Guest Post by E.D. Walker, About Flipping Tropes in Pets in Space

Note from Carol: I'm thrilled to be a part of the Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 science fiction romance anthology, in part because I get to work with fabulous authors such as E.D. Walker, author of the Beauty's Beast fantasy series. E.D. came by my place for virtual tea and Rice Krispie treats (OK, I ate all those) to tell us all about flipping tropes in her anthology story, The Bajo Cats of Anteros XII.

★ ★ ★ Read another guest post by Pets in Space author JC Hay ★ ★ ★

Guest Post: E.D. Walker and Flipping Tropes

One of my favorite things to write (and read!) is a good gender swap of the usual trope. A terrific example of this is my Pets in Space story The Bajo Cats of Anteros XII. See, instead of a hard-bitten male space captain and nurturing lady kitten rescuer I flipped the usual trope so my heroine is the no-nonsense space captain and my hero is the one who takes care of kitten’s all day.

I have to admit part of the appeal of this story was imagining a big sexy man taking care of kittens, being all nurturing and sweet. Who could resist a hunk like that? Someone sensitive and sexy? I’d have a hard time resisting that combo in real life and my heroine, Aliette, (spoiler) definitely can’t manage it in the book. Do you have any favorite pairings like this? Where the usual gender dynamics are switched around? Where the hero gets to be the nurturer and the heroine gets to kick butt?

* * * EXCERPT * * *

He was just as gorgeous as she remembered. Dammit. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a honey gold tan to his skin and silky dark hair grown longer than it used to be. Her fingers itched remembering how soft his hair had been, and how lovely the weight of his body curled around hers had been.

He smiled when he saw her, a flash of white against his dark skin. “Aliette.”

Her chest ached seeing his easy smile, hearing her name on his lips. I missed you. She shook her head and swallowed the words down.

Zandro scrubbed his fingers through his hair, looking nervous as he avoided eye contact. “Thank you for agreeing to do this, Aliette. I need to get to those kittens, and I can’t wait for the ferry. They don’t even start running ships until mid-morning.”

“Yeah. Well.” She twisted her fingers together and just looked at him, deeply unsettled, deeply uncertain.

Zandro waited a moment then cleared his throat. “Ah, permission to board, captain?”

“Right. Sorry.”

You can find out what happens next in The Bajo Cats of Anteros XII in Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3.

Pets in Space™ is back! Join us as we unveil eleven original, never-before-published action-filled romances that will heat your blood and warm your heart! New York Times, USA Today and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Ruby Lionsdrake, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Carol Van Natta, Tiffany Roberts, Alexis Glynn Latner, E D Walker, JC Hay, and Kyndra Hatch combine their love for Science Fiction Romance and pets to bring readers sexy, action-packed romances while helping our favorite charity.

Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space™ authors have donated over $4,400 in the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans. 10% of all preorders and first month's profits go to this wonderful charity. Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space™ 3 today!