Fun Facts about the Capital of Canada

by Jessica E. Subject

Hello everyone! Later this month I’ll be traveling to the capital of Canada (Ottawa) for the first Romancing the Capital conference hosted by Eve Langlais. I am also celebrating the release of my second 1Night Stand story set in Ottawa. Therefore, I thought I’d share some fun and interesting facts about the capital....

1. Ottawa is Canada’s capitol and fourth largest city in the country, nestled between the two largest populations (Toronto and Montreal), and was originally called Bytown named for Colonel John By, the engineer who oversaw construction of the Rideau Canal.  In 1855 Bytown was incorporated and became Ottawa.

2. The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word adawe – which means to trade.

3. Ottawa is the seventh coldest capital in the world. Others that are colder include Ulaan-Baatar in Mongolia, Astana in Kazakhastan, Moscow, Russia, Helsinki in Finland, Reykjavik, Iceland and Tallin in Estonia.

4. There are 35 major festivals in Ottawa. The Canadian Tulip Festival, held every May, is one of the most famous.

5. Ottawa boasts a UNESCO World heritage site – the Rideau Canal. It is the best preserved example of a slackwater canal built in North America. It remains operational along its original line with most of the structures from the early nineteenth century still intact. The Rideau Canal becomes a 7.8 kilometer (4.7 miles) skating rink through downtown Ottawa during the winter months.

6. Ottawa is home to 14 National Museums – Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian Children’s Museum, Canadian Postal Museum, The National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Laurier House, Royal Canadian Mint, Library and Archives Canada, Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian War Museum, Canadian Science and Technology Museum, and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum.

7. The Château Laurier Hotel is said to be haunted by the ghost of Charles Melville Hays, the president of the company that built the hotel. Hays died on the Titanic twelve days before the hotel's opening.

8. Ottawa is home to the National Hockey League (NHL) team, The Senators. GO, SENS, GO!

9. The Giant Tiger located in the Byward Market is the ORIGINAL Giant Tiger. In Canada, the GT Boutique is a well know discount store.

10. Parliament Hill is not only one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ottawa with all the government buildings, it is also used to host a sanctuary for stray cats.

Her Alien Hero

A 1Night Stand story

Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

Librarian by day, erotic romance author by night, Melinda Rose sets out for another exciting conference, this one in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. But all her plans go up in smoke when the 1Night Stand she applies for is set to happen at the same time.

Cooper Tate heads to Ottawa to meet a friend. When he learns of her deception, he is ready to head back home and vows never to trust her again. That is, until he sees a picture of his stunning date.

With the help of Madame Eve, can these two former neighbors become lovers? Or will extraterrestrial secrets rip away the hero Melinda has always dreamed of?

Available from:

All Romance | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca| Amazon De| B&N | GooglePlay | Kobo | iTunes

P.S. Celestial Seduction, my other 1Night Stand story set in Ottawa is only 99¢ for the month of April at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058V67G2

About Jessica E. Subject:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook

Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

And I call myself Canadian...

by Jessica E. Subject

Hello everyone, I’m super excited to be travelling to Ottawa in April for the Romancing the Capital Convention hosted by Eve Langlais. Not only will I be one of the signing authors there, but I’ll also be participating in the Author Speed Dating event and one of the authors you can meet during the Decadent Publishing afternoon tea/snack. I can’t wait to meet everyone!

The funny thing is, I’ve never been to Ottawa. Yes, I’m Canadian, and I’ve never been to our country’s capital city. I had the chance many years ago for my grade eight class trip, but I choose to go to Quebec City instead. After events that occurred this past summer, I feel a patriotic urge to visit the city now. I will rectify that in April, and I hope to take my family to Ottawa soon.

I also have two 1Night Stand stories set in Ottawa. The first is CELESTIAL SEDUCTION, which was my first 1Night Stand story and debut release. The second, HER ALIEN HERO, will release in April prior to the convention.

Here’s a bit about both stories...

Celestial Seduction

A 1Night Stand story

Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

At the end of his obligated commitment to the Space Service, Frey Berger decides to stay on Earth to further experience human emotions rather than return to Ginnun where his intended has already mated with another. Looking for real love and someone to accept him for what he is, Frey enlists in Madame Evangeline’s popular dating service. Although he does not understand the concept of a one-night stand, he hopes to find his perfect mate.

