This post is the final post for the Smart Girls Love SciFi Romance blog.

The exciting thing about life is that we’re always growing and changing, and though I consider myself a tough gal of a certain age, occasionally I still surprise myself. I’ve been putting off writing this post for a month. I’ve thought about it every day and known I would have to write it. Here I sit, writing it on the last day, last hour. I didn’t expect it to be this way. It’s not as if it’s a chore or that the occasion is unexpected or forced upon me.

Truly, this is a happy moment that I want to celebrate. It is also a tough one.

I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished – this blog, its writers and readers, the SFR community. I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from other bloggers, authors, and readers – from day one. I can’t express how amazed and honored I’ve been to have the volunteer efforts of skilled bloggers, like Echo and Riley and those that came before them, contributing to the blog. The blog isn’t closing because readership is falling off or we’ve grown tired of our subject, or feel irrelevant or unheard. I know you’re all out there. The following has steadily grown. And maybe that’s why I feel a little sad.

It’s hard to step away from the circle of wonderful people who share a passion for the genre I adore. My dear father always complains that people today overuse and misuse words like awesome and wonderful. Am I truly full of wonder when I think about you, reading this post today? Honestly, yes. You are truly wonderful to me and I wanted you to know that.

I say this is a happy moment, because I wouldn’t be closing the blog if I thought I was abandoning you at your time of need. I feel one hundred percent confident that you’ll find other places to gather and read about SFR. Our secret is out! SFR as a genre is gaining in popularity because it is full of high adventure, deeply emotional journeys, the best of both alpha and beta heroes and smart, strong heroines of all shapes, sizes, and ideals. Romance readers are embracing our admittedly wacky but devilishly fun tropes; like alien abduction, chosen by the alien prince, AIs, cyborg lovers, space pirates, space cowboys, prison planets, first contact, and untold space adventures!

So my job now, in this post, is to point you to those other places. In my head, I just heard the words “make it so” and now I will!

First, the big spots where there are already thriving communities in love with SFR:

SFR Brigade, a big community with a funny URL (http://sfrcontests.blogspot.com/). It doesn’t have anything to do with contests, really. Though there may be one there at any time, that’s not the point. It’s a community for both authors and readers of SFR. You’ll find general interest posts along with release announcements, genre news, and yes a few giveaways and contests.  They’re also on Facebook, have a closed SFR Brigade group,  and a Fan Page.

SFR Station, (http://www.sfrstation.com/) is a site for the book browser in you. If you’re feeling nostalgic for the experience of browsing a bookstore or library, go here and you’re nostalgia will fade away. This site focuses on SFR only and, though it is not a store, it points you to where to buy the books online. It tags books and lets you search by tropes, subjects, pairing types, heat levels, you name it. There are also free book and audio book listings, as well as a blog. They’re also on Facebook, but for the real experience, go to the site.

SFR Quarterly, is a quarterly web-zine for SFR (http://www.scifiromancequarterly.org/). It includes reviews, new release announcements, general SFR news and columns, as well as a BLOG that is run in partnership with the Galaxy Express.

USA Today Happily Ever After, is a national media BLOG with great romance-centric content. Veronica Scott’s “SciFi Encounters” column is SFR focused and is  published 2nd & 4th Thursdays. Add it to your calendar and check regularly!

RT BookClub, okay maybe not a thriving SFR community, but they are big with tons of book reviews and they are SFR friendly. Tip! Look for SFR, not in the SF section, but in the Paranormal section.

On to some smaller but important SFR friendly blogs:

Psychotropek, (http://www.psychotropek.net/blog) is a personal blog with great and frequent SFR reviews.

Veronica Scott, has a personal BLOG and she is now posting a Weekly NEW Releases in SciFi Romance and Fantasy on Wednesdays.

Whiskey With My Book, is Riley’s personal BOOKBLOG. I know she mentioned it earlier in the week, but it bears repeating. It’s a great place for book reviews and book talk in SFR and a variety of other genres. She’s also on Goodreads, so follow her there.

