Rosie, a missionary in German East Africa, disapproves of Charley, a crude freighter captain who brings supplies, but treats him with chilly politeness.
• Escapee -- Hector, a stuffy career army officer, disapproves of the freewheeling, lower-class airship pilot, Cattaroon who supplies his base.

Turning point:  The enemy invades. In AQ, it's the Germans, who leave Rosie alone and stranded -- until Charley comes by and saves her.

In Escapee, it's humans from the Proxima system. While Hector's on leave, they destroy his entire command, leaving him stranded and alone -- until Catt lands, looking for survivors.

Stage 2:  Rosie devises a near-impossible goal that he doesn't agree with.

• AQ -- Rosie's wants to attack a German warship. Charley agrees, knowing she'll give up when she learns how dangerous the river is.
• Escapee -- Hector wants to attack enemy headquarters. Catt agrees only because she's certain he'll give up when he realizes how dangerous a flight across the moon is.

So far the two stories are similar. Now they start to diverge, though the skeleton remains the same.

Turning point:  When mild danger fails to deter her from her purpose, his true feelings come out explosively.

• In AQ, after shooting rapids doesn't deter Rosie, Charley gets drunk and insults Rosie. She dumps out all his rum.
• In Escapee, after getting caught in a volcano's updraft doesn't deter Hector, Catt sabotages a cannon stored in the airship's hold.

Stage 3:  Futile attempts to rebuild a civil relationship.

• AQ -- Charley apologizes for insulting her, but she won't accept his apology unless he agrees to take her to the Germans' ship.
• Escapee -- With the cannon gone, Hector realizes how futile his quest is. Feeling guilty, Catt tries to be nice, but he's too depressed to talk about it.

Turning point:  He agrees to share her goal.

In AQ, Charley's (deeply buried!) chivalry makes him give in.

In Escapee, Catt remembers all the friends whom the enemy has killed. Hearing her cry during the night, Hector finally talks, voicing his idealistic reasons for wanting to fight. Inspired by his idealism, Catt agrees to make the dangerous voyage to the other side of the moon.

Stage 4:  Falling in love

Etc, etc.

"Inspired By", Not a Ripoff

This post is getting long, so I won't bore you with all six stages, but hopefully you get the general idea. Analyzing the movie turned out to be a huge help in developing my plot. You ought to try it some time.

I'd like to emphasize that Escapee ended up having a different feel than the movie. Here are some of the key differences:

• Although both environments are hostile, they're different -- river rapids vs. hurricanes and volcanoes.
• The characters’ genders are reversed. Their wounds are very different, as are the lessons they need to learn.
• I added secondary characters. They capture an enemy who tries to sabotage the airship. Hector has an alien pet that is ugly/lovable. Finally, Catt's android co-pilot provides comic relief as well as the book's most poignant scene, when he dies.
• The ending is more believable, IMHO. AQ's ending requires an act of God (a rainstorm that floats their grounded boat) and a wild coincidence (their sunken boat nonetheless sinks the German ship). Escapee has a logical ending.

What's It to You?

If you have a favorite movie you love, you might want to turn it into a book of your own. If so, consider analyzing it for stages and turning points.

What movie would you like to turn into an "inspired by" novel? Tell us about it in the comments.

PREORDER ESCAPEE NOW ON AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1WAxssv

Release Date: April 19 2016

 

 

About Edward Hoornaert

What kind of man writes romance? A man who married his high school sweetheart a week after graduation and is still living the HEA decades later. A man who is a certifiable Harlequin hero in his own right -- Ed inspired Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Rita Award finalist Mr. Valentine, which is dedicated to him.

 

Ed started out writing romances for Silhouette Books, but these days he concentrates on science fiction romance. In addition to novelist, he’s been a teacher, principal, technical writer, salesman, janitor, and symphonic oboist. He and wife Judi live in Tucson, Arizona. They have three sons, a daughter, a mutt, and the world’s most adorable grandson. Visit him at http://eahoornaert.com. 

Alien Contact for Kid Sisters - Edward H... Color me all sorts of impressed. Alien Contact for Kid Sisters is a solidly written book. The main character, Marianne, is battling a mental illness and the author makes sure its not magically righted or brushed aside instantly. (Although I will say it seems to be written in this magical in between time where she’s not really super affected by it. Of course, at one point I was diagnosed as bipolar (I disagree.), so maybe she just seems normal to me for a reason. Hmmmmm.) A recurring theme is M’s worries about people finding out she’s ‘sick in the head’, about going crazy like her mom. She also worries about disappointing her sister, who raised her after their mother was gone.

I liked the relationships between (and just generally liked) 90 percent the characters. They were all very believable, and some of the dialogue especially between Quinn and Elfy had me snickering because it was so on point. I think I wanted to slap each of the characters at one point or another, but I was also cheering them on. Geesh, at one point I was even rooting for one of the rebels!

Overall, this was a great read, and I’m kind of curious to read the first book in the series, Alien Contact for Idiots, which is apparently about Marianne’s sister, Ell, and how she ends up being Queen of the Kwadrans.

Want the full review? Please visit the original review on my site.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Full review can be read HERE