Carrie Cooper’s husband divorced her for someone who could provide him with children, leaving her with little self-confidence and no desire to let a man hurt her again. Her best friend convinces her to join a dating service, claiming Carrie needs to get laid, while not winding up with a broken heart since her date requires no commitment after the night is over.

Although several misunderstandings nearly derail them before the date has even begun, Carrie and Frey end up becoming closer than they ever believed possible. Still, Frey will need to convince Carrie that her perfect mate isn’t human at all, and that one night can lead to a forever love.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks

Her Alien Hero

A 1Night Stand story

Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

Librarian by day, erotic romance author by night, Melinda Rose sets out for another exciting conference, this one in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. But all her plans go up in smoke when the 1Night Stand she applies for is set to happen at the same time.

Cooper Tate heads to Ottawa to meet a friend. When he learns of her deception, he is ready to head back home and vows never to trust her again. That is, until he sees a picture of his stunning date.

With the help of Madame Eve, can these two former neighbors become lovers? Or will extraterrestrial secrets rip away the hero Melinda has always dreamed of?

Pre-order from Amazon

About Jessica E. Subject:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook

Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

Aliens Are Thankful, Too...

by Jessica E. Subject

Hello everyone! As I write my eighth 1Night Stand story, I am very thankful to the line, the co-creators, my editors on the series, Kate and Val, and to Decadent Publishing for helping me to launch my career with my first 1Night Stand story, CELESTIAL SEDUCTION.

As American (I’m Canadian) Thanksgiving approaches, I begin to wonder what my characters would be thankful for. Those from Earth are easy to figure out, but the extraterrestrial heroes and heroines are a little tricky. Or maybe not....

Here’s what my aliens are thankful for:

Frey from Celestial Seduction ~ For being assigned to the mission to Earth, for Madame Eve, and Carrie, and baby Tabitha.

Galan from Satin Sheets in Space ~ For evesdropped conversations, for Madame Eve, and for Danyka especially.

Volan from Satin Sheets in Space ~ For Danyka, of course, and for a fabulous brother willing to share.

Natazekial from Another Night, Another Planet ~ For friends, and for the chance to be reunited with the love of my life.

Skylar from His Alien Virgin ~ For family and friends, for Madame Eve and Leah Castillo, and for my best friend of all, my husband, Daran.

Giveaway!!

Tell me one thing you would be thankful for if YOU WERE AN ALIEN living on Earth for a chance to WIN an ebook of one of my 1Night Stand stories.

BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN THE COMMENT!

Must be 18 or older to enter. Contest is international except where prohibited by law. Good luck!

Celestial Seduction

A 1Night Stand story

By Jessica E. Subject

Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

ISBN: 978-1613330944

At the end of his obligated commitment to the Space Service, Frey Berger decides to stay on Earth to further experience human emotions rather than return to Ginnun where his intended has already mated with another. Looking for real love and someone to accept him for what he is, Frey enlists in Madame Evangeline’s popular dating service. Although he does not understand the concept of a one-night stand, he hopes to find his perfect mate.

Carrie Cooper’s husband divorced her for someone who could provide him with children, leaving her with little self-confidence and no desire to let a man hurt her again. Her best friend convinces her to join a dating service, claiming Carrie needs to get laid, while not winding up with a broken heart since her date requires no commitment after the night is over.

Although several misunderstandings nearly derail them before the date has even begun, Carrie and Frey end up becoming closer than they ever believed possible. Still, Frey will need to convince Carrie that her perfect mate isn’t human at all, and that one night can lead to a forever love.

Available From:

Decadent Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | more

Excerpt:

No, aliens don’t exist. Or did they? How else could she explain the blue light from his hands and the resulting sensations she’d felt inside? And how could he do things the doctors could not?

If his words were true, she should run away, get as far away from him as possible before he began experimenting on her. Or had he already? But none of his actions brought her any harm. He’d only held her down and kissed her to keep her calm. And maybe even given her the chance to become a mother.

But oh, that kiss.

And now, he sat on the other side of the room, giving her space and time to think things through.

But he doesn’t look like an alien! Why would he make that up though? What would he gain?

“Frey?”

He looked over, his eyes empty, hollow. She’d never seen anyone look as sad without shedding a tear, quite the transformation from the confident human she’d seen enter the room hours earlier.