The Echo Zone,  is Echo’s personal BLOG. Again, I know she has mentioned it earlier in the week, but it bears repeating. It’s a great place for SF pop culture and Echo will be continuing her SF Obscure there. Did you know, she also writes as Echo Ishii. Follow her on twitter at @mrsbookmark.

Spacefreighters Lounge, is a group BLOG by authors who have been advocates for SFR as long or longer than I have. They cover a wide variety of topics of interest to SFR readers including science in the news, SF movies, and SFR book announcements. They also have listings of their own SFR books and short stories.

Finding SFR on the retailers:

All of the retailers carry SFR but as you probably know, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find. Here are a few quick tips.

Amazon, has been both a blessing and a quagmire for SFR. There is a specific section for SFR which is helpful and there are lots of SFR books in the Kindle Unlimited program that you won’t find anywhere else, but there have been “professional-book-stuffers” dumping a lot of poorly put-together short story collections and ancient backlist books into the listings. Here are a few links that might be helpful:
SFR book category, includes print and ebooks.
SFR Kindle books, list currently starts out with listing for SFR Series which can be helpful if you are looking for bingeable SFR.
SFR Audio, is a special section, but also remember that you can get “Audio upgrades” for SFR you’ve already purchased right in the Kindle App.

Facebook groups:

If you want to connect with fellow travelers, er enthusiasts, a facebook group could be the right choice for you. Lots of authors have their own groups just for their own fans, but there are also plenty of general groups you can join.

The Scifi Romance Group, is probably my favorite. For SFR lovers, it is a place to chat about Scifi Romance, make friends who love our favorite genre, discuss the issues, latest news, and topics in relation to SFR and the greater SFR Community.

The Scifi and Fantasy Romance Group, is a group for romance authors and readers in the subgenres of science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal.

Sci-fi Romance Crusaders, is a group for all Sci-Fi Romance lovers. Members can posts about books or pictures that inspire them.

Goodreads:

You can find SFR all over GoodReads, but the only active group I’m aware of is the Sci-Fi Romance Group. Join to share recommendations and gab about your favorite SFR.

SFR Friendly review sites:

While there are still some Romance review blogs that don’t consider SFR, there are plenty who will give it a try and even love it. Here are some of my favorites:

Angel’s Guilty Pleasures, super SFR friendly.

Monlatable Reviews, eclectic and SFR friendly.

Tome Tender, great well thought out reviews and SFR appears regularly.

Mixed Book Bag, a fan of traditional SF leaning SFR but open to everything.

The Reading Cafe, a bigger blog and definitely SFR friendly.

I Love Books, loves sexy SFR!

Kawehi’s Book Blog, SFR is not an everyday sighting, but she does like and review them and lots of other books with dark, tortured heroes.

6 Feet Under, SFR is not a common sighting, but dark tortured heroes abound. Maybe she just needs more SFR submissions?

Girly Girl Book Reviews, SFR friendly.

Grave Tells, SFR friendly and home of annual readers choice awards.

This is just a sampling. The blog-o-sphere is ginormous (that’s a technical term, right?) Try doing a google search of your favorite SFR author + review. The blog may have more SFR in their archives.

Help!

Okay, I’m running out of steam and it’s now well past my bed time. Help me out by adding your favorite SFR hot spots in the comments. I’ll pull them up into the post and this post will be available on the front page of the site indefinitely.

Hey, have I mentioned that I write SFR?

The blog is closing, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be hard to find. I’m a devoted SFR reader and that won’t change. I’m also an author. All that adds up to, I’ll still be around, hanging out with the community.

You can find me all over, including:

Twitter: @CharleeAllden
Facebook: CharleeAlldenAuthor
Website: www.charleeallden.com 
Amazon: Charlee Allden

 

Lets keep in touch!