Guilt overwhelmed her for wanting an answer to the question in her head, but she asked anyway. “Is that what you really look like? I mean, you’re like the perfect male specimen.”

She hoped he’d respond with a smile, but he just shook his head, eyes cast down. “It’s just an illusion created to help us fit in on Earth.”

She hid her panic, but her mind raced with thoughts of an alien invasion. “Us? There’s more like you?”

“There were more of us, but everyone else returned to Ginnun. I’m the only one left on Earth.”

Phew! “Ginnun, what’s that?”

“My home planet.”

“Oh, but why? Why did you come here and why did you decide to stay?”

He glanced toward her. His eyes no longer held any color, their blackness appearing wet. “We came here to learn. The disguise is to prevent spreading fear and violence with our arrival. We mean no harm, but as my kind has travelled through space over the centuries, we have never been met with peace.”

She could understand why. Most people on Earth believed aliens would only come to the planet to take over. Unsure what she believed, she trusted Frey had no intention of hurting her, he’d had plenty of opportunity already. “Again, why did you stay?”

His eyes blinked—sideways. She tried to hide her gasp, but failed and he looked away. “Like I told you, my intended one mated with my former friend. I had no one to return to.”

She slid to the end of the bed, wanting to get closer to him. “Don’t you have family, friends? Are humans really that interesting?” She walked toward him, curious to know and see more.

“No one that matters.” He paused as if he noticed her getting closer. “On Ginnun, we are taught from a young age that displays of emotion are banned, not that those teachings are always successful. Parents aren’t supposed to love their children and husbands can’t show any affection for their wives. When Tandee gave herself to another, it tore me apart, but I wasn’t allowed to feel that way. After only a month here, I knew I didn’t want to return to Ginnun. I wanted to feel.”

She stood in front of him then and held out her hands. His black eyes met hers as he wrapped her hands in his. “You’re okay with what I told you?”

“No, but I’m trying to stay open-minded.” She tried to keep her hands from shaking even as she showed him she could handle the information. “I don’t feel like you want to hurt me though.”

He lightly squeezed her hands, a smile forming on his lips. “I would never bring you harm.”

Lifting one hand up, she gently placed it on the side of his face. “Will you show me what you really look like? I can see your real eyes, but I want to see the rest.”

About Jessica E. Subject:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook

Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

Away From Home

by Jessica E. Subject

If you applied for a 1Night Stand, would you want to have yours close to home, or would you rather travel a couple of hours away?  Personally, if I were single, I would want to leave my home city and visit another. Not only to explore a new place, but also to escape the possibility of running into someone I know. How much would that ruin a date?

In Unknown Futures, Jewel wants to leave her home town to get away from the closed-mindedness that exists there. She doesn't believe she will ever find someone to love close to home. Little does she know that Madame Eve arranges for her to go very far from home. To a space station to be exact.

Another Night, Another Planet is a little different. Ava travels across the galaxy in a luxury spacecraft, but when she applies to the 1Night Stand service, she expects her date to happen back on Earth. So when Madame Eve sends her a message indicating her date will happen during her layover on the planet Elatia, she doesn't expect anything to come out of the evening except one night of pleasure.

Readers: If you could have a 1Night Stand anywhere on Earth or throughout the galaxy,  where would you want to go?

Another Night, Another Planet

Limited by status…

Ava is a housekeeper aboard Star Spirit, a luxury cruise ship travelling between the Milky Way and the Belvarian System. Coming from a middle-class family on Earth, she is considered by passengers as nothing more than an object to be tossed away when they’re done with her.

Shunned because of his lineage…

Banned from several planets across the universe, Nate struggles to run his interstellar shipping business. But the DNA of an exterminated race runs through his blood, giving him a diluted form of their powers, and leaving him labeled as a terrorist.

Both searching for the one…

Through her 1Night Stand dating service, Madame Evangeline matches these two together for a celestial escape on the pleasure planet, Elatia.

Will Ava and Nate find what they’re looking for, or will their date be just another night on another planet?

Only 99¢ during October from:

Decadent Publishing | Amazon | All Romance

Now an Audio Book!

Narrated by Audrey Lusk

Audible | Amazon | iTunes

At Amazon, if you buy the Kindle format

you can get the audio book for a reduced price.

Unknown Futures

Attacked as a young adult, Jewel is left scarred and alone. She applies to the 1 Night Stand service, believing no one can see past her appearance to love her. But she doesn’t expect to be sent to a space station where her date could be any number of unusual alien species.

Flavia left everything behind to be one of five humans working for the Space Service space station. Extremely homesick, she is excited to learn she will be a guide to a woman from Earth visiting the station for a couple days. She is immediately drawn to the petite woman, seeing past her scars to her true inner beauty, stirring unforeseen desires.

Unfortunately, Jewel is there for a date which Flavia hasn’t been told about. Can she contain her lust and simply show her a good time? Or will she let her desire lead them into an unknown future?

Only 99¢ during October from:

Amazon | Decadent Publishing | All Romance

About the author:

Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook

Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph 

Predicting the Future

by Jessica E. Subject

One of the joys of writing speculative fiction—which includes science fiction romance—is that as the author, I get to predict the future. And I’m not just talking about future technologies such as spaceflight and gadgetry that is based in science. We can also predict the future on a social level. This includes governments, religion, and even romance. Will class structures in society become more distinct? Will there be a greater divide? And when we do meet beings from outer space, will discrimination play a factor in our interactions as they unfortunately still do with those on Earth?

I look at these social aspects in many of my stories, including my 1Night Stand story, Another Night, Another Planet. And, of course, I like to add in some possible futuristic technology, too.

Here’s an excerpt from Another Night, Another Planet:

Buzzing through the heavy traffic on her hover bike, [Ava] reached the spaceport in record time. Perfect. She found a parking locker in the cold, dank underground lot to squeeze her bike into, then dashed toward security. If she could pick up a faint signal, maybe she would have a chance to check her email one last time before take-off. Unlike the guests on board, she couldn’t afford to connect her tablet from space to the wireless system on the mother traveler, not since she’d paid for her one-night stand. Though once a week, all crew were allowed a video call back to Earth. And she called her mom and dad.

She’d been raised by middle-class parents with little chance of furthering her education past what the government paid for. When her father had received a pink slip from his employer of twenty star cycles, any hope she’d held onto of going to college flew out the window. And without that diploma, she could only find meaningless jobs that paid less than the effort she put into them.

Bags checked, Ava dashed down the plain, white corridors of the employee level, pausing for the vacuum seals to release on doors along the way, until she reached her room for the duration of her stay. After thumbing the security pad to open the door, she crashed on the bed to the left, the right one belonging to Michelle, her best friend, who had convinced her to apply to housekeeping aboard Star Spirit. They’d been interviewed together, and started space training the very next day.

Four star cycles later, she was all set to venture out on her seventh tour. Though she didn’t have much of a life traveling through space, the pay was better than she would find anywhere on Earth. Her basic needs of food and shelter were met, and when she returned home, she always split her earnings between her parents and her savings account. She couldn’t let the people who had raised her suffer because she’d found an opportunity they hadn’t.

Giveaway!

Tell me: What societal changes would you like to see in the future?

Answer this question for your chance to WIN Another Night, Another Planet in ebook OR audio format. Must be 18 or older to enter. Contest is international excerpt where prohibited by law. Good luck!

About Another Night, Another Planet:

Limited by status…

Ava is a housekeeper aboard Star Spirit, a luxury cruise ship that travels between the Milky Way and the Belvarian System. Coming from a middle-class family on Earth, she is considered by passengers as nothing more than an object to be tossed away when they’re done with her.

Shunned because of his lineage…

Being banned from several planets across the universe has made it hard for Nate to run his interstellar shipping business. But the DNA of an exterminated race runs through his blood, giving him a diluted form of their powers, and leaving him labeled as a terrorist.

Both searching for the one…

Through her 1Night Stand dating service, Madame Evangeline matches these two together for a celestial escape on the pleasure planet, Elatia.

Will Ava and Nate find what they’re looking for, or will their date go up in flames?

Available from

Decadent Publishing | Amazon US / UK | All Romance | Barnes & Noble | more

Now an Audio Book!

Narrated by Audrey Lusk

Audible | Amazon | iTunes

*You can listen to a sample at Audible and Amazon*

At Amazon, if you buy the Kindle format, you can get the audio book for a reduced price.

About Jessica E. Subject:

Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook

Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

#jsubject, #1NS, #1nightstand, #onenightstand, #MadameEve, #decadentpub, #scifiromance